Running back was a disaster last week prior to kickoff. Not only did fantasy football owners deal with the customary byes, but we also had to deal with a slew of injuries and “questionable” backs. This week, we have just two byes (Rams, Broncos), but with several RBs back or expected to return this week — plus new injury and matchup concerns — our Week 11 fantasy RB rankings are some of the toughest we’ve had to put together all season.

As usual, matchups are all over the board this week. Studs like Jonathan Taylor (vs. Bills), Austin Ekeler (vs. Steelers), Cordarrelle Patterson (vs. Patriots), James Robinson (vs. 49ers), D’Andre Swift (vs. Browns), and Saquon Barkley (vs. Buccaneers) are in tough spots on paper, but they’ll be in all fantasy lineups as long as they’re healthy. The tougher calls are guys like Alex Collins/Chris Carson (vs. Cardinals), Jordan Howard/Boston Scott (vs. Saints), Zack Moss/Devin Singletary (@ Colts), and Antonio Gibson (vs. Panthers), who are also in interesting spots but will likely be in a lot of lineups. However, things are more complicated in Buffalo with Matt Breida stealing touches, and Philadelphia could see the return of Miles Sanders (ankle), so stay tuned there.

WEEK 11 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

David Johnson and Phillip Lindsay (@ Titans) likely aren’t in consideration for a lot of fantasy owners, but we wanted to point out that after this week, their matchups will soon get better. Houston is set to face the Jets in Week 12, Seahawks in Week 14, Jaguars in Week 15, and the Chargers in Week 16 — all of which are poor run defenses. You can probably get Johnson and Lindsay for cheap (possibly for free), so it’s not a terrible idea to grab one now to prepare for the stretch run. 

WEEK 11 PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

In terms of favorable matchups, AJ Dillon (@ Vikings), Darrel Williams/Clyde Edwards-Helaire (vs. Cowboys), Michael Carter (vs. Dolphins), Myles Gaskin (@ Jets), and D’Onta Foreman/Adrian Peterson (vs. Texans) look good this week. The latter three have top-seven matchups, so it will be hard to keep them out of lineups. Even backups Ty Johnson (vs. Dolphins), Eno Benjamin (@ Seahawks), and Jeremy McNichols (vs. Texans) have some flex upside, especially in PPR leagues. Tony Pollard (@ Chiefs) is another backup in a decent spot.

Overall, health will go a long way toward determining starts and sits. Whether it’s someone like Devonta Freeman (@ Bears) or Mark Ingram (@ Eagles) getting more or fewer carries due to the health of Latavius Murray (ankle) or Alvin Kamara (knee), respectively, or simply whether Nick Chubb (COVID), Damien Harris (concussion), Kareem Hunt (calf) and Aaron Jones (knee) return and go into lineups, fantasy owners will have a lot of tough decisions this week. We’ll be here to help with all of your difficult choices.

Note: We’ll be updating these RB rankings throughout the week, so check back for analysis and the latest player movement.

Fantasy RB Rankings Week 11: Who to start at running back

Rankings are based on standard, non-PPR scoring