Fantasy Football Week 3: Top 50 Flex Players with PPR Rankings

If you're reading this, you're probably worried about your fantasy football running backs right now.

That's not a psychic prophecy but rather a safe assumption given the position's mess this year. Four rushers (Adrian Peterson, Jamaal Charles, Giovani Bernard and Matt Jones) compiled more than 100 yards on the ground in Week 2, and two of them entered the weekend second on the depth chart. DeAngelo Williams, the position's top scorer under ESPN.com standard scoring, will step back with Le'Veon Bell returning.

Meanwhile, several perceived stars are giving owners panic attacks. DeMarco Murray can't pass the line of scrimmage, Jeremy Hill can't hold on to the football, and Marshawn Lynch looks terrifyingly mortal. It's hard to decipher the cream of the crop heading into Week 3. 

As a result, the flex rankings feature more wide receivers every week. Let's see how the upcoming point-per-reception (PPR) ranks stack up against the standard format's ordering.

Rank	Standard	PPR
1	Le'Veon Bell, RB, PIT	Antonio Brown, WR, PIT
2	Adrian Peterson, RB, MIN	Julio Jones, WR, ATL
3	Jamaal Charles, RB, KC	Le'Veon Bell, RB, PIT
4	Antonio Brown, WR, PIT	Odell Beckham Jr., WR, NYG
5	Julio Jones, WR, ATL	Demaryius Thomas, WR, DEN
6	Rob Gronkowski, TE, NE	Adrian Peterson, RB, MIN
7	Matt Forte, RB, CHI	Jamaal Charles, RB, KC
8	Odell Beckham Jr., WR, NYG	Randall Cobb, WR, GB
9	Marshawn Lynch, RB, SEA	Matt Forte, RB, CHI
10	Demaryius Thomas, WR, DEN	Emmanuel Sanders, WR, DEN
11	Joseph Randle, RB, DAL	DeAndre Hopkins, WR, HOU
12	Eddie Lacy, RB, GB	Rob Gronkowski, TE, NE
13	Latavius Murray, RB, OAK	Calvin Johnson, WR, DET
14	DeAndre Hopkins, WR, HOU	A.J. Green, WR, CIN
15	Calvin Johnson, WR, DET	Julian Edelman, WR, NE
16	Jeremy Hill, RB, CIN	Marshawn Lynch, RB, SEA
17	LeSean McCoy, RB, BUF	Jarvis Landry, WR, MIA
18	A.J. Green, WR, CIN	Larry Fitzgerald, WR, ARI
19	Justin Forsett, RB, BAL	Jordan Matthews, WR, PHI
20	Randall Cobb, WR, GB	Joseph Randle, RB, DAL
21	Emmanuel Sanders, WR, DEN	Eddie Lacy, RB, GB
22	DeMarco Murray, RB, PHI	Latavius Murray, RB, OAK
23	Larry Fitzgerald, WR, ARI	T.Y. Hilton, WR, IND
24	Carlos Hyde, RB, SF	Jeremy Hill, RB, CIN
25	Jordan Matthews, WR, PHI	LeSean McCoy, RB, BUF
26	Julian Edelman, WR, NE	Justin Forsett, RB, BAL
27	Chris Ivory, RB, NYJ	Keenan Allen, WR, SD
28	C.J. Anderson, RB, DEN	Steve Smith Sr., WR, BAL
29	Jarvis Landry, WR, MIA	Brandon Marshall, WR, NYJ
30	Mark Ingram, RB, NO	Amari Cooper, WR, OAK
31	Melvin Gordon, RB, SD	DeMarco Murray, RB, PHI
32	T.Y. Hilton, WR, IND	Allen Robinson, WR, JAC
33	Frank Gore, RB, IND	Pierre Garcon, WR, WAS
34	Keenan Allen, WR, SD	Carlos Hyde, RB, SF
35	Brandon Marshall, WR, NYJ	Mike Evans, WR, TB
36	Isaiah Crowell, RB, CLE	C.J. Anderson, RB, DEN
37	Steve Smith Sr., WR, BAL	Davante Adams, WR, GB
38	Amari Cooper, WR, OAK	Giovani Bernard, RB, CIN
39	Giovani Bernard, RB, CIN	Chris Ivory, RB, NYJ
40	Doug Martin, RB, TB	Dion Lewis, RB, NE
41	Allen Robinson, WR, JAC	Danny Woodhead, RB, SD
42	Mike Evans, WR, TB	Golden Tate, WR, DET
43	Davante Adams, WR, GB	Sammy Watkins, WR, BUF
44	Lamar Miller, RB, MIA	Donte Moncrief, WR, IND
45	Alfred Morris, RB, WAS	Lamar Miller, RB, MIA
46	Sammy Watkins, WR, BUF	Mark Ingram, RB, NO
47	Jonathan Stewart, RB, CAR	Jeremy Maclin, WR, KC
48	Devonta Freeman, RB, ATL	Devonta Freeman, RB, ATL
49	Jeremy Maclin, WR, KC	John Brown, WR, ARI
50	David Johnson, RB, ARI	Brandin Cooks, WR, NO

Murray has 11 rushing yards through two games. The guy who started 2014 with eight straight 100-yard games ran for two yards on 13 carries against his old team. Even the calmest owner needs to start freaking out.

Fantasy managers struggle to look beyond the individual player accumulating stats, but the new Philadelphia Eagles back can't take all the blame for his drastic downturn. After receiving incredible blocking from the Dallas Cowboys offensive line last year, he's getting no help from his new teammates, per ESPN Stats & Info:

While he took responsibility for the team's rushing woes to PhiladelphiaEagles.com's Julie Bacanskas, he also said everyone else needs to step up. 

"I have to do a better job of running that ball. I'm the first one to look in the mirror and say I've got to do better," Murray said. "Individually, we've got to get better. Collectively, we've got to get better and just got to look in the mirror and take it upon ourselves to really get things going."

For now, he remains in the "too good to sit" category. He appeased fantasy players with two short touchdowns in Week 2 and provided five catches for 53 yards as a consolation prize last weekend. As long as the Eagles get their act together, he hasn't hurt fantasy owners—particularly PPR investors—too much with his early slumber.

Lamar Miller's owners find themselves in a similar predicament. The Miami Dolphins running back has received 23 carries this season, gaining 14 yards on 10 handoffs against the Jacksonville Jaguars. During the surprising loss, Miami ran the ball 16 times while Ryan Tannehill fired 44 passes.

Miller left the game with an injured ankle, but he downplayed its severity to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald: 

Only Dallas has allowed fewer rushing yards (106) than the Buffalo Bills (120) this season. A tough matchup under normal circumstances feels much bleaker for a banged-up player not getting enough chances. 

At the same time, plenty of squads won't roster a better alternative. He remains a great talent who averaged 5.1 yards per run last year. Dion Lewis churned out a strong outing against the Bills, so an active Miller preserves starting status as a low-end No. 2 back or flex option.

Many frustrated gamers are saying, "Wait. I thought Mike Evans was supposed to play in Week 2." The Tampa Bay Buccaneers wideout suited up, but he didn't record his first catch of the season. Returning from an injured hamstring, he mostly served as a decoy, receiving three targets.

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

According to Pro Football Focus, the 22-year-old receiver lined up for 41 of Tampa Bay's 66 offensive snaps. In what was supposed to be a shootout against the New Orleans Saints, the Buccaneers instead built a lead and ran 35 times. 

So what gives? Can anyone start someone who hasn't gained a yard yet? He'll have another week to build closer to 100 percent, and don't count on Tampa Bay jumping out to another lead over the Houston Texans.

Anyone who benches Evans risks missing a monster game. While his lavish draft-day price tag will prove too much for a boom-or-bust talent, he's a No. 2 wideout capable of carrying fake squads to victory.

Risk-averse players can look elsewhere if they have a suitable alternative holstered, but the safe route could lead to heartbreak.