Week 3 RB Rankings PPR: Running Back Fantasy Stats & Projections

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Injuries piled on in Week 2, and while some weren’t to the running back position, they will have an effect on them. I break down the James Conner and Alvin Kamara outlooks for the rest of the season. San Francisco had three running backs in the top 20 for scoring last week. Matt Breida and Raheem Mostart both are guys you want. If you are looking debating who to start this week, or are playing daily fantasy, we can help with our fantasy football positional rankings. If you are looking for some permanent adds for Week 3 and moving forward, check out the waiver wire breakdowns. These are the top ranked running backs, with season long stats, and their projections for Week 3.

Week 3 Running Back Rankings + Stats & Projections

Week 3 Studs

If you were waiting on Ezekiel Elliott to get normal touches, you had to just wait one week. He had 25 touches in the Week 2 win win against Washington, and is back at home this week against a Miami defense. Elliot should cruise to another big week. Miami has already allowed over 60 fantasy points to opposing backs through two weeks. Dalvin Cook has 36 rushing attempts through two weeks, and five receptions. That is a concern given his durability issues, but at the moment the workload moves him up the rankings. He also gets a home matchup against Oakland, and he should be leaned upon again. Christian McCaffrey had a down week against the Buccaneers, but is in a good spot against Arizona.

A lot of the Browns fantasy points allowed to backs were in Week 1, but Bell even had a strong game given the circumstances. Todd Gurley is going to be on a pitch count, and hover around 15 touches per game. This is just what it will be most weeks, and it seems he might have a tick up in more important games. Once the Rams had the Saints wrapped up, we saw a lot of Malcom Brown down the stretch. The weekly upside is capped, but he is still a top ten back. Austin Ekeler continues to see plenty of touches, with 12 receptions and 29 carries through two weeks. He is a top eight back moving forward until Melvin Gordon eventually returns.

James Conner & Alvin Kamara Outlooks

There is certainly some down fall with James Conner and Alvin Kamara because of the injuries to their quarterbacks. Drew Brees pin point accuracy is going to miss out the next few weeks, and that knocks Kamara down a tad. However, this is an offensive line I expect to rebound after a bad week, and also I expect this coaching staff to still utilize Kamara in a way where he can be successful. Kamara only caught one pass in the Week 2 loss against Los Angeles, and struggled to get much going on the ground. The growing concern is that Kamara is going to see more stacked boxes until the Saints prove they can move the ball with Teddy Bridgewater. Kamara is going to be outside of the top five most weeks until Brees returns.

James Conner is dealing with a banged up knee injury, but it doesn’t sound serious. This is in addition to his starting quarterback being out for the year. I am less optimistic about the Steelers coaching staff getting this team going given the circumstances. However, I don’t think Mason Rudolph is going to be a huge dud for Pittsburgh. Ben Roethlisberger looked completely outmatched the first two games of the season, and Rudolph pumped some life into the team coming in. He is a former Oklahoma State air it out type quarterback, and still has strong weapons to throw to. Like Kamara, Conner will see more attention until the offense proves it can move the ball through the air.

Tough Matchups

I talked a bit about Le’Veon Bell‘s fantasy potential as a whole before the season. He was going to rely on volume to grind his way to relevancy. That has already shown to be true, and that will be the case again this week. New England is a tough matchup for opposing backs. Kerryon Johnson got going in Week 2 after a dud in Week 1. The workload was solid, but he runs into a tough Philly defense. They are a team I rather attack through the air compared to on the ground. They allowed the 10th fewest fantasy points per game to backs last season, and through two weeks this year they have only accumulated 22.5 fantasy points. Both Kamara and Conner endure tough matchups this week. San Francisco’s front seven already looks improved, and while the opponent’s weren’t the best, Pittsburgh doesn’t come in great shape either. Seattle was a middle of the road defense in terms of fantasy points allowed, but at home they stand a chance to hinder this New Orleans offense.

Minnesota was lit up by Aaron Jones this past week, but limited a Falcons backfield to 7.1 fantasy points at home in Week 1. They will welcome in rookie Josh Jacobs, who has been solid in the first two weeks. Minnesota is not a rush defense that I like to attack, but with limited options he is still a start. If you have other options worth using, I would go that way. The Thursday Night Football game features Derrick Henry and Leonard Fournette. Both workhorse backs on teams that want to run the ball. However the matchup is not great for either back. The Jags allowed the sixth fewest fantasy points to opposing backs, and the Titans allowed the 4th fewest.