Fantasy Football 2014 Running Back Rankings: Week 1
Montee Ball
Jamaal Charles may not finish the 2014 season as the top running back, but he starts in that spot in Athlon Sports' Week 1 Fantasy Football Running Back Rankings. Charles will have to work with a practically brand-new offensive line and a passing game that doesn't exactly strike fear into the hearts of opposing defenses, but he also has an appealing opening matchup against a Titans' defense that's switching schemes and lacks established playmakers.
Each week during the NFL season, we will rank enough players at each position to appease everyone from those in 8-team leagues to 16-team leagues, those that can start two QBs, two TEs, three RBs and four WRs. We cut out the rest, because if you're looking at who the 50th-best running back or the 17th-best kicker is for that week, you need more help than any Web site can give you.
Positional Rankings: QB I RB I WR I TE I DST I K
2014 NFL Week 1 Fantasy Football Rankings — Running Backs
Rank | Player | Team | Opp | Comments |
1 | Jamaal Charles | KC | vs. TEN | TEN making switch from 4-3 to 3-4. |
2 | LeSean McCoy | PHI | vs. JAC | Bruised thumb should not be an issue. |
3 | Adrian Peterson | MIN | at STL | Rams' D-line among league's best. |
4 | Marshawn Lynch | SEA | vs. GB (Thurs.) | Packers struggled vs. run last season. |
5 | Matt Forte | CHI | vs. BUF |
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6 | Montee Ball | DEN | vs. IND | His time to shine? |
7 | Arian Foster | HOU | vs. WAS | If healthy he could have huge year. |
8 | Eddie Lacy | GB | at SEA (Thurs.) |
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9 | Frank Gore | SF | at DAL | May be "old," but he's consistent. |
10 | DeMarco Murray | DAL | vs. SF | Good time to face 49ers' depleted D. |
11 | Alfred Morris | WAS | at HOU | Needs to make most of carries. |
12 | Zac Stacy | STL | vs. MIN |
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13 | Giovani Bernard | CIN | at BAL | Bengals set to unleash Gio? |
14 | Le'Veon Bell | PIT | vs. CLE | Is Bell the Steelers' bell-cow? |
15 | Andre Ellington | ARI | vs. SD (Mon.) | How many touches will he get? |
16 | Doug Martin | TB | vs. CAR | Could get off to slow start vs. tough D. |
17 | Reggie Bush | DET | vs. NYG (Mon.) | How will touches be split w/ Bell? |
18 | Ben Tate | CLE | at PIT |
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19 | Toby Gerhart | JAC | at PHI | If anything he should get lots of work. |
20 | Ryan Mathews | SD | at ARI (Mon.) |
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21 | Shane Vereen | NE | at MIA | More appealing in PPR leagues. |
22 | C.J. Spiller | BUF | at CHI | Will Spiller ever break out? |
23 | Rashad Jennings | NYG | at DET (Mon.) |
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24 | Steven Jackson | ATL | vs. NO | Ready to put 2013 behind him? |
25 | Joique Bell | DET | vs. NYG (Mon.) | Another appealing PPR option. |
26 | Chris Johnson | NYJ | vs. OAK |
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27 | Pierre Thomas | NO | at ATL | Could lead all RBs in receptions. |
28 | Bernard Pierce | BAL | vs. CIN | Gets 2 games to carry the load. |
29 | Fred Jackson | BUF | at CHI |
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30 | Trent Richardson | IND | at DEN | Needs to get off to strong start. |
31 | Stevan Ridley | NE | at MIA | Ball security a must if he wants carries. |
32 | Knowshon Moreno | MIA | vs. NE | Keep eye on workload spilt w/ Miller. |
33 | Maurice Jones-Drew | OAK | at NYJ | New team = new MJD? |
34 | Shonn Greene | TEN | at KC | How long until Sankey passes him? |
35 | Lamar Miller | MIA | vs. NE | Pecking order to be determined? |
36 | Mark Ingram | NO | at ATL |
|
37 | Chris Ivory | NYJ | vs. OAK | CJ not a workhorse back anymore. |
38 | Darren Sproles | PHI | vs. JAC | Similar role expected w/ new team. |
39 | DeAngelo Williams | CAR | at TB | Comes down to # of carries. |
40 | Danny Woodhead | SD | at ARI (Mon.) | Should be plenty active in passing game. |
41 | Bishop Sankey | TEN | at KC | Starts out behind Greene, but for how long? |
42 | Carlos Hyde | SF | at DAL | How much work will he get? |
43 | Jeremy Hill | CIN | at BAL | He's the thunder to Gio's lightning. |
44 | LeGarrette Blount | PIT | vs. CLE | Does he steal goal-line looks from Bell? |
45 | Khiry Robinson | NO | at ATL |
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46 | Ahmad Bradshaw | IND | at DEN | His use depends on T-Rich's production. |
47 | Darren McFadden | OAK | at NYJ | One injury away from being a starter. |
48 | Jonathan Stewart | CAR | at TB |
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Rankings are based upon Athlon Sports' standard scoring system:
OFFENSIVE SCORING
All touchdowns are 6 points
1 point for 25 yards passing
1 point for 10 yards rushing/receiving
Receptions are .5 points
Interceptions/fumbles are minus-2 points
