Fantasy Football Start ’em, Sit ’em: Week 3 RBs Include D’Andre Swift

The first two weeks of the NFL season have largely been total chaos. From big underdogs winning games outright to surprising fantasy football performances, there has been some of everything. The running back position has been no exception. After two games, De’Von Achane ranks as the RB2, J.K. Dobbins is the RB4 and Jordan Mason is the RB7. Even the New England Patriots, who everyone thought would be downright awful coming into the year, have a top-10 fantasy producer as Rhamondre Stevenson ranks as the RB9.

As we turn the page to Week 3, fantasy managers continue to encounter new obstacles. Christian McCaffrey and Isiah Pacheco are both on IR. Kenneth Walker III missed last week and is in danger of missing again this Sunday. The same is true of Joe Mixon. With two weeks’ worth of injuries, as well as data to assess as far as which players are getting opportunities, there are several things to consider in this week’s fantasy football start ’em, sit ’em.

Of course, players like Breece Hall, Saquon Barkley and Jonathan Taylor will be started in lineups every week provided that they are healthy. It’s the RB2 and FLEX spots where things get a little bit trickier. To help you make some of these tough decisions, check out our weekly fantasy football rankings and read on for our Week 3 fantasy football start ’em, sit ’em analysis at RB.

Wide Receivers — Week 3 Fantasy Football Start/Sit

Tight Ends — Week 3 Fantasy Football Start/Sit

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Fantasy Football Start ’em, Sit ’em: Week 3 RBs

Start: D’Andre Swift Fantasy Outlook vs. Colts

Expert Consensus Ranking (ECR) Rank: 26

Anyone who drafted D’Andre Swift to be their RB2 has been left kicking themselves after each of the first two games. The problem thus far has not been Swift or volume, but rather the poor play of the Chicago Bears’ offensive line. With such poor blocking in front of him, Swift has been very inefficient with his touches. Last week was as bad as it gets, as he only mustered 18 yards on 14 carries (1.39 yards per carry average). Had he not caught four passes, the fantasy output would have been even worse.

Despite not giving managers much of anything to feel positive about through two games, Swift might finally break out of his rut in Week 3. The Bears will face an Indianapolis Colts outfit that has been brutal defensively against the run. Indy has ceded 237.0 rushing yards on average in the first two weeks. Not only is that the worst mark in the league, but it’s nearly 40 yards worse than any other team! Making matters worse, star defensive lineman DeForest Buckner was placed on IR this week. Even the crappy Bears O-line should be able to open some holes for Swift this week.

Start: Jerome Ford Fantasy Outlook vs. Giants

ECR Rank: 27

In another example that has us buying on bad news, so to speak, Jerome Ford has a great opportunity to exceed his ECR ranking of RB27 this week. Unlike Swift, Ford has been quite efficient with his carries through two games. The concern here is that he was doubled up on carries last week by D’Onta Foreman. However, Foreman’s inefficiency combined with Ford being the better pass-catcher both point towards the latter being the preferred fantasy option out of the Cleveland Browns backfield.

So, why should we trust Ford as a fantasy football start ’em, sit ’em option one week after he only had eight total touches? Well, the fact that the Browns are hosting the New York Giants in Week 3 certainly helps. The Giants have allowed 163 yards rushing per game through two weeks and over 26 PPR fantasy points to opposing backs. This defense is simply not what it was with Don “Wink” Martindale no longer calling the shots. Look for Ford to bounce back and crack the RB2 threshold this week. cf

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Sit: Kyren Williams Fantasy Outlook vs. 49ers

ECR Rank: 13

You can call me crazy and stop reading this selection right now if you want, but dammit, I’m sticking with it. Kyren Williams is ranked as the RB13 in the ECR ahead of the Los Angeles Rams’ Week 3 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers (but he’s much lower in our rankings). Most weeks, even with a difficult opponent, Williams is locked in as a positive fantasy football start ’em, sit ’em candidate. Hell, he’s so good that he typically wouldn’t even pop up in this column. Unfortunately, this is not “most weeks”.

So, what’s wrong with Williams? Nothing that we know of. The question actually is, what’s wrong with the rest of the Rams’ offense? Gee, I don’t know, the two star receivers are out hurt. More importantly, so is virtually the entire starting offensive line. So, not only is Williams the only reliable piece still standing, but he has a bunch of reserves trying to block for him. He has already failed to average three yards per carry in each of the first two games. Do we really expect that to change against the nasty Niners’ defense?

Look, I get it. Williams will almost certainly be started as an RB3 or FLEX option at the very least in all leagues this week. For those managers who are in such a situation, please temper your expectations. You were warned here first.

Sit: Najee Harris Fantasy Outlook vs. Chargers

ECR Rank: 24

By now, most fantasy managers are probably familiar with the situation that is the Pittsburgh Steelers’ backfield. Through two games, Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren are once again sabotaging the other from being a true workhorse RB. However, despite only playing 56% and 45% of the offensive snaps in the first two games, respectively, Harris has garnered plenty of touches. 20 rushing attempts in Week 1 were followed by 17 last week. That said, his failure to find the end zone resulted in two very mediocre fantasy scoring outputs.

Given how the Steelers’ offense has looked to date, it’s difficult to bank on Harris to score a touchdown in Week 3, or any week, for that matter. Assuming he doesn’t reach pay dirt, this week could be even more lackluster given that Pittsburgh takes on the Los Angeles Chargers. Through two games, the Bolts are allowing the sixth-fewest average rushing yards to opponents and less than 19 PPR points per game to the position. As such, Harris figures to be hard-pressed to live up to his RB2-caliber ECR ranking this week.