RUNNING BACK Start/Sit ADVICE: THE CUTBACK for Week 6

Nerds! The Dynasty Nerds writers are here to provide you with weekly start/sit advice 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.

QB | RB | WR | TE | IDP

One thing to keep in mind when making your 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 lineup unless the alternatives are worth it.

NOTE: Rankings are sourced from FantasyPros expert consensus expert rankings (ECR) and our terminology is for a 12-team PPR league. So, saying RB2 means top 24, or RB1 means top 12, etc.

WEEK 5 RESULTS

Running Back STARTS

D’Andre Swift | Chicago Bears | RB 14

Week 5 Stats | RB 2 | FPts 20.0 | Att 21 | Yds 73 | TDs 1 | Tgts 2 | Rec 2 | Yds 47 | TDs 0 | Confidence 80%

After a disastrous start to the season, D’Andre Swift has posted back-to-back 20 fantasy point games including a Week 5 finish as the overall RB2. Next up, the Jacksonville Jaguars who are fresh off allowing Indianapolis Colts backup running back Trey Sermon to finish as the RB6 on the week. 

Jacksonville has allowed 13-plus points to five different running backs this season, including three who have scored more than 18 points and one over 20 points. In Swift’s 2 career games against Jacksonville, he has rushed for 178 yards and scored three touchdowns. Swift is a must-start in this juicy matchup.

Chase Brown | Cincinnati Bengals | RB 18

Week 5 Stats | RB 11 | FPts 16.4 | Att 12 | Yds 46 | TDs 0 | Tgts 3 | Rec 3 | Yds 8 | TDs 1 | Confidence 80%

With Zack Moss missing practice Wednesday and Thursday, Brown is in line to start for the Bengals. Even if Moss does not miss Sunday’s game, Brown’s usage in the offense is trending upward as he has scored double-digit fantasy points in back-to-back games. 

While the matchup against the Giants is not as favorable as other options, Brown’s ability in the passing game does favor him well. The Giants have allowed the fourth most receiving yards to running backs and I anticipate another double-digit fantasy point performance from Brown.

Antonio Gibson | New England Patriots | RB 40

Week 5 Stats | RB 40 | FPts 6.6 | Att 6 | Yds 52 | TDs 0 | Tgts 1 | Rec 1 | Yds 4 | TDs 0 | Confidence 60%

Rhamondre Stevenson has not practiced all week while recovering from a foot injury. If Stevenson is unable to play, Antonio Gibson becomes a strong option as a flex candidate for your fantasy rosters. 

The Patriots are likely to lean heavily on their run game in Drake Maye’s first start. Gibson and Stevenson shared an identical 47% snap share in Week 5 which was the highest of the season for Gibson. If Stevenson is out, Gibson is in line for a heavy workload against the Houston Texans making him a good flex option.

Running Back SITS

Rachaad White | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | RB 26

Week 5 Stats | RB 31 | FPts 9.6 | Att 10 | Yds 72 | TDs 0 | Tgts 3 | Rec 3 | Yds -6 | TDs 0 | Confidence 50%

Rachaad White rushed for his best game of the season in Week 5 against Atlanta. However, fantasy managers should hold their optimism in putting White back in their starting lineups. In 4 career games against New Orleans, White has failed to score a rushing touchdown or rush for over 56 yards.

White has failed to score more than 10.4 points in all but one game, and he’s been held to single digits three times while losing snaps to rookie Bucky Irving. Per Fantasy Points, Irving saw a season high 43% snap count in Week 5. 

Jerome Ford | Cleveland Browns | RB 26

Week 5 Stats | RB 36 | FPts 7.9 | Att 9 | Yds 47 | TDs 0 | Tgts 3 | Rec 3 | Yds 2 | TDs 2 | Confidence 25%

The end is near for Jerome Ford. Nick Chubb’s return to the offense is looming. Over the past three games, Ford is averaging just 6.8 fppg. Also, add that in Week 5, Ford and fellow Browns running back D’Onta Foreman tied for the team lead in carries with 9.

The Philadelphia Eagles have only allowed one rushing touchdown to a running back this year. The Browns offense is extremely dysfunctional. I would not feel comfortable starting any piece of this offense. 

Running Back SPOTLIGHT | SIT

Brian Robinson Jr | Washington Commanders | RB 16

Week 5 Stats | RB 20 | FPts 13.8 | Att 7 | Yds 18 | TDs 2 | Tgts 0 | Rec  | Yds 0 | TDs 0 | Confidence 70%

I understand that options may be limited with 4 teams on a bye, but Robinson Jr. has an extremely tough matchup against the Baltimore Ravens. Baltimore has allowed a league-low 302 rushing yards on the season

While Robinson Jr. has produced double-digit fantasy points in every game this season, he is battling a knee injury that limited him to a season-low 7 carries in Week 5. Baltimore has allowed the 5th-fewest fantasy points per game to running backs at 2.9 yards per carry average.

QB | RB | WR | TE | IDP

If you’d like more advice on who to start or sit, check out our other positional articles using the toolbar above. Also check out Brad Custer’s (@MonCal) Positional Matchups article (including IDP):

If you want access to the full set of Dynasty Nerds ranks, make sure you sign up for the #nerdherd giving you access to our film room, extra podcasts, rankings, exclusive discord channel (every Sunday we answer your start/sit questions LIVE), and so much more. USE PROMO CODE “DYNASTYDAD15” to save 15% off your membership! Please follow me on “X” @dynastydadmike, where I love to chat about all things football. Also, for just a couple more bucks, you can get access to our DynastyGM tool that is revolutionizing dynasty football!