Week 4 RB Rankings PPR: Running Back Fantasy Stats & Projections

By Jason Guilbault | Apr 08, 2021, 4:11pm

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The running back list got a little bit thinner this week with Saquon Barkley out the next 4-8 weeks. We are also starting with bye weeks. The Jets and 49ers are both out this week on bye. If you are in need of help, check our fantasy football positional rankings. If you are looking for some permanent adds for Week 4 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 4.

Week 4 Running Back Rankings + Stats & Projections

Week 4 Ranking	Player	Week 4 Opponent	Rushing Attempts	Rushing Yards	Rushing Touchdowns	Receptions	Receiving Yards	Receiving Touchdowns	Projected Week 4 Fantasy Points
1	Christian McCaffrey	@HOU	59	318	3	15	132	0	24.5
2	Austin Ekeler	@MIA	38	160	2	19	208	2	23.1
3	Ezekiel Elliot	@NO	55	289	2	5	33	0	22.7
4	Alvin Kamara	DAL	42	211	1	17	179	1	21.6
5	Dalvin Cook	@CHI	57	375	4	9	79	0	20.2
6	Marlon Mack	OAK	61	299	2	4	26	0	19.7
7	Todd Gurley	TB	44	203	1	4	8	0	19.3
8	Mark Ingram	CLE	43	257	5	6	62	0	19.1
9	Kerryon Johnson	KC	48	126	1	5	67	1	18.7
10	Nick Chubb	@BAL	58	233	1	11	81	0	18.3
11	David Johnson	SEA	36	133	1	13	83	2	18.1
12	James Conner	CIN	34	97	1	11	70	0	17.6
13	Devonta Freeman	TEN	35	129	0	9	61	0	17.5
14	Leonard Fournette	@DEN	43	179	0	14	94	0	16.5
15	Aaron Jones	PHI	46	174	3	6	38	0	15.9
16	Phillip Lindsay	JAX	45	160	2	12	102	0	15.6
17	Chris Carson	@ARI	45	159	1	10	60	1	15.2
18	Josh Jacobs	@IND	45	228	2	1	28	0	14.9
19	Derrick Henry	@ATL	51	209	3	4	89	1	13.7
20	LeSean McCoy	@DET	29	158	1	7	38	1	13.5
21	Joe Mixon	@PIT	32	88	0	7	51	1	12.9
22	James White	@BUF	7	36	0	8	75	1	12.6
23	Justin Jackson	@MIA	18	142	0	6	13	0	12.5
24	Carlos Hyde	CAR	40	192	1	1	2	0	12.2
25	Ronald Jones II	@LAR	31	164	0	2	59	0	12.1
26	Miles Sanders	@GB	34	106	0	6	84	0	11.9
27	Sony Michel	@BUF	45	110	2	0	0	0	11.8
28	David Montgomery	MIN	37	147	1	5	47	0	11.6
29	Frank Gore	NE	44	164	2	4	28	0	11.4
30	Tarik Cohen	MIN	8	16	0	12	82	0	11.3
31	Darrel Williams	@DET	9	62	0	5	47	0	11.2
32	Duke Johnson	CAR	17	90	0	6	55	0	10.8
33	Chris Thompson	@NYG	12	42	0	16	195	0	10.6
34	Wayne Gallman	WAS	7	30	1	3	24	0	10.3
35	Peyton Barber	@LAR	44	163	1	5	26	0	9.8
36	Jordan Howard	@GB	25	99	1	3	19	0	9.5
37	Adrian Peterson	@NYG	22	62	1	3	4	0	9.2
38	Royce Freeman	JAX	36	173	0	10	63	0	8.7
39	Jamaal Williams	PHI	26	87	0	7	55	1	8.4
40	Kenyan Drake	LAC	22	69	0	10	78	0	8.1
41	Nyheim Hines	OAK	8	25	0	8	35	0	7.7
42	Dontrell Hilliard	@BAL	1	4	1	1	14	0	7.4
43	CJ Prosise	@ARI	6	12	0	8	51	0	7.1
44	Rex Burkhead	@BUF	24	112	1	13	110	0	6.7
45	Latavius Murray	DAL	13	52	1	3	20	0	6.3
46	Gus Edwards	CLE	27	120	0	2	15	0	6
47	Dion Lewis	@ATL	9	29	0	5	18	0	5.3
48	Alexander Mattison	@CHI	25	132	1	0	0	0	4.8
49	Devin Singletary	NE	10	127	1	5	28	0	4.7
50	Rashaad Penny	@ARI	16	80	1	1	3	0	4.5

Week 4 Studs

Christian McCaffrey ripped off a monster game on the road against Arizona, and will get a pedestrian defense on the road again against Houston. McCaffrey is dominating touches, and leads the way this week. He projects for the highest amount of fantasy points of any back, and will be a top end option most weeks now that Saquon Barkley is on the shelf for several weeks. I have Austin Ekeler in a rebound spot against Miami, which is an obvious spot for him to crush. Miami ranks 24th against the run, and have allowed the most fantasy points per game. New Orleans has allowed the sixth fewest fantasy points per game to running backs this season, and they were a tremendous run defense last season. Ezekiel Elliot is still a strong play on the road here, and the same goes for Alvin Kamara who the Saints put to work this past weekend.

Marlon Mack has established himself as a workhorse, and he gets Oakland this week. They have allowed the 12th most fantasy points per game to opposing defenses. This is a number that should be on the rise. Mark Ingram, Kerryon Johnson, and David Johnson are all in some middle of the road spots, but the volume ultimately gets them over the hump. This is also a bounce back spot for Todd Gurley, who seemingly took the week off against the Browns.

Streaming Options

Justin Jackson for the Chargers is a great streaming option this week against Miami. He is going to get a decent size workload, and game script should be in his favor as well. As long as Damien Williams is out again, both Kansas City starters are firmly in play with this offense operating the way it is right now. Carolina has been sneaky bad against running backs this year, and we have Carlos Hyde and Duke Johnson on deck. Not overly exciting options, especially Johnson with the way he is being used, but Hyde is a plug and play streamer. Chris Thompson and Adrian Peterson are both likely out there in more shallow leagues. The Giants have allowed the 9th most fantasy points per game to opposing backs. Update: Justin Jackson is out Week 4.

Backs With A Cause For Concern?

After seeing 42 snaps in Week 1, Duke Johnson has failed to top 30 in the last two weeks. He had 13 touches in Week 1, and has a total of ten in the last two weeks. Granted touches were down for both backs in Week 3, the growing concern is there. Johnson is not worthy of starting at the moment, but should not be dropped just yet. Aaron Jones has seen 14-27-11 touches over the first three weeks. Jamaal Williams has seen 7-12-14. Jones has the touchdowns to keep him going, but those floor games are going to be coming if he continues to split the workload. The big production hasn’t come yet from David Montgomery, but he has seen 19 and 16 touches over the last two weeks. He is averaging 14 on the season, compared to 6 from Tarik Cohen. His snaps aren’t quite where we want them to be, but when he is on the field we know the ball is going to him.

Tough Matchups

Granted New England hasn’t played games that fit to needing running backs going off, they have allowed the fewest fantasy points per game to backs this season. Buffalo is also a tough team to run against. Both backfields are in for a tough week. The Eagles have a strong rush defense, which has resulted in a lot of offenses pounding them through the air. Aaron Jones has had a disappointing workload so far, but touchdowns have kept him afloat. Dalvin Cook is one of the main studs going up against a Bears defense that ranks 5th against the run so far this season, and is allowing the fourth fewest fantasy points per game to them. Carlos Hyde is in a similar boat going up against the Ravens. They ranked 6th against the run. Joe Mixon has had a tough go behind this putrid offense line this season, and will take on a Pittsburgh defense that ranks 10th against the run.

Week 4 Fantasy Football Strategy

Jason Guilbault

Jason has been playing fantasy football for 20 years, starting back when Marshall Faulk was the top fantasy pick. He is well versed in various fantasy formats, from dynasty to super-flex. Jason not only enjoys playing, but helping others further their game.