Tag: running back rankings

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All the hard work is either about to pay off or blow up in our faces. Draft position officially stops mattering in 24 hours, so we are taking a hard look at matchups and potential usage for week 1. Here are my superflex RB rankings.

UPDATED: Removed Gus Edwards following injury Thursday.

Running Backs

Rank	Name	Opponent
1	Dalvin Cook	Bengals
2	Derrick Henry	Cardinals
3	Christian McCaffrey	Jets
4	Nick Chubb	Chiefs
5	Austin Ekeler	Washington
6	Alvin Kamara	Packers
7	James Robinson	Texans
8	Ezekial Elliot	Buccaneers
9	Najee Harris	Bills
10	Antonio Gibson	Chargers
11	Jonathan Taylor	Seahawks
12	Joe Mixon	Vikings
13	Aaron Jones	Buccaneers
14	Clyde Edwards Helaire	Browns
15	Darrell Henderson	Bears
16	Myles Gaskin	Patriots
17	Raheem Mostert	Lions
18	Mike Davis	Eagles
19	Chris Carson	Colts
20	Josh Jacobs	Ravens
21	Kareem Hunt	Chiefs
22	Damien Harris	Dolphins
23	Chase Edmonds	Titans
24	Ty’Son Williams	Raiders
25	Trey Sermon	Lions
26	Ronald Jones II	Cowboys
27	Miles Sanders	Falcons
28	Zack Moss	Steelers
29	DeAndre Swift	49ers
30	Melvin Gordon	Giants
31	Saquon Barkley	Broncos
32	David Montgomery	Rams
33	Ty Johnson	Panthers
34	Phillip Lindsay	Jaguars
35	Devin Singletary	Steelers
36	James White	Dolphins
37	Giovanni Bernard	Cowboys
38	Tony Jones Jr.	Packers
39	Kenyan Drake	Ravens
40	Boston Scott	Falcons
41	Mark Ingram	Jaguars
42	Nyhiem Hines	Seahawks
43	Devontae Booker	Broncos
44	Javonte Williams	Giants
45	Jamaal Williams	49ers

Dalvin Cook going against the Bengals defense is just unfair to anyone who has to play against him week 1. He is going to absolutely feast on the Bengals 29th ranked 2020 run defense. Derrick Henry has a similarly juicy matchup against an Arizona squad that probably isn’t as good as it was last year when it finished 21st against the run. Christian McCaffrey gets dinged just a bit as the Jets have been clogging the middle for years, and I doubt having Robert Saleh as head coach has made them worse in that department. I’m really feeling Nick Chubb this week against the Chiefs as they finished 19th against the run last year and I see him being the key to keeping Mahomes off the field for Cleveland.

Surprisingly, WFT gave up a lot of yards on the ground last year, and I see Austin Ekeler as being a much needed safety valve for a rusty Herbert as he looks to escape the ferocious pass rush of Washington. I see a lot of dump offs and lots of receiving yards for Ekeler in this one. Right on his heels will be Alvin Kamara who should see plenty of usage regardless of whether the Packers jump out to a big lead or not. Hint, they will.

James Robinson has the Jacksonville backfield all to himself and will eat the Texans’ last placed run defense alive. I really don’t like Zeke this week, as Dak will have some rust and Tampa Bay was just brutal against the run last year. I could see a sub-4.0 ypc day with no touchdowns. But he is Zeke so I could also see a much higher range, so I can’t rank him lower than ninth.

10 is high for a rookie back with a suspect o-line, but I believe in Najee Harris and also believe Buffalo has not improved much as a run defense. Both Mixon and Gibson have favorable matchups, while Aaron Jones and Jonathan Taylor do not. I think CEH could start on his comeback campaign early, while I expect Darrell Henderson to see tons of run as the Rams absolutely humiliate the Bears and run out the clock for most of the second half.

I expect Gaskin and Mostert to take advantage of favorable matchups, and Chris Carson and Josh Jacobs to disappoint against much tougher opponents. I probably have Damien Harris too low given news that Stevenson will likely not play, meaning it’s all Harris and James White taking the pressure off rookie QB Mac Jones. If the Chiefs get off to a big lead, Kareem Hunt should benefit, and I have no problem having both Browns running backs ranked in the top 20. Ty’Son Williams is next man up for the Ravens, hopefully he makes it through the game.

Saquon Barkley news just has not been positive at all this week, and I don’t expect much usage at all. I think Montgomery and the entire Bears offense is going to suffer greatly from a declining o-line and subpar QB play.

I like Tony Jones Jr, James White, Gio Bernard, and Boston Scott to all outperform expectations this weekend.