1. Devonta Freeman, Atlanta Falcons
Stats: 52 attempts, 184 rushing yards, 115 receiving yards, four touchdowns (53.90 fantasy points)
After putting up 193 yards en route to a 37-point fantasy performance last week, Freeman finds himself as the top fantasy running back through three weeks. Considering he was the backup to Tevin Coleman for the first two games, this is rather surprising.
It's hard to imagine Coleman taking over the primary ball-carrier duties once he returns from a ribs injury. If that's the case, Freeman becomes a solid under-the-radar RB2 or FLEX play moving forward. Though, there's little reason to believe he's going to be anywhere near the top-end fantasy performer we have seen thus far this season.
2. Dion Lewis, New England Patriots
Stats: 30 attempts, 146 rushing yards, 179 receiving yards, two touchdowns (42.50 fantasy points)
Even in the Patriots' pass-first offense, Lewis is still averaging 15 touches per game. That's amazing in and of itself. Now take into account that the former Pitt star 0.85 fantasy points per touch, and there's a reasonable expectation that Lewis could continue to put up decent numbers even with LeGarrette Blount still in the mix.
Though, it's hard to imagine being able to rely on him moving forward. In a Patriots offense that's predicated on the quick-strike pass and getting the ball to receivers in space, it's unlikely Lewis will be able to put up consistent fantasy points. Hence, the surprising early-season performance.
3. Karlos Williams, Buffalo Bills
Stats: 24 attempts, 186 rushing yards, 16 receiving yards, three touchdowns (38.20 fantasy points)
Averaging 7.8 yards per rush and 1.5 fantasy points per touch, Williams has been a darn impressive performer as a rookie. Heck, despite averaging just eight attempts per game, the Florida State product is the 10th-ranked fantasy running back through Week 3.
With LeSean McCoy hobbled by a hamstring injury and potentially unable to go this week, Williams becomes a solid play against an average New York Giants run defense. Depending on how he performs this week, and McCoy's injury moving forward, Williams could remain a viable starting option.
4. Chris Johnson, Arizona Cardinals
Stats: 52 attempts, 219 rushing yards, 40 receiving yards, two touchdowns (37.90 fantasy points)
After putting up 190 total yards against the San Francisco 49ers last week, Johnson is firmly entrenched in as the Cardinals starting running back until Andre Ellington returns from injury.
The one issue here is sample size. All but 11.1 of Johnson's fantasy points came last week. It will be interesting to see how Johnson performs moving forward.
5. Carlos Hyde, San Francisco 49ers
Stats: 54 attempts, 262 rushing yards, 42 receiving yards, two touchdowns (42.40 fantasy points)
Some will point to Hyde's 30-point performance in Week 1 as an outlier of sorts, but it's important to note that he's still averaging 28 attempts over the past two games — outings the 49ers lost by a combined 65 points. Once the 49ers actually remain competitive for the duration of a football game, Hyde will live up to his status as a RB1 status.
The lingering issue here could potentially be that San Francisco will be playing a vast majority of its games from behind. If so, Hyde won't see nearly as many touches as those running backs on good teams.