Fantasy football rankings 2015: Running backs for PPR leagues, Week 7
We’re down a lot of receptions in Week 7, putting those that do catch passes at a premium. We have fantasy football running back rankings for PPR leagues in Week 7.
The last few weeks in this space, I’ve been a little down on PPR scoring for running backs in the fantasy football, at least this year. My argument has been that good running backs are good running backs in any format, and adding in PPR scoring just slides some error bars a bit; it doesn’t create or destroy value.
I stand by that point in general. It's true. Danny Woodhead and Darren Sproles are more valuable in PPR than regular scoring, but you aren't going to take a guy from unrosterable to a must-start just because he catches a few passes.
But there’s an interesting point to be made when you’re discussing PPR during a-lot-of-good-teams-are-on-bye weeks. And it says that suddenly, the ability to catch passes spikes in value.
Watch any low-scoring NFL game. A team drives down and has the ball on, say, fourth-and-goal from the 2. Inevitably, the announcers will talk about how important it is to get points, any points, when those points are at a premium. Well, as Bill Barnwell will write every time this happens over on Grantland, that thinking is backward. Score three points in a low-scoring game, and you’re keeping the opponent around. When points are at a premium, go for the premium points. Go for the touchdown.
This week, with seven relatively key running backs on bye (Chicago's Matt Forte, Cincinnati's Giovani Bernard and Jeremy Hill, Denver's C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman, Green Bay's Eddie Lacy and James Starks), 86 running-back receptions over six weeks are gone from this week's scoring. Add in receptions lost to injuries to Jamaal Charles, Lance Dunbar and some others, and simply put, receptions among running backs are at a premium.
Considering the struggles of his Detroit teammates, Theo Riddick already looks like a decent fantasy play this week. Add in his position-leading 33 receptions in this week, when so many receptions are gone? He's even more appealing.
Just some food for thought as we head to our Week 7 running back rankings for PPR leagues.
Running backs for PPR leagues, Week 7
(DK: Daniel Kelley; DC: Dan Ciarrocchi; AM: Andrew Miller; SK: Scott Kaliska. John Daigle has the week off. Chicago, Cincinnati, Denver and Green Bay are on bye)
| Rk | Consensus | Tm | Opp. | DK | DC | AM | SK |
| 1 | Devonta Freeman | ATL | @TEN | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Le'Veon Bell | PIT | @KC | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| 3 | Arian Foster | HOU | @MIA | 3 | 4 | 2 | 4 |
| 4 | Todd Gurley | STL | CLE | 6 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| 5 | Adrian Peterson | MIN | @DET | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| 6 | Mark Ingram | NO | @IND | 5 | 9 | 10 | 9 |
| 7 | Chris Ivory | NYJ | @NE | 13 | 8 | 6 | 7 |
| 8 | Marshawn Lynch | SEA | @SF | 8 | 10 | 7 | 10 |
| 9 | Dion Lewis | NE | NYJ | 17 | 6 | 11 | 6 |
| 9 | Lamar Miller | MIA | HOU | 12 | 7 | 13 | 8 |
| 11 | Latavius Murray | OAK | @SD | 7 | 11 | 12 | 12 |
| 11 | LeSean McCoy | BUF | JAC (London) | 10 | 12 | 9 | 11 |
| 13 | DeMarco Murray | PHI | @CAR | 11 | 17 | 8 | 17 |
| 14 | Frank Gore | IND | NO | 16 | 13 | 14 | 13 |
| 15 | Justin Forsett | BAL | @ARI | 9 | 15 | 17 | 16 |
| 16 | Doug Martin | TB | @WAS | 15 | 14 | 18 | 14 |
| 16 | Danny Woodhead | SD | OAK | 14 | 16 | 16 | 15 |
| 18 | Carlos Hyde | SF | SEA | 19 | 18 | 19 | 18 |
| 19 | Chris Johnson | ARI | BAL | 24 | 19 | 15 | 19 |
| 20 | Jonathan Stewart | CAR | PHI | 18 | 21 | 20 | 22 |
| 21 | LeGarrette Blount | NE | NYJ | 22 | 20 | 21 | 20 |
| 22 | T.J. Yeldon | JAC | BUF (London) | 23 | 22 | 24 | 29 |
| 23 | Theo Riddick | DET | MIN | 21 | 30 | 25 | 23 |
| 24 | Christine Michael | DAL | @NYG | 25 | 23 | 34 | 24 |
| 25 | Charcandrick West | KC | PIT | 31 | 24 | 27 | 27 |
| 26 | Duke Johnson Jr. | CLE | @STL | 33 | 28 | 31 | 25 |
| 27 | Melvin Gordon | SD | OAK | 43 | 27 | 23 | 30 |
| 28 | Joseph Randle | DAL | @NYG | 32 | 35 | 22 | 35 |
| 28 | Charles Sims | TB | @WAS | 26 | 33 | 29 | 36 |
| 30 | Chris Thompson | WAS | TB | 40 | 26 | 36 | 26 |
| 31 | Isaiah Crowell | CLE | @STL | 20 | 34 | 35 | 40 |
| 32 | Shane Vereen | NYG | DAL | -- | 25 | 33 | 21 |
| 32 | Ameer Abdullah | DET | MIN | 34 | 32 | 30 | 34 |
| 34 | Antonio Andrews | TEN | ATL | 38 | 31 | 32 | 31 |
| 35 | Alfred Morris | WAS | TB | -- | 29 | 26 | 28 |
| 36 | Rashad Jennings | NYG | DAL | 27 | 37 | 39 | 33 |
| 36 | Darren McFadden | DAL | @NYG | 28 | 42 | 28 | 38 |
| 38 | Andre Ellington | ARI | BAL | 29 | 39 | 40 | 37 |
| 39 | David Johnson | ARI | BAL | 35 | 43 | 38 | 43 |
| 40 | Ryan Mathews | PHI | @CAR | 42 | 47 | 41 | 32 |
| 41 | Knile Davis | KC | PIT | -- | 36 | 37 | 42 |
| 42 | C.J. Spiller | NO | @IND | 44 | 40 | 50 | 39 |
| 43 | Darren Sproles | PHI | @CAR | 48 | 38 | 48 | 41 |
| 44 | Robert Turbin | CLE | @STL | 46 | 41 | 42 | 47 |
| 45 | Matt Jones | WAS | TB | 39 | 44 | -- | 45 |
| 46 | Bishop Sankey | TEN | ATL | 41 | 46 | 44 | 49 |
| 47 | Karlos Williams | BUF | JAC (London) | 30 | -- | -- | -- |
| 47 | Khiry Robinson | NO | @iND | 36 | -- | 45 | -- |
| 49 | Denard Robinson | JAC | BUF (London) | -- | 48 | 43 | 44 |
| 50 | Tevin Coleman | ATL | @TEN | -- | 45 | 46 | 46 |
| -- | Branden Oliver | SD | OAK | 37 | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | Ahmad Bradshaw | IND | NO | 45 | 49 | 49 | 48 |
| -- | Dexter McCluster | TEN | ATL | -- | -- | 47 | 50 |
| -- | Alfred Blue | HOU | @MIA | 47 | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | Marcel Reece | OAK | @SD | 49 | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | Kyle Juszczyk | BAL | @ARI | 50 | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | Buck Allen | BAL | @ARI | -- | 50 | -- | -- |
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SB Nation presents: NFL Week 7 start/sit fantasy advice
