Fantasy Football Rankings & Tiers: Running Backs (Week 1)

Fantasy football expert Pat Fitzmaurice shares all of his Week 1 rankings and tiers in his weekly article. Below you can find his Week 1 fantasy football rankings, tiers, and start/sit lineup advice for Running Backs.

Fantasy Football Rankings, Tiers & Start/Sit Lineup Advice: Running Backs

Running Backs Rankings & Tiers

Tier 1

Tier 2

Tier 3

Tier 4

Tier 5

Tier 6

Fantasy Football Start/Sit Lineup Advice: Running Backs

Tennessee RB Tony Pollard has a daunting Week 1 road matchup against a Denver defense that allowed the fifth-fewest rushing yards to opposing backs last season. But with Titans RB Tyjae Spears out with a high-ankle sprain, Pollard should get a smorgasbord of touches. The promise of heavy touch volume should outweigh the matchup anxiety. Consider Pollard a mid-range RB2.

Chiefs back Isiah Pacheco fractured his fibula in Week 2 of 2024, came back in Week 13, and looked like a shell of himself upon his return. But Pacheco looked like his old self in the preseason, so maybe he’s back to being the clear lead back for the Chiefs. Of course, we may see more of RB Kareem Hunt than Pacheco investors would like, and maybe rookie back Brashard Smith plays on passing downs. Pacheco opens against a Chargers defense that yielded the sixth-fewest fantasy points to running backs last season. With the division of labor in the Kansas City backfield not entirely clear, and with a suboptimal matchup, Pollard should be considered a low-end RB2.

I wasn’t wildly excited about drafting RB David Montgomery this summer. The departure of former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson is concerning, as is the retirement of stalwart center Frank Ragnow. It’s also possible the Lions opt to give more work to the electric back Jahmyr Gibbs and less to Montgomery. But Montgomery looks like an appealing Week 1 option. The Packers are going to have a fearsome pass rush with the addition of LB Micah Parsons. As part of the deal to acquire Parsons, Green Bay traded away its best interior run defender, DT Kenny Clark. Running up the middle is probably the best way to attack the Green Bay defense, so Montgomery should get plenty of work this week. Since joining the Lions, Montgomery has averaged 98 yards from scrimmage and has scored five touchdowns in four games against the Packers.

Although I preferred RJ Harvey to J.K. Dobbins in drafts, Dobbins is probably a better fantasy option than Harvey in Week 1. Dobbins is listed as the starter on the Broncos’ depth chart. He could get a majority of the snaps until Broncos head coach Sean Payton is comfortable with Harvey’s pass protection. And Dobbins will almost surely be Denver’s preferred goal-line back, at least early on. The Broncos are favored over the visiting Titans by more than a touchdown, so their game script should be run-friendly. Dobbins looks like a solid Week 1 option.

The Jaguars are listing Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby as co-starters. They’re both going to get work in Week 1. Jacksonville opens at home against a Carolina defense that gave up a league-worst 27.5 half-PPR fantasy points per game to running backs last year. The Panthers allowed 2,520 rushing yards to running backs, which was almost 500 yards more than the next-worst run defense. Defensive tackle Derrick Brown‘s return from injury will help staunch the bleeding for Carolina, but the Panthers still figure to have a below-average run defense. Etienne and Bigsby are both startable this week, even though they’re sharing work.