Fantasy Football Week 1 RB Rankings: Top-30 Running Backs, Led by Gibbs and Robinson
Which running backs should you trust in Week 1? Here are our top-30 PPR options.
Let's wrap up our Week 1 fantasy football rankings by discussing the running back position! We'll cover my top-30 backs for the week, breaking things down with PPR leagues in mind.
Check out the ranking articles for quarterbacks, wide receivers and tight ends, plus keep checking back to FantasySP for more Week 1 coverage!
Week 1 running back fantasy projections can be found on FantasySP! Injury news, trade value charts and a Who Should I Start tool is also available!
1. Jahmyr Gibbs
Gibbs is my top fantasy back for Week 1 - he has a matchup against the Saints.
New Orleans was a slightly below-average matchup for fantasy backs last season, but I think Gibbs powers the backfield, and on volume alone, posts a big fantasy showing.
Robinson is my favorite fantasy back for the coming season, and he's my No. 2 guy for Week 1.
Pittsburgh is his matchup, and they were a tough test a year ago. I still like Robinson to deliver big, again with a big workload helping his cause.
Barkley might seem like a surprise this high, especially if you know I'm not super high on him for the coming year.
Washington is his matchup, and they were a great fantasy matchup last season, so I think Barkley could shine in the opener.
Taylor gets my fourth fantasy RB ranking going into a test against the Ravens.
They were an above-average matchup for RBs last year, so Taylor should be able to deliver a high-end fantasy score given his pedigree.
Achane ranks fifth for me going into a pretty solid matchup against the Raiders.
Achane should be a workhorse for Miami, and even though the offense might struggle overall, I see Achane getting enough work each week to be a top-end fantasy back, and that will start right off the bat.
CMC is my No. 6 RB for Week 1.
He's facing the Rams on Thursday night. LA was a tough test last year and improved over the offseason, so I'd temper expectations for McCaffrey.
Hampton gets a top-10 ranking going into his Week 1 matchup against Arizona.
The Cardinals were the third-best fantasy matchup for running backs, so I could see Hampton delivering big this week.
Henry gets a clash against the Colts in Week 1.
Indy was a below-average matchup for backs last year, but I trust Henry and believe he'll still end up as a top-10 fantasy RB in Week 1.
9. Chase Brown
Brown and the Bengals face off with the Buccaneers in Week 1.
I'm a big fan of Brown already, and in an average matchup, I could see the back delivering big for fantasy owners.
10. James Cook
Cook is another back that I've really come to like as the season nears, but his Week 1 test against Houston is a challenging one.
I still like him enough to give him a top-10 ranking, but I'm tempering my expectations with Cook for the first week of play. Better days should be ahead.
11. Ashton Jeanty
Jeanty has a really nice matchup against the Dolphins to kick off the season, but an injury issue is leading to doubts with the Raiders' lead back.
Watch his status closely and be ready to pivot if Jeanty ends up missing Week 1.
12. Javonte Williams
Williams is a sneaky-good fantasy asset for Week 1.
He will face off against the Giants, who were a great matchup for fantasy backs a season ago. Things have changed there this offseason, so I decided to rank Williams here instead of any higher.
13. Breece Hall
Hall is another back dealing with an injury at the start of the season, though he's expected to play.
He's got an above-average matchup against Tennessee as well, so he could easily be a top-10 fantasy back with a score or two this weekend.
14. Travis Etienne
Etienne lands my No. 14 ranking going into Week 1.
His matchup against Detroit is a bit below average, but as the Saints' clear lead back early on, Etienne could shine as a fantasy asset.
15. Kyren Williams
Williams is one of my favorite fantasy backs this season, but he only ranks 15th for me in Week 1.
He's even got an above-average matchup against the Niners on tap, but I just couldn't justify taking him over anyone else, especially with Blake Corum expected to cut into his workload a bit.
16. Bucky Irving
I'm super high on Irving in his Week 1 test against Cincinnati.
The Bengals allowed the second-most fantasy points to backs last season. The only reason he ranks this low is that he's coming off a down (and injured) season, and now has Kenny Gainwell to contend with for touches/production.
17. Kenneth Walker
Walker faces the Broncos in Week 1 as he looks to make an impression with his new team.
The Broncos were a super tough fantasy test for backs last season; otherwise I'd have ranked Walker quite a bit higher.
18. Cam Skattebo
I'm not usually high on Skattebo, but a favorable matchup against Dallas helped me rank him in the top 20 for Week 1.
The Giants have several RBs on the team, so that's why I'm worried a bit with Skattebo, but I'm going to trust the depth chart and expect Skattebo to do enough to produce a solid fantasy score.
19. Jeremiyah Love
Love has an injury he's dealing with, so keep close tabs on his status as the game nears.
He also has a very tough test against the Chargers, so even if he's active, I'd not expect a huge showing from the rookie.
20. David Montgomery
Montgomery gets the No. 20 spot heading into a pretty nice matchup with the Bills.
Montgomery is expected to lead the Texans' backfield, and would rank higher if he were a true lead back.
21. D'Andre Swift
Swift is another running back dealing with an injury too, so be watching his status as well.
If he's cleared to play, he's got a pretty favorable matchup against the Panthers. That could make him a pretty solid flex-level guy this week.
22. Jadarian Price
Price is expected to lead the Seattle backfield at the start of the year, but a very tough matchup against New England has me ranking the rookie outside the top 20.
He could surprise, and finish higher than this if he scores, but that's a big ask in a tough matchup in his first NFL regular season game, so this ranking seems appropriate.
23. Bhayshul Tuten
Tuten should be good to go for the opener, when the Jaguars take on the Browns.
Cleveland was average in slowing fantasy backs last season, so I might be a bit lower on Tuten than I really should be. He's a solid flex-level option, and worthy of some starts this week.
24. Jaylen Warren
Warren has a pretty average test against the Falcons to open the season.
I'd like to rank him higher, but Rico Dowdle's presence has me tempering expectations with Warren. He's still worth some starts this week.
25. Quinshon Judkins
Judkins has a very tough test against the Jaguars coming in Week 1.
Add in a not-so-favorable game script and likely outcome against Jacksonville, and I think Judkins could be one of the bigger busts of the week. I still trust him enough to give him a top-30 ranking though.
Stevenson appears to be the Patriots' lead back to open the season, but a brutal matchup against the Seahawks has me down on him in Week 1.
Add in that he could split the backfield a bit and it makes it even tougher to justify starting Stevenson in some fantasy leagues.
27. MarShawn Lloyd
Lloyd appears to be RB1 in Green Bay, but the Packers might use a committee early on, so I'm not as high on Lloyd as others.
A tougher test against the Vikings means that Lloyd barely makes it into the top 30.
28. Tony Pollard
Pollard still looks like the top Tennessee back, but he might still concede some work.
He's got the best fantasy RB matchup from a year ago against the Jets, so he is worth starting in a good amount of leagues in Week 1.
29. Rico Dowdle
The matchup against the Falcons is good enough to try a second Pittsburgh back in, and that back is Dowdle.
He could do enough, even in a backup role, to help out a lot of fantasy teams. I like starting him best in deeper leagues, but he's also a flex-level option in standard leagues too.
30. Chuba Hubbard
I'll give Hubbard the 30th spot in my Week 1 rankings.
He has a pretty average test coming against the Bears this week. Hubbard was injured this preseason, so he could have his touches monitored early on, so that's why I didn't rank him any higher.
