Week 2 RB Rankings

So Week 1 was all about one thing: FUMBLES!  Top RBs like CJ Spiller, David Wilson, Stevan Ridley, DeAngelo Williams & Alfred Morris all lost fumbles in Week 1, costing some precious work that set fantasy owners back a week while others maintained and put up respectable fantasy stat lines.  Week 2 is a new week and while workload and job status are in question for some, others will continue to get their normal workloads and reward their owners with top notch fantasy stats.  Here is my take on Week 2's RB situation and how you can make some tough decisions:

1) Adrian Peterson, Minnesota
2) LeSean McCoy, Philadelphia
3) Doug Martin, Tampa Bay
4) Ray Rice, Baltimore
5) CJ Spiller, Buffalo
6) Steven Jackson, Atlanta
7) Alfred Morris, Washington
8) Arian Foster, Houston
9) Jamaal Charles, Kansas City
10) Matt Forte, Chicago
11) Reggie Bush, Detroit
12) DeMarco Murray, Dallas
13) Trent Richardson, Cleveland
14) Ryan Mathews, San Diego
15) Chris Johnson, Tennessee
16) Eddie Lacy, Green Bay
17) Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville
18) Marshawn Lynch, Seattle
19) Darren McFadden, Oakland
20) Frank Gore, San Francisco
21) DeAngelo Williams, Carolina
22) Darren Sproles, New Orleans
23) Stevan Ridley, New England
24) David Wilson, NY Giants
25) Daryl Richardson, St. Louis
26) Lamar Miller, Miami
27) Joique Bell, Detroit
28) Rashard Mendenhall, Arizona
29) Ben Tate, Houston
30) Bernard Pierce, Baltimore
31) Fred Jackson, Buffalo
32) Ahmad Bradshaw, Indianapolis
33) Vick Ballard, Indianapolis
34) BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Cincinnati
35) Giovani Bernard, Cincinnati
36) Isaac Redman, Pittsburgh
37) Bryce Brown, Philadelphia
38) Michael Bush, Chicago
39) Montee Ball, Denver
40) Isaiah Pead, St. Louis

After Monday Night's phenomenal performance against Washington, I can see LeSean McCoy firmly cemented in the #2 RB spot going forward.  He is likely looking at 25+ touches on a game to game basis and he is extremely dangerous in Chip Kelly's offense.  Play him without worry every week, regardless of matchup.  His contribution in the passing game can only go up as well (1 target on Monday).

Steven Jackson in Atlanta's home opener versus his old team...yeah, I'm looking for a huge game here.

I have Trent Richardson outside my Top 10 for 2 reasons: 1) Baltimore is raising their Super Bowl banner and the likelihood of a massacre is high after they were absolutely drubbed by Denver last week, and 2) Cleveland showed no commitment to the running game in a close game with Miami.  Better matchups will exist for TRich, and you're not benching him, but temper your expectations to RB2 levels.

Ryan Mathews cracks my Top 15 for the first (and probably last) time this season.  I'm not convinced Philly can control the line of scrimmage long enough to stop fair to decent RBs from accumulating worthwhile fantasy stats, and Alfred Morris only struggled on Monday because he fumbled early and Washington was down big the entire game.  Look for solid RB2 numbers from Mathews this week.

Stevan Ridley and David Wilson.  Ugh.  Both backs should have the backfield primarily to themselves this week, and provided they don't fumble the damn ball, they should be productive.  If the ball hits the ground in either back's case, let's hope you have a surrounding cast that can pick up the slack.

Joique Bell is becoming a fantasy threat very quickly now that Detroit can flash some offensive balance.  Reggie Bush is already nicked up and Bell received 11 touches last week and should continue to see action in both the passing game and goal line situations.  I'm actually calling for 75 yards and a score this week, so start him as an upside flex option.

Ben Tate and Bernard Pierce come in at the bottom of the Top 30 because I think both of their games will be blow out situations, and garbage time points loom large.  Houston will rest Arian Foster if the game is in hand, just as Baltimore will do with Ray Rice.  I like Houston and Baltimore big this week and for both back up RBs to put up more than serviceable fantasy lines.

Call me stubborn, but after a measly 15 yards last week, I think this might be a week where Michael Bush vultures a TD from hungry Matt Forte owners.  Forte will do enough damage on his own, but look for Bush to provide 20-30 yards and a TD, making him a nice flex in deeper leagues.

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