Ezekiel Elliott is out of our Week 7 fantasy RB rankings, but we all know he could go back in at any time. (UPDATE: Elliott is back in.) The ups and downs of his six-game suspension have affected fantasy football leagues since the draft, and it doesn't look like it's going to stop soon, as more motions and appeals for injunctions have been filed. Fortunately, his potential replacements, Alfred Morris and Darren McFadden, have great matchups this week against the 49ers, so even if Elliott remains out of the running back rankings, his owners have decent backup options.
The same is true for owners of injury worries like Leonard Fournette and Rob Kelley. Plenty of sleepers are bubbling up on the waiver wire, and with only marginal starters Ameer Abdullah and Lamar Miller on bye this week, it shouldn't be tough to find two decent starters.
Perhaps most beneficial to fantasy owners is that Adrian Peterson and Mark Ingram (and Alvin Kamara, for that matter) have been freed from their timeshare, making all parties involved more attractive from week-to-week. Committee backs Carlos Hyde and Orleans Darkwa also took big steps forward this week. Now, if only we could figure out Green Bay, New England, Baltimore, and Seattle...
WEEK 7 RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
Reminder: We'll update our rankings throughout the week and add player analysis, so please check back often. And here's how you could lose in fantasy football in Week 7.
WEEK 7 DFS:
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Week 7 Fantasy Football Rankings: RBs
These rankings are for standard, non-PPR leagues
| 1 | Ezekiel Elliott, Cowboys @ 49ers |
| 2 | Kareem Hunt, Chiefs @ Raiders |
| 3 | Devonta Freeman, Falcons @ Patriots. Expect the Falcons to overcorrect for Freeman's paltry nine carries last week. The Patriots have been, at best, spotty against RBs, so even on the road this is a good matchup. |
| 4 | Le'Veon Bell, Steelers vs. Bengals |
| 5 | Jay Ajayi, Dolphins vs. Jets |
| 6 | Todd Gurley, Rams vs. Cardinals (in England). |
| 7 | LeSean McCoy, Bills vs Bucs |
| 8 | Jordan Howard, Bears vs. Panthers |
| 9 | Jerick McKinnon, Vikings vs. Ravens. Baltimore has allowed the fifth-most fantasy points per game (FPPG) to RBs, making this another favorable matchup for McKinnon. Latavius Murray is still going to get touches, but McKinnon is clearly the most explosive player. |
| 10 | Joe Mixon, Bengals @ Steelers. The production hasn't really been there for Mixon, but with at least 15 carries in each of the past three weeks, he's getting the opportunities. Pittsburgh has been torched by backs on the ground and through the air this season, so Mixon has plenty of upside. |
| 11 | C.J. Anderson, Broncos @ Chargers |
| 12 | Melvin Gordon, Chargers vs. Broncos. Denver's run defense was expose a bit last week by the Giants, and Gordon performed well against them earlier this year (79 total yards, TD). Few RBs are relied upon inside the 10 as much as Gordon, so he's always a threat to score. |
| 13 | Adrian Peterson, Cardinals vs. Rams (in England). Peterson isn't necessarily "back" after last week's big game, but a matchup against a Rams' defense allowing the most FPPG to RBs can certainly help him have another big performance. |
| 14 | Chris Ivory, Jaguars @ Colts. With Leonard Fournette (ankle) expected to be out, Ivory should see 15-20 touches in a cake matchup. |
| 15 | LeGarrette Blount, Eagles vs. Redskins |
| 16 | Doug Martin, Bucs @ Bills |
| 17 | Marshawn Lynch, Raiders vs. Chiefs |
| 18 | Carlos Hyde, 49ers vs, Cowboys. Hyde managed to have value last week thanks to two short scores (one setup by a turnover) and a decent amount of receiving yards. By no means is he a "sure thing", but he outcarried Matt Breida 13 to four, so that's a good sign. |
| 19 | Mark Ingram, Saints @ Packers. The Saints at home with a big lead is the optimal setup for Ingram, who's now clearly the lead back. Even as favorites in Green Bay, this game might not go as smoothly as most think. Still, given the matchup (Green Bay allows the eighth-most FPPG to RBs, which includes three receiving TDs), Ingram is a solid starting option. |
| 20 | Frank Gore, Colts vs. Jaguars. Gore has had at least 11 touches in every game, and he averaged a season-high 4.9 ypc last week. He's had between 42 and 57 rushing yards every week, and he's been over 33 receiving yards twice. In non-PPR leagues, he's a high-floor, low-ceiling RB2. This week, he has a solid matchup against a Jags defense allowing 11th-most FPPG to RBs, but so he might not even need a TD to pay off this ranking. |
| 21 | DeMarco Murray, Titans @ Browns. Derrick Henry's heavy usage on Monday night is a slight concern, but that's happened before and Murray has always rebounded. He still played well, totaling 87 yards and a TD. The Browns have been quietly strong against RBs this year (eighth-fewest FPPG allowed), but, if active, we expect a solid amount of touches for Murray, who can burn Cleveland through the air like Buck Allen and Giovani Bernard did earlier this season. |
| 22 | Tevin Coleman, Falcons @ Patriots |
| 23 | Ty Montgomery, Packers vs. Saints. Montgomery received three fewer carries than Aaron Jones last week, but in his second game back from a rib injury, he could see an uptick in touches. Even with Aaron Rodgers out, the Pack should be able to move the ball against the Saints, who allow the third-most receiving yards to RBs (69.6). |
| 24 | Dion Lewis, Patriots vs. Falcons. Lewis led the Pats in carries last week (11), and he's plunged in two touchdowns inside the 10-yard line in the past three weeks, including a one-yarder in Week 6. You never know what the Pats are going to do from week to week, but Lewis has been trending upward and has a decent matchup against a Falcons defense that had trouble with similar back Tarik Cohen. |
| 25 | Derrick Henry, Titans @ Browns. An uptick in touches last week is a promising sign, but Henry has had big games only to regress the next week in the past. His ceiling is raised, but his floor is still low if DeMarco Murray is active. |
| 26 | Orleans Darkwa, Giants vs. Seahawks. Darkwa figures to start and get the majority of the touches in the Giants backfield and against a Seattle defense allowing 4.9 yards per carry, he could be a solid sleeper. However, just because Darkwa and the Giants ran all over the Broncos last week doesn't mean he will do the same against Seattle, especially when you factor in New York's problems running the ball. |
| 27 | Rob Kelley, Redskins vs. Eagles. Kelley (ankle) is expected back this week, but he'll need a decent volume of touches or a touchdown to really pay off against an Eagles defense allowing only 13.7 FPPG to RBs (third fewest). He managed just 30 yards on 10 carries against the Eagles in Week 1. |
| 28 | Christian McCaffrey, Panthers @ Bears |
| 29 | Mike Gillislee, Patriots vs. Falcons |
| 30 | Chris Thompson, Redskins vs. Eagles. Thompson scored a touchdown in Week 1 against Philadelphia, and receiving backs Christian McCaffrey and Andre Ellington have tallied 19 receptions for 121 yards and a TD against them the past two weeks. Even if Kelley is back, Thompson can still produce. |
| 31 | Thomas Rawls, Seahawks @ Giants. There's still no clear leader for touches in the Seahawks backfield, but Rawls was the guy finishing out Week 5's game after Eddie Lacy started. Seattle hasn't been great at running the ball regardless of who's getting the carries, so neither back has a ton of upside, but Rawls seems like the better bet against a good-but-not-great Giants run defense allowing 4.3 yards per carry. |
| 32 | Aaron Jones, Packers vs. Saints |
| 33 | Buck Allen, Ravens @ Vikings |
| 34 | Alvin Kamara, Saints @ Packers |
| 35 | Duke Johnson Jr., Browns vs. Titans |
| 36 | Alex Collins, Ravens @ Vikings. Collins and Buck Allen have alternated "lead back" duties the past couple weeks, but Collins is averaging a much more impressive 6.4 yards per carry. The Vikings defense is allowing the second-fewest FPPG to RBs, only allowing Ameer Abdullah score on the ground, but Collins' big-play ability still gives him some upside here. |
| 37 | Isaiah Crowell, Browns vs. Titans |
| 38 | James White, Patriots vs. Falcons |
| 39 | Bilal Powell, Jets @ Dolphins. Will Powell play? Even if he does, is he really any better than Matt Forte or Elijah McGuire? Honestly, no one really knows, but we believe Powell is the most talented, which is why we rank him the highest of the three. |
| 40 | Eddie Lacy, Seahawks @ Giants |
| 41 | Tarik Cohen, Bears vs. Panthers |
| 42 | Matt Forte, Jets @ Dolphins |
| 43 | Latavius Murray, Vikings vs. Ravens |
| 44 | Giovani Bernard, Bengals @ Steelers |
| 45 | Jonathan Stewart, Panthers @ Bears |
| 46 | Marlon Mack, Colts vs. Jaguars |
| 47 | Jeremy Hill, Bengals @ Steelers |
| 48 | Matt Breida, 49ers vs. Cowboys |
| 49 | Wendell Smallwood, Eagles vs. Redskins |
| 50 | Wayne Gallman, Giants vs. Seahawks |
| 51 | Alfred Morris, Cowboys @ 49ers |
| 52 | Elijah McGuire, Jets @ Dolphins |
| 53 | Jamaal Charles, Broncos @ Chargers |
| 54 | Charles Sims, Bucs @ Bills |
| 55 | Jacquizz Rodgers, Bucs @ Bills |
| 56 | Jalen Richard, Raiders vs. Chiefs |
| 57 | C.J. Prosise, Seahawks @ Giants |
| 58 | Shane Vereen, Giants vs. Seahawks |
| 59 | DeAndre Washington, Raiders vs. Chiefs |
| 60 | Mike Tolbert, Bills vs. Bucs |