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 is the Week 7 Running Back Start/Sit from senior writer Mychal Warno.
One thing to keep in mind when making your running back 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 6 RESULTS
| Player | FPts | Rush Yds | Recs | Rec Yds | TDs | Call | Rank | Result | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| D’Andre Swift | 21.9 | 91 | 4 | 6 | 1 | Start | 14 | 6 | +8 |
| Chase Brown | 14.4 | 53 | 2 | 11 | 1 | Start | 20 | 18 | +2 |
| Antonio Gibson | 7.3 | 19 | 3 | 24 | 0 | Start | 37 | 34 | +3 |
| Rachaad White | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Sit | DNP | N/A | |
| Jerome Ford | 1.4 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Sit | 26 | 57 | -31 |
| Brian Robinson Jr | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Sit | DNP | N/A |
Running Back START/sit
J.K. Dobbins | Los Angeles Chargers | RB 13
Week 6 Stats | RB 14 | FPts 18.2 | Att 25 | Yds 96 | TD 1 | Tgts 2 | Rec 2 | Yds 6 | Confidence 80%
J.K. Dobbins is currently projected the fourth highest points (17.01) by the Dynasty Nerds lineup optimizer, making him a must-start. Los Angeles placed Gus Edwards on injured reserve, paving the way for Dobbins to be the clear lead option in Los Angeles’ run-heavy offense.
Dobbins gets a great matchup against the Arizona Cardinals who have allowed over 150 rushing yards in their last 4 games. Arizona has also allowed 5 running backs to score 15+ fantasy points.
Running Back START/sit
Brian Robinson Jr. | Washington Commanders | RB 17
Week 6 Stats | DNP | Knee Injury | Confidence 85%
After missing Week 6 with a knee injury, Robinson Jr. was back on the practice field Wednesday, which is a promising sign for his availability on Sunday. If Brian Robinson Jr. can return in Week 7, he will have a fantastic matchup against the Carolina Panthers.
Carolina’s defense has surrendered the most fantasy points to running backs and the most rushing touchdowns (12). Carolina has also allowed the second most rushing yards (921) behind only the Indianapolis Colts. Robinson Jr. has RB1 upside in this matchup.
Running Back START/sit
Tank Bigsby | Jacksonville Jaguars | RB 20
Week 6 Stats | RB 51 | FPts 2.4 | Att 7 | Yds 24 | Tgts 0 | Confidence 80%
Travis Etienne is still dealing with a hamstring injury and his status for Sunday is uncertain. But let’s face it, Tank Bigsby has been the better running back in Jacksonville this season. Bigsby has a solid matchup against the New England Patriots who allowed nearly 200 rushing yards in Week 6 to the Houston Texans.
Their defense has allowed seven rushing touchdowns and the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing running backs going into Week 7. Bigsby just needs the Jaguars to stay in a neutral game script so he can the touches—he’s been an efficient runner when given the opportunity this season.
Running Back start/SIT
Aaron Jones | Minnesota Vikings | RB 46
Week 6 Stats | BYE Week | Confidence 50%
Aaron Jones suffered a hip injury in the Vikings’ Week 5 win over the New York Jets. Luckily for Jones, Week 6 was a bye week for the Vikings allowing extra rest. If Jones plays, he gets a difficult matchup against the Detroit Lions who have allowed the third-fewest fantasy points to the running back position. In four career games, Jones has never rushed for 100 yards against Detroit since Dan Campbell has been the head coach. Jones has only one rushing touchdown in those games.
Dynasty Nerds currently has Jones projected at 11.81 fantasy points which is a -3.15 differential from Sleeper’s 15.01 total. Jones is a flex-option, and I would feel more comfortable with other options.
Running Back start/SIT
Zack Moss | Cincinnati Bengals| RB 31
Week 6 Stats | RB 67 | FPts .5 | Att 6 | Yds 13 | Tgts 1 | Rec 1 | Yds 2 | Confidence 25%
Zack Moss did not do himself any favors on securing the Bengals lead-back role. Moss fumbled in the third quarter of Cincinnati’s Monday night win over the New York Giants and did not return to the game. Over the last two games, Moss has accumulated 19 total touches while being out carried by Chase Brown. Moss should be left on the bench in fantasy lineups for Week 7.
Take a look at Data Nerd Brad Custer’s Positional Matchups Chart to find your best alternatives:
SPOTLIGHT | Running Back start/SIT
Jordan Mason | San Francisco 49ers | RB 9
Week 6 Stats | RB 31 | FPts 9.2 | Att 9 | Yds 73 | Tgts 2 | Rec 1 | Yds 9 | Confidence 70%
In Week 6, Jordan Mason was on his way to another spectacular fantasy performance. Mason injured his shoulder early in the second quarter. After a 14-yard run, he landed hard on the shoulder during a tackle which was diagnosed as a sprained AC joint. Mason was limited in Wednesday’s practice and appears to be on a path to play Sunday against the Kansas City Chiefs.
According to Fantasy Points Data, Kansas City allows the fewest fantasy points to the running back position (12.6). Mason also has a limited role in the passing game making him a touchdown dependent running back playing against a team that has only allowed 2 rushing touchdowns on the season. Your options may be limited to sit Mason but your expectations need to be tempered.
Thank you for reading the Week 7 Running Back Start/Sit. If you’re itching for dynasty content, check out Senior Nerd Tristan Cook’s Running Back Rankings for the 2025 NFL Draft Class:
