Check out Marc Caviglia’s fantasy football rankings and hot takes on the Week 3 running back matchups:
- When I first started looking at Week 3 running back rankings I had targeted Devin Singletary as a running back to avoid. Not because of the matchup, because it’s a good one against the Los Angeles Rams, but because of his usage rate through two games. However, the Bills announced on Friday that rookie running back Zach Moss is OUT because of injury and this opens up the opportunity for Singletary to thrive as the bell cow running back in Buffalo. Look for Singletary to go well over 100 total yards and find the end zone against a Rams defense that gives up 110 rushing yards, 56.5 receiving yards and 1.5 touchdowns to opposing running backs.
- Gurley and the Falcons aren’t off to the start they had hoped for. The Falcons are sitting at 0-2 after losing two shootouts and Gurley is averaging just 3.3 yards per carry as he continues to run into a brick wall. The good news is that the volume of touches is there as Gurley has 35 carries which enters Week 3 tied for 7th among RBs. It’s obvious that the Falcons love to pass the football and with wide receivers like Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley I don’t blame them; however this could really put a damper on Gurley’s upside as a weekly RB2 option. The Chicago Bears have been stubborn against the run thus far and unless Gurley scores a TD, fantasy owners shouldn’t expect anything more than 70-80 total yards.
- Give me some stock in Joshua Kelley of the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. The rookie has impressed me so far and is in a position to have another big game against the Carolina Panthers in Week 3. Kelley has 37 touches (35 carries , 2 receptions) through two weeks and has punched in a touchdown to boot. It’s clear that he has taken over Melvin Gordon’s role in the Gordon-Austin Ekeler tandem and those who drafted him as a handcuff are benefitting. As for the matchup, the Panthers are dead last against the run to start the season. They give up 5 yards per carry, have surrendered 6 rushing touchdowns to opposing RBs and have allowed 18 receptions and 127 receiving yards out of the backfield. Look for the Chargers to be run heavy in Week 3 and for Kelley, and Ekeler, to post RB2 numbers.
- My wild card play this week is San Francisco 49ers running back Jeff Wilson. Injuries to Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman have elevated Wilson to relevant in Week 3 against the New York Giants and he makes for a sneaky play this week. It looks like Jerrick McKinnon will draw the start and the scat back has impressed in a limited role, making him a RB2 option this week, but I expect Wilson to get 8-12 touches in this game. The last two times Wilson saw 8-plus touches in a game, he scored multiple TDs both times. If you have been hampered by injuries to your RBs, take a long look at Wilson.
Rankings are based on the following scoring:
6 points per touchdown
1 point per 10 rushing & receiving yards
-2 points per turnover
.5 point & 1 point per reception (toggle to find scoring format)
