With the injuries piling up, it’s more important this week than any of the first six to sit with the fantasy RB rankings and evaluate the slate as a whole. This week, not only do we have injuries and committees aplenty, but we have six teams on a bye to further shrink our player pool.
It’s a tough week, and that’s why I’m here to help you sort through everything fantasy football and earn a midseason victory!
Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer, Start/Sit Optimizer, and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!
Which RBs Should You Start in Fantasy Football?
MORE rankings from Soppe: QB | WR | TE | K | DST
1) Christian McCaffrey | SF (at MIN)
2) Kenneth Walker III | SEA (vs. ARI)
3) Austin Ekeler | LAC (at KC)
4) Travis Etienne Jr. | JAX (at NO)
5) Bijan Robinson | ATL (at TB)
6) Josh Jacobs | LV (at CHI)
7) Isiah Pacheco | KC (vs. LAC)
8) Alvin Kamara | NO (vs. JAX)
9) Saquon Barkley | NYG (vs. WAS)
10) D’Andre Swift | PHI (vs. MIA)
11) Raheem Mostert | MIA (at PHI)
12) Aaron Jones | GB (at DEN)
13) Brian Robinson Jr. | WAS (at NYG)
14) James Cook | BUF (at NE)
15) Jonathan Taylor | IND (vs. CLE)
16) Rachaad White | TB (vs. ATL)
17) Alexander Mattison | MIN (vs. SF)
18) Rhamondre Stevenson | NE (vs. BUF)
19) Jerome Ford | CLE (at IND)
20) Javonte Williams | DEN (vs. GB)
21) Roschon Johnson | CHI (vs. LV)
22) Jahmyr Gibbs | DET (at BAL)
23) Gus Edwards | BAL (vs. DET)
24) Zack Moss | IND (vs. CLE)
25) Jaylen Warren | PIT (at LAR)
26) Jaleel McLaughlin | DEN (vs. GB)
27) Rachaad White | TB (vs. ATL)
28) Tyler Allgeier | ATL (at TB)
29) Najee Harris | PIT (at LAR)
30) Craig Reynolds | DET (at BAL)
31) Justice Hill | BAL (vs. DET)
32) D’Onta Foreman | CHI (vs. LV)
33) Latavius Murray | BUF (at NE)
34) Keaontay Ingram | ARI (at SEA)
35) Jeff Wilson Jr. | MIA (at PHI)
36) AJ Dillon | GB (at DEN)
37) Zach Evans | LAR (vs. PIT)
38) Ezekiel Elliott | NE (vs. BUF)
39) Emari Demercado | ARI (at SEA)
40) Zach Charbonnet | SEA (vs. ARI)
41) Antonio Gibson | WAS (at NYG)
42) Jamaal Williams | NO (vs. JAX)
43) Samaje Perine | DEN (vs. GB)
44) Cam Akers | MIN (vs. SF)
45) Jerick McKinnon | KC (vs. LAC)
46) Clyde Edwards-Helaire | KC (vs. LAC)
47) Jordan Mason | SF (at MIN)
48) Kenneth Gainwell | PHI (vs. MIA)
49) Tank Bigsby | JAX (at NO)
50) Elijah Mitchell | SF (at MIN)
51) Royce Freeman | LAR (vs. PIT)
52) Kendre Miller | NO (vs. JAX)
53) Joshua Kelley | LAC (at KC)
54) Salvon Ahmed | MIA (at PHI)
55) Eric Gray | NYG (vs. WAS)
56) Ke’Shawn Vaughn | TB (vs. ATL)
57) Damien Harris | BUF (at NE)
58) Matt Breida | NYG (vs. WAS)
59) Chris Brooks | MIA (at PHI)
60) Darrynton Evans | CHI (vs. LV)
61) Boston Scott | PHI (vs. MIA)
62) Sean Tucker | TB (vs. ATL)
63) Zamir White | LV (at CHI)
64) Keaton Mitchell | BAL (vs. DET)
65) Cordarrelle Patterson | ATL (at TB)
66) Kyle Juszczyk | SF (at MIN)
67) Khari Blasingame | CHI (vs. LV)
68) Ty Montgomery II | NE (vs. BUF)
69) Pierre Strong Jr. | CLE (at IND)
70) Ameer Abdullah | LV (at CHI)
71) D’Ernest Johnson | JAX (at NO)
72) DeeJay Dallas | SEA (vs. ARI)
73) Gary Brightwell | NYG (vs. WAS)
74) Alec Ingold | MIA (at PHI)
75) Melvin Gordon III | BAL (vs. DET)
76) C.J. Ham | MIN (vs. SF)
77) Ty Chandler | MIN (vs. SF)
78) Patrick Ricard | BAL (vs. DET)
79) Corey Clement | ARI (at SEA)
80) Damien Williams | ARI (at SEA)
81) Trey Sermon | IND (vs. CLE)
82) Isaiah Spiller | LAC (at KC)
83) Reggie Gilliam | BUF (at NE)
84) Keith Smith | ATL (at TB)
85) Kenyan Drake | BAL (vs. DET)
86) Jakob Johnson | LV (at CHI)
87) Derrick Gore | WAS (at NYG)
88) Devine Ozigbo | DET (at BAL)
89) Tony Jones Jr. | ARI (at SEA)
90) David Montgomery | DET (at BAL)
The Top RBs To Start in Week 7
Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts
Week 6 was a fine showing for PPR fantasy managers who started Taylor (13 touches and 11.5 fantasy points), and it represented a nice step forward from the 10-snap effort in his season debut. Zack Moss was on the field for the opening snap, but it was Taylor who got Indianapolis’ first carry after four straight passes.
Taylor and Moss split just about everything right down the middle, a signal that this offense is trending toward featuring their former All-Pro.
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The committee situation may feel ominous, but remember that Moss was coming off a 195-yard, two-TD effort against one of the league’s stingiest run defenses. He played as well as he could in Week 5 and still lost significant work in this spot in favor of ramping up Taylor.
Without a clear feature role in a brutal matchup, Taylor’s ranking can only go so high. He’s a strong RB2 for me this week, and any chance you have to acquire his services at a reasonable price could end in less than a week. If you’re playing the long game, go get yourself some Taylor exposure and use a tough Week 7 matchup as leverage.
Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots
Last week, he snapped a string of three-straight finishes outside the top 30 at the position, thanks to five catches (he had a total of three over his previous three games) and a short TD plunge following a penalty that put New England on the doorstep.
Stevenson held a 39-23 snap edge over Ezekiel Elliott (23-12 advantage in terms of routes run) despite missing a large chunk of the third quarter due to injury, giving us at least some confidence that he is still atop this depth chart.
Those are positive enough signs to land Stevenson at the back end of my top 20 in this weak week at the running back position, but I’m fully on board with Derek Tate’s evaluation of him as a sell-high candidate on Tuesday’s PFN Fantasy Podcast (also available at the PFN Fantasy YouTube Channel).
Even with the strong fantasy showing, Stevenson is averaging an ugly 3.0 yards per carry this season and hasn’t seen more than 15 carries in five of six games this season.
Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh Steelers
The 24-year-old is emerging as a fringe Flex option in PPR formats, as he is on pace for a tick over 71 catches this season, a total only three running backs hit a season ago.
The lack of carry upside (he’s never had more than 12 carries in a game and has yet to reach double figures in a game this season) keeps his floor low and, thus, out of my “strong Flex play” tier.
That said, if you think the Rams grab an early lead and the game script works in Warren’s favor, you can feel good about plugging him in any league where receptions are rewarded.