The first week of the NFL season is officially in the rearview mirror, and now fantasy football owners everywhere are trying to make the right start/sit decisions with their running backs. Will Nyheim Hines be a featured part of the offense? Does Peyton Barber actually matter? Only time will tell for sure, but let’s look at the data and come up with the best projection possible.
Note that this list is primarily designed to deal with your flex spots. By nature, there’s going to be some variance between this list and your actual league. Use this article as a general rule of thumb, but ultimately the final decision comes down to you.
Wide Receiver Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em
Nyheim Hines, Peyton Barber Fantasy Football Week 2 Running Back Start Sits
Start: Nyheim Hines
Even without Marlon Mack’s injury, Nyheim Hines figured to be a decent part of the Indianapolis Colts’ backfield. Hines saw the field early and often in the Week 1 loss and should keep his large role with Mack done for the season. Jonathan Taylor will be the star, but there are enough targets go to around. Philip Rivers loves throwing to his running backs, and head coach Frank Reich clearly believes Hines can be a good change-of-pace back as a runner. Don’t expect another two-touchdown performance, but his workload should make him a comfortable flex play in PPR leagues.
Sit: Peyton Barber
Peyton Barber singlehandedly derailed the Antonio Gibson hype train with a two-touchdown performance in Week 1. At first glance, he’d be the guy to own in this backfield. While that may be true, his ceiling is so low that you’re better off looking somewhere else. Barber is an objectively bad running back playing in a subpar offense. He doesn’t contribute in the passing game and he’s horribly inefficient on the ground. The only way he carries any fantasy relevance is if he falls into the endzone, and you simply can’t bank on that happening on a weekly basis.
Start: Benny Snell Without James Conner
As of this posting, nobody knows whether or not James Conner will play in Week 2. The oft-injured running back messed up his ankle in Week 1, leaving Benny Snell as the de-facto leader of the backfield. Ben Roethlisberger looked good in his season debut, and this offense should have plenty of scoring opportunities. Snell will receive said opportunities and should see a high percentage of the early-down work. Jaylen Samuels will be the pass-catching back, and that definitely puts a limit on Snell’s ceiling. However, the rushing volume alone makes him a good flex play if Conner isn’t ready to go.
Sit: Frank Gore
Frank Gore will live forever. Once again, the ageless wonder found a way into fantasy relevance. Le’Veon Bell suffered a hamstring injury, leaving Gore atop the New York Jets backfield. He’ll have his fair share of carries, but this offense is so bad that you shouldn’t go anywhere near it. On top of that, Gore probably won’t have full control. Bell left early in Week 1’s contest, and Gore saw 14 snaps to Josh Adams’ 13. Ultimately, Gore is going to split work in a low-scoring offense, and that’s something you should want no part of.
Start: James Robinson
James Robinson saw 100% of the running back carries in Week 1. That’s absolutely fantastic on a fantasy level, and there’s no reason to expect that to dramatically change moving forward. Jacksonville’s offense certainly isn’t the best in the league, but he should have his fair share of red zone carries in Week 2. Again, this isn’t a high-ceiling play, but Robinson’s workload ensures a safe floor.
Sit: Sony Michel
The New England Patriots are running a four-headed backfield, and Sony Michel is arguably the least-valuable head of the bunch. Michel found the endzone last week, but he still only averaged 3.7 yards-per-carry despite defenses having to worry about Cam Newton’s rushing ability. Rex Burkhead, J.J. Taylor, and James White all looked better, and all three have a chance to make plays in the passing game. The Patriots will have to throw more to keep up with Russell Wilson, which means Michel probably won’t see the field all that often in Week 2. He needs to score to be fantasy-relevant, and that’s the type of guy you should be staying away from.
Auto-Start (Better Than Nyheim Hines)
Christian McCaffrey, Saquon Barkley, Ezekiel Elliott, Derrick Henry, Alvin Kamara, Saquon Barkley, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Aaron Jones, Josh Jacobs, Jonathan Taylor, Kenyan Drake, Joe Mixon
Wide Receiver Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em
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