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Which running back will shine in Week 2 for your fantasy football teams? We’ll take a look at all of them in our PPR rankings.
Welcome to Week 2 of the NFL season. As usual, Week 1 was full of curve balls for fantasy players, with Monday night being the biggest curveball with Christian McCaffrey being a surprise inactive. Of course, Week 1 was also full of players and teams trying to get into rhythm. Some did, and some didn’t, but we did get to see a lot of football and now it’s time to take what we learned and apply it to Week 2.
Split backfields in Week 1
Every backfield is split to a degree, but some are more so than others. In Week 1 we hopefully learned something about these splits.
Derrick Henry/Justice Hill. Ravens
Hill ended up having more snaps than Henry, but Henry still out-touched him 13 to 7. This close split was due completely to the Ravens trailing for much of the game and them going to Hill in the hurry up/pass first offense. This has always been a problem for Henry, but the Ravens won’t always face the defending champion Chiefs. Henry still managed a rushing touchdown in a game he didn’t see many snaps and in better game script he could get on a roll.
Travis Etienne/Tank Bigsby, Jaguars
The reports of Bigsby looking great in training camp appear to have been accurate, as he played very well in Week 1 against Miami. He managed 73 rushing yards on 12 attempts, while Etienne rushed 12 times for 44 yards, but did score a touchdown and caught two short passes. Etienne was the lead back by quite a bit, as he had 37 snaps to Bigsby’s 17. Etienne still appears safe in the lead role, but they did go hot hand with Bigsby there for a big chunk of the game. Etienne’s opportunities don’t look like they’ll be as high as last season.
Zamir White/Alexander Mattison, Raiders
Like the Ravens, the Raiders trailed and couldn’t rely on their lead back to grind the game away. That led to more opportunities for the backup Mattison, who took advantage. Mattison had 9 touches for 62 yards and a receiving touchdown, while White had 15 touches for 46 yards. This is a bit worrisome for White, as the Raiders are poised to trail in games more often than not.
Chuba Hubbard/Miles Sanders/Mike Boone
Stay as far away from these players as possible. Hubbard was the lead with 54% of the snaps, while Sanders had 37%. Boone ended up with 8% in what was a blowout against the Saints. Hubbard is still the player to roster, but he had six carries for 14 yards and no receptions. It was ugly and I expect it will continue to be ugly.
Ezekiel Elliott/Rico Dowdle, Cowboys
Elliott had 32 snaps to Dowdle’s 28 snaps, but Elliott found the end zone to give him fantasy value this week. The veteran should remain the goal line back along with the lead back moving forward, but the chances he lasts 17 games at his oldness are slim.
Javonte Williams/Jaleel McLaughlin, Broncos
Williams had 52% of the snaps to McLaughlin’s 35% against the Seahawks, but the backup ended up seeing more touches, with 15 to Williams’ nine. Bo Nix could not get the ball downfield, so he lived with passes near the line, giving McLaughlin five receptions, but for only 1 yard. Neither back could get anything going with the defense crowding the line, but there is no doubt McLaughlin is set to be a big part of this offense.
Week 2 running back injuries
Christian McCaffrey, 49ers
McCaffrey was a surprise inactive due to a calf injury in Week 1 and there is a chance he misses Week 2 against the Vikings. If he does, Jordan Mason would once again get the lead role in his place and have fantasy value against the Vikings. He had a big game against the Jets on Mondaynight, and would have good upside again in the 49ers offense.
De’Von Achane, Raheem Mostert, Dolphins
Both Dolphins running backs missed practice on Monday, but there’s a chance they are getting some rest ahead of a Thursday night matchup against the Bills. Both did appear to suffer injuries in Week 1 though, so it’s worth keeping an eye on these two in practice. If either misses time, rookie Jaylen Wright should get a shot.
Kenneth Walker, Seahawks
Walker has an abdomen injury, but there isn’t much reporting on the extent of the injury yet. He did tell reporters after the game that he was “good,” so he may be fine for Week 2. Zach Charbonnet would be the next man up if Walker were to miss anytime.
Week 2 running back sleepers
J.K. Dobbins, Chargers vs. Panthers
Dobbins isn’t a “sleeper” this week, but there is little doubt he’s set up for another strong day against a bad Panthers defense. Dobbins saw 33 snaps to Gus Edwards’ 24, but Dobbins totaled 139 yards and a touchdown on just 13 touches, while Gus Bus totaled 28 yards on 12 touches. Dobbins should have won more snaps and opportunities after such a big game and the Panthers just lost their best defensive lineman and were run over by the Saints on the ground in Week 1.
Brian Robinson, Commanders vs. Giants
The Vikings didn’t have much trouble running on the Giants in Week 1, as Aaron Jones and friends rushed for 111 yards and caught seven passes for 51 more yards. Robinson split time with Austin Ekeler fairly evenly in a game the Commanders were losing big, but Robinson still managed three receptions for 49 yards to go on top of his 12 carries for 40 yards and a touchdown. Yes, Jayden Daniels will vulture touchdowns, but the threat of his running makes life much easier for Robinson on the ground. This game should be much closer, and I expect Robinson to see a bigger share of work this week.
