Week 1 of the NFL season did not bring much clarity to the running back landscape in fantasy football. While the upper echelon of running backs remained consistently good, the middle tier of running backs were a mixed bag, to say the least.
That was reflected in the results of our Start âÂÂEm Sit âÂÂEm picks last week. Only one of the Start âÂÂEm picks was a hit, while one of the Sit âÂÂEm picks actually popped off in Week 1. Now, let's take a look at the best candidates to carry your fantasy team in the second week of the NFL season.
Start âÂÂEm
David Montgomery, Texans vs. Bengals
One of the Houston Texans' big acquisitions this offseason, Montgomery had himself a game in Week 1 despite the loss. He was Houston's go-to man in the redzone, scoring two rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown. He has a favorable matchup against the Bengals, who, despite their improvements on defense, allowed 20.3 fantasy points to Bucky Irving in Week 1.
Jacory Crosky-Merritt, Commanders vs. Cowboys
Jacory Crosky-Merritt was in a competition with Rachaad White for touches in the Washington Commanders' offense. In Week 1, it seems like Bill won that battle, taking 34% of the available offensive snaps compared to White's 20%. Any running back playing against the Dallas Cowboys this season should have a positive matchup, which makes Crosky-Merritt another attractive option to start this week.
Chuba Hubbard, Panthers @ Falcons
Hubbard was a pleasant surprise in Week 1 for the Panthers and for fantasy football managers. Listed as one of our Sit âÂÂEms last week, Hubbard recorded a total of 23.7 fantasy points after scoring two total touchdowns against what should have been a solid Chicago Bears defense. He'll have a much easier time this week against the Falcons.
Sit âÂÂEm
MarShon Lloyd, Packers @ Jets
If you haven't say your Packers' running backs before the start of the season, then perhaps Week 1 has already taught you that lesson. Despite being the lead back in Josh Jacobs' absence, Lloyd was unable to capitalize on his opportunities. It won't get easier for Lloyd in Week 2: the Jets' defense limited the Titans' backfield duo of Tyjae Spears and Tony Pollard to a total of 8.8 fantasy points.
JK Dobbins, Broncos vs. Jaguars
Dobbins is the victim of a crowded backfield compounded with a wonky play-calling situation. The Broncos' running back room was always going to be volatile with RJ Harvey on the team. Now, they're going to face a Jaguars team that limited Quinshon Judkins (one of our picks to pop off last week) to just seven fantasy points. It's going to be an uphill battle for Dobbins to make progress this week.
Jaylen Warren, Steelers @ Patriots
Warren falls into the same conundrum that Dobbins fantasy owners have. Rico Dowdle is taking a significant portion of snaps at running back (58% to Warren's 37), even though they have a similar number of carries. The Steelers might also fall behind in their matchup against the Patriots, which will lead to them going away from the run game.