Week 7 RB Fantasy Rankings PPR: Kareem Hunt to Dominate

With tons of big names out due to injury, the RB rankings list is starting to look rather unfamiliar. Some guys like Mike Davis and Jerrick McKinnon have stepped up in the absence of starters, and others like Joshua Kelley and Alexander Mattison have completely and utterly failed. It is hard ranking these RB talents that are rather unknown, and often the ranking is solely based on opportunity. Where will backups like this land on this list?

RankName Opponent Projected Points
1Alvin Kamara (NO)vs. CAR24.1
2Aaron Jones (GB)at HOU21.5
3Kareem Hunt (CLE)at CIN20.4
4Derrick Henry (TEN)vs. PIT18.7
5Josh Jacobs (LV)vs. TB17.5
6Chris Carson (SEA)at ARI17.2
7James Robinson (JAC)at LAC16.8
8James Conner (PIT)at TEN16.5
9Ezekiel Elliott (DAL)at WAS16.1
10Mike Davis (CAR)at NO14.8
11Joe Mixon (CIN)vs. CLE13.68
12Clyde Edwards-Helaire (KC)at DEN13.41
13Ronald Jones II (TB)at LV13.32
14Todd Gurley II (ATL)vs. DET13.14
15Antonio Gibson (WAS)vs. DAL13.14
16Devin Singletary (BUF)at NYJ13.05
17David Montgomery (CHI)at LAR11.5344
18David Johnson (HOU)vs. GB11.4543
19Kenyan Drake (ARI)vs. SEA11.48634
20Jerick McKinnon (SF)at NE11.214
21Darrell Henderson (LAR)vs. CHI11.22201
22D'Andre Swift (DET)at ATL11.1339
23Melvin Gordon III (DEN)vs. KC11.10186
24James White (NE)vs. SF10.92564
25Devonta Freeman (NYG)at PHI10.83753
26Le'Veon Bell (KC)at DEN10.13265
27Chase Edmonds (ARI)vs. SEA6.1677
28Phillip Lindsay (DEN)vs. KC10.04454
29Adrian Peterson (DET)at ATL8.4105
30Boston Scott (PHI)vs. NYG8.2503
31Jamaal Williams (GB)at HOU8.1702
32Rex Burkhead (NE)vs. SF8.0901
33Damien Harris (NE)vs. SF7.9299
34Duke Johnson Jr. (HOU)vs. GB7.9299
35Leonard Fournette (TB)at LV7.6095
36Malcolm Brown (LAR)vs. CHI7.5294
37Zack Moss (BUF)at NYJ7.3692
38J.D. McKissic (WAS)vs. DAL7.1289
39Brian Hill (ATL)vs. DET6.9687
40Tony Pollard (DAL)at WAS6.9687
41D'Ernest Johnson (CLE)at CIN6.8886
42Chris Thompson (JAC)at LAC6.6483
43Frank Gore (NYJ)vs. BUF6.4881
44Lamical Perine (NYJ)vs. BUF6.1677
45Justin Jackson (LAC)vs. JAC5.9274
46Joshua Kelley (LAC)vs. JAC5.8473
47Cam Akers (LAR)vs. CHI5.4468
48Anthony McFarland Jr. (PIT)at TEN5.2065
49Dion Lewis (NYG)at PHI4.8861
50Corey Clement (PHI)vs. NYG4.0851

The Top 3

Again, just like every week that he is playing, Alvin Kamara lands himself at #1. This is what happens when you are the best receiving option as well as the best rushing option on your team. However, Michael Thomas will finally be back in this game. On the flipside I do not see Kamara’s targets dwindling. Thomas will take targets away from the other WRs who were not getting the job done. Kamara is going to keep his huge target share because he is an absolute threat whenever the ball is in his hands. The Saints are taking on one of the easiest RB matchups in Carolina. The LBs on this team will not be able to handle Kamara, and he should be set for a massive week, both on the ground and through the air. It will be hard for anyone to be ranked above Kamara, that is until CMC is back.

Kareem Hunt and Aaron Jones have two incredibly juicy matchups. First, Hunt takes on the pathetic Bengals’ defense. This front 7 is simply not talented. The Browns will want to get the run game going like they want to every week, and the Bengals will let them. Not out of choice, but a lack of talent. Hunt should be extremely efficient with his touches in this game and at the same time, I predict him to have tons of touches. Hunt is in the conversation as the #1 back on the week, but so is Aaron Jones.

 

Aaron Jones gets to play the even worse Houston front 7. On paper, it does not make sense to me as to why Houston is struggling so much in rush defense. Houston has some decent LBs and Watt. However, they have been terrible at stopping the run. Every RB that they face has totally burned this defense, and Aaron Jones is another elite back. We saw what Dalvin Cook and Derrick Henry did against this defense, and Jones is capable of that level of production. I love all three of these plays and they all should do extremely well for your fantasy squad this week.

 

RB1s and RB2s

washington football team 1I promise that this is the last time I will talk about Antonio Gibson if he fails to produce. Gibson has had two good opportunities to come away with great weeks but has failed to do so. He has been inefficient both on the ground and through the air in these two matchups. However, a lot of this falls on the offensive line. Now, that line is not magically getting better, but Dallas has looked pathetic. The Cardinals do not have a good offensive line and they did enough to allow Kenyan Drake, who had busted until this game, to rush for 160 yards on Dallas. I think that Washington can be good enough to help Gibson get a solid RB1/2 performance. He is still an elite talent, and he is still passing the eye test. However, Gibson is just getting rocked in the backfield, and his offensive line is failing him. If Rivera can get Gibson into space, he can make magic happen. He is still getting 5 targets a game and 10+ rushes, a great floor with an extreme ceiling.

Joe Mixon is taking on the Cleveland Browns. Not the greatest matchup in the world, but as long as Mixon is not facing a Steelers or Ravens defense, then he is a top option. Last week James Conner was able to rush for 100 yards on the Browns’ defense, and there is no reason that Mixon will not be able to do the same. Mixon is constantly getting near the 20 attempts range in rushing and 4-8 targets a game. That kind of opportunity should lead to a massive week against a middling defense like the Browns.

 

Kenyan Drake, was it a one-off performance? I am not sure. Drake finally had a good game after a run of terrible starts through 5 weeks. However, it was not just the numbers that looked better, Drake himself seemed to be rushing a lot better in this game. We finally saw Drake going north to south and not running sideline to sideline. Drake is a physical speedster who is meant to hit a hole, make one guy miss, and take it to the house. That is what he did in this game. If he can get back to who he is for the rest of the season, then Drake is really back. We saw Seattle give up a big week to the Vikings’ RBs the last time they played, and I think that Drake has it in him to give that kind of performance. I would start him with confidence this week, as I simply cannot imagine him going back into the slump and forgetting how to run all over again.

 

Lower Rank Plays

Le’Veon Bell is an extremely interesting play this week. We saw Clyde Edwards-Helaire have one of his better weeks as a rookie against Buffalo. He looked way more efficient in the running game, but did struggle to get anything going through the air. He also failed to find the endzone at all. This is why I am excited about Bell. He will cut into CEH carries and probably get 10 touches, at least, in this game. However, what is more, exciting is the fact that I believe Bell will be the red zone guy. Bell is still talented and a veteran who knows how to score. If he becomes the red zone guy for this high powered offense, then he could be a solid RB2 option with less than 10 touches, every week.

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Matthew is a UC Berkeley economic and philosophy graduate. He has played DFS, Football pools, and survival leagues for most of his adult life. Matthew brings to the table great strategies for both your GPP and Cash plays as well as a winning track record with his picks of the week.

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