Week 2 Fantasy Football Starts And Sits- Running Backs
The result for last week's starts and sits at running back was 50/50. Kenneth Walker was a great start finishing with 19 points in PPR formats, but Zamir White was a miss as he only scored 4.6 points. As for the sits, the Brian Robinson call was wrong as he finished with 18 points as he scored and had 3 catches for 49 yards, but the D'Andre Swift call was right as he only scored 5 points last week.
After one week it is hard to figure out what teams are elite against the run and what teams aren't, but in some cases, it is clear that the team is elite or not which helps figure out what matchups to avoid, and what matchups should be targeted.
Start- Isiah Pacheco Vs. Cincinnati Bengals:
There may not be a player in the league who runs harder than Pacheco and after Rhamondre and the Patriots ran all over the Bengals last week, the Bengals are in for a rough day against Pacheco.
Pacheco didn't have a lot of success on the ground against the Ravens last week as he only had 45 yards on 15 carries, but he scored a touchdown and caught 2 passes for 33 yards which helped salvage a rough game on the ground. The Ravens are a bad matchup for running backs so it makes sense as to why Pacheco couldn't get going. The Bengals on the other hand are a great matchup for running backs.
The Bengals were a matchup to target for running backs last year and it seems that will remain the case this year. Last week against a bad Patriots offense the Bengals allowed Rhamondre Stevenson to rush for 120 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries. Stevenson is a good back but the Patriots have a bad o-line and no threats in the receiving game to take pressure off the running game. The Chiefs have a great line, the league's best QB, and a strong receiving core which means Pacheco could see light boxes all game.
After seeing how the Bengals looked last game the Chiefs could run away with this one which could lead to a big workload for Pacheco. Pacheco is a weekly starter due to his draft capital but against the Bengals, he could finish as RB 1 on the week.
Start- James Conner Vs. Los Angeles Rams:
Despite the 3.1 yards per carry last week, Conner looked good with his touches, especially early on. Conner had 50 yards on 16 carries with a touchdown and 3 catches for 33 yards which was good for 19 points in PPR leagues last week. This week Conner has a fantastic matchup against the Rams who just let David Montgomery run down their throats in overtime to win the game for the Lions.
Conner got almost every touch on the 1st drive of last week's game for the Cardinals between the ground and the air. It was clear that the focal point of the offense was Conner and the ground game. Once again this week the Cardinals play a high-powered offense which means the game should be high-scoring again. Last week Jahmyr Gibbs ran for 40 yards on 11 carries on the Rams while David Montgomery ran for 91 yards on 17 carries. The Rams run defense was clearly missing Aaron Donald which is not a surprise as any defense would miss Donald, but it was clear this is a matchup to target for running backs.
Unlike the Lions backfield being split between Gibbs and Montgomery, the Cardinals backfield is all Conner's, and in a matchup that should be high-scoring Conner should see plenty of work. Conner feels like a top-12 lock once again due to the matchup, and if Conner's workload stays the same throughout the entire season he could be not just a weekly winner, but a league winner.
Start- J.K. Dobbins Vs. Carolina Panthers:
Dobbins already has more carries this year than he did last year which is awesome. Dobbins signed a cheap deal with the Chargers this off-season after suffering a season-ending injury in his first game last year. It was unclear what Dobbins role would be with the Chargers as they also signed Gus Edwards, but they both played a lot and seemingly split carries. Despite the split, it was apparent who the better back was. Dobbins had 10 carries for 135 yards and 1 touchdown while Edwards had 11 carries for 26 yards.
Dobbisn did have 2 long runs that spiked his total as he was stuffed on the other 8 carries but he was able to break free and Edwards wasn't. After Dobbins strong performance last week, it would make sense for him to see more volume this week in a favorable matchup against the Panthers. The Panthers just got demolished by the Saints and allowed 83 yards and 1 touchdown on 15 attempts to Alvin Kamara. To make things worse for the Panthers, Derrick Brown who is their best player and an elite run defender suffered a season-ending injury.
The Chargers would run the ball for the entire game if they could, and in a game they are expected to win they may keep the ball on the ground as long as they can. The Panthers are a home-run matchup for running backs and after a strong showing from Dobbins, he should be in lineups this week.
Sit- Zamir White Vs. Baltimore Ravens:
As mentioned earlier White was not good for fantasy last week in what appeared to be a plus matchup. This week White faces a stout Ravens defense that is elite against the rush which means he should be on benches this week if there are other options.
The Raiders want to run the ball but had a hard time doing so last week. White was stuffed multiple times for no gain and never got into a rhythm. Not only did White not have a great game on the ground he gave up 3rd down work to Alexander Mattison which capped his ceiling. After Mattison scored the Raiders only touchdown on a player in which he hurdled 2 defenders after making the catch the 2 backs split work.
After the game head coach Antonio Pierce said the Raiders will go with the hot hand going forward just like they did with Mattison in the game. A tough matchup against the Ravens, lack of 3rd down work, and the possibility of losing work, if Mattison looks good, are all reasons to fade White this week. Until White shows he is the clear RB 1 in the backfield he should be no more than a flex play moving forward.
Sit- Javonte Williams Vs. Pittsburgh Steelers:
After last week there is a chance Javonte Williams never works out for fantasy while on the Broncos. In a game that was close for the majority of it, Williams only saw 8 carries and 2 targets. The 8 carries resulted in 23 yards and the targets resulted in 1 catch for 0 yards. The Broncos offense was a mess last week and the Steelers defense is not going to make it look any better.
The Steelers shut down the Falcons offense last week in all phases of the game and the Broncos offense is much worse than Atlanta's. Denver will have a tough time moving the ball this week and with a rookie QB under center the Steelers will stack the box to take away the run. On top of the bad matchup, Williams shared work with Jaleel McLaughlin and was out-touched by McLaughlin both on the ground and through the air.
Fade Javonte until further notice as things could be ugly in Denver this year. Between a time split in the backfield and a rookie QB, Javonte's upside appears to be capped. If anyone is still a believer, trade him to that team sooner than later.
Sit- Zack Moss Vs. Kansas City Chiefs:
Moss had a solid fantasy performance in week 1 with 44 yards and a touchdown but that was in a close game against a bad team. This week Moss plays the Chiefs who just contained Derrick Henry for the entire game.
In a game where the Bengals will need to keep up with the Chiefs, they may have to abandon the run game meaning less work for Moss and more work for Chase Brown. The Bengals are expected to be without Tee Higgins this week which does not help their case for being able to keep up with the Chiefs. The Bengals offense looked lost in week 1 and against a better defense, it is hard to see that changing this week.
The upside for Moss this week seems limited due to possibly being scripted out of the game if the Chiefs run away with it which makes him a sketchy start this week. If Moss didn't score last week he would have finished with 6 points in PPR leagues. Until the Bengals turn the offense around it appears Moss could be touchdown-dependent each week which is not something managers can comfortably rely on.
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