The running back position was one of the most hotly debated topics this offseason. Let’s take a look around the league and see how everyone is fairing through two weeks of action.
32. Minnesota Vikings – Alexander Mattison
Heading into the season there were high hopes that Alexander Mattison would pick up where Dalvin Cook left off, but that has not been the case. Far from it in fact. He is averaging a measly 3.3 yards per attempt and has looked like the bad apple on a talented Minnesota offense. Now that the Vikings have acquired Cam Akers, we may not see much of Mattison going forward.
31. New Orleans Saints – Kendre Miller
With Alvin Kamara still sidelined by suspension and now Jamaal Williams out with a hamstring, it is Kendre Miller’s backfield—at least for the time being. With zero carries logged thus far in his career, the Saints’ third-round pick is entering Week 3 at the bottom of the barrel, but with a clean slate.
30. New York Giants – Matt Breida
With Saquon Barkley hitting the IL with a sprained ankle, Matt Breida is next up for the Giants. Through two games he’s gotten just three carries but taken them for 4.7 a pop. Too small of a sample size for him to be any higher.
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29. Pittsburgh Steelers – Najee Harris
The Steelers offense seems to have issues all over the place, so the lack of production isn’t entirely Najee Harris’ fault… But there is no denying that Pittsburgh’s former first-round pick has been playing uninspiring football.
28. Houston Texans – Dameon Pierce
Expectations were high for Dameon Pierce heading into year 2, but he’s really struggled behind an admittedly terrible Texans line that’s already lost four starters. After his rookie campaign, we want to give him the benefit of the doubt, but 26 carries for 69 yards and no touchdowns is bad.
27. Chicago Bears – Khalil Herbert
The entire Bears offense has looked bad so far and Khalil Herbert is no exception. There are even rumors that he is soon to be unseated by Chicago’s fourth-round selection in this year’s draft, Roschon Johnson.
26. Denver Broncos – Javonte Williams
Javonte Williams has looked extremely meh in two outings this year. He’s totaled 25 carries for 96 yards and chipped in six catches for 19 yards. He’ll have a chance to turn it around against a weak Miami run D, but it hasn’t been great so far.
25. Kansas City Chiefs – Isiah Pacheco
Isiah Pacheco and his explosive running style have made waves around the NFL in the last 12 months, but it looks like the Chiefs are going to roll with a running back by committee until their season (the playoffs) start, so it is tough to really evaluate Pacheco.
24. Las Vegas Raiders – Josh Jacobs
2023 could not have gotten off to a worse start for last year’s NFL rushing leader. After failing to secure the long-term extension he was after this offseason, Jacobs has limped out of the gate, averaging a paltry 1.6 yards per attempt on 28 carries through two games.
23. Los Angeles Chargers – Joshua Kelley
After the injury to Austin Ekeler, it looks like the Chargers backfield is Joshua Kelley’s for the time being. No one is mistaking him for Ekeler, but he’s done a good enough jobs as a stand-in going for 130 yards and one touchdown on 29 rushes.
22. Green Bay Packers – Aaron Jones
Aaron Jones got off to a great start in Week 1, but unfortunately suffered a hamstring injury that took him out of the action for last week’s game. Jones is currently questionable for Week 3, but considering how good he looked to start we are going to give him the benefit of the doubt.
21. Indianapolis Colts – Zack Moss
Moss did a good job standing in for the Colts’ disgruntled star running back, Jonathan Taylor, in Week 2, essentially usurping Deon Jackson as the lead back. He’s proven himself to be a grinder and regularly scraps for extra yards whenever he can.
20. Jacksonville Jaguars – Travis Entienne Jr.
The Jags offense has been up and down to start the season, but it looks like their 2021 first-round pick, Travis Entienne Jr. is going to have a good year. He came down to earth a little bit against a tough Chiefs D last week, but Week 1 he looked like the player people were projecting him to be coming out of Clemson.
19. Baltimore Ravens – Gus Edwards
After J.K. Dobbins went down, the Ravens have turned to Gus Edwards to carry the bulk of the load. He’s been efficient thus far, notching 5.2 yards per attempt and finding the endzone once, but we need to see what he can do with the increased workload.
18. Los Angeles Rams – Kyren Williams
Now that the Rams have parted ways with Cam Akers, the Rams backfield is officially his, though, it essentially was anyway. He’s shown a nose for the endzone through two starts, notching three tudders, but he’ll need to play a bit more explosively in the open field to establish himself as a true starting-caliber back.
17. New England Patriots – Rhamondre Stevenson
After his breakout, 1000-yard season in 2022, expectations were high for Stevenson this year. He has been good, but not great. He’s maintained his production as a receiver, but he needs to start breaking some longer rushes, as he’s averaging just 2.8 yards per attempt.
16. Detroit Lions – Jahmyr Gibbs
With David Montgomery sidelined with a thigh injury, the Lions explosive rookie, Jahmyr Gibbs, is expected to be featured front and center in Detroit’s offense this week.
Detroit’s 2023 12th overall pick has looked dynamic to start the year in both the running and passing game.
15. Seattle Seahawks – Kenneth Walker III
Kenneth Walker III had a big game against Detroit, finding the endzone twice, but his overall output has been somewhat pedestrian thus far. He could be poised for a breakout performance against the Panthers in Week 3.
14. New York Jets – Breece Hall
The Vikings released Cook to save cap room, but we have little reason to believe he’s past his best-before date. Cook has rushed for over 1,100 yards in four straight seasons. Since 2019, only Derrick Henry has more rushing yards and rushing scores than Cook.
The Jets are optimistic that Breece Hall will be ready for Week 1, so that’s something to monitor. But how could Robert Saleh not go with a four-time Pro Bowler still in his prime as the lead RB? And with Aaron Rodgers captaining the offense, Cook will have a million opportunities to stuff the stat sheet across the board.
13. Carolina Panthers – Miles Sanders
Miles Sanders has struggled to find running lanes behind a bad Panthers o-line, but the 2019 second-round pick has continued to show flashes of what made him such a highly touted pick coming out of Penn State.
Sanders has also served as a reliable security blanket for his rookie quarterback, Bryce Young, hauling in 7 of 11 targets.
12. Cincinnati Bengals – Joe Mixon
Joe Mixon hasn’t put up Joe Mixon-like numbers so far in 2023, but he is still comfortably one of the most talented backs in the game. He just needs more consistent performance from the rest of the offense to open up some opportunities for him.
11. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Rachaad White
Rachaad White’s counting numbers haven’t been huge thus far, but he has looked extremely explosive for the 2-0 Buccaneers, the NFL’s big surprise. He’ll have a big test in Week 3 against a fearsome Eagles defensive front.
10. Cleveland Browns – Jerome Ford
With the devastating injury to Nick Chubb, Jerome Ford is going to have a huge opportunity in the coming weeks. Cleveland fans have to be optimistic too, after watching Ford ball out last week after the Browns star went down, going for 106 yards on 16 carries.
9. Dallas Cowboys – Tony Pollard
With the offseason departure of Ezekiel Elliot, expectations were high for Tony Pollard in Dallas. The Cowboys back has delivered through two games, despite limited usage in Dallas’ two blowout wins.
8. Buffalo Bills – James Cook
James Cook is coming off one of the best performances of his career. He went for 123 yards on 17 carries and chipped in four receptions for 36 yards against an admittedly weak Raiders defense. It is starting to look like he could be the long-lost answer at running back for Buffalo as it tries to establish a run game for the first time in years.
7. Washington Commanders – Brian Robinson
Few running backs run with the kind of fervor that Brian Robinson does. The Commanders’ second-year back has looked great through two games—particularly in short yardage opportunities. He has also found the endzone twice.
6. Tennessee Titans – Derrick Henry
It looks like the Titans are going to take a more conservative approach usage-wise with their star running back now that he’s set to turn 30 during this season, but he still looks as dynamic a runner as ever.
5. Arizona Cardinals – James Conner
The Arizona Cardinals have been surprisingly scrappy this year and James Conner’s bruising running style is a clear factor in that. He’s gone for 168 yards and one touchdown through two games on just 37 carries and has been a stabilizing presence for an offense and organization in flux.
4. Miami Dolphins – Raheem Mostert
Explosiveness has never been the question about Raheem Mostert, more so, whether or not he can stay healthy. 2023 has gotten off to a great start for the Dolphins RB1, he’s gone for an insane 158 yards and three touchdowns on just 28 carries.
3. Philadelphia Eagles – D'Andre Swift
After seeing limited usage Week 1, D’Andre Swift erupted against the Vikings last week for 175 yards and a touchdown. Look for the former Lions star to build on that this week against a Bucs defense that looks ready to regress to the mean.
2. Atlanta Falcons – Bijan Robinson
The hype around Bijan Robinson was insane after Atlanta took him eighth overall out of Texas in the 2023 Draft and the 21-year-old back has done well to live up to the expectations. Robinson looked super explosive Week 1, despite limited usage, and erupted against Green Bay last week for 172 yards from scrimmage on 23 touches.
1. San Francisco 49ers – Christian McCaffrey
As far as NFL running backs are concerned… right now there is Christian McCaffrey and everyone else. The Niners star has been putting up monster numbers through two weeks, totaling 268 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while averaging 6.4 per attempt.
And what’s crazy is that there is still room for McCaffrey to improve, as he hasn’t been featured in the passing game as prominently as he was in years past.
What changes would you make to our rankings for all 32 No. 1 RBs
