There’s nothing worse than having to sit one of your top running backs but sometimes, the matchup just doesn’t look good. Last week, we saw the Jets shut down C.J. Spiller, the Ravens contain Arian Foster, and the Seahawks cancel out Maurice Jones-Drew. This week, Foster faces an even tougher matchup in Seattle while Alfred Morris, Chris Johnson, and David Wilson will also have incredibly tough front lines to battle with.
On the other hand, expect big things from Matt Forte, Adrian Peterson, LeSean McCoy, and Jamaal Charles this week. Unfortunately, some of the most favorable matchups this week have been wasted on teams like the Rams, Steelers, and Colts which all have crowded backfield situations.
Let’s take a look at all of the most and least favorable matchups of the week based on how many fantasy points each defense has allowed to opposing running backs.
Browse Defensive Matchup Rankings by Position: QB – RB – WR – TE
Highly Unfavorable, Unfavorable, Neutral, Slightly Favorable, Favorable
|
Rank |
RB |
Defense |
Week 4 Opponents |
|
1 |
13.3 | Seahawks | Arian Foster, Ben Tate |
|
2 |
13.8 | Raiders | Alfred Morris |
|
3 |
16.4 | Jets | Chris Johnson |
|
4 |
17.7 | Chiefs | David Wilson, Brandon Jacobs |
|
5 |
21.4 | Bears | Reggie Bush (Q), Joique Bell |
|
6 |
21.6 | Bengals | Willis McGahee, Chris Obgonnaya, Bobby Rainey |
|
7 |
21.6 | Cowboys | Ryan Mathews, Danny Woodhead |
|
8 |
23 | Buccaneers | Rashard Mendenhall, Andre Ellington, Alfonso Smith |
|
9 |
23.4 | Ravens | C.J. Spiller, Fred Jackson |
|
10 |
24.1 | Browns | Gio Bernard, BenJarvus Green-Ellis |
|
11 |
24.1 | Cardinals | Doug Martin |
|
12 |
24.8 | Eagles | Knowshon Moreno, Montee Ball, Ronnie Hillman |
|
13 |
27.3 | Dolphins | Darren Sproles, Pierre Thomas, Mark Ingram |
|
14 |
27.9 | Falcons | Stevan Ridley, Brandon Bolden, LeGarrette Blount |
|
15 |
29.5 | Packers | BYE |
|
16 |
29.9 | Texans | Marshawn Lynch, Robert Turbin |
|
17 |
30 | Saints | Lamar Miller, Daniel Thomas |
|
18 |
31.1 | Titans | Bilal Powell, Alex Green, Chris Ivory (Q) |
|
19 |
31.2 | Colts | Maurice Jones-Drew |
|
20 |
32.8 | Bills | Bernard Pierce, Ray Rice (Q) |
|
21 |
33.3 | Chargers | DeMarco Murray |
|
22 |
33.4 | Patriots | Jacquizz Rodgers, Jason Snelling |
|
23 |
35 | Rams | Frank Gore, Kendall Hunter |
|
24 |
38.7 | Giants | Jamaal Charles, Knile Davis |
|
25 |
39.8 | Broncos | LeSean McCoy, Bryce Brown |
|
26 |
40.4 | Panthers | BYE |
|
27 |
43.4 | Steelers | Adrian Peterson |
|
28 |
47.9 | 49ers | Daryl Richardson, Isaiah Pead, Zac Stacy |
|
29 |
48.1 | Jaguars | Ahmad Bradshaw, Trent Richardson |
|
30 |
51.2 | Redskins | Darren McFadden, Marcel Reece |
|
31 |
58.3 | Lions | Matt Forte |
|
32 |
60.4 | Vikings | Le’Veon Bell, Felix Jones, Jonathan Dwyer |
*Values based on Yahoo standard scoring.
Browse Defensive Matchup Rankings by Position: QB – RB – WR – TE
