Week 2 of the NFL season was extremely unlucky for many running backs and fantasy teams alike. Adrian Peterson, Jonathan Stewart, Doug Martin, Ameer Abdullah, Danny Woodhead and Arian Foster all went down with injuries. Sure, many are just a week or two — minus Woodhead who tore his ACL and Peterson who is out for 3-to-4 months with knee surgery — but every week is pivotal during the fantasy football season. Not to mention the fact that if you rostered any of those guys, like me, then you were up shit creek without a paddle. A closing door opens another, so while there is some value to be had at the position this week, it’s always a good idea to get yourself an elite, top-5 option. Lucky for you, here I am with this week’s top 5 running backs for Week 3.

David Johnson @ BUF

Chris Johnson may have gotten more touches last week, but that was only due to Arizona being up by a large margin. David Johnson is the team’s bell cow back and he has an advantageous matchup against Buffalo. Matt Forte gashed them for three touchdowns, so if you own Johnson, you should be licking your lips.

Ezekiel Elliott vs. CHI

By nature of how this game is likely to play out, Elliot is going to be an elite running back this week. Sure, no running back has been a real standout against Chicago in a game this season, but with Dallas expected to get up early on Brian Hoyer’s Bears, expect a heavy dosage of Elliott early and often.

Todd Gurley @ TB

The Tampa Bay defense has been rather stingy against opponents on the ground, but Gurley has a great opportunity to rack up the yards in the passing game. Gurley isn’t an integral part of the St. Louis passing attack, but it may only take one or two screens for Gurley to have a productive day on top of what he does on the ground. The Bucs are allowing, on average, 16.4 yards per reception to running backs.

DeAngelo Williams @ PHI

Philadelphia has been solid against the run thus far, but neither Cleveland nor Chicago sport a running back even half the caliber of Williams. He’s averaging a whopping 34 touches per game thus far and when you’re getting a workload like that, it’s hard not to produce. Confidently start him as an RB1 this week.

Matt Forte @ KC

While this sort of workload surely won’t last, enjoy it while it’s here. Forte is averaging 26 carries per game and it’s hard not to like him coming off a three touchdown performance on Thursday Night Football. The Chiefs have allowed the most rushing yards through the first two games this season, so go ahead and fire Forte up this week.

Don’t forget to check the rest of the Week 3 NFL Player Rankings here at Fantasy Alarm.

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