LestersLegends.com » RB rankings week 1


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Here’s my Week 1 2001 fantasy football running back rankings.
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1.  Jamaal Charles vs. Buffalo:  Buffalo was dreadful against the run last year. They don’t have the horses to slow down Charles.
2.  Darren McFadden @ Denver:  John Fox will rebuild Denver’s defense, but it’s going to take some time. Run DMC goes off.
3.  LeSean McCoy @ St. Louis:  The Birds are going to lean on Shady this week to keep the pressure off of Vick.
4.  Adrian Peterson @ San Diego:  Expect a heavy dose of All Day.
5.  Frank Gore vs. Seattle:  Hopefully he’s still hungry after getting paid.
6.  Chris Johnson @ Jacksonville:  Rusty? Maybe, but he’s still CJ2K.
7.  Peyton Hillis vs. Cincinnati:  Madden Curse shouldn’t start against the pathetic Bengals.
8.  Maurice Jones-Drew vs. Tennessee:  Mojo averaged 121.5 yards per game against Tennessee last year.
9.  Ray Rice vs. Pittsburgh:  Tough draw, but Rice will be active running and catching the ball.
10.  Shonn Greene vs. Dallas:  Let the breakout season begin.
11.  Ahmad Bradshaw @ Washington:  Bradshaw’s speed will be too much for Washington.
12.  Rashard Mendenhall @ Baltimore:  Averaged 75.5 yards and a score against Baltimore last year.
13.  Matt Forte vs. Atlanta:  Should be active in ground game and air attack.
14.  Michael Turner @ Chicago:  The Falcons are going to pass more, but there is still plenty of work for Turner to do.
15.  LeGarrette Blount vs. Detroit:  I like that he’s playing at home (+31.6 ypg last year), but Detroit’s defense looks tough.
16.  Beanie Wells vs. Carolina:  I’m giving Beanie another chance. I hope he doesn’t let me down again.
17.  Steven Jackson vs. Philadelphia:  Gets an early test against the new look Eagles.
18.  Ben Tate vs. Indianapolis:  I’m not sure Arian Foster will be ready to go or if Houston would want to take that risk this early.
19.  Mark Ingram @ Green Bay Packers:  Could struggle to accumulate yards, but a touchdown seems likely.
20.  DeAngelo Williams @ Arizona:  D-Will gets to start earning that big contract.
21.  Tim  Hightower vs. New York Giants:  G-Men are banged up on defense.
22.  Reggie Bush vs. New England:  Gets his shot at redemption.
23.  Knowshon Moreno vs. Oakland:  Moreno better get going quickly or he could fall behind McGahee.
24.  Joseph Addai @ Houston:  Peyton won’t be 100 percent so the Colts may have to lean on Addai a little more.
25.  Felix Jones @ New York Jets:  Tough Week 1 draw.
26.  Cedric Benson @ Cleveland:  From jail to the Dog Pound.
27.  Fred Jackson @ Kansas City:  Spiller will play a bigger role than last year, but Jackson is still a viable RB2.
28.  Ryan Mathews vs. Minnesota:  Should be a pretty even split with Tolbert.
29.  Brandon Jacobs @ Washington:  Has looked good this summer. Will it carry over into the regular season?
30.  Jahvid Best @ Tampa Bay:  I’m just not sure he can stay healthy.
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Here’s an updated look at my Week 1 running back rankings taking injuries into account. I also removed Adrian Peterson and Pierre Thomas since they played already.

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1. Chris Johnson
2.  Frank Gore
3. Maurice Jones-Drew
4. Ryan Mathews
5. Ray Rice
6. Steven Jackson
7. Arian Foster
8. Rashard Mendenhall
9. Michael Turner
10. Jamaal Charles
11. Joseph Addai
12. Matt Forte
13. Ronnie Brown
14. Ryan Grant
15. Jerome Harrison
16. Cadillac Williams
17. LeSean McCoy
18.  Cedric Benson
19. DeAngelo Williams
20. Jahvid Best
21. Jonathan Stewart
22. Shonn Greene
23. C.J. Spiller
24. Tim Hightower
25. Ahmad Bradshaw
26. Ricky Williams
27. Darren McFadden
28. Brandon Jacobs
29. Clinton Portis
30. Felix Jones
31. Thomas Jones
32. Marion Barber III
33. Fred Taylor
34. Knowshon Moreno
35. Chester Taylor
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Notable changes:
- Beanie Wells was removed from the list because of his injury. Tim Hightower jumped a few slots.
- Darren McFadden jumped a few slots because of Michael Bush’s injury.
- Laurence Maroney is banged up making Fred Taylor the likely option to receive the bulk of the carries. Taylor makes the list.
- Knowshon Moreno is back. He’ll share the load with Buckhalter, but is still a low-end flex option.
- Chester Taylor made the expanded list as he’s facing Detroit.
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Also check out:
Week 1 QB Rankings
Week 1 WR Rankings
Week 1 TE Rankings
Week 1 K Rankings
Week 1 DEF Rankings
Week 1 IDP Rankings
Week 1 Start/Sit

Click here for my updated Week 1 Fantasy RB Rankings

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Here’s my Week 1 running back rankings.

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1. Chris Johnson – #1 runner vs. #29 run defense.
2. Adrian Peterson – Wants revenge against Saints.
3. Frank Gore – 308 total yards and 2 TDs against Seattle last year.
4. Maurice Jones-Drew – MoJo faces 26th ranked run defense.
5. Ryan Mathews – Rookie opens against KC’s 31st run defense.
6. Ray Rice – Jets are different unit Pace and with a likely rusty Revis.
7. Steven Jackson – Bradford will lean heavily on S-Jax.
8. Arian Foster – Should be active in what should be a shootout.
9. Rashard Mendenhall – Without Big Ben Pitt will run more against ATL.
10. Michael Turner – Tough draw against Pitt, but is a beast.
11. Beanie Wells – Should light up St. Louis’s 27th run defense.
12. Joseph Addai – 194 total yards and 2 TDs against Houston last year.
13. Jamaal Charles – Will he pick up where he left off. Faces SD.
14. Matt Forte – Great draw against Detroit.
15. Ronnie Brown – Faces 30th ranked Bills run defense. Fast starter.
16. Ryan Grant – Steady production. Faces Philly.
17. Cadillac Williams – Faces Cleveland’s 28th ranked run defense.
18. LeSean McCoy – Should be active in passing game.
19. Jerome Harrison – Faces the Bucs, who were last against the run.
20. Pierre Thomas – Tough draw against Vikes.
21. Cedric Benson – Will Bernard Scott take some of his work?
22. DeAngelo Williams – Will the RBBC with Stewart still be productive?
23. Jahvid Best – Big play potential vs. Bears.
24. Jonathan Stewart – Finally at 100 percent?
25. Shonn Greene – Greene will test whether Baltimore still has it.
26. C.J. Spiller – Could break a long one against Miami.
27. Ricky Williams – There will be plenty for Ricky too.
28. Ahmad Bradshaw – RBBC with Jacobs. I’ll take yardage guy vs. Carolina.
29. Tim Hightower – Should be a factor vs. St. Louis.
30. Brandon Jacobs – More likely to score a TD than Bradshaw.
31. Darren McFadden – Should get his chance to shine against Tennessee.
32. Clinton Portis – Tough match-up against Dallas.
33. Felix Jones – Will share with Barber.
34. Thomas Jones – Does the old man still have it?
35. Marion Barber III – Sharing with Felix.

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Also check out:
- Week 1 QB Rankings
Week 1 WR Rankings
- Week 1 TE Rankings
- Week 1 K Rankings
- Week 1 DEF Rankings
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Week 1 IDP Rankings
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