Top 10 Running Back Studs - Best Fantasy Football RB Performances Including Alvin Kamara, De'Von Achane, James Cook And More

September 17, 2024

Alex breaks down the top ten running backs from Week 2 of the 2024 NFL season and what those numbers mean for fantasy football going forward.

Week 2 is nearly in the books, and with it -- the season has already begun with plenty of excitement. The on-field action has been thrilling, and it's been about as good of a start to the year as we could ask for. Well, you know, aside from all the injuries. Here's to wishing Dolphins' quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (concussion) a speedy recovery and hoping Thursday wasn't the last time we'll see him in an NFL uniform.

Speaking of quarterbacks, we've seen just five of them clear the 300-yard mark through two weeks, and only Baker Mayfield, Derek Carr, and Kyler Murray have thrown three or more touchdowns in a single contest. We shouldn't expect passing numbers to be suppressed all year, but these numbers feel low and worth mentioning. Maybe this is the year the pendulum swings back in the direction of running backs, but it's too early to tell.

Week 2 will conclude with the Philadelphia Eagles hosting the Atlanta Falcons on Monday Night Football. Thus, Bijan Robinson and Saquon Barkley are ineligible for this list. Without further ado, let's jump right into the top ten PPR running back performances of Week 2 of the 2024 NFL season.

Top 10 Running Backs of the Week

Here are the top 10 running backs from Week 2 of the 2024 NFL season in PPR scoring:

1. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints

Kamara had a massive day Sunday, propelling the Saints to a 44-19 victory over the Cowboys in Dallas. Kamara gave us flashbacks of when he scored six TDs on Christmas back in 2020 in this one. He might not have hit that same number this week, but no fantasy manager will complain about a four-touchdown performance. The eighth-year veteran toted the rock 20 times, racking up 115 yards and three scores while reeling in 2-of-3 targets for 65 yards and an additional score.

Waiting for that Cowboys fan to arrive at work like 😏 pic.twitter.com/0QjqvD7NhB

— Saints Gameday (@SaintsGameday) September 16, 2024

When New Orleans blew out the Carolina Panthers in Week 1, no one really batted an eye. Still, an equally impressive performance against one of the better defenses in the league is enough to raise an eyebrow at. The Saints look like they're for real and will be tough to beat while they're firing on all cylinders like this. They'll take on the Eagles this upcoming week at home, and you can continue to fire up Kamara as a high-end RB1 in the league's hottest offense.

2. De'Von Achane, Miami Dolphins

Achane put up some more nice numbers in Week 2 despite the Dolphins' 31-10 loss at home to their division-rival Buffalo Bills. Achane was inefficient on the ground in Week 1 but turned it around this past weekend to assemble a 22-rush, 96-yard rushing line. His work in the passing game remained, though, and he caught all seven of his targets for 69 yards and a score.

De'Von Achane has 13 TDs in 13 career games.#BUFvsMIA on Prime Video
Also streaming on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/LzKfRBvUcz

— NFL (@NFL) September 13, 2024

Achane's 29 touches marked a new career high, and he's recorded seven receptions in each of the first two weeks. Miami will likely lean on him and their running game for the next few weeks while Tua Tagovailoa recovers from his concussion and looks to gain clarity on a timetable for his return.

QB Skylar Thompson does not pose as much of a threat to defenses as Tua, but the second-year RB should be in store for a massive workload again when Miami faces the Seahawks on the road in Week 3.

3. James Cook, Buffalo Bills

Cook had a stellar Thursday Night against Miami and had a hat-trick in this one, scoring two TDs on the ground and one through the air, with Buffalo handily defeating the Dolphins. The 24-year-old rushed 11 times for 78 yards and hauled in his lone target for a gain of 17. He probably would have had an even bigger day if the game had been more competitive.

The Bills looked more crisp in this one than in Week 1 when they fell behind to the Arizona Cardinals. There may be some variance in Buffalo's offense weekly as Josh Allen spreads the ball around effectively, though. However, Cook is still a low-end RB1 / high-end RB2 in one of the league's better offenses. He'll have a tougher matchup against Jacksonville in Week 3, but his work in the passing game should keep him in RB1 territory.

JAMES COOK WITH HIS 3RD TD OF THE GAME 🤯

IT'S ONLY THE FIRST HALF.

(via @NFL) pic.twitter.com/RSUVc4hvS1

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) September 13, 2024

4. Breece Hall, New York Jets

The Jets got their first win of the Aaron Rodgers starting QB era, and Hall was undoubtedly one of the reasons why. He rushed 14 times for 62 yards in the 24-17 victory over the Tennessee Titans, adding seven receptions for 52 yards and a score on eight targets. Rodgers has been shaking off the rust in the early going, and luckily for him, New York has two viable playmakers in the backfield including rookie Braelon Allen to lessen his load.

Aaron Rodgers connects with Breece Hall for a TD, giving the Jets the lead 🔥

🎥 @NFLpic.twitter.com/xzCzZi0H1f

— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) September 15, 2024

Despite the slow start for the Jets, Hall has been excellent thus far in 2024. His work in the passing game will keep him amongst league leaders in RB receptions, and he's one of the most dynamic rushers in the NFL. Braelon Allen's increased work in Week 2 may slightly concern the 23-year-old's ceiling, but the third-year back is still a weekly high-end RB1 play. That includes this Thursday when they square off against the New England Patriots.

5. J.K. Dobbins, Los Angeles Chargers

After two weeks, the Los Angeles Chargers are 2-0, and Dobbins leads the league in rushing, just as we all predicted. Dobbins followed up his 135-yard Week 1 performance with another 131 yards on 17 carries and scored his second TD of the season in the team's 26-3 victory over the hapless Carolina Panthers. He saw just one target, converting it for no additional gain.

Despite perpetual teammate Gus Edwards out-touching Dobbins 29-to-27 over the first two contests, Dobbins has greatly out-produced Edwards in yardage 266-to-85. The 25-year-old has registered a staggering 9.9 yards per carry (YPC) through the season's first two weeks.

Dobbins looks stronger than he did earlier in his career after sustaining a complex knee injury in 2021 and tearing his Achilles in Week 1 of last season. The former Buckeye should be locked into fantasy manager's lineups every week until proven otherwise.

JK DOBBINS RUNNING THROUGH EVERYBODY.

📺: #LACvsCAR on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/IrANF2mYTR

— NFL (@NFL) September 15, 2024

6. Braelon Allen, New York Jets

After receiving just two touches on eight snaps in his NFL debut, Allen made his presence felt in the Jets' win over the Titans. Allen took seven carries for 33 yards and a score while catching 2-of-4 targets for 23 yards and an additional TD.

Breece Hall out-snapped him 42-to-9 in the opener, but the rookie closed the gap in this one, seeing 20 snaps to Hall's 41. Overall, New York ran six more snaps as a team in Week 2.

The Wisconsin product didn't receive his first touch until the last few minutes of the first half but looked explosive and shared the field with his backfield mate on more than one occasion. It's unlikely that Hall would lose his job, but Allen's work in this outing cannot be written off as a fluke performance just yet, considering the sluggish nature of the Jets passing attack early on.

The former Badger was originally a 4-star recruit as a linebacker but proved a more-than-serviceable runner after converting to a full-time running back in college.

7. James Conner, Arizona Cardinals

Week 2 marks back-to-back RB7 PPR finishes for Conner. In their 41-10 win over the division-rival Los Angeles Rams, Conner rushed 22 times for 122 yards and a TD while catching his lone target for another two yards.

Arizona shocked everyone when they jumped ahead of the Buffalo Bills 17-0 in Week 1 before ultimately losing the game late. The Rams are dealing with a number of injuries, but maybe this version of the Cards has something going for it in 2024.

Man, football is fun

📺: #LARvsAZ | FOX | @JamesConner_ pic.twitter.com/spjWLGDMpw

— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) September 15, 2024

Despite Emari Demercado and Trey Benson handling much of the work with the game out of reach, the two combined for just 56 yards on 13 rushes (Benson had 11), and the latter caught the only target of the two.

It's early, but Conner is making his case for a weekly RB1 play. He'll have a tougher time getting there in Week 3 against the Detroit Lions, who have allowed just 3.3 rush yards per play thus far.

8. Zach Charbonnet, Seattle Seahawks

With starting running back Kenneth Walker III (oblique) ruled out for the game, Charbonnet was the only show in town when the Seahawks took down the New England Patriots 23-20. Charbonnet handled all of the work out of the backfield, carrying the rock 14 times for 38 yards and a TD while hauling in all five of his targets for 31 yards. It wasn't a very efficient day, but the volume as well as a sub-par opponent worked in his favor.

Charbonnet finds a way. 💪 pic.twitter.com/Oi9Zm0DPtf

— Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) September 15, 2024

We should expect some news regarding Walker's status for their Week 3 matchup against the Miami Dolphins over the next few days. If he cannot suit up again, Charbonnet would hold some high-end flex appeal with the role all to himself. However, expect Seattle to uptick their pass rate as they did this past week, too.

9. Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions

Gibbs' workload was scaled back in the season opener after dealing with a hamstring injury throughout the preseason. In Week 2, Gibbs was the 1A option in the Lions' backfield -- gaining 84 yards on 13 carries and reeling in all seven of his targets for 22 yards.

Gibbs out-touched David Montgomery 20-to-14 in the team's 20-16 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

This backfield is likely to look this way for most of the season -- fluid, with both backs contributing and both excellent plays on a weekly basis. However, the real story here was Detroit's inability to finish drives, scoring just one touchdown in seven red zone trips throughout the game. Of the team's 28 fourth-quarter plays, 23 were in Bucs' territory. Expect them to look to rectify this trend when the Lions square off against the Arizona Cardinals this coming Sunday.

10. Jordan Mason, San Francisco 49ers

It was another strong day for Jordan Mason on the ground, as he would have also qualified for this column last week had San Francisco not played on MNF. Mason rushed 20 times for 100 yards and scored in the team's surprising 23-17 loss to the Vikings Sunday while converting his sole target for a four-yard gain. It's the second time in two contests that he's hit the 20-carry mark while admirably filling in for Christian McCaffrey (calf, Achilles).

Jordan Mason runs it in for the 49ers TD and cuts into the Vikings lead 😤pic.twitter.com/gHbNu3ZwWv

— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 15, 2024

CMC will miss at least the next three games after being placed on injured reserve ahead of MNF, although it is speculated it could take longer than that for him to return to the field. Ian Rappoport believes it could take six weeks for McCaffrey to heal from his Achilles tendinitis properly. It's possible it doesn't take that long, but Mason is a must-start option until that comes to fruition -- and will likely hold stand-alone value for a few weeks after, too.

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