Fantasy Football Week 1 Rankings: Top 40 Running Backs

There’s little question who the top ranked running back is heading into Week 1, but after that, all bets appear to be off.  

Matchups helped some (Ryan Mathews), while injuries/suspensions helped others get a little bit of a boost (Rashard Mendenhall).  Let’s take a look at how all the running backs stack up this week:

1. Chris Johnson - Tennessee Titans - vs. Oakland
2. Adrian Peterson - Minnesota Vikings - at New Orleans
3. Frank Gore - San Francisco 49ers - at Seattle
4. Maurice Jones-Drew - Jacksonville Jaguars - vs. Denver
5. Ray Rice - Baltimore Ravens - at New York Jets
6. Steven Jackson - St. Louis Rams - vs. Arizona
7. Rashard Mendenhall - Pittsburgh Steelers - vs. Atlanta
8. Ryan Mathews - San Diego Chargers - at Kansas City
9. Ryan Grant - Green Bay Packers - at Philadelphia
10. Michael Turner - Atlanta Falcons - at Pittsburgh
11. DeAngelo Williams - Carolina Panthers - at New York Giants
12. Cedric Benson - Cincinnati Bengals - at New England
13. Jamaal Charles - Kansas City Chiefs - vs. San Diego
14. Pierre Thomas - New Orleans Saints - vs. Minnesota
15. LeSean McCoy - Philadelphia Eagles - vs. Green Bay
16. Shonn Greene - New York Jets - vs. Baltimore
17. Jonathan Stewart - Carolina Panthers - at New York Giants
18. Joseph Addai - Indianapolis Colts - at Houston
19. Knowshon Moreno - Denver Broncos - at Jacksonville
20. Arian Foster - Houston Texans - vs. Indianapolis
21. Beanie Wells - Arizona Cardinals - at St. Louis
22. Ahmad Bradshaw - New York Giants - vs. Carolina
23. Ronnie Brown - Miami Dolphins - at Buffalo
24. Carnell Williams - Tampa Bay Buccaneers - vs. Cleveland
25. Matt Forte - Chicago Bears - vs. Detroit
26. Felix Jones - Dallas Cowboys - at Washington
27. C.J. Spiller - Buffalo Bills - vs. Miami
28. Jahvid Best - Detroit Lions - at Chicago
29. Darren McFadden - Oakland Raiders - at Tennessee
30. Tim Hightower - Arizona Cardinals - at St. Louis
31. Brandon Jacobs - New York Giants - vs. Carolina
32. Jerome Harrison - Cleveland Browns - at Tampa Bay
33. Clinton Portis - Washington Redskins - vs. Dallas
34. Thomas Jones - Kansas City Chiefs - vs. San Diego
35. Reggie Bush - New Orleans Saints - vs. Minnesota
36. LaDainian Tomlinson - New York Jets - vs. Baltimore
37. Chester Taylor - Chicago Bears - vs. Detroit
38. Justin Forsett - Seattle Seahawks - vs. San Francisco
39. Darren Sproles - San Diego Chargers - at Kansas City
40. Ricky Williams - Miami Dolphins - at Buffalo

• While there was preseason debate on who should be the No. 1 RB between Chris Johnson and Adrian Peterson, there is no question this week.  With Johnson drawing the Raiders to open the season, look for him to pick up right where he left off in 2009.
• Overall, I have concerns about Rashard Mendenhall, but with Ben Roethlisberger and Byron Leftwich out, the team will likely lean heavily on the running game the first few weeks.  That makes Mendenhall a really strong play, especially this week as the Steelers try to sort through their QB options.
• Ryan Mathews is another RB that I have long-term concerns about, but I would expect him to get off to strong start against the Chiefs.  I wouldn’t get too excited, however, and expect him to be a Top 10 option all year long.
• I know Knowshon Moreno is coming off a hamstring injury, but at this point he is expected to be at, or near, 100 percent for the opening week of the season.  He’s risky, to be sure, but he’s a solid play as a RB2 in all formats.
• Playing time questions is the only reason why Beanie Wells isn’t ranked significantly higher, especially with the St. Louis Rams on the schedule.  It’ll be interesting to see how the Cardinals split carries between Wells and Tim Hightower, but I’d still prefer to lean on Wells in fantasy formats.
• Ahmad Bradshaw appears to be the top running back for the Giants to open the season.  That makes him the better option then Brandon Jacobs and a low-end RB2/high-end RB3.
• The Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense is full of questions, but there is little question who the top running back is going to be.  Carnell Williams was underwhelming in 2009, but against the Browns he has a great chance to get 2010 off to a good start.  He’s potentially usable, depending on your other options at RB.
• Matt Forte was a 2009 bust, we all know that.  He also could lose a few carries to Chester Taylor.  Still, against the Detroit Lions, I would expect him to have a solid start to his season.  He’s not a RB2, but in leagues that use a FLEX option, he is certainly a potential option this week.

Make sure to check out the rest of our Week 1 Rankings:

• Top 25 Quarterbacks
• Top 60 Wide Receivers
• Top 20 Tight End

• Top 15 Kickers (coming on Wednesday)
• Top 15 Defenses (coming on Wednesday)

You can also check out our Preseason Rankings:

• Top 25 Quarterbacks
• Top 40 Running Backs
• Top 60 Wide Receivers
• Top 20 Tight Ends
• Top 15 Kickers

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