Fantasy Football Week 4 Running Back Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Do New Starters Belong in Your Lineup This Week?

The biggest fantasy football story coming out of Week 3 was that we lost two running backs to injury who were drafted within the first two or three rounds in fantasy drafts. One of those guys is expected back within a few weeks, but the other one is out for the season, and we will be talking about all the possible backups who are directly affected below.

Running backs generally suffer as many injuries as any other fantasy position, so finding the backups who will step up and keeping a stable of usable fantasy backs is crucial, especially when bye weeks start. That has already shown to be true within the first month of the season.

Let's look at three running backs to start and three to sit in Week 4 of the NFL season. Most stats are from NFL.com, and fantasy points and rankings are from FantasyPros.

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Start

Braelon Allen, New York Jets @ Chicago Bears

It looks like Breece Hall is set to miss at least one game (and maybe a few) after picking up a quad injury last week, and that leaves Allen as the top guy in New York. If you were lucky enough to grab him off waivers, Allen begins with a great matchup against the Bears and a chance to show that he deserves more time on the field.

Chicago has allowed the second-most yards per rush attempt, and though they are in the middle in terms of fantasy points allowed to RBs, the Bears have faced the sixth-fewest rush attempts, helping explain that disparity. Every starting running back that has faced Chicago so far has gained at least 4.6 yards per attempt, and Saquon Barkley just hit 5.5 on Monday night.

Allen hasn't had a chance to do much in his career yet, but he will get his best opportunity for at least a week if Hall misses this game as expected. If the starter plays, it's best to leave Allen on the bench, but I have faith that the backup can put together a good week if he's leading the way.

Jacory Croskey-Merritt, Washington Commanders vs. Indianapolis Colts

Croskey-Merritt has led the way on the ground for the Commanders, carrying the ball 47 times to 22 attempts for Rachaad White. White is more of a factor in the passing game (nine receptions and nine targets versus just three and three for Croskey-Merritt), but it's not as much of a split backfield as it might seem.

That could add up to fantasy points this week, as the Colts have allowed the fifth-most yards per rush attempt and the sixth-most fantasy points to running backs through three weeks. A lot of that damage came courtesy of Derrick Henry and Kenneth Walker, and Indy was able to hold down Houston last week (more about them in a second), but the Colts have looked vulnerable in all facets on defense and present a good matchup by 2026 numbers.

Washington just signed Austin Ekeler (coming off a torn Achilles early last season), but that's unlikely to change the math much for Croskey-Merritt. I'm comfortable starting him this week, and even White has some flex value, especially in PPR leagues.

David Montgomery and Woody Marks, Houston Texans vs. Dallas Cowboys

The Cowboys have been vulnerable against both the run and the pass, but they have struggled on the ground more, allowing the fourth-most yards per rush attempt and the eighth-most fantasy points to running backs. Though no individual player has reached 100 yards, the Giants, Commanders, and Ravens all hit triple digits combined with their RBs against Dallas.

The problem here is that we don't know who to trust. Montgomery has touched the ball more and scored three touchdowns in Week 1, but he has been terribly inefficient (2.8 yards per rush) and ceded goal line touches to Marks last week. Marks scored a touchdown on one of those carries, but he has been just as inefficient, averaging just 3.0 yards per carry.

I don't want to trust either back here, but there's some value at the flex level, especially if you're in a deep league. I still favor Montgomery, but if you have Marks and want to hope he can find the end zone again, the matchup at least points in the favor of both guys.

Sit

Omarion Hampton, Los Angeles Chargers @ Seattle Seahawks

As the clear top back on his team, Hampton isn't a guy who fantasy owners are looking to bench very often. He has 50 carries versus just 17 for Keaton Mitchell, and while Hampton hasn't been terribly efficient (3.9 yards per carry), he has racked up 214 total yards and scored twice in three games.

The bigger issue here is the matchup, as the Seahawks have given up the third-fewest yards per rush attempt and the fifth-fewest fantasy points to RBs. Rhamondre ran for 51 yards in Week 1, but no other player has topped 36 yards on the ground against Seattle otherwise. A lot of owners will start Hampton because they don't have many other good options, but it's worth checking to see if you are able to reasonably leave him on your bench with a really tough matchup.

Ollie Gordon and Jaylen Wright, Miami Dolphins @ Minnesota Vikings

Our final two sit recommendations are both pairs of running backs, and that's part of the problem. Splitting touches means that each player in question only gets about half as many touches as they would otherwise, lessening their chances of racking up yards and finding the end zone.

De'Von Achane suffered a torn ACL last week, and I was pushing owners to grab Gordon and/or Wright during the waiver period. Well, if you were lucky enough to get one of those guys, that doesn't necessarily mean that they should be inserted right into your lineup, even if you just lost Achane.

The matchup here is a problem, as the Vikings have given up the fourth-fewest yards per rush attempt and the fourth-fewest fantasy points to running backs. No RB has been able to reach 50 rushing yards against Minnesota, and they also haven't allowed a touchdown to a back either rushing or receiving.

We're not sure who is going to lead the way in the Miami backfield (if both guys are healthy), and it's probably most likely that they will share the load. Throw in a really tough matchup, and there's not a lot of upside here for Gordon or Wright.

Travis Etienne and Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints vs. Atlanta Falcons

These two backs have essentially split the touches right down the middle over the past two weeks (Kamara missed Week 1), and Kendre Miller was even involved on Sunday, getting six touches compared to 15 for Etienne and 10 for Kamara. Again, that makes it too tough to know who might get that big play or fall into the end zone. I trust Etienne the most, but that's still a tough proposition on any given week.

It's even worse in this one, as the Falcons have allowed the fewest yards per rush attempt and the third-fewest fantasy points to RBs. Jaylen Warren and Chuba Hubbard were able to do average work on the ground, and Hubbard caught a short touchdown pass, but Atlanta has mostly been shutting down running backs.

This is another case of not knowing who is going to lead the way in the backfield, and even if you do think Etienne will be the top guy, it's clear that his teammates are going to cut into his work and take away valuable touches. With a run defense that has been superb, I'm not excited about trying any of the New Orleans RBs this week.