Fantasy Football Week 7 Running Back Rankings: Where does Isaiah Pacheco rank among other messy backfields?

Chris Towers walks you through his Week 7 running back rankings

By Chris Towers

Oct 23, 2022 at 10:59 am ET • 2 min read

The running back position in Fantasy Football for Week 7 is a mess. We got a big shakeup when the 49ers acquired Christian McCaffrey Thursday night, putting both the 49ers and Panthers backfields in question, and things have only gotten murkier since.

First, we learned that J.K. Dobbins would undergo knee surgery that would cost him 4-6 weeks of recovery. He was placed on IR, which seemingly put Kenyan Drake in line for a significant role against a bad Browns defense Sunday. But with Justice Hill (hamstring) and Gus Edwards (knee, activated from PUP) expected to be active this week, suddenly that situation looks pretty cloudy.

And then Sunday morning we got another surprise, with Ian Rapoport reporting that Isiah Pacheco is expected to start for the Chiefs. Now, that doesn't mean Clyde Edwards-Helaire is out of the picture -- in fact, that report indicates that Edwards-Helaire will "still have a key role on offense." Further, the report highlights Pacheco's pass-blocking as a key part of his ascendancy, which doesn't necessarily indicate that he's going to be a lead back -- he could be taking on Jerick McKinnon's role, which has led to four carries and 1.8 receptions per game so far.

So, yeah, the Ravens, Chiefs, Panthers, and 49ers backfields all look like a mess, at least until we see them in action. Oh, and the Bears said they're going to go with a "hot-hand" approach at RB this week and beyond, putting David Montgomery's role in question. And the Broncos said they are sticking with Melvin Gordon as the starter despite Latavius Murray being the clear lead back for them in his debut last week.

So, yeah, it's messy. I'd probably start both McCaffrey and Jeff Wilson over any of the Ravens, Chiefs, or Panthers backs, and potentially over back David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert, too. But it's hard to have any certainty about any of those situations -- McCaffrey could play 10 snaps! Here are the rest of my running back rankings for Week 7.

Remember, the Bills, Eagles, Rams, and Vikings are all on bye this week.