The month of August is coming to a close as fantasy owners prepare themselves for another exciting season of FanDuel for the NFL. . This is also a perfect time of the summer to start preparing for the upcoming week 1 of the fantasy season now that FanDuel has released the first week of the regular season with salaries.

In our first article we took a look at the quarterback position on FanDuel. This time around we want to take a look at the running back position. In full season leagues, the running back position might be the number one option to build your lineup around.

As the first week’s salaries are out for all of the NFL running backs on FanDuel the question we like to ask ourselves is which player has the salary to match his fantasy output. We also like to look for players who will produce that many others don’t expect them to. This frees up some salary as we are still working with a $60,000 budget for the entire roster.
Atop the list for week 1 is Minnesota Vikings star running back Adrian Peterson at $9,200 followed by Arian Foster at $9,000. Peterson missed all but one game last season after photos surfaced leading to his season suspension. Foster on the other hand posted at least 15 fantasy points in eight of his last ten games
Here is what our first thoughts on week 1’s running back group.

Worth Every Penny:

Adrian Peterson ($9,200): While it is sometimes hard to use a player that brings a price tag as high as Peterson’s. That being said, Peterson looks to have a favorable matchup against a San Francisco 49ers team that features a new head coach as well as losing multiple players from the defensive side of the ball. This could be a big season for not only Peterson but for the Minnesota Vikings entire offense.

Darren McFadden ($6,600): McFadden has an opportunity to put up some big time fantasy numbers behind the top offensive line of the Dallas Cowboys. Along with McFadden, teammate Joseph Randle could be a solid fantasy play as well in week 1 against the New York Giants.

Other running backs making this list include Giovani Bernard, Lamar Miller, Eddie Lacy, Jonathan Stewart and Justin Forsett.

Over Priced Out of the Gate:

Arian Foster ($9,000): You can’t really blame Foster for the high price tag but his week one matchup against a very good Kansas City Chiefs makes him a big risk week 1. While we love his dual threat capabilities he could be too expensive to chance it week 1 as we aren’t quite sure what we might see from the entire Houston Texans offense.

Other running backs making this list include Jamaal Charles, Tre Mason, Andre Ellington, Matt Forte and DeMarco Murray.

Potential Fantasy Bargains Week 1:

C.J. Spiller ($6,300): Spiller now moves on from Buffalo to join one of the top offenses in all of football. While we expect Mark Ingram to get most of the red zone touches we can see Drew Brees and Sean Payton working Spiller into the offense much like they did a few seasons back with Darren Sproles.

Other running backs making this list include Carlos Hyde and Charles Sims.

Deep Fantasy Sleeper Potential Week 1:

Ameer Abdullah ($5,900): While all eyes will be glued to the two first round running backs Melvin Gordon and Todd Gurley. Abudllah might be that back that surprises many playing for a Detroit Lions team that can move the ball through the air. If he can stay healthy he could win this starting job from the start.

Other running backs making this list include Montee Ball, Denard Robinson and Duke Johnson.

Just Not Sure What To Think:

Marshawn Lynch ($8,600): Don’t think we don’t love some Beast Mode because we do. We just don’t like his matchup in week 1 against a very solid St. Louis Rams defense. On the other hand the Seattle Seahawks passing attack should be much improved taking some of the stacked boxes out of the equation for an easier day running.

Other running backs to make this list include C.J. Anderson, LeSean McCoy, Jeremy Hill and Frank Gore.