Week 7 Fantasy Football RB Rankings: Breakout Picks, Sneaky Sleepers & Tough Start/Sit Calls (Ep. 2281)

October 21, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Week 7 Running Back Ranks: Breakout Calls, Committee Risks, and the Chuba Hubbard Reckoning

The FantasyPros crew—Pat Fitzmorris, Andrew Erickson, and Chris Welsh—spent this episode wrestling with a running back landscape that has become unusually hard to trust. Bye weeks, injuries, and shifting backfield hierarchies have turned the RB2 tier into a minefield of start-sit decisions where the difference between a win and a loss often comes down to which committee back gets the touchdown. The conversation surfaced three core tensions: whether workload dominance can override a tough matchup, how to handle players returning from suspension or injury, and when to trust that a backfield will stay stable.

The Chuba Hubbard Problem: When Volume Beats Matchup

The most revealing debate of the episode centered on Chuba Hubbard, who sits at ECR 11 but has been a top-12 running back every single week this season. Erickson made the strongest case for him, pointing out that Hubbard saw 30 of 31 backfield opportunities and 94% of snaps in Week 6. "There's a opportunity and chance here where we're too low on Chuba Hubbard because of the matchup against the Buccaneers when his workload looks like top three, if not the number one workload potentially for a running back," Erickson said.

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What you'll learn

1 (00:24) **Show Intro & Rank Contest Shoutouts** - The hosts introduce the Week 7 RB rankings episode and celebrate the most accurate rankers from Week 6.
2 (04:08) **Top 12 RB1s: Chuba Hubbard's Monster Start** - The crew analyzes the consensus top 12, focusing on Chuba Hubbard's unexpected RB1 status and workload.
3 (09:00) **Braelon Allen & Breece Hall's Status** - A deep analysis of the Jets backfield, where Braelon Allen is a potential top-10 play if Breece Hall sits out.
4 (15:10) **RB2 Tier: Bucky Irving's Bounce-Back Spot** - A look at the RB2 tier, starting with Bucky Irving, who is ranked as a top-8 back by Erickson due to a massive workload and great matchup.
5 (20:47) **Josh Jacobs Returns: Workload or Rust?** - The crew tackles the biggest question of the week: how to rank Josh Jacobs in his first game back from the exempt list.
6 (25:54) **Aaron Jones vs. Jordan Mason** - A discussion on the Vikings' backfield, where the return of Jordan Mason creates a committee with Aaron Jones in a dream matchup.
7 (29:00) **Ollie Gordon & J.K. Dobbins: Volume vs. Efficiency** - An analysis of two high-volume but potentially inefficient running backs in the RB2/flex range.

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

Chris Welsh, Pat Fitzmaurice, and Andrew Erickson reveal their Week 7 fantasy football running back rankings, breaking down the toughest start/sit decisions and which RBs deserve your trust.

Josh Jacobs returns to the Packers, while Braelon Allen's value hinges on Breece Hall's availability. The crew also debates whether Bucky Irving can deliver RB1 production against Carolina.

Plus, concerns surrounding J.K. Dobbins, Cam Skattebo's uncertain role, and a few overlooked running backs who could make a difference in your Week 7 lineup.

Timestamps: (May be off due to ads)

Intro - 0:00:00

Week 6 Rankings Recap - 0:02:13

RBs 1-12 - 0:03:45

Chuba Hubbard - 0:04:13

Braelon Allen - 0:08:42

Polymarket - 0:14:15

RBs 13-24 - 0:14:51

Bucky Irving - 0:15:16

Josh Jacobs - 0:18:22

Aaron Jones - 0:23:19

Ollie Gordon - 0:26:34

JK Dobbins - 0:29:40

RBs 25-36 - 0:35:31

Kendre Miller - 0:36:09

Cam Skattebo - 0:39:33

Deeper Plays - 0:43:31

Outro - 0:45:38

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