Fantasy Football Week 2 Rankings: Top 40 Running Backs (Updated)

Ryan Grant’s season has come to an end.  Michael Bush and Beanie Wells’ status for Week 2 is unknown.  Let’s take a look at how these injuries and other news has affected our rankings for the week—

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

Thoughts

• Ryan Grant’s season has come to a surprising end, leaving Brandon Jackson as the main running back in Green Bay.  While there have been rumors of potential trades swirling, until it happens you have to consider Jackson a solid play as a RB2.
• Early in the week it looked like Michael Bush would be returning to the lineup, imposing on Darren McFadden’s potential.  Now, he appears to have regressed, again leaving McFadden again to be the focus of the offense.  With his matchup against the Rams a favorable one, he gets a bump in value.
• The talk out of New York is that Shonn Greene will start for the Jets, but he is expected to share carries with LaDanian Tomlinson.  Also, after two fumbles in Week 1, if he puts the ball on the ground again, could find himself on the bench all together.  That threat forces him down the rankings, with Tomlinson gaining traction.
• Beanie Wells’ status is still very much up in the air, but after being limited in practice this week, you have to wonder how big of a factor he will play if he is active.  Keep him stashed on your bench for now.
• The talk out of Cleveland is that Jerome Harrison and Peyton Hillis will continue sharing carries.  That certainly brings Harrison’s potential value down a little bit, while giving Hillis’ some great sleeper appeal, as we’ve discussed (click here for our Sunday Sleepers).  Of course, Harrison went off on Kansas City last year, rushing for 286 yards and three touchdowns, so how can we not consider him a usable option?  Just keep your expectations in check due to the potential of limited touches.
• The hamstring injury to Casey Hampton certainly makes Chris Johnson’s matchup a lot more palatable.

Make sure to check out the rest of our Week 2 Rankings—

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

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