Fantasy Football Week 3 RB Start/Sit: Quinshon Judkins, Blake Corum, Javonte Williams, and More

Star fantasy backs are sparse; that's why I like loading up on RBs in the draft. When you're loaded, though, it's about playing matchups, and that's what we are looking to do here today.

Let's look at three running backs to start and three to sit in Week 3 of the fantasy football season. Most stats are from NFL.com, and fantasy points and rankings are from FantasyPros.

Use FantasySP's start/sit tool to compare players and help make your toughest lineup decisions!

Start

Blake Corum, Los Angeles Rams @ Denver Broncos

Coming into the season, many expected Corum to take a bigger share of the load from Kyren Williams. They have split the carries evenly, and Corum has actually been more efficient, averaging 6.0 yards per carry versus 5.5 for Williams. Those are both very good numbers, though Williams has caught five passes to just one for Corum and has two touchdowns to Corum's zero.

Both guys are likely to keep touching the ball plenty, and the matchup is in their favor this week. Kenneth Walker tore up the Broncos in Week 1, gaining 173 rushing yards on 7.5 per attempt. Bhayshul Tuten then averaged 5.0 yards per rush last week, scoring a touchdown after Walker had two (one through the air).

Los Angeles is likely to keep running the ball well, and with Denver failing to stop the run so far, Corum has fantasy value. Owners are likely starting Williams no matter what, but Corum is worth at least flex consideration also.

Quinshon Judkins, Cleveland Browns vs. Carolina Panthers

Carolina has found plenty of offensive success this season, but they have also faltered against the run. D'Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai combined for 224 yards and four touchdowns on the ground in that Week 1 beatdown; yes, you read that right. Then even as Carolina dominated Atlanta last week, Bijan Robinson and Brian Robinson Jr. combined to rack up 123 rushing yards on 4.6 per attempt, a good day.

Judkins has started about as poorly as could be imagined for a guy who was drafted in the first three rounds of fantasy drafts. Judkins' 24 rush attempts have gone for only 54 yards (2.3 per attempt), though seven catches for 44 yards help a little. While there are surely better days ahead, Judkins has been brutal so far.

Owners are likely panicking right now, but don't give up on Judkins yet. This is a chance for a much better day if the numbers so far are any indication.

David Montgomery, Houston Texans @ Indianapolis Colts

Indianapolis is one of our favorite targets based on 2026 numbers, allowing the second-most yards per rush attempt and the third-most fantasy points to RBs through two weeks. I also said this when talking about their horrid pass defense, though: Indy has faced the Ravens and the Chiefs in the first two games, teams that are going to make a lot of defenses look bad. Things are likely to get better as we go along.

Montgomery had a big fantasy Week 1, gaining 79 total yards and scoring three touchdowns. He was inefficient doing it (3.0 yards per rush attempt), but there was a chance for him to again rack up stats against a questionable Bengals defense last week. Instead, Montgomery had just 10 yards on six carries and two catches for 14 yards, a highly disappointing outing.

There is risk here, as Montgomery hasn't shown any efficiency, but he has touched the ball the most in Houston, and that's half the battle. With the matchup heavily in his favor based on the past two weeks, there's a little value in Montgomery as a flex player again.

Sit

Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Washington Commanders vs. Seattle Seahawks

Croskey-Merritt has led the Washington backfield so far, taking twice as many carries as Rachaad White (28 to 14). White will always be more involved in the passing game, catching eight balls to Croskey-Merritt's two, but it's encouraging for the younger player that he has been clearly leading the ground game, even with below-average efficiency (3.8 yards per attempt).

Seattle just makes things rough on everyone. They have given up the ninth-fewest yards per rush attempt and the eighth-fewest fantasy points to running backs, and the Seahawks have also allowed just 17 points in their first two games. This is one of the best defenses in football, leading me to be wary of using anyone but the best fantasy players against them.

Add in Jayden Daniels being out, and things are likely to be tough for everyone on Washington's offense. I don't like Croskey-Merritt's chances of accumulating yards or finding the end zone.

Rico Dowdle, Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cincinnati Bengals

We usually talk about matchups during the start/sit exercise, but this one is about the player as much as the team he is facing. Dowdle is questionable with a toe injury and might not play, but even if he does, he's probably a player to leave on the bench.

There's always risk in trusting a guy with an injury, even if he takes the field, and Dowdle has also been outplayed by teammate Jaylen Warren in every facet through two games. It wouldn't be a surprise to see Warren get more work in this split backfield even when both are healthy.

Cincinnati has been a little better than average in terms of yards per rush attempt allowed, and they have given up the 10th-fewest fantasy points per game to running backs. Things might not continue so well, as the Bengals were among the worst rush defenses in football last season, but they have been able to hold down volume this season.

Warren might still be a decent fantasy option this week, especially if his backfield-mate is out, but I can't recommend Dowdle right now until we see him actually do something.

Javonte Williams, Dallas Cowboys vs. Baltimore Ravens

Williams has been inefficient through the first two games; is it starting to sound like I'm repeating myself? He is averaging just 3.0 yards per rush on 24 attempts, though he has supplemented that with 51 yards on eight receptions and scored two TDs in Week 1 (one through the air). Williams had a very good year last season, and he is going to have better games, but things haven't been great so far.

Baltimore got beat on the ground in Week 1, but I can excuse that a bit, as Jonathan Taylor is going to make a lot of defenses look porous (he had 98 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries). The Ravens were much better last week, holding the duo of Travis Etienne Jr. and Alvin Kamara to just 40 yards on 17 rushes, 2.4 per attempt. I expect to see more games like the latter than the former.

Some owners might not have a better option than a guy who clearly leads his backfield and is involved in both the run and passing games; if that's your team and you need to rely on Williams, that's fine. There is a low floor here, though, if his inefficiency continues and Baltimore again shows their stout run D. Think twice before putting Williams in your lineup.