NFL Predictions Week 4: 10 RBs Who Will Put Up Big Numbers

Is your favorite running back going to break the century mark this week? 

Whether it is because the player has been on fire or this week's matchup is just too good, we will take a look to see the rushers that are set for outstanding performances in Week 4.

All these players have one thing in common: They will be sprinting past defenders on their way to big-time statistics. 

Frank Gore

If Frank Gore, who suffered an ankle sprain last week, can get on the field Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles, he will have his best game yet.

Gore's best performance this season won't be hard to beat—he hasn't even cracked 60 yards in a game.

That isn't Gore's fault, though. The San Francisco 49ers offense is horrible. No running back can get going when a team's passing game is non-existent.

There are some signs of encouragement for Gore. Alex Smith found the unstoppable Vernon Davis for 118 yards on eight receptions last week. Davis should be able to loosen up the Eagles defense for Gore by stretching the field.

The Eagles have allowed a whopping 406 yards to opposing running backs. If Gore just can't play Sunday, then expect Kendall Hunter to be the one running all over the Eagles.

Darren McFadden

Darren McFadden will smiling again Sunday when the Oakland Raiders are at home against the New England Patriots.

McFadden has been dominating defenses every week, and he is the NFL's leading rusher with 393 yards on 60 carries.

McFadden won't be smiling because the Raiders are assured a victory. Actually, the Raiders are 5.5-point underdogs, but McFadden will crack a smile when he touches the ball for the first time.

The Patriots have only given up 202 yards in three games, but New England hasn't faced a team built around a rushing attack like the Raiders.

McFadden has also done some damage catching passes with 84 yards and a touchdown on the season, which doesn't bode well for the Patriots.

Only the Packers have given up more receiving yards to running backs than the 271 yards that New England has allowed.

While this may not be the best matchup for a running back in Week 5, McFadden has been atop the league and will have another dazzling performance Sunday.

Ray Rice

Ray Rice has had a great start to the 2011-2012 season.

The former Rutgers running back has run for 231 yards and a touchdown. He also caught 14 receptions for 178 yards and two touchdowns.

Rice and the Baltimore Ravens are at home against a New York Jets squad this week.

While Jets head coach Rex Ryan talks a good game, especially on defense, the team has given up 356 yards and four touchdowns to running backs. 

Rice will continue the trend of running backs tearing the Jets defense to shreds on Sunday.

Adrian Peterson

Other than a decent performance against the San Diego Chargers last Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs has been horrendous this season.

Running backs have stacked up 361 yards on the Chiefs, and with Adrian Peterson as the team's next opponent, that total might just skyrocket.

Peterson has been frustrated with his lack of carries lately, especially versus the Detroit Lions last week where he had 12 first-half carries and just five in the second half of an extremely close game.

Peterson has 298 yards and three touchdowns on the season.

Although he was disappointed last week, everyone can expect Peterson to be content with the amount of rushes he will have against the Chiefs.

Matt Forte

Although Matt Forte is a talented runner, the Chicago Bears offensive line doesn't run block well, and Forte does most of his damage by catching passes.

Forte has just 119 rushing yards on the season, but he's caught 22 passes for 287 yards and a touchdown.

It's hard to imagine Forte having a worse rushing game than he did last week, and against the Carolina Panthers in Week 4, Forte should be able to put up yardage by both receiving and rushing (as long as the Bears offensive line doesn't fold).

Tim Hightower

After rushing for just 41 yards on 14 carries against the Dallas Cowboys Monday night, Tim Hightower will come out swinging against a St. Louis Rams team Sunday that has struggled severely in its first three games.

The St. Louis Rams offense has been bad.

It is not hard to see the offense has missed Steven Jackson, who started to be slowly worked into the offense last week, but the Rams' inefficiencies on offense have made the defense stay on the field, and the Rams defense hasn't stepped up.

The Rams have given up 401 rushing yards through three games.

No team has rushed for less than 130 yards on the Rams, and don't think Hightower and the Redskins will do any less.

Chris Johnson

Chris Johnson has to be displeased with the 98 rushing yards on 46 attempts he has posted this season.

Luckily, Johnson has a chance to bounce back against the Cleveland Browns, who have allowed 361 yards so far this season to running backs. 

Johnson should be even more involved in the Tennessee Titans offense after Matt Hasselbeck's favorite target and the leading receiver, Kenny Britt, is out for the rest of the season with a knee injury.

Johnson's will need to play well in order to make up for Britt's massive production.

Johnson's slow start has been attributed to a lack of conditioning from missing the preseason due to contract issues, but if Johnson can't get going in Week 4 there might be bigger problems a brewing.

Ahmad Bradshaw

Ahmad Bradshaw might just go off versus the Arizona Cardinals Sunday. It doesn't matter that Bradshaw hasn't had more than 15 carries all season, he still has managed to put up 189 rushing yards (compared to just 98 yards from Brandon Jacobs).

The Cardinals defense hasn't been very good against the run. The team has given up 337 rushing yards on the year, 177 of which came in Week 2 versus the Washington Redskins. 

Bradshaw and the New York Giants will take advantage of the Cardinals' poor running defense. With the combination of Jacobs and Bradshaw, the Cardinals might be in for another day where a team gains nearly 200 yards on the ground. 

LeGarrette Blount

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are at home Monday night against a Indianapolis Colts team that has been devastated by the loss of Peyton Manning.

With the Colts offense unable to produce, the defense has constantly been on the field. The Colts have allowed 315 yards rushing and four touchdowns, but the team has improved since the Houston Texans running backs rushed for 167 yards and two touchdowns.

LeGarrette Blount's carries have increased each week, and he had 24 carries against the Atlanta Falcons last week.

Tampa Bay will put a large part of the offensive game plan on Blount's shoulders, and if Curtis Painter starts for the Colts, expect a lot of three-and-outs.

Ryan Mathews

Has Ryan Mathews finally broken out of the handcuffs that Mike Tolbert had latched onto him?

Well, don't completely write Tolbert off, but Mathews seems to have impressed the coaching staff enough that he is going to get the bulk of the carries from now on out.

Last week against the Kansas City Chiefs, Mathews had 98 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries. He also had four receptions for 51 yards. Mathews has had more than 50 yards receiving in each of San Diego Chargers' first three weeks of the season.

Mathews has a good matchup this week against the Miami Dolphins, who have given up 311 yards on the ground this season.

Now that Mathews has proven he can be an asset to the team's running attack, he will have a solid performance again in San Diego versus Miami.