Week 2 Fantasy Football Rankings: RB

Tony Pollard readies to keep the RB1 train rolling against the Jets, Bijan Robinson ponders whether he is in a committee with Tyler Allgeier, and Jahmyr Gibbs fights for more touches vs. Seattle.

Other positions: Quarterback | Receiver | Tight End/Kickers/Defense

Updated 9/17 at 12:00 PM ET. Found Joshua Kelley and AJ Dillon religion, moving both of them considerably higher. Ticked up Roschon Johnson.

Week 2 Running Backs

RB Notes: Week 1 was the fourth 150-yard rushing performance of Christian McCaffrey’s career, and first as a 49er. Elijah Mitchell was nowhere to be found. That is not going to be the case every week, but the typical CMC formula — volume, catches, touchdowns — appears very much in place. … Austin Ekeler ceded a hell of a lot more work to his backup than McCaffrey and was still the one who ended up getting injured. Ekeler is genuinely questionable for Week 2 with an ankle issue. Even before Ekeler got hurt, Joshua Kelley was heavily involved, something the Chargers’ press corps thinks will remain the case going forward. Kelley is still an uninspiring FLEX whenever Ekeler is healthy, but he will be an RB2 if Ekeler sits in Tennessee. … Sunday was just the eighth time in Nick Chubb’s career he caught at least four passes. It would have been nice to see it come on more than four targets, but Chubb was the only Browns running back to draw even a single target. This might actually be happening. That’s amazing news seeing as it is paired with the same old Chubb on the ground.

Kenneth Gainwell seized control of the Eagles’ backfield then immediately deleted his account. He is out for Thursday Night Football with a rib injury. Week 1 healthy scratch Rashaad Penny will be active against the Vikings, but most signs point toward D’Andre Swift operating as the lead back. It would certainly not be surprising to see Penny to serve as the primary runner between the tackles, but Swift’s potential usage is juicy enough for a FLEX flier. Boston Scott will undoubtedly also receive touches. … Whatever the Titans were hoping to accomplish when they had Tyjae Spears out-snap Derrick Henry, it didn’t work. Ryan Tannehill’s three-interception abomination paired with DeAndre Hopkins’ (ankle) shaky health all but assures a recommitment to the Big Dog, who still provided 119 yards on 17 touches against the Saints. … Tony Pollard was the only Cowboys skill player to get home in Dallas’ blowout of the Giants. The Jets are a much tougher defensive test, but Pollard is going to get there as a nine-point home favorite. … Josh Jacobs played 80 percent of the Raiders’ snaps against the Broncos. “Workload concerns” = gone.

80 percent was also the number of snaps Travis Etienne featured on in the opener. It was frustrating that Tank Bigsby vultured a touchdown, but Etienne is looking like an elite three-down option, especially for high-totaled games like this week’s measuring stick outing against the Chiefs. … The Bijan Robinson facts are as follows: He received 16 touches and played 64 percent of the Falcons’ snaps. He looked ready to dominate as a pass-catcher. Tyler Allgeier monopolizing goal-line work is a legitimate concern, but it wasn’t some sky-is-falling day for our fantasy first-rounder. We’ll also see how genuine the Falcons’ Allgeier commitment is when they aren’t controlling the pace of play against an awful team like the Panthers. The Packers are a stiffer, but hardly foreboding, test. … Rhamondre Stevenson ceded 12 touches to Ezekiel Elliott but played 73 percent of the Patriots’ snaps against the Eagles, He was also more productive, not that it was a gangbusters day for either back. It continues to look like business as 2022 usual for Stevenson’s workload. … I felt uneasy about Saquon Barkley entering the season. Week 1 didn’t exactly assuage the concerns. The volume should at least be there against a Cardinals defense that looked tougher than expected last Sunday.

Aaron Jones (hamstring) is looking on the wrong side of questionable. AJ Dillon would be a set-and-forget RB2 against the Falcons despite his typically shaky Week 1. 20-plus carries feels all too plausible. Patrick Taylor is the No. 2 back. … Jahmyr Gibbs’ Week 1 usage was more concerning than Bijan Robinson’s — he played just 27 percent of the Lions’ snaps — but his nine touches felt like a baseline, and one that will immediately rise. Coach Dan Campbell has promised more work, while the “keepaway” need won’t be as urgent against the Seahawks as it was in Kansas City. Gibbs maintains RB2 benefit of the doubt in this high-scoring offense. David Montgomery has established he can be a touchdowns-based RB2, a la 2022 Jamaal Williams. … Rachaad White can hear efficiency footstopes. Few backs left more yards on the field in Week 1. The Sean Tucker threat is already on White’s doorstep. … There is increasing reason to believe Brian Robinson could receive in the neighborhood of 20 weekly touches. That always makes you an RB2. … Javonte Williams’ Week 1 workload was on the high end of my expectations. This could quickly become profitable. … Genuinely, what is the case for Najee Harris right now? I suppose the Steelers do have to run this week.

Everyone knows you can’t overreact to Week 1, but there has to be some reaction when sample sizes are only 17 games. It was immediately clear to me I was wrong about Breece Hall. I kept assuming there was no way he would be healthy enough for RB2 workloads, or that Aaron Rodgers wouldn’t want a young, rehabbing back out there when Dalvin Cook was available. Hall definitively proved the first point wrong. It gets thornier with the second. It is obvious Hall would have forced his way onto the field with or without Rodgers. But now that we are without, the Jets’ offensive environment is in danger of plummeting to the depths of hell, especially against elite defenses like this week’s opponent, Dallas. Hall can save a statline with 1-2 big runs, but his Week 2 upside is matched by his downside with the Jets serving as nine-point road underdogs. Cook is a poor FLEX. … I was also wrong about Isiah Pacheco, at least for one week. I didn’t think his touches could be rationed the way they were against the Lions. I still love the season-long touchdown potential. … Raheem Mostert (knee) isn’t hurt, but the Pats aren’t a great spot to go upside hunting.