I know everyone expected at the beginning of the season that through Week 3 the top 5 running backs in the NFL would Kareem Hunt, Todd Gurley, Chris Thompson, Devonta Freeman, and Ty Montgomery. If you don’t have one of those guys in your lineup you should check out our rankings below to help optimize your roster.
Fantasy football rankings 2017: Running backs in standard leagues for NFL Week 4
The SB Nation fantasy staff rounds up the rankings for the top 50 running backs in standard leagues for Week 4.


Le’Veon Bell and Ezekiel Elliott seem to be getting better weekly but they haven’t lived up to their typical elite fantasy value. Jordan Howard looked like he was back to 100 percent running all over the Steelers. Other than Buck Allen and Tarik Cohen there haven’t been many solid free agent options on the wire. That means you need to play the running backs with the best possible match-up and value. Below the SB Nation fantasy staff rounds up the rankings for the top 50 running backs in standard leagues for week 4.
Running backs (standard) rankings, Week 4
(SK: Scott Kaliska; DG: Derek Gordon; KB: Kyle Bennett ZS: Zach Senvisky; JM: Jason Marcum)
RB standard rankings, Week 4
Rk | Consensus | Tm | Opp | SK | DG | KB | ZS | JM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kareem Hunt | KC | vs. WAS | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 2 | Ezekiel Elliott | DAL | vs. LAR | 2 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
| 3 | Le'Veon Bell | PIT | @ BAL | 3 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 4 | Devonta Freeman | ATL | vs. BUF | 6 | 1 | 7 | 6 | 1 |
| 5 | LeSean McCoy | BUF | @ ATL | 7 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 4 |
| 6 | Todd Gurley | LAR | @ DAL | 5 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 9 |
| 7 | Jay Ajayi | MIA | vs. NO | 4 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 10 |
| 8 | Melvin Gordon | LAC | vs. PHI | 11 | 3 | 10 | 11 | 3 |
| 9 | Leonard Fournette | JAC | @ NYJ | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 8 |
| 10 | Dalvin Cook | MIN | vs. DET | 8 | 11 | 8 | 8 | 11 |
| 11 | Ty Montgomery | GB | vs. CHI | 10 | 7 | 11 | 12 | 7 |
| 12 | Carlos Hyde | SF | @ ARI | 14 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 12 |
| 13 | C.J. Anderson | DEN | vs. OAK | 13 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 13 |
| 14 | Jordan Howard | CHI | @ GB | 12 | 20 | 14 | 10 | 20 |
| 15 | Chris Carson | SEA | vs. IND | 15 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 15 |
| 16 | DeMarco Murray | TEN | @ HOU | 17 | 17 | 18 | 13 | 17 |
| 17 | Christian McCaffrey | CAR | @ NE | 16 | 19 | 16 | 16 | 21 |
| 18 | Lamar Miller | HOU | vs. TEN | 20 | 14 | 20 | 22 | 14 |
| 19 | Joe Mixon | CIN | @ CLE | 19 | 21 | 17 | 19 | 19 |
| 20 | Marshawn Lynch | OAK | @ DEN | 22 | 23 | 22 | 20 | 23 |
| 21 | Mike Gillislee | NE | vs. CAR | 18 | 29 | 19 | 18 | 29 |
| 22 | Jacquizz Rodgers | TB | vs. NYG | 30 | 16 | 31 | 32 | 16 |
| 23 | Mark Ingram | NO | @ MIA | 24 | 22 | 23 | 35 | 22 |
| 24 | Isaiah Crowell | CLE | vs. CIN | 25 | 27 | 25 | 25 | 27 |
| 25 | Ameer Abdullah | DET | @ MIN | 26 | 28 | 26 | 26 | 28 |
| 26 | Jonathan Stewart | CAR | @ NE | 29 | 26 | 28 | 29 | 25 |
| 27 | Tarik Cohen | CHI | @ GB | 21 | 33 | 21 | 31 | 33 |
| 28 | Tevin Coleman | ATL | vs. BUF | 28 | 32 | 27 | 21 | 32 |
| 29 | Robert Kelley | WAS | @ KC | 39 | 18 | 37 | 39 | 18 |
| 30 | Chris Thompson | WAS | @ KC | 23 | 42 | 24 | 23 | 42 |
| 31 | Frank Gore | IND | @ SEA | 27 | 37 | 29 | 27 | 37 |
| 32 | LeGarrette Blount | PHI | @ LAC | 32 | 30 | 32 | 36 | 30 |
| 33 | Derrick Henry | TEN | @ HOU | 33 | 31 | 33 | 33 | 31 |
| 34 | Duke Johnson Jr. | CLE | vs. CIN | 34 | 34 | 34 | 34 | 34 |
| 35 | Buck Allen | BAL | vs. PIT | 31 | 43 | 30 | 28 | 43 |
| 36 | Chris Johnson | ARI | vs. SF | 43 | 24 | 41 | 43 | 24 |
| 37 | Terrance West | BAL | vs. PIT | 41 | 25 | 43 | 41 | 26 |
| 38 | Wendell Smallwood | PHI | @ LAC | 36 | 41 | 36 | 30 | 40 |
| 39 | Alvin Kamara | NO | @ MIA | 42 | 39 | 42 | 24 | 41 |
| 40 | James White | NE | vs. CAR | 35 | 38 | 35 | 42 | 38 |
| 41 | Jamaal Charles | DEN | vs. OAK | 40 | 35 | 40 | 40 | 35 |
| 42 | Theo Riddick | DET | @ MIN | 37 | 45 | 38 | 37 | 47 |
| 43 | D'Onta Foreman | HOU | vs. TEN | 45 | 36 | 46 | 45 | 36 |
| 44 | Bilal Powell | NYJ | vs. JAC | 38 | -- | 39 | 38 | -- |
| 45 | Paul Perkins | NYG | @ TB | -- | 40 | -- | -- | 38 |
| 46 | Matt Forte | NYJ | vs. JAC | 46 | 48 | 44 | 46 | 49 |
| 47 | Giovani Bernard | CIN | @ CLE | 44 | -- | 45 | 44 | -- |
| 48 | Jeremy Hill | CIN | @ CLE | -- | 44 | -- | -- | 44 |
| 49 | Thomas Rawls | SEA | vs. IND | -- | 49 | 47 | 49 | 46 |
| 50 | Samaje Perine | WAS | @ KC | 47 | -- | 48 | 47 | -- |
| -- | Adrian Peterson | NO | @ MIA | -- | 47 | -- | -- | 45 |
| -- | Shane Vereen | NYG | @ TB | 48 | -- | 49 | 48 | -- |
| -- | Alex Collins | BAL | vs. PIT | 50 | -- | 50 | 50 | 48 |
| -- | Rex Burkhead | NE | vs. CAR | -- | 46 | -- | -- | 50 |
| -- | Andre Ellington | ARI | vs. SF | 49 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | Kerwynn Williams | ARI | vs. SF | -- | 50 | -- | -- | -- |











