Fantasy Football Week 3 Running Back Preview: Rankings adjustments, waiver adds, stashes, and more
Everything you need to know about the running back position for Fantasy Football in Week 3
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3 min read
The 2025 running back class was supposed to be one of the best in recent memory. Through two weeks, we have seen very little evidence of that. When you look at our Week 3 consensus rankings, Ashton Jeanty is the only rookie in the top 23 running backs. TreVeyon Henderson and Omarion Hampton are still in the top 25, but that is more hope than anything else. I thought it seemed like a good idea to briefly break down my level of concern for these heralded rookies.
Jeanty, while still the top rookie running back in our rankings, has been plagued by poor offensive line play and a couple of errors of his own. He is currently averaging -0.10 yards before contact per rush attempt, which ranks 48th amongst qualified rushers, ahead of only Rhamondre Stevenson. The second concern is that in a negative game script, his snap share fell from 85% in Week 1 to 55% in Week 2. He is still a must-start running back for me, but I am not feeling great about him justifying his Round 1 ADP.
Henderson and Hampton had awful Week 2 performances. Henderson lost snaps because of struggles in pass protection, and Hampton was part of a fumble that was credited to Justin Herbert in the fourth quarter of their win against the Raiders. I still believe in their talent, I still think they will be the best running back on their team for the rest of the season, but I would really prefer not to start them in Week 3.
Other than Kaleb Johnson, who looks pretty droppable, RJ Harvey would be highest on my concern scale. J.K. Dobbins looks very good as a rusher, and Tyler Badie is, for some reason, working ahead of Harvey in the passing game. I am less confident that Harvey carves out a starting role in Fantasy this season, and I really don't want to flex him in Week 3. I would not drop him, not even in a 10-team league, but I would guess there are more than a couple of Harvey drafters who disagree with me.
While we are talking about the rookies, we should mention that Quinshon Judkins and Jacory Croskey-Merritt have seen their value soar in the past two weeks. Judkins looks primed to be the clear lead back for the Browns, and Croskey-Merritt has seen the path cleared for him as well. A strong argument can be made that Croskey-Merritt should be the second-highest-ranked rookie running back in Week 2. One more name that is rising, and could be in this territory soon, is Bhayshul Tuten. If anything happens to Travis Etienne, Tuten will rank in the top 20 at running back.
Now let's get to the rest of the Week 1 RB Preview:
Week 3 RB Preview
RB Preview
Numbers to know
- 35.4% -- Kenneth Walker's snap share actually went down, from 40% in Week 1 to 35% in Week 2. The production was awesome, but this still looks like a very messy backfield.
- 4.20 -- Travis Etienne is averaging 4.2 yards after contact per rush attempt, second only to Derrick Henry.
- 92.5% -- Chase Brown has handled 92.5% of the Begals rush attempts. Just stick with him.
- 6 -- Cam Skattebo has six red zone carries this season. Tyrone Tracy has zero. This change may be happening faster than anyone expected.
- 45.5% -- Austin Ekeler has run a route on 45% of the Commanders pass plays. This is the role Croskey-Merritt needs to infringe on if he is going to become a must-start running back.
- 39% -- Zach Charbonnet has a 39% route share compared to 27% for Walker. Walker has four targets, Charobonnet has zero. That should even out.
- 43.6% -- Trey Benson's snap share was up to 43.6% in Week 2. The Cardinals told us he would play more, and so far, he has.
- 35 -- D'Andre Swift has 35 touches in two games; start him in a good matchup against the Cowboys.
- 29.5 -- The Giants have given up nearly 30 FPPG to running backs. If Isiah Pacheco isn't good this week, he may never be.
- 2.1 -- The Browns have held running backs to a league-worst 2.1 yards per carry. They have faced Chase Brown and Derrick Henry.
RB Preview
Waiver Wire Targets
Week 3 Adds (RB Preview)
The good news is no one should be missing a starter at running back this week. The bad news is, Tyler Allgeier is the best option if you are desperate. This isn't about the 15 PPR Fantasy points Allgeier scored last week. His matchup against the Panthers is fantastic. They were one of the worst run defenses last year, and they've surrendered 5.67 yards per carry to running backs the first two weeks of the season. Still, I hope you can do better.
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This is a total dart throw, but the Dolphins defense is atrocious, and the Bills are 11.5-point favorites with an implied total of 30.5. There is a decent chance James Cook is joking on the sideline in the third quarter of this one. If he is, Davis could have some success running the clock down. He had nine carries in a blowout win over the Jets last week.
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Stashes (RB Preview)
I was a big Kyren Williams backer, and I am not looking to sell low. But Corum looked good on his Week 2 opportunities and even got a carry at the one-yard line and scored. If something happens to Williams, Corum would become an instant Fantasy starter.
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RB Preview
DFS Plays
Top DFS Play
Projections powered by
Sportsline
In two games against the Panthers last year, Robinson ran for 265 yards and four touchdowns. He is the most expensive back on the slate on FanDuel, and he will probably be chalky, but I am not fading arguably the best running back in football against arguably the best matchup. There are plenty of other places to save money. The third-year back is also averaging six targets per game, so if Carolina keeps it competitive, he will be useful in the passing game as well.
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Contrarian DFS Play
Projections powered by
Sportsline
Pollard has been a major disappointment through two weeks, and his price reflects that. But he does have 38 rush attempts in those two weeks, and his route participation suggests the two total targets he has seen may be a fluke. I expect the Titans defense to keep them in this game, and the Colts have given up at least 15 points to a running back each of the first two weeks.
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RB Preview
Heath's Projections
My full set of Week 3 Fantasy football projections for every position are now available on SportsLine. You'll find them here. 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.
