Welcome back, Le’Veon Bell.
Fantasy football rankings 2015: Running backs for PPR leagues, Week 3
Guys are coming back from suspension and injury right and left, meaning the season we’ve had so far might not resemble the season that is to come. Here, we have PPR running back rankings for Week 3.
In fantasy football drafts before the 2015 NFL season, moreso than any in a while, fantasy owners were making decisions about drafting players they wouldn’t have to start the season. Antonio Gates and Martavis Bryant were widely drafted despite four-game suspensions. Tom Brady had the same, with most drafts taking place before it was overturned. Julius Thomas was down for some time with an injury. LeGarrette Blount was suspended a game. Bell for two. Arian Foster was a popular pick, and while he might play Week 3, he might not be back for a bit yet.
It meant that in a lot of leagues, the matchups we’ve seen the first two weeks don’t have much in common with the ones we’ll be seeing in the next few weeks. Blount was the first one back a week ago, although he did nothing at all for his fantasy owners. The return of Bell this week means a lot more.
It also means our rosters will start getting deeper, or at least seeming that way. There have been guys stashed on rosters throughout leagues that are going to start seeing use, which means there aren’t dead roster spots being clogged by suspended guys.
Nowhere is this clearer than the top of our PPR running back rankings for Week 2, which has Bell at No. 1 despite not playing a game this season.
If you’re 0-2, the season might be starting now. Within the next couple weeks, we’ll really have all the players back. Hope you’re ready.
On to the Week 3 running back PPR rankings:
Running backs for PPR 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 | Le'Veon Bell | PIT | @STL | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| 2 | Jamaal Charles | KC | @GB | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| 3 | Adrian Peterson | MIN | SD | 5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| 4 | Marshawn Lynch | SEA | CHI | 4 | 4 | 1 | 6 | 4 |
| 5 | Matt Forte | CHI | @SEA | 3 | 5 | 5 | 7 | 5 |
| 6 | LeSean McCoy | BUF | @MIA | 13 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 7 |
| 7 | Eddie Lacy | GB | KC | 9 | 17 | 6 | 4 | 12 |
| 7 | Latavius Murray | OAK | @CLE | 11 | 10 | 8 | 11 | 8 |
| 9 | Justin Forsett | BAL | CIN | 10 | 6 | 17 | 10 | 6 |
| 10 | Jeremy Hill | CIN | @BAL | 18 | 9 | 7 | 9 | 9 |
| 11 | C.J. Anderson | DEN | @DET | 8 | 15 | 12 | 5 | 13 |
| 12 | Mark Ingram | NO | @CAR | 6 | 7 | 15 | 17 | 10 |
| 13 | Chris Ivory | NYJ | PHI | 14 | 11 | 10 | 13 | 11 |
| 14 | Carlos Hyde | SF | @ARI | 7 | 13 | 11 | 21 | 20 |
| 15 | DeMarco Murray | PHI | @NYJ | 16 | 12 | 14 | 26 | 16 |
| 16 | Jonathan Stewart | CAR | NO | 15 | 16 | 16 | 27 | 14 |
| 17 | Dion Lewis | NE | JAC | 20 | 19 | 13 | 22 | 15 |
| 18 | Alfred Morris | WAS | @NYG | 17 | 21 | 27 | 12 | 26 |
| 19 | Danny Woodhead | SD | @MIN | 19 | 30 | 19 | 20 | 18 |
| 20 | Lamar Miller | MIA | BUF | 31 | 14 | 20 | 28 | 17 |
| 21 | Matt Jones | WAS | @NYG | 27 | 25 | 21 | 14 | 25 |
| 22 | Joseph Randle | DAL | ATL | 12 | 23 | 28 | 25 | 29 |
| 23 | Frank Gore | IND | @TEN | 36 | 22 | 23 | 18 | 19 |
| 24 | T.J. Yeldon | JAC | @NE | 22 | 29 | 26 | 15 | 28 |
| 25 | Giovani Bernard | CIN | @BAL | 23 | 28 | 25 | 19 | 27 |
| 26 | Ameer Abdullah | DET | DEN | 26 | 26 | 18 | 31 | 23 |
| 27 | Melvin Gordon | SD | @MIN | 32 | 18 | 31 | 23 | 21 |
| 27 | Isaiah Crowell | CLE | OAK | 24 | 24 | 24 | 29 | 24 |
| 29 | Doug Martin | TB | @HOU | 29 | 20 | 22 | 30 | 30 |
| 30 | Devonta Freeman | ATL | @DAL | 21 | 27 | 32 | 32 | 22 |
| 31 | Shane Vereen | NYG | WAS | 25 | 38 | 29 | 34 | 32 |
| 32 | LeGarrette Blount | NE | JAC | 45 | 32 | 44 | 16 | 37 |
| 33 | David Johnson | ARI | SF | 30 | 46 | 30 | 44 | 31 |
| 34 | Bishop Sankey | TEN | IND | 39 | 31 | 37 | 42 | 33 |
| 35 | Rashad Jennings | NYG | WAS | 34 | 37 | 34 | 40 | 38 |
| 36 | James Starks | GB | KC | 33 | 33 | 33 | 49 | 43 |
| 37 | C.J. Spiller | NO | @CAR | 50 | 35 | 39 | 36 | 34 |
| 38 | Tre Mason | STL | PIT | 38 | 41 | 35 | -- | 36 |
| 39 | Ronnie Hillman | DEN | @DET | 37 | 40 | 42 | 43 | 41 |
| 40 | Chris Johnson | ARI | SF | 44 | 36 | 48 | 39 | 39 |
| 41 | Darren Sproles | PHI | @NYJ | 40 | 39 | 45 | -- | 35 |
| 42 | Joique Bell | DET | DEN | 43 | 45 | 36 | 41 | 47 |
| 43 | Karlos Williams | BUF | @MIA | 47 | 47 | 41 | 33 | 45 |
| 43 | Lance Dunbar | DAL | ATL | 35 | 44 | 40 | 50 | 44 |
| 45 | Darren McFadden | DAL | ATL | 28 | 48 | 43 | -- | -- |
| 46 | Todd Gurley | STL | PIT | -- | 42 | -- | 37 | 46 |
| 47 | Andre Ellington | ARI | SF | -- | -- | -- | 24 | -- |
| 48 | Duke Johnson | CLE | OAK | -- | 50 | -- | 35 | 42 |
| 49 | Ryan Mathews | PHI | @NYJ | -- | 43 | 38 | -- | 48 |
| 50 | Arian Foster | HOU | TB | -- | 34 | -- | -- | 50 |
| -- | Benny Cunningham | STL | PIT | 49 | -- | 49 | -- | 40 |
| -- | Khiry Robinson | NO | @CAR | 41 | -- | -- | 46 | -- |
| -- | Lorenzo Taliaferro | BAL | CIN | -- | -- | -- | 38 | -- |
| -- | Charles Sims | TB | @HOU | 42 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | Bilal Powell | NYJ | PHI | 46 | -- | -- | -- | 49 |
| -- | Chris Polk | HOU | TB | -- | -- | -- | 45 | -- |
| -- | Alfred Blue | HOU | TB | -- | -- | 46 | -- | -- |
| -- | Dexter McCluster | TEN | IND | -- | -- | 47 | -- | -- |
| -- | Terrance West | TEN | IND | -- | -- | -- | 47 | -- |
| -- | Jonathan Grimes | HOU | TB | 48 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | Terron Ward | ATL | @DAL | -- | -- | -- | 48 | -- |
| -- | Fred Jackson | SEA | CHI | -- | 49 | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | DeAngelo Williams | PIT | @STL | -- | -- | 50 | -- | -- |
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