The five best:
1. Carlos Hyde (San Francisco 49ers): 30.20 Points: After preseason injuries and 49er turmoil Carlos Hyde broke out and became week 1's leading rusher. Hyde ran for 168 yards, 2 touchdowns, and caught two passes for 14 yards. At the same time Reggie Bush went down with an injury in Monday night's game so Hyde's carries may increase. A stellar showing especially considering how many offensive linemen the team lost.
2. Matt Forte (Chicago Bears): 22.60 Points: Forte showed just how dependable he is to the Bears offense running for 141 yards and a touchdown in their Sunday afternoon loss to the Packers. Forte will likely be the primary weapon for Jay Cutler and the Bears as Alshon Jeffery is still dinged up and Kevin White might not see the field at all.
3. Chris Ivory (New York Jets): 22.00 Points: Ivory made the most of his 20 carries on Sunday scoring 2 touchdowns and finishing with 91 carries against the Browns woeful defense. Ivory did not see the field on 3rd downs and was replaced with Bilial Powell.
4. Bishop Sankey (Tennessee Titans): 20.60 Points: Sankey surprised everyone including the Titans running for 74 yards, and a rushing/receiving touchdown. Sankey getting this type of production out of this offensive line is unprecedented however it makes for an interesting flex option. Sankey fumbled towards the end of the game but the Titans were able to recover.
5. Jeremy Hill (Cincinnati Bengals): 18.30 Points: Hill was largely out of the tail end of the contest with the Oakland Raiders. Hill finished with 63 yards on 19 carries and 2 touchdowns. Giovanni Bernard however took over with the game in hand and racked up 88 yards on 14 carries. This workload will likely fluctuate from game to game.
The five worst
1. Frank Gore (Indianapolis Colts): 3.10 Fantasy Points: Gore only had 8 carries in the massive loss to the Bills. Gore suffered from calf cramps in the middle of the game limiting his mobility. The main issue seemed that the Colts offensive line could not stop pressure from affecting every play. Gore is also a high draft pick and if he suffers from bumps and bruises all season long it could hinder his stat line.
2. C.J. Anderson (Denver Broncos): 4.80 Fantasy Points: Anderson quickly found out that he could not find any holes against the Ravens defense and was eventually injured. Anderson suffered a sprained toe and missed practice on Tuesday so his status should be closely monitored.
3. Adrian Peterson (Minnesota Vikings): 5.20 Fantasy Points: Peterson finished with 31 rushing yards and only ten carries in the Vikings loss. Peterson had trouble gaining that burst off the line he typically would have if he was lined up under center. Peterson is the number 1 overall pick in most leagues so this play and the offensive potency of the Vikings must be somewhat of a concern.
4. Doug Martin (Tampa Bay Buccaneers): 5.40 Fantasy Points: The Buc's were slaughtered by Mariota's passing attack. This forced the Buc's to give up running the ball but Martin looked solid prior to this. Martin finished with 52 yards on 11 carries.
5. Justin Forsett (Baltimore Ravens): 5.60 Fantasy Points: Forsett faced a loaded box all day thanks largely in part to the ineffectiveness of the Ravens passing game. Without Breshad Perriman the Ravens were left with Steve Smith SR when Torrey Smith departed. Now one of the oldest wide receivers in the NFL has the Ravens depending on him to play like a true number 1. This has bad news written all over it but Forsett at least saw 14 carries and 4 receptions.