Entering the fourth Sunday of the 2013 season, we have an idea of which players have been consistently good and which players will continue to perform up to level in the coming weeks.
There have been some surprises here and there, but those who have struggled should rebound and prove their worth to fantasy owners. With that said, here are eDraft's best and worst fantasy running backs through three weeks.
The top-three players on this list were considered RB1 options heading into the season with Adrian Peterson ranking No. 1 overall in redraft leagues. As the top fantasy running back thus far this season, LeSean McCoy has clearly returned to 2011 form when he scored the second-most points for running backs behind only Ray Rice. Again, we look at Chip Kelly's high-powered offense as one of the primary reasons for that. Going up against the AFC West and NFC East, there is no reason to believe that McCoy won't hold down this spot for the remainder of the season.
It's the two players in the bottom of the top five that have to be considered surprises. Joique Bell may only be averaging 40 rushing yards per game, but he's been effective in the passing game. He ranks No. 1 overall among running back in receiving yards and has been a PPR stud. Even when Reggie Bush returns to full health, there is no reason to believe that Bell can't be a bottom-tier RB1 option.
When healthy, DeMarco Murray is a true fantasy stud. The issue with him in the past is that he's not been able to stay on the field and has had limited success when it comes to scoring actual touchdowns. Fresh off a ridiculous performance that saw him compile over 200 total yards last week against the St. Louis Rams, Murray finds himself among the top-five running backs in the NFL. It's now up to him to prove that he can stay healthy and be a consistent performer week in, week out.
Let's take a look at some of the biggest running back busts through three weeks...
Arian Foster, Houston Texans: 19th ranked running back, 227 total yards and one touchdown
Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans: 24th ranked running back, 258 total yards and zero touchdowns
Trent Richardson, Indianapolis Colts: 25th ranked running back, 191 total yards and one touchdown
Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville Jaguars: 34th ranked running back, 135 total yards and one touchdown
C.J. Spiller, Buffalo Bills: 41st ranked running back, 182 total yards and zero touchdowns
Ray Rice, Baltimore Ravens: 43rd ranked running back, 116 total yards and one touchdown
Stevan Ridley, New England Patriots: 49th ranked running back, 129 total yards and zero touchdowns
David Wilson, New York Giants: 74th ranked running back, 75 total yards and zero touchdowns