Fantasy RB PPR Rankings Week 2: Who to start, sit at running back in fantasy football

With one week of the 2022 NFL season in the books, we have a solid baseline of knowledge to help us make informed fantasy decisions in Week 2. Opening week always presents a few curveballs to the ever-important running back position — some good and some bad. We are here to read between the lines — analyzing all 32 RB rooms, deciphering the meaning of what we have seen so far, and translating our stats and projections into a cohesive Week 2 fantasy PPR rankings.

Of course, injuries will always rear their ugly heads, and Week 1 unfortunately saw some prominent running backs go down in addition to others who never even suited up at all. Stud Steelers RB Najee Harris got rolled up awkwardly by a gang of Bengals tacklers and exited early because of a foot injury. It was later reported the injury is “not a big deal,” but we’ll monitor Harris all week. He dealt with foot injuries in college and nursed a Lisfranc injury on the same foot in the preseason. Handcuff Jaylen Warren gets a huge bump if Harris misses any time. 

WEEK 2 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | WRs | TEs | D/ST | Kicker

Oft-injured San Francisco back Elijah Mitchell also exited early due to a knee injury. He was ruled out for the rest of the game almost immediately, which is never a good sign. He was seen wearing a “substantial brace” after the game, so expect Jeff Wilson Jr. (vs. Seahawks) to take over in the short term. (Update: Mitchell will miss the next several games.)

WEEK 2 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/ST | Kicker

JK Dobbins (knee) never got on the field, but there’s hope he’ll return in Week 2 to take on the Dolphins. It’s not the best matchup, but we can reasonably assume Dobbins will see 12-plus touches when he comes back — especially after both Kenyan Drake (31 yards on 11 carries) and Mike Davis (11 yards on two carries) both struggled against the Jets. Dobbins will be an RB2/flex if he’s active.

WEEK 2 DFS: Best values | Best stacks

A few veterans who fantasy owners were lukewarm on in the preseason played well, including Cordarrelle Patterson (@ Rams) who posted the fifth-most rushing yards in Week 1 (120 in 22 carries). Miles Sanders (vs. Vikings) also lit it up with 96 rushing yards and a score, while Kareem Hunt (vs. Jets) and Clyde Edwards-Helaire (vs. Chargers) each found the end zone twice. None were as impressive as Saquon Barkley (vs. Panthers), though, who torched the Titans for 194 total yards (including six catches on seven targets) and a score. It’s safe to say Barkley is back, and, like Patterson, Hunt, and CEH, he sees a boost in PPR leagues.

WEEK 2 DFS LINEUPS: FanDuel | DraftKings | Yahoo

Those were the studs; now, let’s talk about the duds. Cam Akers (vs. Falcons) laid an egg against the Bills on opening night last Thursday, getting just a few carries and netting zero yards. Bills rookie James Cook (vs. Titans) looked even worse in that game, coughing up the rock on his lone attempt. Travis Etienne (vs. Colts) managed just six touches to James Robinson’s 12, and the Patriots’ backfield (@ Steelers) did nothing along with the rest of the rest of the offense. While we aren’t writing off all of these backs entirely, they get serious downgrades on our Week 2 rankings. 

WEEK 2 FANTASY PICKS: Sleepers | Busts | Start ’em, sit ’em

For Akers and Cook, it appears that Darrell Henderson (vs. Falcons) and Devin Singletary (vs. Titans) will remain the leaders in their teams’ respective committees. Even Zack Moss (vs. Titans), who had a less-than-stellar rushing performance but hauled in six catches, looks well ahead of Cook and looks like a potential flex in PPR leagues. Ditto for Rex Burkhead (@ Broncos), who had eight total targets and three more carries than Dameon Pierce. Breece Hall had 10 targets, but much of that came in garbage time. Michael Carter (@ Browns) was clearly the leader in that backfield on Sunday, and he even had nine targets.

Another committee to watch: Chicago’s David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert, who face a Packers defense that got run over a bit in Week 1. Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison combined for 136 yards, with each netting 4.5 yards per carry. Montgomery got the lion’s share of the backfield touches (17 carries, 26 yards) despite Khalil Herbert looking far superior (nine carries for 45 yards and a TD). Grab Herbert wherever he’s available as he’ll be a decent flex most weeks. The same goes for Jamaal Williams (vs. Commanders) and possible PPR breakout, Dontrell Hilliard, though we wouldn’t play him this week against the Bills. 

Overall, we don’t want to react too strongly to Week 1, but when AJ Dillon looks like the lead back over Aaron Jones (vs. Bears) and the Bengals absolutely shut down Najee Harris, it’s tough not to. Our rankings reflect these usage and matchup considerations, but we’re also giving some proven vets the benefit of the doubt…for now.

Note: We’ll be updating these RB PPR rankings throughout the week, so check back for analysis and the latest player movement.

Week 2 fantasy RB PPR rankings

These rankings are for full-point PPR leagues