Every week, it seems like there’s one position that stands out above the others as the “impossible to rank” position for fantasy football. For Week 2 of the 2015 NFL season, it was wide receiver, where it seems to fall off a cliff after the top four or five guys, and there was a lot of guesswork for the next 20 or so names.
Fantasy football rankings 2015: Running backs for standard leagues, Week 3
The position became really hard to rank for Week 3 fantasy football, but we have running back rankings for standard leagues.
This week, it’s running backs. Co-ranker John Daigle and I DM each other about each week’s garbage position. Bad words are exchanged. We laugh about how we might have to rank Randy Moss or Thurman Thomas or some nonsense. But mostly we anguish over having to actually rank these people.
This means a couple of things for fantasy owners. First, it means that you likely have the same questions we did. Is the disappointing C.J. Anderson a better play than the up-and-coming Latavius Murray? Is Week 2 phenom Matt Jones ahead of or behind veteran Frank Gore?
To answer those questions, two of our rankers have Anderson over Murray, while three have Murray over Anderson; two have Jones over Gore, and three have Gore over Jones. By consensus, Murray and Gore are higher, but not by much. It’s a mishmash, and if you ask five of us to help set your running backs, you’ll get five different answers.
In addition, once you get past the first five or so running backs, the position falls apart. So you’re tired of Anderson or frustrated with Jeremy Hill’s fumbles; where do you turn? Alfred Morris might not be the lead back in Washington. DeMarco Murray has been miserable. Lamar Miller isn’t even averaging 3 yards a carry.
A week ago, I advocated patience. One week wasn’t enough to make any real decisions. Two weeks, if we’re being honest, isn’t enough either. But even if two weeks is enough most seasons, it particularly isn’t enough in 2015.
“Sorry, I don’t have the fix” is frustrating to hear. But sorry. I don’t have the fix.
On to the Week 3 running back rankings:
Running backs for standard leagues, Week 3
(DK: Daniel Kelley; DC: Dan Ciarrocchi; AM: Andrew Miller; JD: John Daigle; SK: Scott Kaliska)
| Rk | Consensus | Tm | Opp. | DK | DC | AM | JD | SK |
| 1 | Marshawn Lynch | SEA | CHI | 2 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
| 2 | Le'Veon Bell | PIT | @STL | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| 2 | Jamaal Charles | KC | @GB | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| 2 | Adrian Peterson | MIN | SD | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 5 | Matt Forte | CHI | @SEA | 4 | 5 | 8 | 10 | 5 |
| 6 | Jeremy Hill | CIN | @BAL | 12 | 9 | 5 | 9 | 7 |
| 6 | LeSean McCoy | BUF | @MIA | 11 | 7 | 10 | 8 | 6 |
| 8 | Eddie Lacy | GB | KC | 7 | 18 | 6 | 4 | 16 |
| 9 | Mark Ingram | NO | @CAR | 9 | 6 | 11 | 18 | 9 |
| 9 | Justin Forsett | BAL | CIN | 10 | 8 | 16 | 11 | 8 |
| 11 | Latavius Murray | OAK | @CLE | 14 | 11 | 7 | 13 | 10 |
| 11 | Chris Ivory | NYJ | PHI | 13 | 10 | 9 | 12 | 11 |
| 13 | C.J. Anderson | DEN | @DET | 8 | 16 | 14 | 6 | 15 |
| 14 | Carlos Hyde | SF | @ARI | 6 | 13 | 12 | 21 | 13 |
| 15 | Alfred Morris | WAS | @NYG | 15 | 17 | 22 | 7 | 18 |
| 16 | DeMarco Murray | PHI | @NYJ | 19 | 12 | 13 | 27 | 12 |
| 17 | Jonathan Stewart | CAR | NO | 17 | 15 | 15 | 25 | 14 |
| 18 | Joseph Randle | DAL | ATL | 16 | 22 | 28 | 24 | 19 |
| 19 | Lamar Miller | MIA | BUF | 33 | 14 | 18 | 28 | 17 |
| 19 | Dion Lewis | NE | JAC | 22 | 23 | 17 | 26 | 22 |
| 21 | T.J. Yeldon | JAC | @NE | 21 | 25 | 26 | 14 | 26 |
| 22 | Frank Gore | IND | @TEN | 34 | 20 | 23 | 16 | 20 |
| 22 | Isaiah Crowell | CLE | OAK | 18 | 24 | 19 | 29 | 23 |
| 24 | Danny Woodhead | SD | @MIN | 20 | 32 | 20 | 20 | 24 |
| 25 | Melvin Gordon | SD | @MIN | 30 | 19 | 29 | 19 | 21 |
| 26 | Matt Jones | WAS | @NYG | 26 | 26 | 25 | 15 | 27 |
| 27 | Doug Martin | TB | @HOU | 24 | 21 | 24 | 30 | 25 |
| 28 | Giovani Bernard | CIN | @BAL | 25 | 29 | 27 | 22 | 30 |
| 29 | Ameer Abdullah | DET | DEN | 27 | 27 | 21 | 31 | 29 |
| 30 | Devonta Freeman | ATL | @DAL | 23 | 28 | 31 | 33 | 28 |
| 31 | LeGarrette Blount | NE | JAC | 40 | 30 | 38 | 17 | 31 |
| 32 | Rashad Jennings | NYG | WAS | 29 | 35 | 36 | 36 | 32 |
| 33 | Bishop Sankey | TEN | IND | 37 | 31 | 37 | 39 | 33 |
| 34 | David Johnson | ARI | SF | 32 | 46 | 32 | 42 | 34 |
| 35 | Ronnie Hillman | DEN | @DET | 31 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 39 |
| 36 | Chris Johnson | ARI | SF | 39 | 36 | 46 | 34 | 35 |
| 37 | James Starks | GB | KC | 38 | 34 | 30 | 49 | 41 |
| 37 | Shane Vereen | NYG | WAS | 35 | 39 | 34 | 47 | 37 |
| 39 | Tre Mason | STL | PIT | 36 | 41 | 35 | 50 | 36 |
| 40 | Joique Bell | DET | DEN | 41 | 45 | 33 | 38 | 46 |
| 41 | Karlos Williams | BUF | @MIA | 43 | 47 | 41 | 32 | 43 |
| 41 | C.J. Spiller | NO | @CAR | 50 | 37 | 44 | 37 | 38 |
| 43 | Darren McFadden | DAL | ATL | 28 | 48 | 43 | -- | 49 |
| 44 | Duke Johnson | CLE | OAK | 48 | 44 | -- | 35 | 42 |
| 45 | Darren Sproles | PHI | @NYJ | 45 | 40 | 50 | -- | 40 |
| 46 | Andre Ellington | ARI | SF | -- | -- | -- | 23 | -- |
| 47 | Ryan Mathews | PHI | @NYJ | -- | 43 | 40 | -- | 44 |
| 48 | Todd Gurley | STL | PIT | -- | 42 | -- | 41 | 45 |
| 49 | Arian Foster | HOU | TB | -- | 33 | -- | -- | 50 |
| 49 | Lance Dunbar | DAL | ATL | 42 | 50 | 45 | -- | 48 |
| -- | Khiry Robinson | NO | @CAR | 44 | -- | -- | 45 | -- |
| -- | Lorenzo Taliaferro | BAL | CIN | 46 | -- | -- | 44 | -- |
| -- | Alfred Blue | HOU | TB | -- | -- | 42 | -- | -- |
| -- | Chris Polk | HOU | TB | -- | -- | -- | 43 | -- |
| -- | Benny Cunningham | STL | PIT | -- | -- | 49 | -- | 47 |
| -- | Terrance West | TEN | IND | -- | -- | -- | 46 | -- |
| -- | Charles Sims | TB | @HOU | 47 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | Dexter McCluster | TEN | IND | -- | -- | 47 | -- | -- |
| -- | DeAngelo Williams | PIT | @STL | -- | -- | 48 | -- | -- |
| -- | Terron Ward | ATL | @DAL | -- | -- | -- | 48 | -- |
| -- | Bilal Powell | NYJ | PHI | 49 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | Fred Jackson | SEA | CHI | -- | 49 | -- | -- | -- |
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