Fantasy Football Rankings 2012: LeSean McCoy and Week 1's Top RB Options

With the first Sunday kickoff of the 2012 NFL regular season just hours away, it's time to deliver the first installment of my fall fantasy football rankings. 

For now, we'll focus on the top running backs set to take the field in Week 1.

Dallas Cowboys stud DeMarco Murray has already turned out a stellar performance. So, who will join him in the fantasy VIP section this weekend?

Here, we look at my top five RB options for Week 1.

5. Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans

Tennessee Titans star Chris Johnson rushed for 5,645 yards in just four NFL seasons, and surpassed 1,000 yards rushing in every season since being drafted in 2008. 

Johnson and the Titans will host the New England Patriots in Week 1. The last time he faced the Pats' defense, Johnson rushed for 128 yards in an embarrassing 59-0 loss. 

With Tennessee looking for its playmaker to make second-year quarterback Jake Locker's life easier on Sunday, expect loads of carries and production from CJ2K.

New England ranked 17th in the NFL last season in rush defense, allowing more than 117 yards on the ground per week. 

4. DeAngelo Williams, Carolina Panthers

DeAngelo Williams and some lucky fantasy owners will benefit from the Carolina Panthers' matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1. 

Tampa ranked dead last in the NFL in 2011 against the run, allowing huge gains and more than 156 yards on the ground per game. 

Williams averaged 5.4 yards per carry last season, and will see more touches in the Panthers' backfield with fellow RB Jonathan Stewart dealing with a bum ankle.

The last time Williams took on the Bucs, he averaged 9.4 yards per carry and scored two touchdowns. Need I say more?

3. Ray Rice, Baltimore Ravens

Ravens running back Ray Rice is a sure-shot performer on Sundays it seems. The fifth-year playmaker rushed for more than 1,200 yards in each of the past three seasons and scored 29 total touchdowns over that time.

Rice will be Baltimore's No. 1 offensive option on Monday night against division rival Cincinnati. The Bengals ranked 10th in the NFL defending the run in 2011, but failed to contain Rice in two meetings with the Ravens.

The former Rutgers RB rushed for a combined 295 yards and four touchdowns against the Bengals last season.

Expect that successful trend to continue for Rice on Monday Night Football.

2. Matt Forte, Chicago Bears

Matt Forte is set to shine on Sunday when he and the Chicago Bears host the Indianapolis Colts at Soldier Field. 

Indy ranked 29th in the league last season stopping the run, and Forte averaged a career-high 4.9 yards per carry in 2011 before missing the last four weeks of the season because of a knee injury. 

Another key reason why I like Forte to have the second-best day of any NFL RB this weekend is because the Colts' leading tackler, Pat Angerer, is out for Sunday's matchup.

Forte has proved to be an exceptional runner after contact over the years, and I expect him to make Indy pay for any missed tackles and blown gap assignments. 

1. LeSean Mccoy, Philadelphia Eagles

Philadelphia Eagles star LeSean McCoy has improved in every one of his three NFL seasons since entering the league in 2009. 

McCoy rushed for more than 1,300 yards in 2011 and scored 20 touchdowns, three of which came through the air. 

With McCoy and the Eagles going up against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday afternoon, I love the 24-year-old's chances of setting the pace for the rest of the NFL's running backs this weekend. 

He'll be a threat on the ground and through the air, similarly to Ray Rice. However, his matchup against last season's 30th-ranked rush defense makes McCoy the hands-down favorite to turn out the No. 1 fantasy performance by any RB in Week 1.

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