With two weeks of the NFL season in the books, sample sizes are still small, but certain trends are starting to take hold. And when it comes to which running backs are best used in PPR leagues, a direction our experts at SB Nation are going is straight through the soft Jets defense.
Fantasy football rankings, 2017: Running backs for PPR leagues, Week 3
Here are our fantasy football running back rankings for PPR leagues entering Week 3.
Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
While Pittsburgh’s Le’Veon Bell remains the unanimous choice as the top running back in Week 3 PPR leagues, a new back has emerged in the second spot. After shredding the Los Angeles Chargers for 122 yards on 28 carries his season debut last Sunday, Jay Ajayi moved into the No. 2 spot in our rankings, and a date with the Jets on Sunday certainly doesn’t hurt his cause.
In Week 1, it was Buffalo’s LeSean McCoy who went for 20 fantasy points against Gang Green. Last week, it was the 1-2 punch of Marshawn Lynch and Jaren Richard, who each found the end zone against the Jets in Oakland.
Now it’s Ajayi, who figures to improve on his two targets in Week 2 and become more of a factor in the passing game against the Jets’ weak front seven.
The big slide in our rankings belongs to Ezekiel Elliott, who dropped from second to fifth in our rankings after an abysmal showing against the Broncos on the road and with another tough road test in Arizona this weekend. Moving up to fill the void were Chiefs’ rookie sensation Kareem Hunt, who showed little signs of slowing down in Week 2 with three more receptions, making him a perfect 8-for-8 on targets through two games, and the Chargers’ Melvin Gordon, who has 12 receptions on 14 targets through two games.
After Elliott, the rest of the top 10 included Atlanta’s Devonta Freeman, Lynch, San Francisco’s Carlos Hyde, the resurgent Todd Gurley of the Rams, and Green Bay’s receiver-turned-running back Ty Montgomery.
Running back (PPR) rankings, Week 3
(SK: Scott Kaliska; JG: Jeff Goldberg; DG: Derek Gordon; KB: Kyle Bennett ZS: Zach Senvisky; JM: Jason Marcum)
RB PPR rankings, Week 3
Rk | Consensus | Tm | Opp | SK | JG | DG | KB | ZS | JM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Le'Veon Bell | PIT | @ CHI | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Jay Ajayi | MIA | @ NYJ | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| 3 | Kareem Hunt | KC | @ LAC | 3 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 5 |
| 4 | Melvin Gordon | LAC | vs. KC | 8 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 2 |
| 5 | Ezekiel Elliott | DAL | @ ARI | 4 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
| 7 | Devonta Freeman | ATL | @ DET | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 |
| 8 | Marshawn Lynch | OAK | @ WAS | 15 | 9 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 4 |
| 8 | Carlos Hyde | SF | vs. LAR | 11 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 9 | 8 |
| 10 | Todd Gurley | LAR | @ SF | 5 | 7 | 13 | 11 | 7 | 13 |
| 11 | Ty Montgomery | GB | vs. CIN | 7 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 |
| 11 | Christian McCaffrey | CAR | vs. NO | 13 | 12 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 9 |
| 13 | C.J. Anderson | DEN | @ BUF | 10 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 11 |
| 14 | LeSean McCoy | BUF | vs. DEN | 9 | 11 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 15 |
| 15 | Leonard Fournette | JAC | vs. BAL | 14 | 14 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 12 |
| 16 | Dalvin Cook | MIN | vs. TB | 12 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 14 |
| 17 | Mike Gillislee | NE | vs. HOU | 21 | 17 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 17 |
| 17 | Mark Ingram | NO | @ CAR | 24 | 19 | 17 | 17 | 17 | 16 |
| 19 | Jacquizz Rodgers | TB | @ MIN | 26 | 18 | 16 | 18 | 18 | 18 |
| 20 | Tevin Coleman | ATL | @ DET | 27 | 22 | 19 | 19 | 19 | 19 |
| 21 | Ameer Abdullah | DET | vs. ATL | 20 | 25 | 20 | 21 | 21 | 21 |
| 22 | Lamar Miller | HOU | @ NE | 19 | 20 | 29 | 20 | 24 | 24 |
| 23 | Chris Carson | SEA | @ TEN | 29 | 21 | 22 | 22 | 27 | 22 |
| 24 | Buck Allen | BAL | @ JAC | 17 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 20 | 33 |
| 24 | Jonathan Stewart | CAR | vs. NO | 28 | 24 | 21 | 23 | 28 | 20 |
| 26 | Isaiah Crowell | CLE | @ IND | 18 | 26 | 27 | 24 | 23 | 27 |
| 27 | Tarik Cohen | CHI | vs. PIT | 16 | 16 | 36 | 26 | 22 | 40 |
| 28 | Frank Gore | IND | @ CLE | 30 | 31 | 30 | 31 | 25 | 23 |
| 29 | James White | NE | vs. HOU | 22 | 27 | 31 | 27 | 33 | 38 |
| 30 | Jordan Howard | CHI | vs. PIT | 39 | 29 | 26 | 28 | 32 | 25 |
| 31 | Joe Mixon | CIN | @ GB | 35 | 30 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 28 |
| 32 | Chris Thompson | WAS | vs. OAK | 25 | 28 | 35 | 32 | 36 | 30 |
| 33 | Darren Sproles | PHI | vs. NYG | 31 | 34 | 34 | 33 | 35 | 34 |
| 34 | Matt Forte | NYJ | vs. MIA | 40 | 33 | 33 | 34 | 34 | 31 |
| 35 | Derrick Henry | TEN | vs. SEA | 32 | 37 | 38 | 36 | 26 | 36 |
| 36 | Kerwynn Williams | ARI | vs. DAL | -- | 41 | 24 | 30 | 31 | 29 |
| 37 | Theo Riddick | DET | vs. ATL | 23 | 32 | 37 | 37 | 37 | 46 |
| 38 | Samaje Perine | WAS | vs. OAK | 41 | 36 | 23 | 35 | 41 | 37 |
| 39 | Terrance West | BAL | @ JAC | 44 | 48 | 40 | 41 | 29 | 26 |
| 40 | DeMarco Murray | TEN | vs. SEA | 33 | 35 | 48 | 40 | 40 | 32 |
| 41 | Chris Johnson | ARI | vs. DAL | 43 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 38 | 39 |
| 41 | Duke Johnson Jr. | CLE | @ IND | 36 | 42 | 43 | 43 | 39 | 42 |
| 43 | Bilal Powell | NYJ | vs. MIA | 38 | 38 | 46 | 48 | 42 | 43 |
| 44 | Alvin Kamara | NO | @ CAR | 37 | 39 | 44 | 46 | 44 | 45 |
| 45 | Thomas Rawls | SEA | @ TEN | -- | -- | 39 | 39 | -- | 35 |
| 46 | Adrian Peterson | NO | @ CAR | -- | -- | 32 | 38 | 48 | 48 |
| 47 | Paul Perkins | NYG | @ PHI | 46 | 44 | 45 | 47 | 43 | 44 |
| 48 | Giovani Bernard | CIN | @ GB | 42 | 43 | 49 | 45 | 45 | 47 |
| 49 | Jeremy Hill | CIN | @ GB | -- | 49 | 42 | 44 | 46 | 41 |
| 50 | Shane Vereen | NYG | @ PHI | 34 | 47 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | Jamaal Charles | DEN | @ BUF | 45 | 50 | 50 | 49 | 47 | -- |
| -- | Charles Sims | TB | @ MIN | 48 | 45 | -- | 50 | -- | -- |
| -- | LeGarrette Blount | PHI | vs. NYG | -- | -- | 47 | -- | 49 | 50 |
| -- | Jalen Richard | OAK | @ WAS | 49 | 46 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | Tyler Ervin | HOU | @NE | 47 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | T.J. Yeldon | JAC | vs. BAL | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 49 |
| -- | D'Onta Foreman | HOU | @NE | -- | -- | -- | -- | 50 | -- |
| -- | Andre Ellington | ARI | vs. DAL | 50 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- |
