Adrian Peterson Runs Into the Top Spot of Week Five's Running Back Rankings

These rankings are reflective of how I believe NFL players will perform, from a fantasy (ESPN) standard scoring perspective, in their current situations and Week Five Matchups.

1. Adrian Peterson, MIN (at NO). I’ve been waiting a while to put this guy in the top spot. Peterson gets his starting left tackle, Bryant McKinnie, back from suspension and goes to New Orleans with him on the grand stage of Monday Night Football. Expect monster stats.
2. Marion Barber, DAL(vs CIN). He’s not calling attention to his lack of touches against the Skins, but if Barber doesn’t get more touches this week, there’s something sorely wrong in Dallas. Assuming that he does get his recommended dose of touching the football, he should run over, around, and through the Bengals’ defense.
3. Larry Johnson, KC (at CAR). There’s really not much more room for Johnson to ascend in these rankings (I had him at four last week), so play him if you’ve got him, and… I told you so.
4. Matt Forte, CHI(at DET). Forte earned 85 yards from scrimmage against a blitz-happy, stingy Eagles defense. The Lions should be a breath of fresh air for this rookie runner.
5. LaDainian Tomlinson, SD (at MIA). LT should score on the Dolphins. A couple times.
6. Brandon Jacobs, NYG (vs SEA). Jacobs’ legs are fresh off a bye week, and Plaxico Burress is missing this game with a suspension. This means the Giants may focus even more on the run.
7. Steve Slaton, HOU (vs IND). Slaton is shaping up more and more like a feature back in Houston, Matt Schaub’s stats are looking better, and the Colts have surrendered over 400 yards on the ground through three games.
8. Frank Gore, SF (vs NE). You know he saw what Ronnie Brown did to the Patriots in Week 3.
9. Joseph Addai, IND (at HOU). Addai will probably get a lot of his damage done through the air, but he shouldn’t fare terribly on the ground and will probably get a score.
10. Ronnie Brown, MIA (vs SD). Ronnie gets his legs rested after running all over the Patriots in Week 3. The AFC West division as a whole is lacking in the defensive department, and Brown should get plenty touches, and do something with them.
11. Clinton Portis, WAS(at PHI). Portis runs into the brick wall that is the Philadelphia Eagles’ defense, which allowed 53 rushing yards to Marion Barber (on 18 attempts) and 43 to Matt Forte (on 19 rushes) as their most generous evenings. Portis will get his points in the endzone, so if you can, treat him as a number two RB this week.
12. Jonathan Stewart, CAR (vs KC). This will be Stewart’s best game to date.
13. Marshawn Lynch, BUF (at ARI). Fred Jackson will likely continue to take a share of carries away from Lynch, and the Cardinals have got to be looking at film to see what the Rams did to limit him to three yards per carry in Week 4.
14. Earnest Graham, TB (at DEN). See: Brown, Ronnie.
15. Ryan Grant, GB(vs ATL). If Aaron Rodgers is out for an extended period of time, Grant will see more defensive attention, and he’s been struggling as it is. His value is low, but it stands a chance to continue to drop, so he may be a prime candidate to sell. He should be okay this week against a Falcons defense that has let up more than a hundred yards on the ground in three consecutive weeks, but he should not be treated as a number one running back until further notice.

Rank	Name	Team	Opponent
16	Rudi Johnson	DET	CHI
17	Edgerrin James	ARI	BUF
18	Chris Johnson	TEN	at BAL
19	Felix Jones	DAL	CIN
20	Michael Turner	ATL	at GB
21	Julius Jones	SEA	at NYG
22	Chris Perry	CIN	at DAL
23	Reggie Bush	NO	MIN
24	DeAngelo Williams	CAR	KC
25	Kevin Smith	DET	CHI
26	Maurice Jones-Drew	JAX	PIT
27	Selvin Young	DEN	TB
28	Mewelde Moore	PIT	at JAX
29	Le'Ron McClain	BAL	TEN
30	Warrick Dunn	TB	at DEN
31	Tim Hightower	ARI	BUF
32	Brandon Jackson	GB	ATL
33	Derrick Ward	NYG	SEA
34	Sammy Morris	NE	at SF
35	LenDale White	TEN	at BAL
36	Darren Sproles	SD	at MIA
37	Michael Pittman	DEN	TB
38	Ricky Williams	MIA	SD
39	Jerious Norwood	ATL	at GB
40	Fred Taylor	JAX	PIT
41	Deuce McAllister	NO	MIN
42	Chester Taylor	MIN	at NO
43	Jamaal Charles	KC	at CAR
44	Najeh Davenport	PIT	at JAX

Week 5 Quarterbacks