Top 10 Running Back Studs - Best Fantasy Football RB Performances Including D'Onta Foreman, Travis Etienne, James Cook, and more

October 23, 2023

The top ranked running back fantasy football scorers - are these RB trade targets, risers and sleepers from Week 7 of 2023? Kyle reacts to the best fantasy RB performances and how to best assess your squads for the rest of the 2023 fantasy season.

Week 7 had many fantasy managers in a bind as there were six NFL teams on a bye as well as various injuries that happened to RBs during the week. If you were short-handed, you might have been stuck playing someone questionable in your RB2 or Flex slots. We finally had a nice performance from a rookie RB that many in the fantasy community had touted all summer, and the undisputed RB1 Christian McCaffrey will be left out of this article since it won't include MNF.

Alvin Kamara continues his nice pace on the Saints after returning from his three-game suspension. In just four games this year, Kamara has a total of 39 targets, which is just a crazy number for a running back! He has all the makings of a league-winning RB with that kind of receiving volume when you think about where he was going in fantasy drafts. In Week 8, there will be no teams on a bye. Make it make sense, NFL!

Let's dive in and see who the top runners were. Here are the Week 7 top-10 RBs based on half-PPR fantasy scores (excluding Monday Night Football). For those of you who are in need of some real-time stats, bookmark our live fantasy scoreboard to your browser. You'll get live updates, top performances, and more -- because who doesn't basically want some nonstop live fantasy action?

Top 10 Running Backs Of The Week

Here are the top 10 running backs from Week 7 of the 2023 NFL season in half-PPR scoring:

1. D'Onta Foreman, Chicago Bears

No Khalil Herbert and no Roschon Johnson? No problem.  The Bears coaching staff has some explaining to do though. Seriously, how was Foreman a healthy scratch in four games this season while Travis Homer played in all six of them? Now granted Homer does play special teams, but still, you can't help but wonder. Foreman has shown flashes in his career after a brutal Achilles injury as a rookie in 2017 that took him several years to recover from.

On Sunday, the Bears' offense shined without QB Justin Fields and handily beat the Las Vegas Raiders by a score of 30-12. Foreman carried the ball 16 times for 89 yards and 2 TDs on top of seeing five targets and finishing with three receptions for 31 yards and another TD. Chicago's offense has been inconsistent for fantasy, but if the other two RBs continue to miss time, Foreman would be a viable RB2 with upside in Week 8 when the Bears play the Chargers. Nonetheless, he is worth rostering in just about all formats now to see how this situation plays out.

2. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints

After missing the first three games of the season following his suspension, Kamara has returned to form and has become a full-on PPR machine. Through four games, Kamara has 39 total targets and will be an absolute monster for fantasy purposes if he continues to see this kind of receiving volume. The Saints' offense has been inconsistent at times, but they are 3-4 and still in the thick of the NFC South divisional race.

On Thursday Night Football, Kamara had 17 carries for 62 yards but saw 14 targets where he finished with 12 receptions for 91 yards. Kamara looks to be the perfect fit with QB Derek Carr and has massive upside the rest of the way. There are some concerns about his declining abilities as an inside-runner, but if he keeps getting this many receptions it simply won't matter for fantasy.

3. Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions

This was the kind of game that fantasy players all over the community had been waiting for. Starting RB David Montgomery was ruled out due to injury and could miss Week 8 before the Lions head into their Week 9 bye. Fellow RB Craig Reynolds was questionable with a hamstring and Gibbs was able to get the lion's share of the RB work.

See what I did there? The bad news is that the Lions were absolutely throttled in Baltimore from the jump and lost 38-6. Lions fans overall are quite happy with the team's start and they should hang on to win the NFC North for the first time ever, but Week 7 was a litmus test they did not pass.

The good news is that Gibbs was able to show that not only does he belong in the NFL, but that he can be a formidable starting RB in this league. Gibbs had 11 carries for 68 yards and a TD on top of seeing 10 targets to finish with nine receptions for 58 yards. While we have to be cautious of what his total usage will be once David Montgomery returns, if Monty is held out for Week 8 against the Las Vegas Raiders, then it will be wheels up for Gibbs at least for another week.

4. Travis Etienne, Jacksonville Jaguars

Etienne has been on an absolute tear the last month. After many in the fantasy community questioned how viable he would be in 2023 after the team spent a third-round pick on RB Tank Bigsby, so far it's completely been Etienne's backfield and looks to be for a long time. We saw two top-four RB finishes on Thursday Night Football and Etienne finished with 14 carries for 53 yards and two TDs along with five targets for three receptions and 24 yards. Here's how Etienne has finished over four of his last five games: RB9, RB1, RB2, and RB4. Sheesh. The scary thing is the Jaguars offense doesn't even seem to be completely clicking yet.

5. Gus Edwards, Baltimore Ravens

We haven't heard much from Edwards this season and many had assumed that he would earn a bigger role in the Ravens offense after RB J.K. Dobbins was lost for the season in Week 1 with a torn Achilles. Edwards has been locked into a committee with Justice Hill, but on Sunday in a blowout win over the Lions, he had himself a day with 14 carries for 64 yards and one TD along with one reception for 80 yards and another TD.

Edwards typically doesn't have much receiving upside for fantasy and there is always the threat of getting vultured by Lamar Jackson in the red zone, but Edwards needs to be rostered everywhere just in case. The Ravens offense has been working out some of the bugs, but the upside is there for this unit to get better as the year goes along.

6. Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts

Welcome back, young king. After Taylor missed the first four games of the season coming back from injury, he re-signed with the Colts for the foreseeable future. JT had been slow getting started but shined in Week 7 versus a solid Cleveland Browns defense.

Taylor had 18 carries for 75 yards and one TD on top of seeing four targets to finish with three receptions for 45 yards. Taylor typically has not been much of a receiving threat for fantasy, so it was nice to see him getting work there. The Colts ended up losing on a questionable call at the end of the game, but Taylor started to look like his old self. He runs with so much explosiveness and is a difficult player to bring down, especially in the open field. Better days are ahead.

7. James Cook, Buffalo Bills

A player who had been worrying us quite a bit over the last few weeks, it was nice to Cook showing his talent in Week 7. The Bills were upset by their rival New England Patriots, but Cook looked good. He had just 13 carries for 56 yards, but showed his prowess as a receiver, finishing with three receptions for 46 yards and one TD.

The Bills are 4-3 and are not living up to expectations, but outside of today, their offense has been solid. There is still the threat of Cook not seeing enough volume, as well as the threat of him losing goal-line carries to other RBs as well as QB Josh Allen. But for now, he is well entrenched as the starting RB on this team. Still think Cook is a potential sell-high candidate, especially in dynasty leagues if you aren't competing this year, but his situation at least for this year is very favorable.

8. Saquon Barkley, New York Giants

It's been a frustrating year for Barkley in fantasy, the talented RB missed several games with a high-ankle sprain this year and the Giants' offense has mostly been a disaster. On Sunday against the Commanders, Saquon was back to his old self, rushing 21 times for 77 yards and catching three passes for 41 yards and one TD. The Giants face a very difficult schedule during the fantasy playoffs: the Saints, Eagles, and Rams. Better games should be ahead of Saquon, but the Giants need to start getting some of their offensive line back. They are still 2-5 but have the Jets and Raiders coming up.

9. Jerome Ford, Cleveland Browns

The Cleveland offense has been a mess as QB Deshaun Watson has missed several games with a shoulder injury and outside of a solid performance versus the Titans in Week 3, hasn't looked much like his old self. RB Nick Chubb was lost for the season in Week 2 with an MCL tear and Ford has stepped in admirably. Ford got loose on the first series of the game with a 69-yard run to the house and finished with 94 total yards and one TD. After weathering a tough stretch, Ford has the Seahawks and Cardinals coming up. He should be viewed as a mid-RB2 the rest of the way. Let's just hope Cleveland can solve their QB issues and fast.

10. Kareem Hunt, Cleveland Browns

After signing with the Browns in Week 3 after the terrible injury to RB Nick Chubb, Hunt has put together back-to-back RB1 performances in Weeks 6 and 7. He is likely a touchdown-dependent play in fantasy and has been losing out on meaningful snaps to Ford. On Sunday, Hunt had 10 carries for 31 yards and two TDs, including the game-winner on fourth and goal, but his yards per carry haven't been great. Hunt is still a capable running back at this point in his career, but we're out here wondering if the Browns offense can even support one RB for fantasy, let alone two.

Looking Forward to the Rest of the 2023 Season

How did your teams fare in Week 7? If you have any potential trade questions, as well as questions involving waivers or start/sit, be sure to follow us here at RotoBaller with up-to-date fantasy news and team reports. Best of luck the rest of the way!

Are there any running backs not on this list who you expect to bounce back in Week 8? If you have any FAAB or waiver questions as well, feel free to get at me on Twitter/X.

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