Fantasy Football Week 3 Running Back Start/Sit: Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Cam Skattebo and More

Welcome to Week 3's fantasy football start/sit breakdown for the running back position! As always, I'd like to start with a quick summary of last week's results.

My start picks were a mixed bag. Kenneth Walker bounced back with a big outing after a rough Week 1, and D'Andre Swift had another solid showing. But Tyrone Tracy lost a shocking amount of work to Cam Skattebo en route to a mediocre 7.1 points, while Omarion Hampton was a complete dud at three points.

Unfortunately, results were only slightly better on the sit side. Isiah Pacheco was unsurprisingly terrible. But Dylan Sampson salvaged a solid score with a receiving TD, and David Montgomery got in on the action as the Lions returned to form by destroying the Bears.

Of course, fantasy football is high-variance, especially when focusing on these fringe starters. But I'd still hope for better than the roughly 50% hit rate from Week 2. Hopefully, this week we can build on the strong results and learn from the mistakes. Let's get started.

For more help with your toughest Week 3 Start/Sit decisions, check out FantasySP's NFL Start/Sit tool!

Running Backs to Start Week 3

Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Washington Commanders

Admittedly, the hype train for Bill Croskey-Merritt hit a bit of a bump on the tracks last week. Even with Austin Ekeler exiting early, the rookie finished with just 1.7 half-PPR points on four carries and one target.

However, that was against a Packers' defense that looks like a threshing machine so far this season. The Commanders were playing catch-up, especially by the time Ekeler went down, which doesn't fit with JCM's skill set. 

This week, Washington gets a much softer matchup against the Raiders. They are currently 3.5-point favorites despite the fact that sophomore superstar QB Jayden Daniels is questionable. If Daniels plays, Croskey-Merritt should be the team's lead rusher in a game they should win easily. If he doesn't, the rookie should still see plenty of carries to take the pressure off Marcus Mariota. This start is more comfortable if Daniels is in, but Bill is playable regardless.

Tony Pollard, Tennessee Titans

Two weeks into the season, Pollard is just the RB29. The Titans' offense under rookie Cameron Ward is struggling, and the veteran RB has yet to hit the end zone. 

However, Pollard's usage has arguably been the best in the entire NFL. He leads all running backs with an 89% snap share; no other RB is at even 84%. His 95% RB rush share is third to only fellow workhorses Chase Brown and Jonathan Taylor, and his 38 total carries are fourth-highest. The only issue with Pollard's workload is a 3.3% target share (one target per game), but that number should trend up given his 53% route participation rate.

At the end of the day, Pollard is an absolute workhorse. The Titans' offense isn't good, and his matchup this week with the Colts suddenly looks a lot scarier with the way Indianapolis has been playing. But any player seeing this level of dominance over a backfield is a must-start outside of truly extreme circumstances, and Pollard is no exception.

Zach Charbonnet, Seattle Seahawks

Last week, I had success suggesting Kenneth Walker III as a start, so I figure I might try to replicate that magic this week with his teammate. After surprising everyone by serving as the Seahawks' lead back in Week 1, Charbonnet had a miserable outing in Week 2. He finished with just one singular fantasy point, averaging 0.7 yards per carry on 15 touches.

Obviously, that's not good. But based on his comments after the game, Mike Macdonald doesn't blame Charbonnet for his inefficiency. That means his role isn't likely to change. And, even in that miserable outing, Charbonnet still led the Seahawks' backfield in snaps (35 to Walker's 23), carries (15 to 13) and routes (nine to seven). 

So Charbonnet is still arguably the 1A in this backfield. And both he and Walker should get a chance to shine this week against the Saints. The Seahawks are 7.5-point favorites and have the fifth-highest total of any team on the week. This is exactly the kind of scenario where, even in a roughly 50/50 split, both backs from this team can be viable fantasy starts. 

Running Backs to Sit Week 3

David Montgomery, Detroit Lions

I got burned by listing Montgomery as a sit last week, but I'm ready to double down. After all, it's not like Montgomery had some incredible game. Even as the Lions scored 52 points, he finished with just 11 carries for 57 yards and one reception for four yards. Take away his goal-line TD, and we're looking at back-to-back six-point outings to start the season from Montgomery.

That's really what this comes down to. Montgomery has seen just one more carry than Jahmyr Gibbs and only five targets (a 7.5% share) through two weeks. In a tough road matchup with the Ravens, that role is less valuable than usual. He's essentially a TD-or-bust play, and I prefer to avoid those when possible.

With that said, Montgomery isn't a must-bench. He's actually comparable to Charbonnet, whom I just listed as a start. They are both relatively unexplosive runners in 50/50 committees. The reason Charbonnet is a start and Montgomery is a sit is that, despite having the much tougher matchup, consensus expectations for Montgomery are much higher. He is still viewed as a solid RB2 and projected to start in over 65% of leagues, while most managers probably aren't even considering starting Charbonnet. This is just a reminder to at least think twice before leaving Montgomery in your lineup this week. 

All Cleveland Running Backs

Quinshon Judkins made his NFL debut last week, and it went well. Despite having just joined the team 10 days prior, he led Cleveland's backfield with 10 carries. Receiving wasn't a huge part of his game at Ohio State, but he even saw three targets.

However, Judkins was by no means alone in the Browns' backfield. Jerome Ford actually led the team by far in snaps, and handled six carries and six targets of his own. Dylan Sampson was the clear RB3, but he still played just one fewer snap than Judkins, recording four carries and three targets.

Given his promising debut, Judkins should eventually consolidate a clear RB1 role in this backfield. But he's likely still not trusted with a solid chunk of Cleveland's playbook, so this three-headed committee is here to stay for now. Heading into a matchup with the Packers' defense, that is a recipe for fantasy disaster. You should avoid starting all three of these Browns backs for Week 3 if it is at all possible.

Cam Skattebo, New York Giants

After serving as the Giants' RB3 in Week 1, Skattebo's usage exploded in Week 2. He led New York's backfield with a 51% snap share, handled 11 of 16 RB rushes, and saw three targets on a 40% route participation rate. The arrow is absolutely pointing up for him going forward… just not this week.

This week, the Giants play host to the Kansas City Chiefs. And, as much as these aren't the dominant Chiefs of years past, this is still a brutal matchup for fantasy running backs. In 2024, Kansas City was the second-toughest matchup for opposing RBs. So far this season, they've allowed the ninth-fewest points per game, despite having faced Saquon Barkley in 50% of their contests.

Meanwhile, even with his increased usage, Skattebo was still by no means a workhorse for the Giants last week. His usage could take another jump, but it's by no means guaranteed. If it doesn't, he's just the lead back in a committee taking on a brutal matchup on a team that is a six-point underdog. Outside of deep leagues, you should have a better option to start this week.