Fantasy Football Week 1 Running Back Start/Sit: Jerome Ford, Jacory Croskey-Merrit and More

In many ways, week 1 of the NFL season is the best week of the entire year. Fantasy football is finally back, and we finally get to see the players we've been debating all offseason in action.

However, week 1 also presents unique challenges; start/sit decisions are harder than ever with no recent data to judge by. This is especially true at the running back position, where production is mostly based on coaching usage decisions.

In this article, I'm taking a look at some running backs in questionable situations, deciding who is worth starting and who is best kept on your bench for at least a week. Let's get started!

For more help with your toughest week 1 start/sit decisions, check out FantasySP's NFL Start/Sit tool!

Running Backs To Start Week 1

Isiah Pacheco, Kansas City Chiefs @ Los Angeles Chargers

In his two games prior to injury last season, Pacheco posted outings of 14.8 and 13.6 half-PPR points. Despite leaving early in the second of those two contests, he handled 79% of the team's RB rush attempts and posted a 15% target share. That was in matchups against two good teams in the Ravens and Bengals.

Yes, Pacheco returned from his injury late in the season and looked awful, losing work to the corpse of Kareem Hunt. But he appeared to at least have some of his juice back in the preseason. 

Perhaps more importantly, the Chiefs' other options in Hunt and Elijah Mitchell are entirely juice-less. Rookie Brashard Smith might eventually make an impact, especially on passing downs, but he likely won't be involved much this week. That frees Pacheco up to be the clear lead back for what is still an elite offense, which makes him a solid starting option on Friday night.

Jerome Ford, Cleveland Browns vs. Cincinnati Bengals

Is Ford a top-24 RB option this week? Probably not. But if he's ever going to be startable, this is the week. Quinshon Judkins still hasn't even signed a contract with the Browns. This means Ford and fourth-round rookie Dylan Sampson are the only options in Cleveland's backfield. 

Sampson could definitely be involved; in fact, he's not a terrible desperation start himself. But as the veteran on the team, Ford should see more touches this week. And he was actually quietly efficient despite Cleveland's terrible offense last season. Cincinnati's defense is terrible, so even the Browns should be able to move the ball. It doesn't feel great, but Ford is definitely viable as a week 1 starter who you probably drafted at a bargain cost. 

Austin Ekeler, Washington Commanders vs. New York Giants

I really didn't intend for this start section to be nothing but uninspiring veterans, but here we are. With Brian Robinson Jr. off to San Francisco, only one thing is guaranteed in the Commanders' backfield. No, it's not that Jacory Croskey-Merritt is going to explode (more on him later). It's that Ekeler will be the team's pass-catching back and will also see a solid chunk of carries.

In three games without Robinson last season, Ekeler averaged 14.1 half-PPR points. And it's not like other backs weren't involved in those games, as Chris Rodriguez Jr. and Jeremy McNichols combined for 27 carries. The Giants do have a solid D-line, but the Commanders are projected to score the second-most points of any team in the league. Ekeler should be involved enough to get a chunk of that action. 

Honorable Mentions: Travis Etienne, Tyrone Tracy Jr., J.K. Dobbins

Running Backs To Sit Week 1

Kaleb Johnson, Pittsburgh Steelers @ New York Jets

There are one too many things going against the third-round rookie in his NFL debut. All indications are that he is behind Jaylen Warren for now in the pecking order for touches. It also sounds as though Kenneth Gainwell will be involved.

Meanwhile, this is a terrible game environment, with by far the lowest total of the week. Both of these teams are likely to have slow, run-heavy, inefficient offenses, which means we will see low play volume. That bodes terribly for a rookie back who will already probably see a limited amount of his team's backfield touches. Johnson will hopefully be a fantasy-relevant option eventually, but this isn't the week to start him. 

Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Washington Commanders vs. New York Giants

I have a rule of thumb. That rule of thumb says that if you aren't 100% sure a player isn't going to be a healthy scratch in a given week, they aren't worth considering for fantasy. Unfortunately for the biggest hype train of the offseason, “Bill” falls afoul of that rule. With Ekeler and Jeremy McNichols (a core special-teamer) locked into active roster spots, JCM needs to beat out Rodriguez or for the Commanders to carry four running backs to even be active on gameday.

Don't get me wrong, Croskey-Merritt will likely be active this week, and I like his long-term chances to be the best fantasy option in this backfield. But, even in a best-case scenario, he's not going to be more than the lead two-down rusher in a committee this week. Compare that with the downside cases where he only sees a handful of touches, and the juice isn't worth the squeeze to start JCM in his NFL debut.

Nick Chubb, Houston Texans @ Los Angeles Rams

I've been doing a lot of promoting dusty veterans and doubting rookies in this article. But some veterans are simply too dusty to believe in, and Chubb is one of those guys. When your own coach is talking about how you aren't who you used to be, it's not a good sign. 

Even at his peak, Chubb was never a pass-catcher. That means his only hope to provide fantasy value is to churn out yardage behind a terrible O-line against a solid defense. Given that we're still not 100% sure how the carries will be divided in this Texans backfield without Joe Mixon, chasing that outcome isn't worth the risk. 

Honorable Mentions: TreVeyon Henderson (shallow leagues), Cam Skattebo, Zach Charbonnet

Ted Chmyz is a fantasy football contributor for FantasySP. Find him on Twitter and Bluesky @Tchmyz for more fantasy content or to ask questions.