Week 3 RB Rankings — Sponsored by SKYLLZONE

Unfortunately, these Week 3 RB rankings are all over the place this week, mostly because the position has been hit with waaay more news stories than Fantasy Football owners would prefer.

Whether it’s still dealing with the suspension news surrounding Ray Rice and his lawsuit to get reinstated back into the NFL, or the current controversy over Adrian Peterson and child abuse, or the multiple injuries we saw over this past weekend – it’s just too much!

So bear with us as we try to give you the full explanation as to what’s what in the third week of the NFL regular season. Most teams only start two running backs, although the flex position is becoming more and more popular in recent years. Let’s say that’s the top 30 running backs in this list we expect to post Fantasy starter-worthy stats in Week 3.

Week 3 RB Fantasy News

The NFL is reviewing Adrian Peterson’s case, even though the Vikings reinstated him for their Week 3 contest at New Orleans. This is a dangerous situation for Fantasy owners, but luckily, we’ll know if Peterson is starting Sunday morning, since it’s a 1pm ET game time. Unlike last week, when —

Doug Martin (knee) was inactive for Week 2, but it was just late enough to screw over thousands of Fantasy owners. He did practice Tuesday with the first-team offense, which means those that spent a high waiver pick on Bobby Rainey might be in trouble. Let’s be clear: Martin is supremely talented, but he hasn’t figured it out in the past two seasons. Rainey ran well against the Rams, but the Bucs – and Fantasy owners – would be served better if a completely healthy Martin played.

DeAngelo Williams (thigh) missed Week 2, but he’s expected to play Sunday night against the Steelers.

The Chiefs are saying that Jamaal Charles’ high ankle sprain isn’t a severe one, but you’d have to think it’s still going to cost him some playing time. Considering the way Knile Davis ran in Week 2, the Chiefs should be able to rest Charles without issue.

Andre Ellington (foot) continues to deal with pain in his foot that has hindered him since the preseason, and the Cardinals will continue to use him lightly during the week, and then play him on Sundays.

The Saints lost Mark Ingram (broken hand) for a month, which makes me wonder what old school running backs used to do with broken hands.

Finally, Ryan Mathews suckered thousands of us once again, and the oft-injured running back that turned in a great 2013 has a sprained MCL that could keep him out for a month or more. Donald Brown will work as his replacement, making him a definitely waiver-wire pickup.

The SKYLLZONE Week 3 ADP shows what fans think of the upcoming week. The Fan vs. Machine instant snake drafts are for the upcoming week’s matchups only, so it gives you a great idea of what players are more valued than others each week.
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Week 3 RB Rankings

These rankings are based on standard non-PPR Fantasy leagues with six points per touchdown.

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Which running backs do you think we have too high or too low in our Week 3 RB Rankings? These articles are meant to help readers, so your comments give them an added perspective.