Admin September 26, 2024
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It has been an interesting three weeks for running backs in fantasy football.
Christian McCaffrey hasn’t played in a game yet, Bijan Robinson isn’t cracking the top 10 of the position in fantasy points, and Alvin Kamara has returned to form after a down year in 2023.
At the same time, rushing numbers are up across the NFL as offenses adapt to more two-high safety looks.
Eight teams have run the ball more often than they’ve passed it through three weeks, up from four this time last year. Two teams, the New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers, have run the ball on more than 60% of offensive plays. The highest rush play percentage through three weeks in 2023 was 53% by the Baltimore Ravens.
Several matchups in Week 4 could prove lucrative for a few less popular running backs and others that are worth avoiding for certain backs. Here are which running backs to start (and which ones to sit) in Week 4.
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Fantasy football start ’em: Week 4 RBs
David Montgomery, Detroit Lions (vs. Seahawks)
Jahmyr Gibbs was the Lions running back with more buzz entering the season, but it’s been Montgomery’s backfield so far. He’s out-carrying Gibbs 51 to 40 and has scored one rushing touchdown in each game this year. Montgomery just put up Detroit’s first 100-yard rushing performance of the year against the Cardinals. This week, he matches up with a Seahawks defense that allowed 177 yards on the ground against the Patriots in Week 2 and was gashed on runs between the tackles against Miami last week, despite what the box score says.
Devin Singletary, New York Giants (vs. Cowboys)
The Giants have had a very up-and-down start to the season, and perhaps lost in that shuffle is how good Singletary has been. He has had a rushing touchdown in the last two weeks and could have had one more if he had been more selfish in Week 3 against the Browns. He’s averaging 4.7 yards per carry so far and 5.0 in his last two games against two much weaker run defenses than Minnesota’s was in Week 1. In Week 4, he’ll face a Cowboys rushing defense that is dead last in the NFL in rushing yards (185.7) and touchdowns (8) allowed.
Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. Colts)
The Colts were utterly incapable of stopping the run in each of the first two weeks of the season. Indianapolis allowed more than 150 rushing yards to each of Joe Mixon and Josh Jacobs in Weeks 1 and 2 before bouncing back against a bad Bears offensive line last week. Harris hasn’t had a monster day yet, with 70, 69, and 70 rushing yards, respectively, in Weeks 1-3. That could change against a leaky Colts rushing defense, especially as the quarterback situation in Pittsburgh continues to improve each week.
Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers (vs. Bengals)
Speaking of improved quarterbacking situations, Hubbard got to carry the ball a lot more in Week 3, with Andy Dalton at quarterback and the Panthers holding the lead. He took advantage of those extra touches to the tune of 114 yards and an average of 5.4 yards per carry on his 21 attempts. It’s been one week, but the Panthers’ offense has looked more balanced with Dalton under center.
Carolina will take on a 0-3 Bengals squad in Week 4. The Bengals are among the worst teams in rushing yards allowed so far this season, and they may have looked even worse if the Commanders’ Austin Ekeler stayed healthy on Monday night.
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Fantasy football sit ’em: Week 4 RBs
D’Andre Swift, Chicago Bears (vs. Rams)
Swift has not looked like the running back he was in Philadelphia so far in 2024. After moving from one of the league’s best offensive lines to one of its worst, the former Eagle’s average yards per carry has dropped from 4.6 to an abysmal 1.8 mark. And after second-year back Roschon Johnson produced more yardage on fewer touches in Week 3, there’s a chance the Bears will demote their offseason signing in favor of the younger option.
Zach Charbonnet, Seattle Seahawks (vs. Lions)
Charbonnet had the best game of his two-year career with 91 rushing yards against the Dolphins in Week 3. Why not start him in Week 4? Well, Miami had allowed an average of 6.6 yards per carry to opponents’ leading rushers in Weeks 1 and 2. In addition, Charbonnet has had the benefit of leading Seattle’s rushing attack with Kenneth Walker sidelined with an oblique injury.
Head coach Mike Macdonald said he’s “very optimistic” Walker returns in Week 4. If that weren’t enough, the Seahawks are facing a Lions team that has been significantly more stingy in the run game. They’ve allowed just 2.6 yards per carry and just one rushing touchdown all season to opposing RB1s.
Rachaad White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs. Eagles)
After the Buccaneers drafted Oregon running back Bucky Irving in the fourth round of the draft, White was under some pressure to prove himself worthy of being Tampa Bay’s lead back to begin 2024. So far, he has been unable to do so. He’s averaging just 2.1 yards per carry through three weeks of the season to Irving’s 6.2 and has seen his carries diminish each week: 15 in Week 1, 10 in Week 2, and 6 in Week 3.
Fantasy football start ’em, sit ’ems, Week 4
Looking for more fantasy football advice? USA TODAY Sports has you covered:
→ Kickers are people, too: Here are some of the most clutch kickers to have on your fantasy team in Week 4.
→ The wide receiver position has been decimated this season. Protect yourself in Week 4 with start ’em, sit ’em advice for wideouts.
→ Need an edge under center? Here are the best quarterback options to start and to sit in Week 4.
→ Tight ends can be the perfect X-factor for any fantasy team. Here’s who you should start and sit in Week 4.
→ A good defense can shut down your fantasy opponent’s offense. Here are some D/ST options to start and sit for Week 4.