Fantasy Football Start ’em, Sit ’em: Week 2 RBs Include Jordan Mason

Multiple RBs surprised us right out of the gates in Week 1 of the new season. The top five PPR scorers at the position last week were Saquon Barkley, Joe Mixon, De’Von Achance, J.K. Dobbins, and Jordan Mason. Rest assured, no one saw the entirety of that quintet as the top of their fantasy football start ’em, sit ’em bingo card. As we roll over to Week 2, it’s only fair to expect more of the unexpected. For all of the fantasy stars that exist at the position, injuries, opportunities and matchups remain relevant when it comes to making tough lineup decisions.

Below, we aim to shed some light on those potential close fantasy football start ’em, sit ’em calls at the RB position. This means we are not talking about players like Breece Hall, Saquon Barkley or Jonathan Taylor. However, the RB2 and FLEX positions are a bit more fluid, causing some tough decisions to be made. To help you through these tough decisions, check out our weekly fantasy football rankings and read on for our Week 2 fantasy football start ’em, sit ’em analysis at RB.

Wide Receivers — Week 2 Fantasy Football Start/Sit

Tight Ends — Week 2 Fantasy Football Start/Sit

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Fantasy Football Start ’em, Sit ’em: Week 2 RBs

Start: Jordan Mason Fantasy Outlook vs. Vikings

Expert Consensus Ranking (ECR) Rank: 24

The NFL world was officially introduced to San Francisco 49ers’ RB, Jordan Mason, this past Monday night. The third-year pro out of Georgia Tech did not disappoint. With Christian McCaffrey being ruled out hours before kickoff, many fantasy managers were caught in a bind as far as actually enjoying Mason’s Week 1 outburst. On the bright side, the latest injury updates on McCaffrey suggest that Mason will be a big factor again in Week 2 fantasy football start ’em, sit ’em.

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From @GMFB: #49ers RB Christian McCaffrey (Achilles/calf) feels like a long-shot for Sunday against the #Vikings. pic.twitter.com/PR41Qc3wkQ

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 11, 2024

Based on how well Mason played in the opener, it seems hard to believe that the 49ers will feel any sort of urgency to rush McCaffrey back. Now that he has the opportunity, managers should expect that Mason will continue to make good on it. He will be up against a Minnesota Vikings defense that had solid numbers in Week 1. That said, posting solid numbers against the New York Giants is the epitome of punching down. Mason is almost certain to supersede his RB24 ECR ranking.

Start: Tony Pollard Fantasy Outlook vs. Jets

ECR Rank: 25

The Tennessee Titans’ backfield was one of the more unknowns on the fantasy football front coming into the season. To some, Tony Pollard felt like an inadequate replacement to the departed Derrick Henry. However, Pollard looked the part in his Titans debut last weekend. He played 70% of the snaps compared to just 45% for Tyjae Spears. Pollard averaged north of five yards per carry and found the end zone to finish as the RB12 on the week in PPR scoring.

The workload split between Pollard and Spears will likely be more even as the year goes on. The fact that the Titans are hosting the New York Jets could actually mean that this will be another pro-Pollard game. New York just got eviscerated on the ground by the aforementioned Jordan Mason. Despite all of the hype surrounding this defense, the struggles to stop the run are not new. Last year, the Jets allowed the seventh-most PPR points to opposing RBs. Pollard has a sneaky good opportunity and should make for a solid Week 2 start.

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Sit: D’Andre Swift Fantasy Outlook vs. Texans

ECR Rank: 28

Only one game has been played, but I don’t believe it’s that much of an overreaction to say the Chicago Bears offense is nowhere close to being as good as advertised. You see, the Bears and their fans and the clowns in sports talk forgot two things. 1) Caleb Williams is a rookie quarterback who will have growing pains. 2) The Bears did very little to improve an average offensive line at best. Poor line play was a big part of D’Andre Swift only mustering three yards per carry last week.

From a volume and opportunity standpoint, it’s clear that Swift is the top dog in the Chicago backfield. However, the O-line problems aren’t going away. This offense was downright awful last week. It’s almost impossible for them not to have a better output in Week 2. For Swift from a fantasy standpoint, it could prove difficult yet again against a Houston Texans defense that kept Jonathan Taylor in check in the opener. There are better RB2 options out there this week.

Sit: Javonte Williams Fantasy Outlook vs. Steelers

ECR Rank: 31

Last week, Javonte Williams was on the positive side of our fantasy football start ’em, sit ’em spectrum. He failed to deliver for us thanks to both incredible inefficiency and a lack of opportunity. Unfortunately for managers depending on the Denver Broncos’ top RB, more struggles are likely on the horizon in Week 2.

First and foremost, the fact that Williams is in what appears to be a full-blown committee backfield doesn’t bode well. He only played 52% of the team’s offensive snaps in Week 1. Jaleel McLaughlin played a healthy 35% and isn’t going anywhere. Rookie Audric Estime could also see his role expand. In addition, Williams and all Broncos RBs will have to contend with a nasty Pittsburgh Steelers defense in Week 2. All of this combined makes it a great week to find an alternative option.