Fantasy Football Week 7 Rankings: Top 40 Running Backs

Health certainly continues to be the underlying theme when it comes to our running back rankings. 

Has Knowshon Moreno returned to full health? 

Has Christopher Ivory used this opportunity to earn regular playing time, even when Pierre Thomas and Reggie Bush return to health? 

Has Ryan Mathews returned to being the lead back in San Diego?

Let’s try to answer these questions and all the others for the upcoming week (as always, we will adjust these rankings later in the week if the news necessitates it):

Must Read: Must Start Fantasy Football Touchdown Targets for Week 7

1. Ray Rice – Baltimore Ravens – vs. Buffalo
2. Chris Johnson – Tennessee Titans – vs. Philadelphia
3. Steven Jackson – St. Louis Rams – at Tampa Bay
4. Adrian Peterson – Minnesota Vikings – at Green Bay
5. Frank Gore – San Francisco 49ers – at Carolina
6. Michael Turner – Atlanta Falcons – vs. Cincinnati
7. Rashard Mendenhall – Pittsburgh Steelers – at Miami
8. Ahmad Bradshaw – New York Giants – at Dallas
9. Maurice Jones-Drew – Jacksonville Jaguars – at Kansas City
10. LeSean McCoy – Philadelphia Eagles – at Tennessee
11. Cedric Benson – Cincinnati Bengals – at Atlanta
12. Knowshon Moreno – Denver Broncos – vs. Oakland
13. Ryan Mathews – San Diego Chargers – vs. New England
14. Felix Jones – Dallas Cowboys – vs. New York Giants
15. DeAngelo Williams – Carolina Panthers – vs. San Francisco
16. Matt Forte – Chicago Bears – vs. Washington
17. Jamaal Charles – Kansas City Chiefs – vs. Jacksonville
18. Darren McFadden – Oakland Raiders – at Denver
19. Ryan Torain – Washington Redskins – at Chicago
20. Christopher Ivory – New Orleans Saints – vs. Cleveland
21. Peyton Hillis – Cleveland Browns – at New Orleans
22. Ronnie Brown – Miami Dolphins – vs. Pittsburgh
23. Thomas Jones – Kansas City Chiefs – vs. Jacksonville
24. Justin Forsett – Seattle Seahawks – vs. Arizona
25. Tim Hightower – Arizona Cardinals – at Seattle
26. Michael Bush – Oakland Raiders – at Denver
27. Ricky Williams – Miami Dolphins – vs. Pittsburgh
28. Brandon Jackson – Green Bay Packers – vs. Minnesota
29. Beanie Wells – Arizona Cardinals – at Seattle
30. BenJarvus Green-Ellis – New England Patriots – at San Diego
31. Marshawn Lynch – Seattle Seahawks – vs. Arizona
32. Carnell Williams – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – vs. St. Louis
33. Fred Jackson – Buffalo Bills – at Baltimore
34. C.J. Spiller – Buffalo Bills – at Baltimore
35. Matt Tolbert – San Diego Chargers – vs. New England
36. Danny Woodhead – New England Patriots – at San Diego
37. Brandon Jacobs – New York Giants – at Dallas
38. Marion Barber – Dallas Cowboys – vs. New York Giants
39. Jason Snelling – Atlanta Falcons – vs. Cincinnati
40. John Kuhn – Green Bay Packers – vs. Minnesota

Thoughts:

• Ray Rice appears to be back in stride, with 305 total yards over the past two weeks.  He gets to square off with the Bills, who have allowed 182.4 rushing yards per game through their first five contests, by far the worst in the league.  Rice certainly got things going at the right time for fantasy owners.
• Playing from behind early, the Falcons gave Michael Turner just 15 carries (he picked up 45 yards).  Against the Bengals, look for the Falcons to try get him more involved in the offense.
• Knowshon Moreno got 12 carries for 48 yards against the Jets in Week 6, his first game since Week 2.  He draws a much more favorable matchup in Week 7 against a Raiders team that has allowed seven runs of at least 20 yards this season.  He’s a low-end RB1, only because we haven’t seen enough of him this season.  If he had been healthy, he could’ve potentially been a Top 5 option.
• DeAngelo Williams continues to struggle, having rushed for more than 65 yards just once this season (86 in Week 4).  He’s also only found the end zone once.  It’s tough to put him on your bench, but consider him a RB2.
• Finally, Ryan Mathews retook lead back duties for the Chargers, with 64 yards on 12 carries (Matt Tolbert had just three carries for three yards and a touchdown).  Consider Mathews the better play from this point forward.  Tolbert is a FLEX option, at best.
• It was Michael Bush getting the bulk of the carries for the Raiders, averaging just 2.4 yards per carry with a long run of five yards against the San Francisco 49ers.  Considering Darren McFadden was close to returning in Week 6, I’m going to assume he’ll be ready for Week 7 and will likely return as the lead back, though they may share carries immediately.  I’d consider him a RB2 (though he’d be higher if it was clear-cut), with Bush more of low-end RB2/FLEX option, depending on the news this week.
• Matt Forte followed up a great Week 5 (166 yards on 22 carries) with a pathetic Week 6 (11 yards on 8 carries).  Against the Redskins, he’s a RB2.
• The Chiefs defense has been great, allowing just 90.8 rushing yards per game thus far this season.  However, they got the Texans into a shootout yet allowed 71 yards to Arian Foster (and 58 to Derrick Ward).  In Week 3, while Frank Gore may have been held in check in the running game, he had 102 yards receiving.  Maurice Jones-Drew remains a good option, despite the matchup.
• Both Thomas Jones (19 carries for 100 yards and a touchdown) and Jamaal Charles (16 carries for 93 yards) were productive in Week 6, so which is going to be a better play this week?  I still feel that Charles is the more dynamic player, but if they are going to share carries both need to be downgraded somewhat.
• Justin Forsett was the more productive back for the Seahawks, over the newly acquired Marshawn Lynch.  At this point neither should be considered a high-level option, however.  I’d rather use Forsett for now, until Lynch establishes himself and proves that he can deliver.
• Tim Hightower (239 yards, 5.2 yards/carry) has been more productive then Beanie Wells (129 yards. 3.3 yards/carry) thus far this season.  He also has found the end zone twice, while Wells has yet to score.  Hightower is the better option, but I’d prefer to use either of them as a FLEX option over a starter at this point.
• Carnell Williams had just 18 yards on 10 carries against the New Orleans Saints defense.  This week he gets the Rams, who are allowing 105.5 rushing yards per game.  He should be better, but it’s hard to trust him outside of being a FLEX option.

What are your thoughts on these rankings?  Who’s too high?  Who’s too low?

Make sure to check out the rest of our Week 7 Rankings:

• Top 25 Quarterbacks
• Top 60 Wide Receivers (coming soon)
• Top 15 Tight Ends (coming soon)
• Top 15 Kickers (coming soon)
• Top 15 Defenses (coming soon)
• Waiver Worthy
• Start ‘Em or Sit ‘Em (coming soon)
• Sunday Sleepers (coming soon)

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