Rookie Running Back Rankings - NFL Week 2

As we discussed last week, we'll be checking in each week to see how the rookie running backs are doing. Noteworthy names like Todd Gurley and Jay Ajayi still don't make the list due to our minimum carries rule (they haven't played yet and thus don't have any production to compare to their peers).

Last week, only seven players made our cutoff, but this time around we have 12 rookies to compare (min. 7 touches, and stats from FootballOutsiders.com):

A week ago, I said I hoped that Melvin Gordon could get back above replacement level after a rough first week. Well, he's above replacement now (still below as a runner, but progress!). Unfortunately, he fell a spot in the rankings anyway as the other rookies improved even more.

Of course, last week's warnings about the lack of opponent adjustments and size of the sample still apply. That said, those are some interesting names at the top of the list. Arizona's David Johnson, in particular, looks like the real deal and it will be interesting to see what happens to his numbers when his performance forces Bruce Arians to make him a bigger part of the offense. Hopefully, Melvin Gordon continues to improve this week in Minnesota, and maybe we'll get to see what the only back drafted in front of him can do after missing the first two weeks of the season.