Updated Fantasy Football RB Rankings Week 3: Who to start, best sleepers, waiver wire picks at running back

Running backs really set the tone for some monster fantasy games in Week 2. After being hobbled with an ankle injury, De'Von Achane was ruled active for the Dolphins' TNF clash against the Bills while his backfield partner Raheem Mostert was out with a chest injury. Many assumed Jeff Wilson Jr. would absorb much of Mostert's usage, but Achane just took on more of the lion's share of work as he racked up 96 rushing yards and 69 receiving yards on seven catches, including a touchdown. Not to be outdone, though, James Cook blew up in the first half for Buffalo and ended up with 95 total yards and three touchdowns. 

But it was Alvin Kamara who said, "Hold my beer," figuratively speaking we assume. In a shocking blowout of the Cowboys, Kamara ran for 115 yards and added 65 more in the passing games, and he reached paydirt three times. At this stage of his career, many thought Kamara might be falling into the role of a compiling receiving back, but the new offense helmed by Klint Kubiak has been yielding very positive results so far for most of the Saints' offense. Kamara may be able to keep this up for longer than initially anticipated. 

And of course there are still injuries to continue to monitor. Kenneth Walker was a scratch on Sunday has he deals with an oblique issue. It was later revealed that the Seahawks may play this one slowly and give Walker time to heal, which would be big news for Zach Charbonnet who performed solidly in the starter role today against the Patriots. Christian McCaffrey is on IR now, so we continue to expect big things from Jordan Mason. Will there be any other surprise injuries in Week 3?

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Fantasy RB Rankings Week 3: Who to start, sit at running back

Rankings based on PPR scoring. These rankings were updated on Sept. 22 and will be updated throughout the week, so check back often.

Players who have played already are in italics.

What are the notable RB rankings changes for Week 3?

With more clarity that not only Joe Mixon but also backup Damian Pierce are unlikely to play this week, Cam Akers shoots up to RB31. While he should see the bulk of the early down work, Dare Ogunbowale could take up much of the receiving work, which would limit Akers' upside here. Plus, Minnesota might have one of the most underrated defensive units in football with Brian Flores at the helm. 

Zamir White also moved up seven spots all the way to RB12. Earlier this week, head coach Antonio Pierce said that despite his team passing more than expected the first two weeks, his goal is still to get White upwards of 20 touches. If there is ever a get right spot for White, it's this week against a horrid Panthers team. While Andy Dalton stepping in for Bryce Young may help the offense, there's no help in sight for the defense. If White can't capitalize in this situation, it will officially be time for his managers to panic. 

D'Onta Foreman also rose quite a bit up to RB39. Foreman surprisingly received a lot of work in Week 2 with backup Pierre Strong battling an injury. Strong is still battling, and the Browns have a bad Giants team up next. Given the matchup and injury to Strong, Foreman could receive another decent workload here. 

Who are the best fantasy RBs Week 3?

Even though Bijan Robinson still hasn't played yet in Week 2 as the Falcons take on the Eagles Monday night, we're expecting big things in Week 3 against the Chiefs. Atlanta will need him in both the running and passing game to stay competitive with the Chiefs. Kansas City has fared well against the run so far against the Ravens and Bengals, but while Derrick Henry is a tough back, the Chiefs haven't faced anyone with Robinson's skill set yet this season. 

Jonathan Taylor continues to register the most impressive usage in the league. In Week 1, Taylor's backup Tre Sermon was only on the field for two snaps. Sermon did receive two carries and logged a catch in Week 2, but Taylor still dominated touches as he ran for 103 yards on just 12 carries for an absurd 8.6 yards per rush average. He also added two catches on four targets for 32 yards. While he didn't reach paydirt, that is absolute elite usage. 

And Saquon Barkley moves into our RB3 slot, even though he also has not played yet. But with A.J. Brown sitting this week, and with his status for next week uncertain, Barkley could be in line for an even bigger workload than he saw in Week 1, which is hard to believe. 

Who are the best fantasy RB waiver pickups Week 3?

Breece Hall is outside of our top-3 this week, and rookie Braelon Allen is the major reason why. Perhaps the thunder to Hall's lightning, Allen ran seven times for 33 yards and a score and added two catches for 23 yards and another score. We're not ready to assume he'll be a weekly vulture for Hall just yet, but they went to him enough times in a close game that we think he can eat into Hall's usage. Hall did still have 62 rushing yards and 52 receiving yards and a score, so it's not like he totally dampened his stat line. But if Hall were ever to miss time, Allen could be the next Jordan Mason. 

The Patriots has been one of the most surprising teams of the season thus far. Widely considered to be in the running for worst record in the league, New England shocked the Bengals in Week 1, and then the Pats came up just shot, falling to the Seahawks in overtime. While Rhamondre Stevenson is off to a great start and had a second-straight good game, it was Antonio Gibson who led the team in rushing with 96 yards on 11 carries for an 8.7 yards per rush average. Stevenson still saw 10 more carries, but Gibson could be a back on the rise. With very few legitimate receiving threats, look for the Pats to continue to lean on the running game and their defense. 

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Who are the best fantasy RB sleepers Week 3?

As of now, we're treating Week 3 as if Raheem Mostert is sitting. Couple that with the fact that the Dolphins will have Skylar Thompson under center as Tua Tagovailoa continues his recovery from another concussion, and Jeff Wilson is squarely in play as a sleeper this week. While Achane absorbed the majority of the rushing workload against the Bills on a short week, they're going to have to lean on the running game even more with Tua out. If Mostert can't go, even though we didn't see it in Week 2, I would expect Wilson to receive more of a typical Mostert-like workload. 

Pittsburgh's Jaylen Warren clocks in as our second sleeper this week. Recovering from a hamstring injury suffered in the preseason, Warren has been easing into things. But we saw that workload increase in Week 2 as he toted the ball nine times for 42 yards and added two catches for 19 yards. The Steelers are off to a somewhat surprising 2-0 start, so don't expect them to change things up and start chucking the ball around. This is a run-first offense, and Warren is quite possibly the most talented back on this team. 

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What are the biggest RB injuries Week 3?

As mentioned above, Raheem Mostert's chest injury is definitely one we're monitoring as well as Kenneth Walker's oblique injury. 

Joe Mixon continues to deal with an ankle injury sustained in Week 2 on what should have been a hip-drop-tackle penalty. We're leaving Mixon out of the rankings for now, and with backup Dameon Pierce also hobbled and not practicing, Cam Akers will likely get the first crack at the most important touches. Dare Ogunbowale will also have a role and has proven to have some pass catching skills in the past. 

With Isiah Pacheco on IR with a fractured fibula, undrafted free agent rookie Carson Steele will likely get the first crack at early down work out of the backfield for the Chiefs. Samaje Perine is expected to fill his typical third-down back and receiving back roles. The Chiefs also signed Kareem Hunt and Keaontay Ingram to the practice squad, but it's unknown if they'll be called up for Sunday night's matchup against the Falcons. 

Tyjae Spears left the Titan's loss to the Jets early with an ankle injury. We have listed in our initial rankings, but if he were to be inactive, it could mean more of a bell cow workload for Tony Pollard who has looked more like 2022 Pollard than 2023 Pollard. The latest reports indicate that Spears is indeed likely to suit up, but we will monitor to be sure.

And a couple of backups went down as well, which shuffles things around in terms of which backup running backs to look at. Pierre Strong went down with a hamstring injury, and D'Onta Foreman was the next man up. Tank Bigsby went down for Jacksonville, paving the way for D'Ernerst Johnson to get some touches in relief of Travis Etienne.