NFL Predictions Week 3: Which RBs Are Guaranteed to Dominate?

Week 3 is upon us and there are a ton of great running back match-ups to choose from. The following five guys are backs who will carry their teams—and yours—on the ground this Sunday.

Ray Rice at St. Louis Rams

Don't let the loss last week fool you—the Ravens are a good offense and Ray Rice is a beast. While he only got 43 yards on the ground, Rice added a touchdown and 53 more in receiving.

Even if you aren't in a points per reception league, that's a good day. So far this year he has 150 yards and a touchdown on 32 carries and nine catches for 95 yards and another pair of touchdown through the air.

He's no slouch.

The St. Louis Rams contained the Giants' rushing attack, but couldn't completely stop it as the Giants ran for 119 yards and a touchdown on the ground. Unlike the G-men who split carries, the Ravens are a one-man-band and it's all Ray Rice.

The Rams are currently the 32nd-ranked rush defense in the league, allowing an average of 177 yards a game with two touchdowns. Much of that is from the implosion against Philadelphia in Week 1 so it's a little inflated. Still, they're a bit shaky.

Rice's big play ability and speed will put up some great numbers today.

Rashard Mendenhall at Indianapolis Colts

Rashard Mendenhall and the Steelers defense haven't exactly been All-Stars so far this season. This will change as they meet the imploding Indianapolis Colts in Week 3.

How bad is the Colts' rush defense? They rank 29th in the league, but unlike the Rams above, that's on the strength of two bad games where they allowed an average of 138 yards a game and have allowed four ground touchdowns.

Traditionally, the Colts have been a "start your RBs" situation for fantasy. It's never been more true than this year without Manning. It turns out that as bad as we thought the run defense was, Manning made it better by running the team out to a lead and keeping the opposition throwing the ball.

Turns out, Kerry Collins is no Peyton Manning.

Start Mendenhall this week. As a bonus, if you are desperate at RB2 or flex, Isaac Redman might get some work as well. That's a "for emergency break glass" situation only though.

Jahvid Best at Minnesota Vikings

What a difference a year makes. Or at least what a difference a healthy Matt Stafford makes.

With Stafford 100 percent, the offense is humming along and no one more than Jahvid Best, who also is 100 percent healthy this year.

Last week Best torched the woeful Kansas City Chiefs defense for 123 combined yards and one touchdown each on the ground and through the air. In PPR leagues, Best is a top five back. In non point per reception leagues he's almost as good.

The Vikings have allowed 91 yards a game so far and three ground scores. They aren't bad really, although part of that stat is the fact that you can throw on them all day.

They don't have the horses to stop the passing game and they can't stack the line. Best will be able to find room to run and that makes him exceedingly dangerous. Add to that his pass-catching ability (and his recent increase in goal-line looks) and you have a formula for huge success.

Ryan Mathews vs Kansas City Chiefs

After Week 1, it looked like split-city for the Chargers ground game and owners were worried. However, there is more than enough room for everyone here.

Last week Ryan Mathews played better than backfield buddy Mike Tolbert on the ground while he continued to get more looks in the passing game, a trend which began in Week 1.

Mathews can run the ball inside or out and he can be a brutal runner, when he wants to be, in short yardage. Tolbert seemed a little off his feed last week so we might see Mathews rewarded with some more goal line looks.

Mathews had a combined 126 yards last week against New England. "I know New England, I have worked with New England—Kansas City, sir, is no New England."

Apologies to former senator Lloyd Bentson for butchering his JFK take. You young folks can Wikipedia that one.

My point is, Mathews had a good day against a much better defense than the awful 25th-ranked run defense. The Chargers may light things up early and then expect a huge dose of running back—and Ryan Mathews—the rest of the way

Maurice Jones-Drew vs Carolina Panthers

I actually expect Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers to win this game, but MJD to have a very good game. Rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert takes the reins of the offense this week and, to protect him, there will be a heavy dose of Jones-Drew.

He faces a a defense short linebacker Thomas Davis (IR-ACL) and a defense allowing 111 yards and a pair of touchdowns so far.

Jones-Drew will see some stacked fronts, but I don't believe those will be all that effective. Plus, he's seen them before—and better versions of them—and still succeeded. He'll also see more than a few dump passes, something he can turn to gold at any time.

This should be a big day for MJD, even if it isn't for the Jaguars.

Andrew Garda is a staff writer for Footballguys.com. Check out all their rankings, projections and strategy articles daily for the latest updates.