The running backs missing from our Week 7 fantasy RB rankings because of byes could fill a fantasy All-Star team: Christian McCaffrey, Nick Chubb, James Conner, and Ronald Jones. OK, maybe Jones owners are relieved not to have to make a start-or-sit decision with him this week, but you get the point. The last thing fantasy football owners need is injuries to thin their depth even more, and as of early in the week, Saquon Barkley's injury status looks promising. Todd Gurley (thigh) is more of a question, but we've also slotted him in our rankings -- for now.
Here's another positive heading into this week: Favorable matchups for several committees. The Broncos (vs. Chiefs), Eagles (@ Cowboys), Chiefs (@ Broncos), Bills (vs. Dolphins), and 49ers (@ Redskins) all feature two playable RBs this week, and while you never know who will get the touchdowns or majority of touches in some of these situations, we do know both of their respective committee backs are talented enough to take advantage of weak run defenses. The ceilings for guys like Royce Freeman, Devin Singletary, Miles Sanders, and Matt Breida aren't necessarily high, but they can still get the jobs done as RB2s or FLEX options.
WEEK 7 NON-PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
On the other side of the committee spectrum, Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler (@ Titans) have mostly struggled the past two weeks and are both dropping in a tough matchup against Tennessee. It's tough to totally discount the volume and TD potential for Gordon, but he's looking like a FLEX, at best, until he shows some signs of life. Joe Mixon (vs. Jaguars) is the primary game in town for Cincinnati, but he hasn't been much better. He gets a higher workload share and has a much better matchup on paper, though, so he remains in our top 20.
WEEK 7 PPR RANKINGS: Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end
Chase Edmonds (@ Giants) continues to rise with back-to-back solid performances, but his touches dropped to seven last week, so clearly the floor is low. Mark Walton (@ Bills) is interesting after he saw an increase in playing time after Miami's bye, but with three backs vying for touches and a tough matchup against Buffalo on tap, he's still a Kenyan Drake trade away from having any sort of real value.
WEEK 7: Waiver pickups | FAAB planner | Trade values | Snap counts
Overall, this looks like a strong week for RBs. Anytime a committee has a favorable matchup, that makes starting the secondary guys much more palatable. You know the stars will in your lineups even in tough matchups (see Alvin Kamara @ Bears), so filling out that final spot in your lineup might actually be difficult this week for positive reasons.
WEEK 7 DFS LINEUPS:
Y! cash | Y! GPP | DK cash | DK GPP | FD cash | FD GPP
Reminder: These rankings will be adjusted throughout week, so check back often for the latest updates and analysis!
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Week 7 Fantasy RB Rankings
These rankings are for standard, non-PPR leagues.
MORE WEEK 7 DFS: Stacks | Values | Lineup Builder
| 1 | Saquon Barkley, NYG vs. ARZ |
| 2 | Dalvin Cook, MIN @ DET |
| 3 | David Johnson, ARI @ NYG |
| 4 | Leonard Fournette, JAX @ CIN |
| 5 | Josh Jacobs, OAK @ GB |
| 6 | Ezekiel Elliott, DAL vs. PHI |
| 7 | Chris Carson, SEA vs. BAL |
| 8 | Phillip Lindsay, DEN vs. KC. Lindsay still splits time almost equally with Royce Freeman, but he gets all the goal-line carries. You can bet the Broncos will try to follow the blueprint of the Colts and Texans the past two weeks and control the clock by running frequently, so Lindsay should be in line for a bunch of carries. Kansas City is allowing the fifth-most fantasy points per game (FPPG) to RBs, so this is a prime matchup for him and Freeman. |
| 9 | Todd Gurley, LAR @ ATL |
| 10 | Kerryon Johnson, DET vs. MIN. This is a tough matchup for Johnson, who's averaging just 3.3 yards per carry, but with an average of 19.2 touches per game, it's tough to sit him in standard leagues. However, in PPR, where he has fewer than two catches per game, he's closer to a FLEX. |
| 11 | Marlon Mack, IND vs. HOU |
| 12 | Derrick Henry, TEN vs. LAC |
| 13 | Mark Ingram, BAL @ SEA |
| 14 | Devonta Freeman, ATL vs. LAR |
| 15 | Joe Mixon, CIN vs. JAX. When Mixon has a bad game, he really has a bad game. But Jacksonville is quietly allowing the sixth-most FPPG to RBs, so this feels like a get-right spot. It's also unlikely Jacksonville blows out Cincinnati, which is another factor Mixon often has working against him. |
| 16 | Latavius Murray, NO @ CHI |
| 17 | Tevin Coleman, SF @ WAS. See Matt Breida below. |
| 18 | Frank Gore, BUF vs. MIA. See Devin Singletary below. |
| 19 | Le'Veon Bell, NYJ vs. NE |
| 20 | Aaron Jones, GB vs. OAK. Jamaal Williams is definitely an issue, as the two could easily split the workload again, but Jones figures to have a higher ceiling in standard leagues given his explosiveness. The Raiders allow just 16.3 FPPG to RBs, so this isn't an overly favorable matchup, but the Packers have proven that they'll commit to the run. |
| 21 | LeSean McCoy, KC @ DEN. See Damien Wiliams below. |
| 22 | Jordan Howard, PHI @ DAL. See Miles Sanders below. |
| 23 | Carlos Hyde, HOU @ IND |
| 24 | Jamaal Williams, GB vs. OAK. See Aaron Jones above. |
| 25 | Royce Freeman, DEN vs. KC. See Phillip Lindsay above. |
| 26 | Damien Williams, KC @ DEN. Denver's' run defense has shut down Melvin Gordon/Austin Ekeler and Derrick Henry over the past two weeks, but prior to that, it was torched for over 200 yards by Leonard Fournette and five total rushing TDs to Josh Jacobs, David Montgomery, and Aaron Jones in Weeks 1-3. It's tough to say just how favorable/unfavorable of a matchup this is, but when it comes to Kansas City players, it's really all about how much the team has the ball. Williams had just two touches last week (and McCoy had 10), so this ranking probably seems lofty, but we know how dangerous both can be when Kansas City gets going. |
| 27 | Melvin Gordon, LAC @ TEN. See Austin Ekeler below. |
| 28 | Sony Michel, NE @ NYJ |
| 29 | Devin Singletary, BUF vs. MIA. Singletary hasn't played since Week 2 because of a bum hamstring, and even though he impressed in both games in which he played (155 total yards, TD on just 15 touches), his workload will continue to be a question mark. Gore is clearly the lead back and has a ton of value against a Miami defense allowing the second-most FPPG to RBs, but Singletary can do a lot with a little. By no means is he a sure thing if he gets just five carries like he's averaging, but the upside is high enough that he's worth using as a FLEX. |
| 30 | Miles Sanders, PHI @ DAL. Sanders received a season-low six touches last week, but he made the most of them, piling up 92 total yards and a score. A good chunk of that came on a 32-yard touchdown catch, but Sanders seems to make at least one big play in the passing game every week. We'd be surprised if he saw just three carries again, but it's clear Jordan Howard is the lead back and will continue to get goal-line carries. Still, both can have value this week, as Dallas has been up and down against RBs this season. Sanders will once again have to do more damage as a receiver, which is certainly possible since Dallas has allowed the sixth-most RB receptions and eighth-most RB receiving yards this year. |
| 31 | Matt Breida, SF @ WAS. Tevin Coleman is clearly the lead back here, posting 10 more carries than Breida the past two weeks. But Breida still gets his touches, averaging 12 carries and 3.5 receptions in that same span. We know how explosive he is, too. Unfortunately, he relies on big plays to score, as Coleman dominates goal-line touches. Against a Washington defense that allows 21.6 FPPG to RBs (seventh most), there might be enough production to go around for both Coleman and Breida, but Breida clearly has a lower floor. |
| 32 | David Montgomery, CHI vs. NO. The Saints are limiting RBs for the second straight season. This year, New Orleans is giving up just 13.6 FPPG to RBs, and even though Montgomery continues to dominate carries for Chicago, he hasn't shown the ability to put up numbers against solid run defenses. The only game in which Montgomery averaged more than 3.4 yards per carry was against Washington. His volume still gives him some value, but not a ton. |
| 33 | Chase Edmonds, ARZ @ NYG. With David Johnson nursing a back injury, Edmonds has been playing more -- and playing well. But even though he scored for the second straight game last week, he received just seven touches. That puts him as a TD-or-bust FLEX, even in PPR leagues. The Giants struggle against RBs (20.8 FPPG allowed), so it's possible Edmonds can have one more solid week. |
| 34 | James White, NE @ NYJ |
| 35 | Kenyan Drake, MIA @ BUF. See Mark Walton below. |
| 36 | Austin Ekeler, LAC @ TEN. Ekeler ceded more work to Melvin Gordon last week, which isn't a huge surprise, but a portion of that was in the passing game, which likely upset his PPR owners. At this point, the Chargers offense appears to be such a mess that anything could happen. Gordon will clearly get more carries (eight to five last week), and if he keeps eating into Ekeler's passing work, it's tough to even trust Ekeler as a PPR back. For now, we see him and Gordon as FLEX backs in both formats, but clearly both come with low floors, especially against a Tennessee defense allowing just 16 FPPG to RBs. |
| 37 | Duke Johnson Jr., HOU @ IND |
| 38 | Mark Walton, MIA @ BUF. Walton started last week and led Miami in total yards (75). Kenyan Drake received more touches, but both were used fairly interchangeably, as Walton recorded five catches to Drake's six. Against Buffalo (17.9 FPPG allowed to RBs), none of that really matters much in standard leagues, but both have some PPR FLEX appeal. |
| 39 | Nyheim Hines, IND vs. HOU |
| 40 | Tarik Cohen, CHI vs. NO. Cohen continues to receive a good amount of targets (just over six per game), but his snap percentage continues to hover around 50 percent and he's yet to get more than five carries in a game. He needs a big play to really pay off in standard leagues, and while he might seem overdue for one, you certainly can't count on it. |
| 41 | Adrian Peterson, WAS vs. SF |
| 42 | Darrel Williams, KC @ DEN |
| 43 | Alexander Mattison, MIN @ DET |
| 44 | Raheem Mostert, SF @ WAS |
| 45 | Darrell Henderson, LAR @ ATL |
| 46 | Ito Smith, ATL vs. LAR |
| 47 | Rashaad Penny, SEA vs. BAL |
| 48 | Gus Edwards, BAL @ SEA |
| 49 | Giovani Bernard, CIN vs. JAX |
| 50 | Wendell Smallwood, WAS vs. SF |
| 51 | Rex Burkhead, NE @ NYJ |
| 52 | Wayne Gallman, NYG vs. ARZ |
| 53 | Dwayne Washington, NO @ CHI |
| 54 | C.J. Prosise, SEA vs. BAL |
| 55 | Jordan Wilkins, IND vs. HOU |
| 56 | Dion Lewis, TEN vs. LAC |
| 57 | Ty Montgomery, NYJ vs. NE |