Fantasy Football Week 2 Rankings: Running Backs

Clinton Portis fantasy football running back rankings

It's time for a little CP26. Last week, we knew Clinton Portis had a rough week ahead of him, facing an incredibly stout Giants run defense. This week? He gets to play at home against the St. Louis Rams. The same Rams who let Julius Jones get loose for a 62-yard touchdown and 136 total yards from scrimmage.

You don't need us to tell you Portis is a much better back than Jones. That's common knowledge. Expect Portis to outperform nearly every other running back this week. You'll find him ranked only below the obvious number one.

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1. Adrian Peterson, MIN at DET
2. Clinton Portis, WAS vs. STL
3. Chris Johnson, TEN vs. HOU
4. Maurice Jones-Drew, JAX vs. ARI
5. Brian Westbrook, PHI vs. NO
6. Michael Turner, ATL vs. CAR
7. Brandon Jacobs, NYG at DAL
8. DeAngelo Williams, CAR at ATL
9. Thomas Jones, NYJ vs. NE
10. Ryan Grant, GB vs. CIN
11. Fred Jackson, BUF vs. TB
12. Darren McFadden, OAK at KC
13. Frank Gore, SF vs. SEA
14. Matt Forte, CHI vs. PIT
15. Steven Jackson, STL at WAS
16. Marion Barber, DAL vs. NYG
17. Steve Slaton, HOU at TEN
18. Larry Johnson, KC vs. OAK
19. Cadillac Williams, TB at BUF
20. Joseph Addai, IND at MIA
21. Ronnie Brown, MIA vs. IND
22. Ray Rice, BAL @ SD
23. LenDale White, TEN vs. HOU
24. Cedric Benson, CIN at GB
25. Kevin Smith, DET vs. MIN
26. Derrick Ward, TB at BUF
27. Ahmad Bradshaw, NYG at DAL
28. Michael Bush, OAK at KC
29. Willie Parker, PIT at CHI
30. Julius Jones, SEA at SF
31. Reggie Bush, NO at PHI
32. Correll Buckhalter, DEN vs. CLE
33. Jamal Lewis, CLE at DEN
34. Tim Hightower, ARI at JAX
35. Leon Washington, NYJ vs. NE
36. Mike Bell, NO at PHI
37. Felix Jones, DAL vs. NYG
38. Darren Sproles, SD vs. BAL
39. LaDainian Tomlinson, SD vs. BAL
40. Willis McGahee, BAL at SD
41. Chester Taylor, MIN at DET
42. Donald Brown, IND at MIA
43. Jonathan Stewart, CAR at ATL
44. Fred Taylor, NE at NYJ
45. Laurence Maroney, NE at NYJ
46. LeSean McCoy, PHI vs. NO
47. Ricky Williams, MIA vs. IND
48. Beanie Wells, ARI at JAX
49. Knowshon Moreno, DEN vs. CLE
50. LeRon McClain, BAL at SD

- Julius Jones had, in Week 1, what I expect to be his best game of the season. Plus, the 49ers didn't let the Cardinals run the football at all. I expect him to get pretty well bottled up.

- I'm expecting the Raiders to run all over the Chiefs. The Raiders pushed the Chargers around on the front line all night long, and the Chiefs cannot even remotely compare to the talent level of the Chiefs in the front seven. Both Darren McFadden and Michael Bush are going to have solid days and it's even plausible to start both, if you own them both (as I do in one league).

- We are expecting Pierre Thomas to be a no-go this Sunday, so he's been left out of the rankings. Should be play, we still don't expect a huge day. The Eagles have a solid defense, and the Saints will be splitting the carries three ways with Thomas being less than healthy anyway.

- The Chargers are not going to be able to run the ball against Baltimore. It's just that simple. Even if LaDainian Tomlinson can play, he's not the more valuable back, because the Chargers are going to need to go full-on into passing mode to win this game. Thus, Darren Sproles works better because he's the more shifty back.