Fantasy Football Week 2 Running Back Start Sit Advice and Matchups
Three running backs to start and three to sit in Week 2 of the NFL season.
Running back is the most important position in fantasy football. Quarterbacks score more, and tight ends are more scarce, but RB is the mixture of the top guys scoring a lot of points and the production falling off fast as you get down the list, making a true bell cow running back a hot commodity.
Let's look at three running backs to start and three to sit in Week 2 of the fantasy football season. Most stats are from NFL.com, and fantasy points and rankings are from FantasyPros.
Use FantasySP's weekly projections to find the players who are expected to excel and help make your toughest lineup decisions!
Start
Kaelon Black, San Francisco 49ers vs. Miami Dolphins
Let's start with this: Christian McCaffrey is going to continue to be the lead back for San Francisco, and he might dominate the carries most weeks to the point that Black isn't ever a great option. When the 49ers blew out the Rams in Week 1, though, Black carried the ball 14 times to just 10 attempts for McCaffrey, showing that the team isn't afraid to put him on the field.
Miami might have the worst roster in football (with due respect to the Browns, Titans, and a few others). It wouldn't be a surprise to see San Fran have another very successful game and run away with this one. If that's the case, we would expect to see a lot more of Black, a guy who had buzz coming into the season.
Last year, the Dolphins allowed the sixth-most yards per rush attempt and the 12th-most fantasy points to running backs. In Week 1, they let the duo of Ashton Jeanty and Mike Washington Jr. combine for 143 yards on 30 rushes, an average of 4.8 yards per carry (the same number they allowed last season). Black has sneaky value as a flex player who could get plenty more chances to carry the rock and maybe score his first career touchdown.
Aaron Jones Sr., Minnesota Vikings @ Chicago Bears
The intrigue with Jones is two-fold. First, his biggest competition for carries, Jordan Mason, was placed on IR after thumb surgery. That likely leaves the veteran as the unquestioned top back, something that is as good as its weight in gold in fantasy football.
Second, the Bears have a questionable defense. I've been hyping up players in the passing game against Chicago all week, but the Bears also allowed the fourth-most yards per rush attempt last season (while sitting in the middle in fantasy points allowed to RBs). While they scored 59 points last week, Chicago also gave up 37 and let Carolina running backs combine for 4.8 yards per rush and 86 total receiving yards.
Jones has the right matchup and the opportunity this week to have a big game. He's close to a must-start player depending on your roster and definitely has RB2 status in this one.
David Montgomery, Houston Texans vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Montgomery took the lead in the Houston backfield in Week 1, carrying the ball 20 times versus nine attempts for Woody Marks. While he wasn't efficient, Montgomery had 60 yards and two touchdowns on the ground while adding another 19 yards and a score in the passing game.
Cincinnati allowed the second-most yards per rush attempt and the most fantasy points to running backs last season. Tampa Bay was mostly throwing against the Bengals in Week 1 to help make up for losing four fumbles, but Bucky Irving did average 5.6 yards per attempt and scored a touchdown on eight carries while also adding seven receptions for 48 yards.
I see Montgomery getting the ball often against a vulnerable Cincinnati defense; that has fantasy points written all over it. Don't count on three more touchdowns, but Montgomery has real RB2 appeal with flex value at a minimum.
Sit
J.K. Dobbins, Denver Broncos vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jaguars had one of the best run defenses in football last season, allowing the second-fewest yards per rush attempt and the second-fewest fantasy points to RBs. They continued that trend in Week 1, letting Quinshon Judkins gain only 33 yards on 12 carries. This looks like one of the toughest matchups around in the running game.
Dobbins had eight carries in Week 1 to just three for RJ Harvey, as the Denver offense struggled to do anything against Kansas City. They will have better days, but both backs will likely find it hard to find any room to run against the Jaguars. Harvey is more likely to do damage in the passing game, leaving Dobbins without many avenues for fantasy points. He belongs on the bench unless you're completely without other options.
Jeremiyah Love and Tyler Allgeier, Arizona Cardinals vs. Seattle Seahawks
We'll finish today with two pairs of running backs, first a group that includes the third overall pick in the most recent draft and a veteran who has found success at times but was buried a bit by another high draft pick in Atlanta after a good rookie season. Allgeier carried the ball 17 times in Week 1 and Love 11 times, while both players caught two passes.
Love suffered a high-ankle sprain in the preseason, and it's possible that they are easing him into things. It wouldn't be a surprise to see Love take a bigger role as things go along before usurping most of the load by mid-season. That uncertainty right now brings a little extra risk that either player could miss out on the best touches or just split the work too much to rack up big numbers.
The matchup is the real issue, though, as the Seahawks have one of the best defenses in football. Last season, they allowed the fewest yards per rush attempt and the third-fewest fantasy points to running backs. In Week 1, they held New England running backs to fewer than 3.0 yards per attempt, essentially shutting down the running game.
Many owners will start Love because of his draft status (in both real life and fantasy), but there is a real risk that he won't get enough touches and will be stifled when he does get the ball. The less explosive Allgeier is at even more risk, but I wouldn't feel comfortable with either guy in my lineup.
Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle, Pittsburgh Steelers @ New England Patriots
Our last pair are a couple of veterans who have found highs previously in their careers but haven't always been consistent fantasy performers. Dowdle has the bigger name because he absolutely broke out in a few games last season; he gained just 15 yards on eight carries in Week 1, though. Warren fared better (46 yards on 10 carries and five catches for 27 yards), but this is another split backfield that lowers the ceiling of both guys involved every time they take the field.
In 2025, the Patriots gave up the 10th-fewest yards per rush attempt and the fifth-fewest fantasy points per game to RBs. They held Seattle backs to 4.2 yards per carry in Week 1, the same number they allowed last season. New England isn't one of the best run defenses, but they are better than average at stopping teams on the ground.
Where I'm more worried about the matchup with the Arizona guys, this one is more about not trusting either back to get a chance to really excel while also facing a tougher defense. Both Warren and Dowdle are lower-level flex players this week, and I'd rather leave them both on the bench if I could.
