Pressure makes diamonds. There is no pressure quite like trying to plug in the right fantasy football options from a roster full of similar options. I’m happy to help you make those final decisions when it comes to your RB start/sit calls.
Data from TruMedia, unless stated
Which Running Backs Should Fantasy Managers Start in Week 3?
Zack Moss, Cincinnati Bengals (vs. WAS)
For a player on a 0-2 team without 110 scrimmage yards this season, I’m oddly optimistic about Moss’ outlook moving forward. He has tripled the carry count of Chase Brown in both games this season and earned four targets in the season-opening loss to the Patriots.
Moss’ snap share:
- Week 1: 64.6%
- Week 2: 82%
With the Commanders on the slate to round out this week and a date with the Panthers next Sunday, your opportunity to invest in Moss is likely running short. He’s an average RB2 for me who I’m playing over a featured back in a similarly positive matchup like Jerome Ford.
Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. LAC)
For the season, Harris has played 53.2% of the snaps, an underwhelming rate when you consider that Pittsburgh has been pretty upfront about the health, or lack thereof, of Warren (36.3% snap share).
Like this run from RB Najee Harris. Strong lower body to change directions like that, jumping left and right. Then the drive to finish the run. Looks more explosive and quicker this year after dropping some offseason weight. #Steelers pic.twitter.com/yglThXQCnM
— Alex Kozora (@Alex_Kozora) September 18, 2024
Harris’ profile is nothing new. Volume, volume, volume. He is one of just four running backs with at least 17 carries in both weeks (Rhamondre Stevenson, Saquon Barkley, and Jordan Mason, the others), a role that projects as sustainable until we get proof that Warren is at full strength.
Harris isn’t exciting, and I don’t expect this game to be highlighted on “NFL RedZone” very often, but that doesn’t mean he can’t provide RB2 value, something he’s been doing for years.
Which Running Backs Should Fantasy Managers Sit in Week 3?
Carson Steele, Samaje Perine, and Kareem Hunt, Kansas City Chiefs (at ATL)
Steele (undrafted rookie out of UCLA) pretty clearly has the attention of this coaching staff, as he has gotten valuable work through the first two weeks, but expecting him to handle stepping into Pacheco’s voluminous role is overly optimistic.
Perine spent much of this summer with the Broncos, but it stands to reason that, with time, he’ll carve out a niche in this offense due to his reliability on third down. Edwards-Helaire is on injured reserve and will miss at least two more games, though his NFL experience at least makes him worthy of a stash now if he was cut loose.
Of course, you know what you’re getting with CEH if you go down that road. Of the 64 qualified RBs since 2022, he ranks 62nd in percentage of carries that have gained 10+ yards (6.4%, ahead of only AJ Dillon and Ezekiel Elliott).
And then there is Hunt, a 29-year-old coming off of a season in which he averaged just 3.0 yards per carry for the Browns. His familiarity with the system makes him a speculative add. However, I’d guess that, in the short term, he’d be more of a drain on the options already in place than a true threat to have fantasy value himself.
The moral of the story is that we have several moving pieces that are close to a valuable role but not of whom project favorably should they earn it. There’s been a lot of carnage at the Flex positions throughout the league up to this point, which makes all of these RBs worthy of your attention, even if the projectable ceilings aren’t anywhere close to the value that Pacheco was as the RB1 in K.C.’s offense.