Fantasy Football Projections: Cedric Benson and More RBs Who Will Come Up Big

Picking the right running back in fantasy football tends to be a fickle enterprise, especially with the NFL being so cruel to ball carriers as far as injuries and strong defenses are concerned.

Those concerns don't figure to hold back these three backs, all of whom are destined for big performances on Sunday.

Cedric Benson, Cincinnati Bengals

Cedric Benson had a field day the last time the Bengals and the Browns met. The oft-troubled back racked up 121 yards and a touchdown on the ground in the season opener against a defense that's dropped to 29th against the run since a solid start.

With A.J. Green expected to sit out for the second week in a row, Andy Dalton figures to spend more time handing the ball off to Benson than tossing it around to the remainder of Cincy's receivers.

Which, ultimately, bodes well for the Bengals' chances of winning as well as your odds of having a good fantasy week, assuming you have Benson on your team, of course.

Willis McGahee, Denver Broncos

The Broncos have remained grounded since Tim Tebow took over under center, favoring the run over the pass by better than a 2:1 ratio over their last three games.

Not that the strategy has necessarily been a boon to all of Denver's fantasy players, though San Diego's run defense is soft enough to make Willis McGahee a worthwhile start this week. McGahee shredded the Chargers for 125 yards on 16 carries the last time these two teams met.

Things have swung dramatically in Denver's favor in the weeks since, which should benefit McGahee's productivity even more, especially now that he's healthy again.

Jonathan Stewart, Carolina Panthers

Few run defenses are as bad or worse than Carolina's. Luckily for Jonathan Stewart, he'll be up against one such unit when the Panthers travel to Indianapolis to take on the Colts on Sunday. 

Stewart's been productive as a ball carrier and a pass catcher for the Panthers, making him a double threat to collect yards and touchdowns out of Carolina's backfield. Assuming Carolina's offense, which ranks fifth in the NFL in total yards per game, gets deep into Indy territory a few times, look for Stewart to make against a Colts defense that's among the worst in the NFL in red zone defense.