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USATSI

In the first two weeks of the NFL season an already thin running back position has been decimated. We've lost Nick Chubb and J.K. Dobbins for the season, and we're currently without Saquon Barkley, Austin Ekeler, and Aaron Jones. And we still haven't seen Jonathan Taylor take a snap. 

In light of this, it's tempting to do what the Minnesota Vikings did when they traded for Cam Akers. If you can do it without giving up a starter like they did, I'm fine with it. But I wouldn't let the sudden scarcity of starters goad you into giving up an elite wide receiver, quarterback, or tight end just to try to make yourself whole at running back. That's partially because there just aren't that many desirable running backs. It's also because it's increasingly risky investing in the most injury-prone position in football.

  • Week 3 previews: WR | QB | TE

The better option may just be to stream running backs off the waiver wire. It's too late now to add Jerome Ford, but there will be another Ford in a couple of weeks when someone else gets hurt. And there are still top-40 backs widely available on the waiver wire. Hold on to those elite producers at other positions and scrape by until you stumble upon consistent running back production. The way things are going, I'm not sure many teams are going to have two reliable starting running backs this season. 

Check the waiver wire section below for potential starters this week, and I added a couple of extra stashes for those of you who want to beat the waiver wire.

Now let's get to the rest of the Week 3 RB Preview:

Week 3 RB Preview
RB Preview
Who's Out

The following players are not being projected to play Week 2 at this time. Here's what it means:

CLE Cleveland • #24
Age: 28 • Experience: 7 yrs.
Jerome Ford is the prize of the waiver wire and an RB2 in Week 3.
PHI Philadelphia • #26
Age: 27 • Experience: 7 yrs.
We think Matt Breida will lead the backfield, but he faces a terrible matchup.
NO New Orleans • #21
Age: 29 • Experience: 8 yrs.
Tony Jones is a flex play, but Kendre Miller could make his debut also.
DET Detroit • #5
Age: 27 • Experience: 6 yrs.
Craig Reynolds and Zonovan Knight will help Jahmyr Gibbs shoulder the load.
RB Preview
Numbers to know
RB Preview
Matchups that matter
Matchups that Matter
Projections powered by Sportsline
SF San Francisco • #31
Age: 29 • Experience: 8 yrs.
Weekly Breakdown
MATCHUP
@ SF SF -10.5 O/U 45
OPP VS RB
18th
PROJ PTS
6.7
RB RNK
31st
YTD Stats
RUYDS
14
REC
1
REYDS
-3
TD
0
FPTS/G
1.2
KC Kansas City • #10
Age: 25 • Experience: 3 yrs.
Weekly Breakdown
MATCHUP
vs CHI KC -13 O/U 47.5
OPP VS RB
27th
PROJ PTS
11.2
RB RNK
27th
YTD Stats
RUYDS
93
REC
5
REYDS
31
TD
0
FPTS/G
8.7
LAC L.A. Chargers • #4
Age: 29 • Experience: 7 yrs.
Weekly Breakdown
MATCHUP
vs IND BAL -8 O/U 44
OPP VS RB
12th
PROJ PTS
9.1
RB RNK
35th
YTD Stats
RUYDS
94
REC
0
REYDS
0
TD
1
FPTS/G
8.7
CLE Cleveland • #34
Age: 25 • Experience: 3 yrs.
Weekly Breakdown
MATCHUP
vs TEN CLE -3 O/U 40
OPP VS RB
1st
PROJ PTS
10
RB RNK
15th
YTD Stats
RUYDS
142
REC
3
REYDS
25
TD
1
FPTS/G
12.9
JAC Jacksonville • #1
Age: 25 • Experience: 4 yrs.
Weekly Breakdown
MATCHUP
vs HOU JAC -9.5 O/U 44
OPP VS RB
25th
PROJ PTS
14.4
RB RNK
8th
YTD Stats
RUYDS
117
REC
7
REYDS
29
TD
1
FPTS/G
13.8
LV Las Vegas • #22
Age: 26 • Experience: 6 yrs.
Weekly Breakdown
MATCHUP
vs LAC LAC -PK O/U 54
OPP VS RB
20th
PROJ PTS
14.7
RB RNK
22nd
YTD Stats
RUYDS
62
REC
6
REYDS
21
TD
1
FPTS/G
9.2
NE New England • #38
Age: 26 • Experience: 4 yrs.
Weekly Breakdown
MATCHUP
@ NYJ NE -3 O/U 37
OPP VS RB
23rd
PROJ PTS
13.9
RB RNK
11th
YTD Stats
RUYDS
75
REC
9
REYDS
74
TD
1
FPTS/G
15
NYJ N.Y. Jets • #20
Age: 23 • Experience: 3 yrs.
Weekly Breakdown
MATCHUP
vs NE NE -3 O/U 37
OPP VS RB
24th
PROJ PTS
10.6
RB RNK
29th
YTD Stats
RUYDS
136
REC
1
REYDS
20
TD
0
FPTS/G
8.3
RB Preview
Waiver Wire Targets
Week 3 Adds (RB Preview)
SF San Francisco • #31
Age: 29 • Experience: 8 yrs.
Weekly Breakdown
MATCHUP
@ SF SF -10.5 O/U 44
OPP VS RB
18th
RB RNK
35th
ROSTERED
51%
YTD Stats
RUYDS
14
REC
1
REYDS
-3
TD
0
FPTS/G
1.2
We expect Breida to lead the Giants backfield for as long as Saquon Barkely is out, which could be two to three weeks. Breida is a flex at best, and Gary Brightwell could factor in as well. Expect somewhere between five and 10 PPR points for both, with a little more upside than that if they find their way into the end zone.
CAR Carolina • #30
Age: 25 • Experience: 4 yrs.
Weekly Breakdown
MATCHUP
@ SEA SEA -6 O/U 42
OPP VS RB
26th
RB RNK
37th
ROSTERED
46%
YTD Stats
RUYDS
76
REC
7
REYDS
43
TD
0
FPTS/G
9.5
Hubbard is playing more of a 1B role than a true backup role in Carolina. While that's bad news for Miles Sanders, it means Hubbard is a flex with upside on a weekly basis. He's scored 18.9 PPR Fantasy points in two games and hasn't reached the end zone yet. There's weekly low-end RB2 upside in his role, especially when Carolina is playing from behind.
DET Detroit • #13
Age: 28 • Experience: 3 yrs.
Weekly Breakdown
MATCHUP
vs ATL DET -3 O/U 46
OPP VS RB
4th
RB RNK
NR
ROSTERED
12%
YTD Stats
RUYDS
7
REC
1
REYDS
-2
TD
0
FPTS/G
0.9
I would not be surprised if Reynolds leads the Lions in rush attempts in Week 3 against the Falcons. Jahmyr Gibbs is a must-start back, but the rookie doesn't profile as a 20-touch back and the Lions feed their running backs. He's averaged 10.8 PPR Fantasy points in the three games he received double-digit touches.
Stashes (RB Preview)
MIA Miami • #28
Age: 23 • Experience: 2 yrs.
Weekly Breakdown
MATCHUP
vs DEN MIA -6.5 O/U 48.5
OPP VS RB
22nd
RB RNK
NR
ROSTERED
58%
The Dolphins have brought Achane along slowly, but with Jeff Wilson still on IR and Salvon Ahmed now dealing with a hamstring injury, we may see Achane in the No. 2 role this week. With Raheem Mostert's injury history, that makes Achane one of the top stash candidates. He is blazing fast and should fit Mike McDaniel's system very well once he's ready.
TEN Tennessee • #2
Age: 23 • Experience: 2 yrs.
Weekly Breakdown
MATCHUP
@ CLE CLE -3.5 O/U 39.5
OPP VS RB
7th
RB RNK
42nd
ROSTERED
60%
YTD Stats
RUYDS
76
REC
3
REYDS
7
TD
0
FPTS/G
5.7
Spears has looked electric and is already playing more than anyone expected. Derrick Henry is a future Hall of Famer, but he's also 29 years old with 1,922 career touches. If Henry breaks down Spears would have top-12 upside.
NO New Orleans • #25
Age: 22 • Experience: 2 yrs.
Weekly Breakdown
MATCHUP
@ GB GB -2 O/U 42.5
OPP VS RB
29th
RB RNK
NR
ROSTERED
39%
Miller is expected to make his debut this week in a timeshare with Tony Jones. Of course, Alvin Kamara returns from suspension in Week 4. With Jamaal Williams' injury, Miller should slot in as the No. 2 in this offense behind the 28-year-old Kamara.
RB Preview
DFS Plays
Top DFS Play
Projections powered by Sportsline
CIN Cincinnati • #31
Age: 26 • Experience: 5 yrs.
Weekly Breakdown
MATCHUP
@ BAL BAL -8 O/U 44
OPP VS RB
5th
PROJ PTS
9.7
RB RNK
17th
YTD Stats
RUYDS
88
REC
4
REYDS
19
TD
1
FPTS/G
20.7
I know it seems weird to see Moss ranked so high, but he is a rare feature back in a league with so few of them. The fact that he's still priced like a backup makes up for the negative matchup against the Ravens. If Gardner Minshew starts, Moss will see 20-plus touches even in a loss.
Contrarian DFS Play
Projections powered by Sportsline
LV Las Vegas • #22
Age: 26 • Experience: 6 yrs.
Weekly Breakdown
MATCHUP
vs LAC LAC -PK O/U 54
OPP VS RB
20th
PROJ PTS
14.7
RB RNK
22nd
YTD Stats
RUYDS
62
REC
6
REYDS
21
TD
1
FPTS/G
9.2
Mattison has had a miserable start to the season, but so has the Chargers' defense. Mattison is at home in the game with the highest over/under on the slate against a bad run defense. If he can't get it going here, I'm not sure he's going to. The Cam Akers trade should make Mattison even less popular, but I wouldn't expect a big role from Akers in Week 3.
RB Preview
Heath's Projections

My full set of Week 3 Fantasy football projections for every position are now available on SportsLine. Find out which of my favorite plays are projected to score higher than consensus rankings and which don't live up to their draft hype, at least in Week 3. Projected stats for all starting running backs are available, so be sure to check out the full set of projections at SportsLine.