National Football League

Fantasy Fox: Top 50 running backs for Week 3

Published Sep. 18, 2014 5:52 a.m. ET

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Here are my top 50 running backs for Week 3, citing standard-scoring leagues.

This countdown doesn't lean on a particular stat. It's merely an educated best guess of which rushers will tally the best combination of total yards and touchdowns for the NFL's third weekend.

Regardless of how these rankings shake out every week, it shouldn't supersede two important factors that go into regular lineup consideration:

1. Always play your healthy superstars.

2. Always ride your gut instinct over a certain guru's analysis (read: plausible deniability).

TOP 50 RUNNING BACKS

1-25

1. DeMarco Murray @ St. Louis
2. Arian Foster @ N.Y. Giants
3. Zac Stacy vs. Dallas
4. LeSean McCoy vs. Washington
5. Marshawn Lynch vs. Denver
6. Gio Bernard vs. Tennessee
7. Bobby Rainey @ Atlanta (Rainey/Martin ranking may be transposed before kickoff)
8. Alfred Morris @ Philadelphia
9. Eddie Lacy @ Detroit
10. Knile Davis @ Miami
11. Andre Ellington vs. San Francisco
12. C.J. Spiller vs. San Diego
13. Rashad Jennings vs. Houston
14. Reggie Bush vs. Green Bay
15. Le'Veon Bell @ Carolina
16. Chris Johnson vs. Chicago
17. Matt Forte @ N.Y. Jets
18. Terrance West vs. Baltimore
19. Frank Gore @ Arizona
20. Trent Richardson @ Jacksonville
21. Montee Ball vs. Seattle
22. Darren Sproles vs. Washington
23. Justin Forsett @ Cleveland
24. Doug Martin @ Atlanta
25. Stevan Ridley vs. Oakland

26-50

26. Toby Gerhart vs. Indianapolis
27. Donald Brown @ Buffalo
28. Lamar Miller vs. Kansas City
29. Khiry Robinson vs. Minnesota
30. Matt Asiata @ New Orleans
31. Bernard Pierce @ Cleveland
32. Joique Bell vs. Green Bay
33. Jonathan Stewart vs. Pittsburgh
34. Fred Jackson vs. San Diego
35. Danny Woodhead @ Buffalo
36. Steven Jackson vs. Tampa Bay
37. Chris Ivory vs. Chicago
38. Darren McFadden @ New England
39. Bishop Sankey @ Cincinnati
40. Pierre Thomas vs. Minnesota
41. Ahmad Bradshaw @ Jacksonville
42. Carlos Hyde @ Arizona
43. Latavius Murray @ New England
44. Jerick McKinnon @ New Orleans
45. LeGarrette Blount @ Carolina
46. Isaiah Crowell vs. Baltimore
47. Shonn Greene @ Cincinnati
48. James Starks @ Detroit
49. Devonta Freeman vs. Tampa Bay
50. DeAngelo Williams vs. Pittsburgh
50b. Robert Turbin vs. Denver
50c. Stepfan Taylor vs. San Francisco
50d. Jeremy Hill vs. Tennessee

Jay Clemons, the 2008 Fantasy Football Writer of the Year (Fantasy Sports Writers Association), can be reached via Twitter, day or night, at @FOX_JayClemons.