Fantasy Football Week 1 Rankings: Top 40 Running Backs

Let’s continue our look at Week 1 by taking a look at the top 40 running backs.  How does Arian Foster’s injury affect things?  Should you be willing to gamble on backs from Green Bay, San Diego or New Orleans?  Let’s answer those questions and all the rest:

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

Thoughts:

• There may not be a better defense for an elite running back to take on then Buffalo.  They were the worst rushing defense in the league in 2010, allowing 169.6 yards per game.  Nothing appears to have changed in the preseason either, allowing 146.5 rushing yards per game, among the worst in the league.  Consider Charles the best choice in the league for the coming week.
• If Arian Foster is healthy he’s a tremendous option.  Of course, that’s the $1,000,000 question, isn’t it?  It all depends on which side of the discussion you believe.  At this point you won’t find him on the rankings, because I have my doubts that he suits up.  If the news changes during the week, I’ll update the rankings to reflect that.  However, be prepared for life without him.  If he’s unable to go, both Derrick Ward and Ben Tate become fliers as FLEX options, as they will likely share carries.
• There may be concerns regarding Maurice Jones-Drew and his ability to stay healthy this season.  However, his Week 1 matchup with the Titans is not something to be worried about.  He had a monster game against them last season (31 carries for 186 yards), and the Jaguars figures to focus on the ground game again.
• Unlike most backs, Ray Rice should remain a RB1 despite facing a stout Steelers defense.  That’s what happens when you offer the potential to pile up receptions, as well as chipping in some rushing yards.
• Ndamukong Suh has developed into a monster in the middle for the Detroit Lions and will certainly help to put LaGarrette Blount to the test in Week 1.  His performance this week will go a long way in determining his status for the rest of the season.  Will he be a bust or will he live up to expectations? 
• Will the Giants feed Ahmad Bradshaw to ball or will it be the 50/50 split so many are now expecting?  If they went with the former approach, Bradshaw would likely be a surefire RB1.  Unfortunately, it is much more likely that Bradshaw shares carries with Brandon Jacobs (who will also get the goal line carries).  While Bradshaw is the better option, he’s much more likely to be a mid-tier RB2 with so much risk surrounding him.
• With Peyton Manning hurting and potentially out, will this be Joseph Addai’s chance to shine?  Look for them to run the ball a bit more than we’re used to, making Addai a RB2 for this week.
• The Chargers are going to go with a two-man system, allowing both Ryan Mathews and Mike Tolbert to make an impact.  Unfortunately, it’s impossible to know which one is going to make the bigger impact, meaning I’d much rather utilize them as a FLEX option for this week.

Make sure to check out all of Rotoprofessor’s Week 1 Rankings:

• Top 25 Quarterbacks
• Top 40 Wide Receivers