Week 3 Fantasy Football Rankings: RB

Jahmyr Gibbs looks to pick up David Montgomery’s slack against the Falcons, Jerome Ford takes the reins from Nick Chubb, and Breece Hall tries to pick up the Zach Wilson pieces.

Other positions: Quarterback | Receiver | Tight End/Kickers/Defense

Updated 9/24 at 11:50 AM ET. Removed Aaron Jones and Salvon Ahmed. Added Devon Achane.

Week 3 Running Backs

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RB Notes: Christian McCaffrey is averaging 24 touches. So much for the 49ers dialing back. Of course, they are 10.5-point home favorites on a short week. We might finally see some Elijah Mitchell run on Thursday. … Tony Pollard is also averaging 24 touches. He probably won’t reach that number vs. the clown show Cardinals, but the Cowboys’ walk is matching their “talk” from when they declined to add a legitimate 1B back. They believe. … Derrick Henry picked up a toe issue in his 28-touch Week 2 but is still practicing. The Browns’ defense has been a menace both on the ground and through the air in the early going, but one thing is for sure: The Titans will not be putting this game on Ryan Tannehill’s shoulders. … All that hand wringing, and Bijan Robinson is tied for seventh in touches (39) through two weeks. Predictably, when the going actually got tough in Week 2, the Falcons weren’t relying on Tyler Allgeier for all the most important snaps anymore. @DET has all the makings of a fireworks affair for our awesome rookie.

“This ain’t it” I say to literally no one as I look at Josh Jacobs’ box scores. We are nevertheless maintaining RB1 faith as Jacobs continues to gobble up touches and, more importantly, snaps. His snap rate is actually slightly up on last year to begin the season. Game script will be friendlier at home against the Steelers' struggling run defense. … Travis Etienne is also vacuuming up snaps. His backups, meanwhile, can’t even settle on who the No. 2 is. Talk about an overblown summer storyline. … Kenneth Walker is another runner whose backup concerns have yet to manifest, though he is playing just north of 60 percent of the Seahawks’ snaps. The good news is, that number cleared 60 each of the first two weeks despite entirely different game scripts, both of the point-chasing variety. The Seahawks should finally be playing with a lead vs. Carolina. … Aaron Jones’ (hamstring) importance to the Packers’ offense certainly did not diminish during his Week 2 absence. He will immediately slot back in as an RB1 if he’s out there against the Saints. Jones did not resume practicing on Wednesday. AJ Dillon will be a low-end, touches-based RB2 if Jones sits again.

At least until we have proof Kenneth Gainwell is returning, I’m going all in on D’Andre Swift, whose 175 yards rushing in Week 2 are 23 more than any other player has managed in a game so far this season. It came against the pathetic Vikings, but you have to hit on 17 after a performance that good. If Gainwell ends up suiting up, I will still rank Swift as a strong RB2. … Jahmyr Gibbs’ post-David Montgomery workload wasn’t perfect in Week 2, but his handles were heating up even before Montgomery’s departure. A la D’Andre Swift before him, Gibbs can be ranked as a borderline RB1 based on the projections strength of 15-18 high-value touches. In Week 2, that included a major uptick in the passing game. … Just like that, Kyren Williams is an every-down player. We are not sure if he is a particularly good one, but that scarcely matters when the workload is this big. Getting destroyed on the ground through two weeks, the Bengals are also a far better matchup than Williams’ San Francisco date in Week 2. … It was a much improved Week 2 for Rachaad White. Just don’t count on him getting a hot streak going against the Eagles’ ground-tough but air-vulnerable defense.

Brian Robinson looks like an entirely different player this season. If there is one complaint, it’s that he still hasn’t forced Antonio Gibson off the field, even if he has taken most of Gibson’s touches. Robinson looks like a real-deal RB2, but @BUF as a nearly touchdown underdog does not profile as a ceiling effort. … Jerome Ford seamlessly slid in for Nick Chubb in Week 2 even if he couldn’t seamlessly get into the end zone at the gassed end of his 69-yard should-have-been touchdown rumble. Ford did just about everything fantasy managers could have wanted, including scoring a receiving touchdown. 2022 mega-bust Kareem Hunt is back in Cleveland, but there is every reason to believe Ford will get the lion’s share of the committee work in this run-based offense. The Titans are an extremely tough first matchup, so don’t lose heart if Ford has a quiet Week 3. … Like Kyren Williams, Zack Moss is suddenly an every-snap player. The Ravens are a much tougher opponent and setup than Moss’ Week 2 meetup with the Texans, but his workload belongs in the top 20. … James Cook is losing some of the money touches but dominating most everything else. The Commanders are a middle-of-the-road run defense.

I’ve already seen enough Joshua Kelley to last a lifetime, but we “have” to run it back against the Vikings’ embarrassment of a run defense. Austin Ekeler (ankle) has yet to resume practicing. … With Bryce Young (ankle) highly questionable to suit up against the Seahawks, Miles Sanders is a good bet to reach 20 touches for the second time in three weeks. … Alexander Mattison gets the mildest of “game environment” endorsements vs. the Chargers. As feared, the fifth-year pro just doesn’t appear to be very good. The Vikings obviously agree, acquiring Cam Akers on Wednesday. We would assume Akers’ Week 3 involvement will be limited as he learns the playbook. … Week 2 was Breece Hall managers’ nightmare come true. The Patriots are an only marginally better matchup than the Cowboys, though this game will at least take place in New York. The Pats have also been leaky on the ground. Breece should reach double-digit touches (and yards….). … We don’t really know what to expect from the Giants’ post-Saquon Barkley committee, only that Matt Breida will be leading it. The matchup almost literally could not be worse, but it is difficult to envision Breida handling the ball fewer than 10-12 times, with the upside for a lot more work. … Tony Jones will be an even less inspiring committee leader than Breida if Jamaal Williams (hamstring) sits, as expected.