X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

Week 4 Running Back Rankings & Matchups Analysis

Below you will find our Week 4 Running Back rankings, to help determine your RB starts/sits for this week, brought to you by Edward Gorelik (@EdwardGorelik) and Zach Wilkens (@LopsidedTrades).

Featured fantasy football writer Zach Wilkens also highlights some RB rankings and matchups analysis for Week 4, and draws some matchup conclusions. He tells you who he likes, who he doesn't, and most importantly who he thinks you should be starting in Week 4.

You can also check out our 2015 fantasy football ranking dashboard, for more in depth rankings analysis on all positions including rookies and dynasty leagues.

 

Week 4 Fantasy Football Rankings - Running Backs

RotoBaller
Staff Ranks
Player Name
(Team - Position)
Zach Wilkens
Rankings
Ed Gorelik
Rankings
1 Le'Veon Bell PIT vs. BAL 1 1
2 Jamaal Charles KC at CIN 3 2
3 Matt Forte CHI vs. OAK 2 4
4 Eddie Lacy GB at SF 4 3
5 Adrian Peterson MIN at DEN 6 6
6 Mark Ingram NO vs. DAL 5 8
7 Frank Gore IND vs. JAC 9 5
8 Latavius Murray OAK at CHI 7 7
9 Devonta Freeman ATL vs. HOU 8 9
10 Karlos Williams BUF vs. NYG 11 10
11 Giovani Bernard CIN vs. KC 10 18
12 Jonathan Stewart CAR at TB 14 15
13 Marshawn Lynch SEA vs. DET 15 14
14 Joseph Randle DAL at NO 18 12
15 T.J. Yeldon JAC at IND 16 19
16 Justin Forsett BAL at PIT 24 13
17 Shane Vereen NYG at BUF 27 11
18 Carlos Hyde SF vs. GB 12 26
19 Lamar Miller MIA vs. NYJ 22 16
20 Christopher Ivory NYJ at MIA 17 22
21 Lance Dunbar DAL at NO 23 17
22 Melvin Gordon SD vs. CLE 20 20
23 C.J. Anderson DEN vs. MIN 21 21
24 Jeremy Hill CIN vs. KC 19 27
25 Danny Woodhead SD vs. CLE 25 23
26 DeMarco Murray PHI at WAS 13 41
27 C.J. Spiller NO vs. DAL 29 28
28 Ryan Mathews PHI at WAS 36 25
29 Matt Jones WAS vs. PHI 33 29
30 Darren Sproles PHI at WAS 32 30
31 Ameer Abdullah DET at SEA 30 35
32 Theo Riddick DET at SEA 26 40
33 Isaiah Crowell CLE at SD 37 32
34 Doug Martin TB vs. CAR 40 31
35 Todd Gurley STL at ARI 35 37
36 Andre Ellington ARI vs. STL 24
37 Alfred Morris WAS vs. PHI 41 34
38 Chris Johnson ARI vs. STL 34 44
39 Chris Thompson WAS vs. PHI 28 57
40 Alfred Blue HOU at ATL 31 48
41 Bilal Powell NYJ at MIA 42 38
42 Thomas Rawls SEA vs. DET 45 36
43 Arian Foster HOU at ATL 33
44 Duke Johnson CLE at SD 38 46
45 David Johnson ARI vs. STL 48 39
46 Charles Sims TB vs. CAR 46 43
47 Rashad Jennings NYG at BUF 44 45
48 Benny Cunningham STL at ARI 39 54
49 Tre Mason STL at ARI 43 47
50 Ronnie Hillman DEN vs. MIN 51 42
51 Andre Williams NYG at BUF 47 53
52 James Starks GB at SF 49 50
53 Darren McFadden DAL at NO 53 49
54 Knile Davis KC at CIN 50 62
55 Lorenzo Taliaferro BAL at PIT 56 51
56 Fred Jackson SEA vs. DET 52 58
57 DeAngelo Williams PIT vs. BAL 57 52
58 Mike Davis SF vs. GB 55 63
59 Josh Robinson IND vs. JAC 55
60 Joique Bell DET at SEA 58 65
61 Khiry Robinson NO vs. DAL 59 59
62 Marcel Reece OAK at CHI 60
63 Fozzy Whittaker CAR at TB 60
64 Chris Polk HOU at ATL 61
65 Damien Williams MIA vs. NYJ 64
66 Mike Tolbert CAR at TB 66
67 Javorius Allen BAL at PIT 67
68 Reggie Bush SF vs. GB 68
69 Branden Oliver SD vs. CLE 69
70 Terron Ward ATL vs. HOU 70
71 Anthony Dixon BUF vs. NYG 71
72 Tevin Coleman ATL vs. HOU 72
73 Jonas Gray MIA vs. NYJ 73
74 Jerick McKinnon MIN at DEN 74

 

Week 4 Running Back (RB) Rankings Analysis

By Zach Wilkens (@LopsidedTrades)

There have been A LOT of disappointing running backs early this season. I remain high on some of them, like Jeremy Hill and DeMarco Murray. I still love the Bengals offense and I think Hill has a clear role there even though Giovani Bernard looks really good. I’m still starting Hill this week. As for DeMarco I am a little more concerned but I still expect the Eagles to bounce back at some point soon. Despite what Ryan Mathews did last week I think Murray is clearly the more talented back, it’s just a matter of whether the offensive line can improve. Assuming Murray plays I think he should be in your lineup this week.

I’m feeling less comfortable with Lamar Miller and C.J. Anderson, but I think they should still make it into to most lineups this week as low-end RB2s. Neither has a great matchup but they really need to prove themselves this week. Miller's usage is frustrating but on the bright side there is no clear competition behind him just yet. The same can’t be said for Anderson, who has Ronnie Hillman hot on his heels. Luckily for Anderson owners, Hillman was very quiet in Week 3.

It looks like rookie Karlos Williams will get the start for the Bills this week. He should be in all lineups against a mediocre Giants defense. I expect the Bills to run a lot here and Williams has looked really good so far mostly as the backup to LeSean McCoy. I don’t expect Williams to permanently take the lead role but I do expect a big day in Week 4.

I think Duke Johnson is a PPR sleeper. He quietly recorded six catches last week, flashing a skill set that was a large part of his college succes. He had 38 receptions his final year, but he didn’t catch any balls in his first two NFL games. Now that he’s finally being integrated as a pass-catcher I expect his PPR value to increase. Crowell is still the main rusher for now but Johnson will be looking to impress the coaches and get more touches.

I don’t think we saw enough of Todd Gurley last week to plug him into lineups just yet. I do think he has a good chance to lead the Rams in touches in Week 4, but I don't expect much in a tough matchup against the Cardinals. If he does well with 12+ touches this week I think he'll make a good start in Week 5 against the Packers.

 

NFL & Fantasy Football Chat Room

[iflychat_embed id="c-0" hide_user_list="yes" hide_popup_chat="no" height="400px"]

 


Check out all of RotoBaller's fantasy football rankings. Staff rankings are updated regularly for all positions and include standard formats, PPR scoring, tiered rankings and dynasty leagues.




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Stats & Leaders
Starts and Sit
Daily Fantasy
Who To Pickup
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

San Francisco 49ers2 hours ago

Nick Bosa "Questionable At Best" For Week 12
MacKenzie Weegar2 hours ago

Notches Three Assists Against Rangers
Macklin Celebrini3 hours ago

Tallies Two Assists In Thursday's Loss
Nikita Kucherov3 hours ago

Comes Up With Three Assists Versus Blue Jackets
Sean Monahan3 hours ago

Finishes Thursday's Win With Four Points
Zach Werenski3 hours ago

Enjoys Career Night With Five Points Against Lightning
Jack Hughes3 hours ago

Posts Three Assists Versus Hurricanes
Joonas Korpisalo3 hours ago

Records 21-Save Shutout Versus Utah
Jerry Jeudy6 hours ago

Leads Browns In Receiving In Week 12 Win
Nick Chubb6 hours ago

Scores Two TDs In Thursday Night Win Over Pittsburgh
Cleveland Browns11 hours ago

Kevin Stefanski, Andrew Berry Likely Returning To Browns In 2025
Deshaun Watson11 hours ago

Likely To Remain With Browns, Could Face Competition
Cedric Tillman11 hours ago

Enters Concussion Protocol
Cedric Tillman12 hours ago

Suffers Head Injury On Thursday Night
Wendell Carter Jr.14 hours ago

Out Against Lakers
Anthony Davis14 hours ago

Available Versus Magic On Thursday
Rui Hachimura14 hours ago

Unavailable Thursday
Carlos Ulberg15 hours ago

Looking To Cement Himself As A Title Contender At UFC Macau
Volkan Oezdemir15 hours ago

Eyes Another Knockout At UFC Macau
Gabriella Fernandes15 hours ago

A Big Underdog At UFC Macau
MMA15 hours ago

Cong Wang Puts Undefeated Record On The Line At UFC Macau
Deiveson Figueiredo15 hours ago

Looks To Extend Win Streak At UFC Macau
Petr Yan15 hours ago

A Favorite At UFC Macau
Yves Missi15 hours ago

Listed As Questionable For Friday
CJ McCollum15 hours ago

Not Likely To Play Friday
Alexander Mattison16 hours ago

Zamir White Miss Practice Again
Brandon Ingram16 hours ago

Questionable For Friday
Shohei Ohtani16 hours ago

Named National League MVP In 2024
Aaron Judge16 hours ago

Wins American League MVP Award
Ja'Kobe Walter16 hours ago

Ready To Go Thursday
Donte DiVincenzo16 hours ago

Available Thursday
Mike Conley16 hours ago

Will Not Play Thursday
Jordan Clarkson16 hours ago

Sits Out Thursday's Game
Ausar Thompson17 hours ago

Won't Play On Thursday
Zach Collins17 hours ago

Cleared To Play Thursday
Domantas Sabonis17 hours ago

Gets Through Full Practice
Chris Paul17 hours ago

Good To Go Thursday
Brock Purdy17 hours ago

Limited Again On Thursday
Malik Monk17 hours ago

Making Progress
George Kittle17 hours ago

Limited Again On Thursday
Tre Mann17 hours ago

Good To Go On Thursday
Miles Bridges17 hours ago

Won't Play On Thursday
Vince Williams Jr.17 hours ago

Out At Least A Month
Scottie Barnes17 hours ago

Returning On Thursday
Alex Ovechkin17 hours ago

To Miss 4-6 Weeks With Fractured Fibula
Paul George17 hours ago

Out At Least Two Games
Aaron Gordon17 hours ago

Availability In Question For Friday
Zach Hyman17 hours ago

Expected To Miss 4-7 Days
Kent Johnson18 hours ago

Back For Blue Jackets Thursday
Yaroslav Askarov18 hours ago

Makes Sharks Debut Thursday
Jalen Hurts18 hours ago

Practices In Full On Thursday
Mikael Granlund18 hours ago

Good To Go Thursday
Alexandar Georgiev18 hours ago

Returns To Action Versus Capitals
TB18 hours ago

Nicholas Paul Will Miss Thursday's Game
Frederik Andersen18 hours ago

To Miss 8-12 Weeks
Jake Ferguson18 hours ago

Still Not Practicing
Sam LaPorta18 hours ago

Looking Good For A Week 12 Return
Sam Darnold19 hours ago

Upgrades To Full Participation, On Track To Play
Isiah Pacheco19 hours ago

Remains Limited On Thursday
D'Andre Swift19 hours ago

Upgrades To Limited Participant On Thursday
CeeDee Lamb19 hours ago

Sidelined During Thursday's Practice
Ladd McConkey19 hours ago

Does Not Practice On Thursday
Mike Evans19 hours ago

Logs Full Practice On Thursday
DeVonta Smith20 hours ago

Misses Another Practice
Cody Bellinger21 hours ago

Cubs Looking To Trade Cody Bellinger?
Brandin Cooks21 hours ago

Preparing To Play In Week 12
21 hours ago

Blake Snell Has Met With Red Sox, Dodgers
Chandler Stephenson1 day ago

Registers Three Assists Versus Predators
Jason Robertson1 day ago

Totals Three Points In Wednesday's Win
Nils Lundkvist1 day ago

Exits Early With A Lower-Body Injury
Matthew Knies1 day ago

Sustains An Upper-Body Injury
Mikael Granlund1 day ago

Exits Late With Injury Wednesday
Patrik Laine1 day ago

Returns To Practice
Chris Sale2 days ago

Wins National League Cy Young Award
Tarik Skubal2 days ago

Wins 2024 American League Cy Young Award
Austin Eckroat2 days ago

Heads To The RSM Classic After Win
Harris English2 days ago

Finding Form Heading To The RSM Classic
Ben Griffin2 days ago

Continues Playing Well Heading To The RSM Classic
Denny McCarthy2 days ago

Returns to The RSM Classic
Ludvig Aberg2 days ago

Looks To Defend RSM Classic Title
Si Woo Kim2 days ago

An Intriguing Option At RSM Classic
Maverick McNealy2 days ago

In Solid Form Ahead Of RSM Classic
Eric Cole2 days ago

Chasing First Tour Victory At RSM Classic
2 days ago

Guardians' Stephen Vogt Named AL Manager Of The Year
Milwaukee Brewers2 days ago

Pat Murphy Named NL Manager Of The Year
3 days ago

Nick Pivetta Declines Boston's Qualifying Offer
Jose Siri3 days ago

Mets Acquire Jose Siri From The Rays
3 days ago

Phillies To Meet With Juan Soto
3 days ago

Luis Severino Rejects Qualifying Offer From Mets
3 days ago

Willy Adames Declines Brewers Qualifying Offer
3 days ago

Teoscar Hernandez Declines Qualifying Offer From Dodgers
3 days ago

Juan Soto Declines Yankees' Qualifying Offer
Luis Gil4 days ago

Wins AL Rookie Of The Year Award
Paul Skenes4 days ago

Named 2024 NL Rookie Of The Year
Brady Singer4 days ago

Reds, Royals Discussing Jonathan India, Brady Singer
4 days ago

Sean Manaea To Reject Mets' Qualifying Offer
4 days ago

Braves Have Interest In Walker Buehler
4 days ago

Astros Interested In Willy Adames
Charles Oliveira4 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Michael Chandler4 days ago

Gets Dominated At UFC 309
Karine Silva4 days ago

Suffers Her First UFC Loss
Viviane Araujo4 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Mauricio Ruffy4 days ago

Extends His Win Streak To Six
James Llontop5 days ago

Loses Clear-Cut Decision In Thrilling Fight At UFC 309
Paul Craig5 days ago

Loses Decision At UFC 309
Bo Nickal5 days ago

Remains Undefeated With Lackluster Performance At UFC 309
Stipe Miocic5 days ago

Retires After UFC 309 Loss
Jon Jones5 days ago

Gets TKO Win At UFC 309 To Defend Heavyweight Title

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP