The running back position entering Week 5 looks somewhat different than many fantasy football managers would have thought, starting with Jordan Mason sitting at the top of the list after four weeks. One of the headline stories over the last couple of weeks has been the return of Kareem Hunt to Kansas City, but how should managers approach him?
Similarly, the situation with Breece Hall and Braelon Allen for the New York Jets is up in the air right now, and that has fantasy managers filled with uncertainty. Let’s take a look at where these intriguing names fall in our Week 5 fantasy running back rankings and their outlook for the week ahead.
WEEK 5 POSITIONAL RANKINGS: QB | WR | TE | K | DEF | FLEX
Top 60 Fantasy Running Back Rankings
1) Jordan Mason | San Francisco 49ers (vs. ARI)
2) Derrick Henry | Baltimore Ravens (at CIN)
3) Alvin Kamara | New Orleans Saints (at KC)
4) Bijan Robinson | Atlanta Falcons (vs. TB)
5) Kyren Williams | Los Angeles Rams (vs. GB)
6) James Cook | Buffalo Bills (at HOU)
7) Kenneth Walker III | Seattle Seahawks (vs. NYG)
8) James Conner | Arizona Cardinals (at SF)
9) Josh Jacobs | Green Bay Packers (at LAR)
10) Breece Hall | New York Jets (vs. MIN {London})
11) Joe Mixon | Houston Texans (vs. BUF)
12) Brian Robinson Jr. | Washington Commanders (vs. CLE)
13) De’Von Achane | Miami Dolphins (at NE)
14) Aaron Jones | Minnesota Vikings (vs. NYJ {London})
15) Chuba Hubbard | Carolina Panthers (at CHI)
16) Jerome Ford | Cleveland Browns (at WAS)
17) D’Andre Swift | Chicago Bears (vs. CAR)
18) Najee Harris | Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. DAL)
19) Travis Etienne Jr. | Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. IND)
20) Devin Singletary | New York Giants (at SEA)
21) Zack Moss | Cincinnati Bengals (vs. BAL)
22) Bucky Irving | Tampa Bay Buccaneers (at ATL)
23) Kareem Hunt | Kansas City Chiefs (vs. NO)
24) Rachaad White | Tampa Bay Buccaneers (at ATL)
25) Rhamondre Stevenson | New England Patriots (vs. MIA)
26) Rico Dowdle | Dallas Cowboys (at PIT)
27) Chase Brown | Cincinnati Bengals (vs. BAL)
28) Javonte Williams | Denver Broncos (vs. LV)
29) Braelon Allen | New York Jets (vs. MIN {London})
30) Zamir White | Las Vegas Raiders (at DEN)
31) Zach Charbonnet | Seattle Seahawks (vs. NYG)
32) Roschon Johnson | Chicago Bears (vs. CAR)
33) Austin Ekeler | Washington Commanders (vs. CLE)
34) Alexander Mattison | Las Vegas Raiders (at DEN)
35) Tyler Allgeier | Atlanta Falcons (vs. TB)
36) Ty Chandler | Minnesota Vikings (vs. NYJ {London})
37) Trey Sermon | Indianapolis Colts (at JAX)
38) Tank Bigsby | Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. IND)
39) Jonathan Taylor | Indianapolis Colts (at JAX)
40) Raheem Mostert | Miami Dolphins (at NE)
41) Jaleel McLaughlin | Denver Broncos (vs. LV)
42) Justice Hill | Baltimore Ravens (at CIN)
43) Cordarrelle Patterson | Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. DAL)
44) Cam Akers | Houston Texans (vs. BUF)
45) Antonio Gibson | New England Patriots (vs. MIA)
46) Emanuel Wilson | Green Bay Packers (at LAR)
47) Samaje Perine | Kansas City Chiefs (vs. NO)
48) Miles Sanders | Carolina Panthers (at CHI)
49) Tyrone Tracy Jr. | New York Giants (at SEA)
50) D’Onta Foreman | Cleveland Browns (at WAS)
51) Ezekiel Elliott | Dallas Cowboys (at PIT)
52) Jaylen Wright | Miami Dolphins (at NE)
53) Carson Steele | Kansas City Chiefs (vs. NO)
54) Dare Ogunbowale | Houston Texans (vs. BUF)
55) Jamaal Williams | New Orleans Saints (at KC)
56) Jeremy McNichols | Washington Commanders (vs. CLE)
57) Khalil Herbert | Chicago Bears (vs. CAR)
58) Trey Benson | Arizona Cardinals (at SF)
59) Ty Johnson | Buffalo Bills (at HOU)
60) Ray Davis | Buffalo Bills (at HOU)
Which RBs Are Intriguing for Week 5?
Kareem Hunt | Kansas City Chiefs (vs. NO)
Well, that didn’t take long. In his season debut, Hunt touched the ball 16 times, his highest opportunity count in 1,077 days — a clear indicator that he is positioned to lead this backfield for the foreseeable future.
Hunt wasn’t necessarily in peak form (his longest gain was just 10 yards), but he did pick up at least five yards on nine of his touches, which is appealing for an offense that no longer holds the elevated floor that it entered the season with.
A blast from the past here with Mahomes on the shovel pass to Kareem Hunt. Hunt wanted that first TD back as a Chief badly. #Chiefs pic.twitter.com/tRcCREhBPu
— Nick Jacobs (@Jacobs71)
Week 4 snap shares (at LAC)
- Hunt: 43.1%
- Samaje Perine: 41.4%
- Carson Steele: 19%
Perine was essentially a third-down specialist (on the field for 81.3% of third-down snaps), making it Hunt and Steele in a battle for the fantasy-relevant role.
It’ll be interesting to see how the Chiefs’ pass rate over expectation adjusts sans Rashee Rice, but I expect it to regress a bit. With vacated targets in the short passing game, Hunt sneaks into my RB2 tier this week.
– Analysis by Kyle Soppe
Breece Hall | New York Jets (vs. MIN)
Really? I understand that the conditions were less than ideal last week, but 10 carries for four yards? And five targets for 14 yards?
That sort of performance was supposed to be outside of the range of outcomes with an active Aaron Rodgers. On a positive note, Hall’s snap share has remained stable (exactly 71.4% in back-to-back-to-back games), and it’s clear that his quarterback has faith in him, as he has seen a downfield target in scoring position in consecutive weeks.
Hall may only have one finish better than RB12 this season, and a talented rookie in Braelon Allen is begging for more work, but I’m not yet worried. This isn’t a great matchup (Minnesota allows the second-fewest yards per running back target), but I’m still trusting Hall’s versatility much the way I am with Bijan Robinson.
This is an above-average offense that is likely to only improve with time. If I can up my Hall exposure due to a reactionary manager, I’m pulling the trigger.
– Analysis by Soppe
Braelon Allen | New York Jets (vs. MIN)
In September, the rookie turned 34 touches into 187 yards and a pair of touchdowns. As good as he looked, Allen isn’t being rewarded with more playing time; he’s played 30-36% of New York’s offensive snaps in three straight contests.
Allen is a fantasy asset waiting to happen; I’m just not sure he will get fully unleashed any time soon. This offense runs through Hall/Garrett Wilson, and with Rodgers always milking the clock, this isn’t the type of offense that can sustain three lineup-lock skill players consistently.
Outside of an injury to Hall, I’d be surprised if Allen regularly climbed into the top 25 at the position in my rankings. Selling him might be an option if there is a manager in your league who thinks he has the potential to take over this backfield.
– Analysis by Soppe
All stats are from TruMedia unless otherwise stated.
