Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 2: Running Back Rankings

Los Angeles Rams v Denver Broncos
Los Angeles Rams v Denver Broncos

Your running backs can make or break you in any given week in fantasy football.

In Week 1, several of them were complete duds and likely cost you a win in the first week of fantasy football: Najee Harris, Ezekiel Elliott, and Raheem Mostert. Week 2 is right around the corner and lineups need to be locked in before Thursday Night Football. Is there an RB on the rise that you have stuffed on your bench or is there someone available to scoop up?

Here's who to start, who to sit, and the top 10 running backs set to be major players in Week 2 of fantasy football.

Fantasy Football RB Start 'Em

#1 - Najee Harris - Pittsburgh Steelers, vs Las Vegas Raiders

Najee Harris mustered under six points in fantasy football in Week 1 against the Buffalo Bills. He even ended up playing every offensive snap and could be a workhorse again against the Raiders. Las Vegas gave up 189 rushing yards to the Baltimore Ravens and Harris could see a decent improvement from Week 1. He should be able to at least give you double-digits in fantasy football.

#2 - Melvin Gordon - Denver Broncos, at Jacksonville Jaguars

Melvin Gordon ripped off over 100 yards against the New York Giants, who have a decent DL. Gordon averaged more than nine yards per carry and scored a TD, even though he had fewer touches than Javonte Williams. Mark Ingram helped the Houston Texans run all over the Jaguars for 160 yards. Melvin Gordon should have no issue carving up close to 100 yards in Week 2 and Javonte Williams could have a good day as well.

#3 - Chris Carson - Seattle Seahawks, vs Tenessee Titans

Chris Carson tends to bounce around from "start" to "sit" every fantasy football season and gets overlooked at times. He ended up with 19 touches in Week 1 and can be a contributor in the passing game. The Arizona Cardinals' ground game found success against the Tennessee Titans' defense last week, and Carson has the tendency to score a few TDs.

Fantasy Football RB Sit 'Em

#1 - Saquon Barkley - New York Giants, at Washington

Fantasy football players who drafted Saquon Barkley are getting antsy to play him in hopes he has a great game. Sorry to tell you, you'll have to wait a bit longer. He had just 11 touches against the Denver Broncos, but Washington has an even better run defense. Joe Judge really wants to keep him on a snap-count to avoid another injury and Barkley could burn you in fantasy football again if you play him in Week 2.

#2 - Josh Jacobs - Las Vegas Raiders, at Pittsburgh Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers have allowed just three RBs to score more than 15 fantasy football points on them at Heinz Field since Week 1 of 2020. Josh Jacobs had just 10 carries for 34 yards on Monday Night Football and it's short week for the Raiders. The Steelers' DL caused quite a ruckus against the Bills last week and will be the favorites against Las Vegas.

#3 - Tevin Coleman - New York Jets, vs New England Patriots

If you have Tevin Coleman in fantasy football, you may want to drop him in a waiver wire transaction in the near future. He had more carries than both Ty Johnson and Michael Carter combined, but he wasn't productive in the slightest. Even if he gets the bulk of the load against the New England Patriots, their defense won't allow him much room to run either. Michael Carter could get more carries than Coleman shortly.

Top 10 fantasy running backs to start in Week 2

  • Christian McCaffrey - Carolina Panthers, vs New Orleans Saints
  • Alvin Kamara - New Orleans Saints, at Carolina Panthers
  • Nick Chubb - Cleveland Browns, vs Houston Texans
  • Dalvin Cook - Minnesota Vikings, at Arizona Cardinals
  • Derrick Henry - Tennessee Titans, at Seattle Seahawks
  • Najee Harris - Pittsburgh Steelers, vs Las Vegas Raiders
  • Aaron Jones - Green Bay Packers, vs Detroit Lions
  • Joe Mixon - Cincinnati Bengals, at Chicago Bears
  • Jonathan Taylor - Indianapolis Colts, vs LA Rams
  • Anthony Gibson - Washington, vs New York Giants

Also Check Out: Complete NFL Week 2 TV Schedule

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