Nerds! The Dynasty Nerds writers are here to provide you with weekly starts and sits all season long. We will be making our recommendations based on weekly consensus PPR rankings. Here are the running back starts and sits from senior writer Mychal Warno.
One thing to keep in mind when making start/sit decisions; it will ALWAYS depend on who your other options are. Don’t take the players below out of (or put them into) your lineups unless the alternates are worth it. NOTE: Rankings are sourced from FantasyPros expert consensus rankings (ECR) and our terminology is for a 12-team PPR league.
Reach out on Twitter, Discord, or respond in the comments below with any questions regarding your personal league settings.
Running Back START
JORDAN MASON | v. MIN | 21.2 FPPG| ECR 21 | 85% Confidence
San Francisco 49ers’ head coach Kyle Shanahan said Christian McCaffrey is dealing with a calf strain and Achilles tendinitis which allowed Jordan Mason to get the start in Week 1. With no urgency to rush McCaffrey back, this appears to be Mason’s backfield and I could see him producing low-end RB1, high-end RB2 (RB10-14) numbers while being ranked as RB21.
J.K. DOBBINS | v. CAR | 19.9 FPPG| ECR 19 | 90% Confidence
J.K. Dobbins has a juicy matchup against Carolina who allowed 180 rushing yards in Week 1. Dobbins is coming off of an RB4 overall finish where he looked healthy running against the Las Vegas defense and he saw a larger share of the snaps than his backfield teammate Gus Edwards (58% to 42%). With Los Angeles committed to running the ball and a great match up against Carolina, Dobbins appears to be a great start.
Running Back Flex
BUCKY IRVING | v. DET | 7.6 FPPG | ECR 45 | 45% Confidence
If you are a Christian McCaffrey manager and you did not get Jordan Mason as a handcuff, you may be in need of a flex-worthy starter. Enter Bucky Irving who in Week 1 appeared to be the more efficient runner between himself and Rachaad White. The matchup is not the greatest, but Irving is showing a lot of the potential that Dynasty Nerds staff already identified. Irving is currently ranked at RB45 and should produce inside RB36 numbers
Running Back SIT
AARON JONES | v. SF | 16.9 FPPG | ECR 24 | 45% Confidence
Aaron Jones looked good in Week 1 against the New York Giants as he rushed for 94 yards and a touchdown, finishing tied as the RB7 with 16.9 fantasy points. Jones faces the Niners this week which is obviously a tougher match-up than the Giants. If you have better options, I view Jones as a viable sit candidate.
JAVONTE WILLIAMS | v. PIT | 2.3 FPPG | ECR 32 | 10% Confidence
Javonte Williams was a popular name among the dynasty community for a bounce back season. Unfortunately, Week 1 did not show the promise that fantasy managers hoped for as Williams rushed 8 times for 27 yards. Williams is RB29 on the week and should be sat on your bench against a Steelers defense who just held Bijan Robinson to 68 rushing yards on 18 carries.
Running Back SPOTLIGHT: SIT
JAHMYR GIBBS | v. TB | 13.4 FPPG | ECR 9 | 75% Confidence
I’m not saying that you should bench Gibbs, but scale back your expectations. Gibbs is currently ranked as RB9 on Fantasy Pros and Tampa Bay has commonly been in the bottom third of the league for fantasy points allowed to running backs under Todd Bowles. During Week 1, Gibbs’ backfield teammate David Montgomery out touched Gibbs 17 to 11 and appeared to be the more efficient running back. Gibbs should be viewed as more of an RB2 this week.
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