The top fantasy football running back is about to get a demotion this week.
DeAngelo Williams leads all running backs with 40.40 points during the first two weeks. Owners who picked him up as a stop gap measure will have to go to plan B, as Le’Veon Bell returns this week, and there’s every indication Pittsburgh will go with Bell over Williams.
Williams is worth holding onto, as he’s shown the ability to shine in this high-octane offense. He will likely see a tremendous drop in carries, but if Bell gets injured, Williams appears to be one of the best backups in fantasy football.
Obvsiously, Williams is worth a sit this week. Here’s the rest of the list of which running backs to start and sit in week 3 of the NFL season.
Daily fantasy start of the week
Le’Veon Bell vs. St. Louis
We’re not wasting any time with sitting Bell. He has two weeks of frustration built up because of a suspension, and that Pittsburgh offense might be one of the most explosive units in the NFL.
It doesn’t hurt that St. Louis has been bad against the run this season. For all the praise that is handed down to the Rams’ front seven, it hasn’t fared well against Seattle or Washington this season.
The Rams are allowing 153 yards per game on the ground, the third-worst number in the NFL. With St. Louis priding itself on its pass rush, it makes sense that teams are focusing more on the run than the pass. Teams so far this season have attempted 69 rushing attempts against the Rams, once again the third most in the NFL.
Expect the Steelers to involve Bell early and often in its gameplan and we don’t believe Bell will display any rust.
Start
Latavius Murray vs. Cleveland
The Browns are once again a dumpster fire against the run.
Cleveland is allowing 160 yards per game on the ground, more than six yards more than the second worst rush defense in the NFL. This isn’t something new.
Cleveland was the worst team against the rush last year, too, allowing 141.6 yards per game. The issue with the Browns is that teams don’t even attempt to pass on them, because the secondary is much better than the rush defense.
Murray also rebounded nicely in week 2 after having a subbar week 1 performance against Cincinnati. He totaled 14.70 points in week 2, and is pretty much the only option for the Raiders at this point. He’s clear to be a regular starter in all fantasy football leagues.
Frank Gore vs. Tennessee
Fantasy football owners are likely getting frustrated with Gore after his difficult start to the season.
He has only 7.20 points this season and has logged only 23 carries on the season. But we’re encouraged that his touches almost doubled from week 1 to 2.
It’s not that we love Gore. We were down on him going into the season, based on his age and the Colts desire to pass far more often than run.
But the Colts are at a crossroads, and need to run the ball better. We believe they will focus on the run more this game, allowing Gore the opportunity to log more carries and get more opportunities for points. Also, Tennessee, when not facing a team like it did in week 1 that was so far behind it could only pass, didn’t fare well against Cleveland’s rush attack last week, allowing more than 100 yards.
Melvin Gordon vs. Minnesota
We’ve been a bit harsh on Gordon in the early going, based on San Diego’s usage of Danny Woodhead in the backfield. We’ve been against starting him consistently, and we believe that will be a common issue as the season progresses.
But this week against Minnesota, Gordon should tally enough carries that it won’t matter how many carries he splits with Woodhead. Gordon also had a good day last week against Cincinnati, rushing for 88 yards on 16 carries, and adding a 10-yard reception.
And although Minnesota did well against the run last week against Detroit, we still can’t get week 1 out of our mind when the Vikings were pathetic against the rush against San Francisco. The Lions went away from the rush game too early last week, and we expect San Diego won’t do the same this week. Gordon and Woodhead could both be good options this week.
Daily fantasy sit of the week
DeMarco Murray vs. New York Jets
Maybe we’re a little late to this train, but stay away from Murray, until at least Philadelphia displays some competence in the running game.
In the season’s first two weeks, Murray is averaging 10.5 carries per game. His rush per average is 0.5.
That’s abysmal. It’s not all his fault, considering the opposition’s defensive line is in the backfield before he even gets the ball.
And if you’re still holding out hope for the Eagles offense, this week isn’t a good one to believe it will turn things around. Philadelphia is traveling to New York to face the Jets. And we all saw what the Jets did to the Colts offense in week 2.
Against the run, the Jets are allowing only 3.8 yards per carry. The Eagles keep trying to the run the ball, but Murray is a situation to avoid in daily fantasy leagues for the foreseeable future.
Sit
Devonta Freeman vs. Dallas
With Atlanta Falcons running back Tevin Coleman likely out with an injury, it would seem that Freeman should get a start on your fantasy roster.
Not so fast.
Freeman has seen several touches this season, but still has less than 50 yards rushing. He tallied a touchdown last week, aiding his fantasy number, but he likely won’t get much going against Dallas’ front.
The Cowboys have been the best against the run this season, allowing 53 yards per game, and only 2.6 yards per carry.
The Falcons will likely rely on Matt Ryan’s arm again to beat the Cowboys.
Lamar Miller (again) vs. Buffalo
To be fair, Miami has gone against two of the best rush defenses in the NFL against Washington and Jacksonville in weeks 1 and 2. We weren’t keen on starting Miller last week, and he tallied only 4.20 points against the Jaguars.
He did suffer an injury last week, but he should be good to go this week.
But he should still be on your fantasy football bench, as long as you have a decent option capable of scoring a few points.
The Dolphins will once again go against a stingy rush defense in Buffalo. The Bills are allowing the second-least amount of rushing yards in the NFL, and Miami has been content to focus more on the pass than the run in weeks 1 and 2 anyway.
Miller isn’t getting many looks in the early going, so that could be concerning for fantasy football owners going forward. It’s been tough matchups so far for the Dolphins’ rushing attack, so Miller owners will have to be patient until the Dolphins can utilize its rushing attack.
Arizona running backs vs. San Francisco
It would be tempting to put either Chris Johnson or David Johnson this week on your starters list.
But we believe David Johnson will start eating away at Chris Johnson’s carries, making both running backs difficult to trust.
Chris Johnson logged 20 carries in week 2, but that was mostly due to Arizona holding a big lead against Chicago and attempting to milk the clock. David Johnson had the better day, but his touches still don’t represent a mark high enough to be a clear-cut starter. He only has a handful of touches in weeks 1 and 2. But he’s making the most of his touches, with three total touchdowns.
David Johnson will likely get a little more of the workload this week, cutting into Chris Johnson’s touches. And against the 49ers, they are competent against the run. San Francisco ranks in the top-10 in the NFL against the run, even after its performance in week 2 against Pittsburgh.
Stay away from this situation in week 3.
