Week 2 Fantasy Football Running Back Rankings & Tiers: Studs, Sleepers, and Must-Starts (Ep. 2194)
STACKED extracted the fantasy-relevant player signal from this podcast and kept the full transcript here for context.
50 min
Duration
Estimated from transcript
Sep 16, 2026
Published
Wed, September 16, 2026
48
Player insights
29
Players mentioned
Topics
Bucky IrvingJeremiyah LoveDerrick HenryJonathan TaylorKyren WilliamsRhamondre StevensonChristian McCaffreyDe'Von AchaneJadarian PriceJaylen WarrenKaelon BlackBaker MayfieldBlake CorumBreece Hall
Player analysis
Player insights
Baker Mayfield
PositiveMatchup23:48
Mayfield faces his former team, the Cleveland Browns, in week two; the source expects him to have a strong offensive day given the Browns' historically overrated road defense and the fact that Cleveland's defense was vulnerable in Florida last week, suggesting Mayfield and the Buccaneers offense will perform well.
Insight pageBlake Corum
PositiveProjection43:34
Blake Corum has a five-star matchup grade against the Giants and is ranked inside the top 30 by both analysts (Fitzy at 28, Erickson at 29), significantly higher than his 36 ECR. He was the bright spot in the Rams' Week 1 performance against the 49ers, displaying explosive upside with quick acceleration and hard-hitting running style. The Rams are 7-point home favorites with extra rest after Australia, creating a potential get-right spot for the offense.
Insight pageBreece Hall
NegativeProjection20:19
Breece Hall is ranked in the RB2 tier (13-24 range) in Week 2 rankings.
Insight pageBucky Irving
PositiveUsage20:04
Bucky Irving out-snapped Kenyan Drake 36-25 and ran more routes than Drake 21-13 in Week 1. He had 8 carries for 45 yards and a touchdown, plus 7 targets caught for 48 yards, totaling a strong PPR performance. Irving had only 6 goal-line carries last season but got one on Sunday for a 10-yard touchdown.
Insight pagePositiveMatchup21:36
Despite a one-star matchup grade against Cleveland's run defense, the Buccaneers are 8.5-point home favorites, which should create a run-friendly game script. The Browns held the Jaguars' running game in check last week, but Tampa Bay's offensive line, Baker Mayfield, and Irving are all healthy in 2025 after injuries plagued 2024, suggesting improved conditions similar to Irving's 2024 form.
Insight pagePositiveProjection22:05
Irving's Week 1 success rate of 62%+ ranks 11th among running backs with meaningful volume, with a notably low stuff rate—only DeAndre Swift had a lower stuff rate. This efficiency profile suggests positive production on runs without getting stopped behind the line, paired with receiving volume. The source notes this tracks favorably compared to Javante Williams' 66% success rate, though Williams was stuffed more frequently.
Insight pagePositiveProjection23:04
Irving looked healthy and displayed pre-injury sophomore form in week one with eight carries for 45 yards; the source expects increased ground volume as Tampa Bay is a heavy home favorite against Cleveland, whose defense is overrated on the road and has been historically vulnerable in Florida matchups.
Insight pageCam Akers
NegativeProjection20:22
Cam Akers is ranked in the bottom half of the RB2 tier in Week 2 rankings.
Insight pageChase Brown
NegativeMatchup20:01
Chase Brown is ranked 13th in RB2 tier rankings. The source notes a tough matchup theoretically, referencing that Houston's defense was heavily discussed last week but then allowed the 13th-ranked RB performance.
Insight pageChris Brooks
PositiveRole40:40
Chris Brooks is expected to see significant snaps for the Packers against the Jets due to his superior pass-protection ability compared to Marshawn Lloyd, especially with the Packers' offensive line banged up and Aaron Banks likely unavailable.
Insight pageChristian McCaffrey
NegativeProjection5:12
Christian McCaffrey ranks as the consensus number three running back on the FantasyPros half-PPR big board for Week 2, solidifying his position in the elite tier with no significant expert disagreement.
Insight pageNegativeRole45:03
The 49ers are intentionally lightening Christian McCaffrey's load to preserve him for the entire season, as evidenced by Kalon Black matching him in total touches in Week 1. McCaffrey will likely see reduced snaps in closer contests but should remain the primary back in blowout scenarios.
Insight pageChuba Hubbard
NegativeProjection20:29
Chuba Hubbard is ranked in the bottom half of the RB2 tier in Week 2 rankings.
Insight pageD'Andre Swift
NegativeProjection20:19
DeAndre Swift is ranked 14th in the RB2 tier. The source notes Swift had the lowest stuff rate among running backs in Week 1 efficiency analysis, indicating he was not getting stopped behind the line on runs.
Insight pageDavid Montgomery
NegativeProjection20:19
David Montgomery is ranked in the RB2 tier (13-24 range) in Week 2 rankings.
Insight pageDe'Von Achane
NegativeMatchup10:00
Devon Achane faces a challenging Week 2 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers defense, which features Fred Warner and a strong run defense; the source expresses hesitation about the matchup despite Achane's RB11 ranking (four-star grade from Fantasy Pros), noting the 49ers' defensive strength and the Dolphins' offensive line struggles in Week 1 against the Raiders, with no explosive runs generated and limited touchdown upside in a road game where Miami's implied point total is only 16.
Insight pagePositiveUsage11:00
Devon Achane received five targets and caught four passes for 30 yards in Week 1, demonstrating pass-game involvement that alleviates concerns about limited receiving upside with Malik Willis at quarterback; this passing volume provides a floor even if the run game remains limited.
Insight pageDerrick Henry
PositiveUsage1:36
Henry continued to produce heavily against the Indianapolis Colts in Week 1, validating the preference for him over Javante Williams in the RB rankings discussion.
Insight pagePositiveMatchup6:16
Successfully ran against the Colts in Week 1; Colts' weak interior defensive line (older players) unable to contain his ground attack, establishing the Colts as a vulnerable run defense for Week 2 opponents.
Insight pagePositiveMatchup9:27
Derrick Henry dominated the Colts' defense in Week 1, frequently beating them one-on-one and exploiting their confusion against the Ravens' blocking schemes; this performance establishes the Colts as a vulnerable run defense for Week 2 opponents like Kenneth Walker.
Insight pageEmmett Johnson
PositiveRole7:15
Young rookie back who looked great in short usage role; positioned as competent tag-team partner to Ken Walker in Chiefs' run-heavy offense.
Insight pageGeorge Holani
NegativeRole30:09
Helani is characterized as a breather back who is not a difference maker; he is there to take up snaps but lacks the explosiveness and production of Jadarian Price. The source notes he was used in red zone situations but expresses concern about his limited role, especially given Seattle's need for difference-making plays with Drew Locke under center.
Insight pageJacoby Brissett
NegativeMatchup45:23
The source uses Jacoby Brissett as a cautionary example of why Arizona must lean on the run game and screens against Seattle's pass rush. The source argues that allowing Brissett to drop back 45 times and take seven-step drops against Seattle's defense "is just not going to go well," implying the Cardinals' passing game will struggle in this matchup.
Insight pageJadarian Price
PositiveUsage29:14
Price looked good in week one with a couple of catches (six yards) and involvement in the passing game. The source expects him to get more than 10 carries in week two; Seattle's offensive coordinator Mike McDonald praised his explosiveness and successful rushing performance, contrasting sharply with George Helani who is characterized as merely a breather back. The source would take the over on Price's carries if they open around 9.5, and prefers Price over Jeremiah Love this week, especially given Seattle is favored and should win the game.
Insight pagePositiveProjection46:49
Jadarian Price receives one of only two five-star matchup grades in the top 12 running backs (alongside Kyron Williams) against Seattle. Despite zero explosive yards (15+ yards) in week one, Price posted a 70% success rate and accounted for four first downs. The source projects Price will see more than 10 carries this week and expects increased involvement in the passing game. Fitzy ranks Price at 22 (vs. ECR 24), suggesting upside relative to consensus.
Insight pageJavonte Williams
NegativeProjection1:36
Williams was ranked lower than Derrick Henry in the Week 1 rankings discussion, and Henry's strong performance against Indianapolis validated that ranking preference.
Insight pageJaylen Warren
NegativeProjection20:29
Jaylen Warren is ranked in the bottom half of the RB2 tier in Week 2 rankings.
Insight pageNegativeUsage39:44
Despite being viewed as the better player and better fit for Aaron Rodgers' system in the offseason, Jalen Warren ran 8 fewer routes and had 14 fewer snaps than Rico Dowdle in Week 1, forcing a reassessment of his role in the Eagles backfield.
Insight pageJeremiyah Love
NegativeProjection20:29
Jeremiah Love is ranked in the bottom half of the RB2 tier in Week 2 rankings.
Insight pageNegativeProjection24:04
Love is ECR 21 but Erickson has him ranked at 26, outside the top-24 RB tier, due to a difficult week-two matchup against the Seattle Seahawks defense, which the source considers arguably the best in the NFL; despite efficient week-one performance (six missed tackles on 11 carries) and a red zone carry over Tyler Algier, the committee split with Algier and elite defensive matchup make it unlikely Love finishes as a top-24 RB unless he scores.
Insight pageNegativeValue29:37
The source ranks Love one spot ahead of Jadarian Price in their rankings, but acknowledges there may be a case for Price being a better play than Love this week given Price's explosiveness and expected increased carries.
Insight pagePositiveUsage43:28
The source projects increased snap share for Love against Seattle; Tyler Algier out-snapped Love 44-32 in week one, but the source expects this gap to narrow. On his 32 week-one snaps, Love touched the ball on 47% of them (15 carries plus targets), demonstrating high efficiency. Against Seattle's pass rush, the source argues Arizona must run the ball and deploy screens to backs, positioning Love as better equipped than Algier for this role. The source expects Love to be "a big part of the game plan" despite the tough matchup.
Insight pageJonathan Taylor
NegativeProjection5:12
Jonathan Taylor ranks as the consensus number five running back on the FantasyPros half-PPR big board for Week 2, placing him in the elite tier with minimal expert disagreement.
Insight pageNegativeProjection9:27
Jonathan Taylor was bumped down in rankings as Kenneth Walker was moved to RB5 ahead of him, suggesting a tier drop in the source's Week 2 rankings.
Insight pageNegativeProjection10:36
Ranked below Ken Walker in Week 2 rankings; one the source moved Ken Walker to RB5 ahead of Jonathan Taylor due to superior matchup and role security.
Insight pageKaelon Black
PositiveValue3:00
Kalon Black was highlighted as a notable waiver wire pickup in Week 1, representing one of the few running backs with strong value available on waivers after Week 1.
Insight pagePositiveProjection45:03
Kalon Black is ECR RB 37 but has proof-of-concept value as a desperation flex play. In Week 1, he matched Christian McCaffrey in total touches and had more carries, suggesting the 49ers are lightening McCaffrey's load to preserve him for the season. Against the Dolphins—who have arguably the worst defense in the NFL—at home, Black should have ground opportunities if the 49ers get the expected blowout game script.
Insight pageKenneth Walker III
PositiveProjection9:27
The source moved Kenneth Walker to RB5, bumping him ahead of Jonathan Taylor, citing an excellent matchup against the Colts; the Colts' defense could not stop Derrick Henry last week and their linebackers appeared confused by the Ravens' blocking schemes, with Henry frequently one-on-one against safeties.
Insight pageKyren Williams
NegativeProjection20:19
Kyron Williams is ranked in the RB2 tier (13-24 range) in Week 2 rankings.
Insight pageNegativeRole43:34
Kyron Williams will split drives with Blake Corum in the Rams' backfield, with Corum expected to continue receiving featured opportunities and potential touchdown chances against the Giants.
Insight pageNegativeMatchup47:03
Kyron Williams is one of only two running backs in the top 12 to receive a five-star matchup grade (the other being Jadarian Price). The source does not provide additional detail on Williams' specific matchup or projection in this segment.
Insight pageMarShawn Lloyd
NegativeMatchup40:40
Marshawn Lloyd has one of the best matchup grades in the flex range against the Jets, but concerns about the Packers' offensive line (Aaron Banks likely out) and the need for pass protection favor Chris Brooks over Lloyd for Week 2. Lloyd didn't look especially good against the Vikings in Week 1, and the Jets have revamped their defensive line with decent interior pass rushers, though they funnel defenses toward the pass.
Insight pageQuinshon Judkins
NegativeProjection2:18
The source predicted Judkins would underperform in Week 1 and was correct; Judkins stunk in his Week 1 performance.
Insight pageRhamondre Stevenson
NegativeProjection20:22
Ramondre Stevenson is ranked in the bottom half of the RB2 tier, coming in at top 20 in Week 2 rankings.
Insight pageNegativeDepth Chart32:00
The source has Stevenson ranked at 23 (ECR 20 mentioned), and notes his rank would be fluid if Travion Henderson is active. The source is uncertain about Henderson's role coming off injury but acknowledges the Patriots are home favorites against Pittsburgh, who gave up significant production to B.J. Robinson. Stevenson is not compared favorably to Robinson's production level.
Insight pageNegativeProjection47:00
Ramondre Stevenson showed limitations against Seattle in Week 1, lacking big-play juice despite being a really good back overall. With A.J. Brown out for the next month, the Patriots will need explosive plays that Stevenson doesn't consistently provide, making Travion Henderson a more attractive flex option.
Insight pageRico Dowdle
PositiveUsage39:44
Rico Dowdle ran 8 more routes than Jalen Warren in Week 1, and had 14 more snaps, establishing a clear usage edge over Warren despite preseason expectations favoring Warren as the better fit for Aaron Rodgers' quick-release system.
Insight pageXavier Worthy
PositiveProjection2:18
Xavier Worthy's prop bet was described as the lock of all locks with no sweat, indicating a highly confident and successful projection for Week 1.
Insight pageFull transcript
Episode Transcript
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0:24restaurants. Don't wait around. You gotta try the new Burger King chicken nuggets today!
0:28What's up friends and welcome into FantasyPros. This is the Fantasy Football Podcast, Week 2 Ranks for Running Backs.
0:34I'm Chris Welsh, Pat Fitzmaurice, Andrew Erickson here. We are going to be going through the Top 36 RVs, some of the biggest questions.
0:41What does the expert consensus ranks look like? Maybe a couple deeper plays.
0:45It's a full breakdown of Week 2 for the RBs.
0:48Glad to be here with you guys. Both of you fine gentlemen ranking very well.
0:53We are going to be talking as we always do in the RB episode every single week.
0:58We give a shout out to the Ranks contest.
1:01Here's how this is going to go this week.
1:03Erickson is the boss. Fitzy was respectable. We don't need to talk about where I ranked.
1:08It's not important. Nobody cares. I'm just a dumb host here.
1:11So nobody cares. So don't even bring it up guys.
1:14But Erickson, we're going to do it here in a second.
1:18But just a shout out to you. You did have a Top 25 finish in the Ranks contest this week.
1:24So you get the captain. You get like the crown.
1:27You get to be like the captain of this episode.
1:30So congratulations, my friend. Thank you. I'm excited about the Top 25 finish, but I have to give Pat Fitzmaurice his flowers
1:36for being correct about our Derrick Henry versus Javante Williams conversation.
1:39The big dog continued to eat and feast against the Indianapolis Colts.
1:43So that's what I was thinking about. Not about anything I got right about say flowers running wild and basically being a
1:50wide receiver one in a half of play that I was just too low on Derrick Henry because that's all that matters, right?
1:57It's just what did you get wrong? How can you improve?
2:00So shout out to Fitz. He was right. I am so with you.
2:04I mean, I'm way more. I'm a lot worse about that than any of you guys.
2:09Like I am the total like you 10 things can be right.
2:12And if one is really bad, it's all I'm going to think about and it's all I'm going to think other people are thinking about.
2:20Like I did that. Remember what was my big thing this week, Erickson?
2:23Just garbage on Quinch on Judkins or this last week.
2:26It's just Judkins is going to stink. Judkins. And he did stink.
2:30And I was right. And there's just like 30.
2:33There's like two other things that was wrong that I cannot let go of.
2:37Your Xavier Worthy prop was the lock of all locks, though.
2:40The other. Not even a sweat, dude. He had no shot.
2:44But Fitzy, is there anything super positive or super negative that you're carrying over into this week from ranking last week?
2:50Is there an RB that you think you rank too low that is just killing you?
2:55Or is there like a positive take you want to have on?
2:58I mean, there weren't like a crazy amount of running backs that had like awesome value like they did at wide receiver this week.
3:05That's representative in the waivers, by the way. Waivers were depleted outside of Kalon Black were depleted at running back.
3:11But any carryover from week one into week two?
3:14Jackson Dart, I may have been too low on.
3:17I might have given the new look Dallas Cowboys defense too much credit.
3:21And Dart was just so inconsistent play to play last year.
3:24And he looked really professional in that game against the Cowboys.
3:27Like they had a lot of long drives. I think they had four scoring drives of 10 plays or more.
3:33He just played like a poised veteran. And that was not something we saw a lot of from Jackson Dart last year.
3:40So I might have to start reassessing my stance on Jackson Dart.
3:43Okay. We'll take that. And as a shout out again to the ranks contest, that is a little behind the scenes thing for us, of course.
3:51What you as the listener consume is just what the ECR is.
3:55When you go and check out the ranks on Fantasy Pros, it's powered by all the experts.
4:00But each week, you know, we've got the who was the most accurate.
4:04And this week, looking at the top three, we got a shout out.
4:08Pete Nova was number one from FF Faceoff. Number one in the accuracy rankings.
4:12Brad Evans from Valley Sports was number two. And Jacob Gibbs.
4:15Jacob Gibbs has definitely been a mainstay on this.
4:18Finishing three. That's your top three. Jacob Gibbs, Brad Evans, and Pete Nova.
4:22Big shout out to Pete Nova. And then the Fantasy Pros shout outs.
4:26Erickson got 22nd. Fitzy, you were solid in there.
4:28You almost had that crack that top 50. But Debro, Debro was the winner of all of us with a 17th overall finish.
4:35So a top 20 finish in there. So very, very good from the analysts.
4:39Very bad from the hosts. But again, that's not our concern.
4:43We're not worried about any of those things. If you guys want to follow along, go to fantasypros.com slash rankings.
4:49You can type in fantasy football, football rankings. You'll find it.
4:52And you can check out the ECR on all the different positional stuff and all of the other formats.
4:58Standard half PPR, PPR. We will be referencing half PPR on this.
5:01But if you want to follow along, go to the ranks.
5:05And that is going to take us to jump right into this.
5:08So let's get into the running back ranks. And that will take us to the RB big board.
5:14Let's look at the big board of the top 12 this week on half PPR over on Fantasy Pros.
5:19Coming in at number one, Jameer Gibbs, of course.
5:22B. John Robinson, Christian McCaffrey at three. Derek Henry at four.
5:25Jonathan Taylor at five. And Ken Walker coming in at six.
5:29The bottom half of the top 12 running backs are Gentty, Cook, Barkley, Javante Williams, Devon Aitchin, and O'Marion Hampton.
5:35So these guys are all locked. There's not a ton of questions.
5:38Anything that we're going to be focusing on is going to just be more semantics about where you rank them.
5:44Unless someone out there just had the most amazing running back draft.
5:48But I think there are a few things that we can discuss on the value here.
5:53And I think Ken Walker is a really interesting one.
5:56The Chiefs went Ken Walker, Ken Walker, and a little bit more Ken Walker.
6:00That first drive, that statement drive where Andy Reid was just like, we're just going to give it only to Ken Walker.
6:06Really showed out to all the Ken Walker truthers.
6:09But Emma Johnson looked really good. But you can see in his rank here, not only is this just like a good
6:16matchup against the Colts this week, we have matchup grades next to all of our RBs on the ranks if you want to check it out.
6:23We also have the actual like matchup stars, grades, projected points, how they perform average to like their projection.
6:29All that really great stuff is out there. This is a four-star graded matchup Ken Walker has against the Colts.
6:35But also it's that overall volume that I think has people excited.
6:39When we look at the ranks, ECR 6 here, Fitzy, you are at consensus.
6:43But Erickson, you're dropping a four bomb here. Top four overall RB for you this week.
6:48So why don't you kick us off with Ken Walker?
6:51What else is there to add? We all watched what happened on Monday Night Football when he was the complete engine to the Chiefs offense.
6:58And I don't see why that would change. Even on a shorter week, you have a great matchup against the Indianapolis Colts who could not stop Derrick Henry.
7:07Fitz pointed out that, yeah, their interior defensive tackles are older and they could not stop the Baltimore Ravens from running the football.
7:13So I think the Chiefs are going to see that and think, well, we're just going to feature our guy once again.
7:20Forced 14 missed tackles against a Denver Broncos defense.
7:23Absolutely insane. And he was operating on all three downs, right?
7:26Goal line. No Zach Sharp night to be found.
7:29I bet for a second he was going to sit on the bench and be like, oh, we're in the red zone.
7:35Time to take a break because usually I don't get red zone carries.
7:39But that's not a problem anymore because he's in Kansas City and he's catching passes as well.
7:44So given the lackluster performance from the Chiefs passing game, I think they're going to continue to lean on Ken Walker as
7:51things get kind of ramped up with Mahomes off the ACL injury with this passing game.
7:56Because that clearly is a work in progress, whereas this run game looks like it's going to be a top five unit all season.
8:03Fitzy, this is a tough one because I think there's like a we're focusing on week two.
8:08I think it's hard to disagree. I mean, you have him at six.
8:12That's fine. But like he's a relative top five RB.
8:15And I think from that perspective of starting, you just kind of lock into it.
8:19But is there anything for you from the long term perspective, especially a dynasty guy where you stare and we all know like what is it?
8:27Ken Walker hasn't gone over like what, 225 or whatever carries it is.
8:31We know he doesn't last in the season. You saw that usage.
8:35And then you also saw Emmitt Johnson, who Emmitt Johnson looked great.
8:38We had a couple of these young rookie backs that looked really good in some of that short usage role.
8:44Is there any part of you that stares at Emmitt Johnson and or the ability for Ken Walker to stay healthy and
8:51just gives you just pause or hesitation when ranking him on any week to week basis?
8:56I mean, again, you're high, you're ECR, so you're not low or anything like that.
9:00But is there anything in the Emmitt Johnson world or the injuries that pauses you for Ken Walker?
9:05I think they're going to be glad they have a competent tag team partner with Kenneth Walker because they're going to need it.
9:12I think the Chiefs offensive MO is just going to be so different this year now that they can run the ball.
9:19And we had talked about that on this show before, how Patrick Mahomes has never had a thousand yard runner since he became the Chiefs starter.
9:27And now he's got a guy who, if he stays healthy, is absolutely going to get there.
9:32And yeah, I moved up Kenneth Walker to RB5 as we were doing this.
9:36I bumped him ahead of Jonathan Taylor. The matchup with the Colts is great.
9:40Colts could not stop Derrick Henry last week. Their linebackers just looked like they were in a maze of confusion dealing with the Ravens blocking schemes in that.
9:49And I don't know how many times Derrick Henry was like one-on-one with safeties trying to tackle him last week.
9:55So, boy, things look good again for Kenneth Walker this week.
9:58They sure do. On the other end, Devon A.
10:01Chan, the Dolphins offense, it was something. And it's pretty much around.
10:04I mean, Caleb Douglas is fun and everything. But Devon A.
10:07Chan has a rougher matchup. You know, hand up to me thinking the 49ers defense was not going to be great this year.
10:14They have a poorish front line, which in theory is going to work well for A.
10:19Chan here. But they got a great running back core.
10:22Their secondary played well, like, you know, even though they lost Collins.
10:26Like, on paper, I don't know how either one of you guys kind of view this matchup A.
10:31Chan against the San Francisco 49ers. On paper for Fantasy Pros, this is given a four-star grade.
10:36He comes in as RB11. Erickson, you've got him at 10.
10:40Fitz, you've got him at 12. So, you both have him still as a RB1.
10:44But, Fitz, let's go to you. Is there any concern?
10:47Like, it's going to be – this offense is the thing that you stare at with Devon A.
10:52Chan. But it's like, even the bad offenses, they're still going to move through him.
10:57He's still going to get volume. It's going to be hard for him to not put up some type of an RB1 performance.
11:04But where does the hesitation lie maybe with Devon A.
11:07Chan against the Niners this week? I don't love the matchup as much as Artul does.
11:12It's hard to see any defense with Fred Warner as a four-star matchup for a running back.
11:17And, like, granted, the 49ers were better against the pass than they were against the run in that first game against the Rams.
11:24But still, it's not an easy run game matchup.
11:26And the Dolphins' offensive line seemed very much like a work in progress in that first game against the Raiders.
11:32The Raiders weren't playing heavy boxes or anything against the Dolphins.
11:36And there were just still no explosive runs to be found for A.
11:39Chan. I don't think A. Chan has a lot of touchdown upside in a road game against the 49ers where Miami's implied point total is 16.
11:47And it was good that he got five targets and had four catches for 30 yards in week one.
11:53So maybe the pass... I was worried that maybe the passing upside was not going to be there with Malik Willis at quarterback.
12:00It was there. They just couldn't do anything in the running game.
12:03Yeah, and this is one of those ones, too, where, like, you can...
12:07They can move Warner around. They can have him cover tight ends.
12:11Sometimes they can have blanket coverage and wide receivers down the middle.
12:14Well, against this Dolphins team, it's just Warner line up on A.
12:18Chan. You would take... Like, they could just have that.
12:21He can quarterback spy or A. Chan so he can be playing short middle.
12:25So it's a little bit tougher. Erickson, let me ask you this.
12:29You do have him slightly higher. You've got him at 10.
12:32Is there any part of either of you guys...
12:35And maybe this is not going to work for you, Erickson, because you have him at 10.
12:40But when I'm staring at the RBs, I know these are all the top 12.
12:44But it does feel like there might be a tier difference.
12:48But for me, it's at 10 when you look at the ECR and you look at Javante Williams.
12:53And then you go down to A. Chan and Hampton.
12:56And it's like, they're good. They're fine. Maybe matchups are a little bit less.
13:00I kind of feel like there might be a real RB tier break from the top 10 then moving on.
13:06But what say you? Because you have him at 10.
13:09So I'm guessing who got bumped? Did Javante Williams get bumped out of the top 10 for you?
13:15So I have Javante at 12. Hampton at 11.
13:17A. Chan at 10. And A. Chan played 88% of the snaps.
13:21Like he is a full-blown workhorse. I get that the offense is underwhelming.
13:25But you knew that when you drafted A. Chan that the Miami Dolphins had a chance to be a bottom offense.
13:31So that was part of the thesis of the play.
13:34But also that he was going to play basically every single snap.
13:38See every single opportunity in this backfield, which was basically the case in week one, even though he didn't have a big performance.
13:45But we know that he can rip off an explosive play at any given moment against any defense.
13:50He didn't have that marquee big explosive rush or receiver or reception against the Raiders.
13:55That's something that could always be part of his projection any given week.
13:58And the 49ers matchup, yep. Fred Warner is obviously the biggest part of why the defense was improved, I think, compared to last year.
14:06However, we did see the Rams before their offense really kind of fell off a cliff, ripping off some pretty big runs between Blake Corum and Kyle Williams.
14:14Blake Corum had one of the highest explosive run rates in week one at 20%.
14:18So he looked, he was shot out of a cannon.
14:21So I think that HN actually has the opportunity to rip off some of these big runs against, like you alluded to
14:28Welsh, that front four that is a little bit lighter on the 49ers defensive line that I think the Dolphins offensive line can actually create some space.
14:36If you look at the 49ers in last week, both Corum and Kyle Williams had a success rate over 45%.
14:42So I think the matchup is okay, especially when it comes to HN maybe ripping off a big run or two.
14:48He ran the second most routes among all running backs in week one.
14:52So they can be getting killed, dump off passes.
14:55Here we go. Like you're going to see him catch up a bunch of receptions, which I'm happy that we saw him
15:02not basically get totally eliminated in the receiving game with Malik Willis under center.
15:06And you brought this up, Welsh, how they could spy HN.
15:09And are they going to be able to do that with Willis too, if he's using his legs?
15:15Like wouldn't they just spy Willis? Well, yeah, that's funny that you said that too, though, because I think this is an
15:21opportunity for Willis to maybe run more. It seemed like they put the blocks on him a little bit in this last matchup.
15:28I would kind of think that Warner might be in that space where he's playing early front middle.
15:33And if HN is going out, he's going to follow him.
15:37But then to your point, that's going to lead to Willis running a little bit.
15:41So actually, from a prop perspective, I think Willis is a little bit more interesting.
15:46Niners don't have the pass rush that the Raiders had.
15:49So maybe there's a little bit more time in the pocket and for him to make a move.
15:54But at the same time, you know, he showed relative efficiency.
15:57Relative efficiency is actually adjusted completion percentage. Malik Willis was pretty garbage.
16:01But if he wants to just be super low and efficient and get the ball to age, this might be a really high.
16:08I think what we're alluding to is this actually might be a really high volume game to HN.
16:13Just what does it look like? That's the big question.
16:16I think my last point, too, with this particular matchup, and this is a little bit more of narrative street, which sometimes you got to include with rankings.
16:25Weird things happen. I know last week I was lower on Matthew Stafford, really more because of the narrative, because of the game environment.
16:32Not because because Matthew Stafford, as Fitz pointed out, destroyed the 49ers defense twice last year, which made it really scary to be lower on consensus versus.
16:40But then he went out and had a complete dud because the Rams showed up to Australia and decided, hey, we're not going to adjust our body clocks.
16:48We're just hoping that it works out. And it did not work out for them.
16:53The 49ers have to readjust their body clocks back to Pacific time because they spent an entire week in Australia.
16:59So as heavy home favorites, weird things happen, especially when you're traveling completely across the country.
17:04So I wouldn't be surprised if maybe the 49ers don't come out and dominate maybe right from the get-go.
17:09And maybe you could see Miami at least sticking around a little bit more in the matchup.
17:14So, yeah. Low-key might be a little Keelan Black involved in there as well, too, if they don't want to like overdo Christian McCaffrey.
17:22We might see some more of him if they want to keep the ball on the ground.
17:27But topic for later, I suppose, if we want.
17:29All right. We're going to go to the RB2s here in a second.
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20:07RB2s. This is the running back 13 through 24, the big board.
20:11We've got Chase Brown at 13. Tough matchup, theoretically, I guess, after watching.
20:15Everyone talked about Houston's defense last week and then, well, that is the 13th RB.
20:19DeAndre Swift at 14. Kyron Williams, Brees Hall, David Montgomery.
20:22Bucky Irving comes in at 18. The bottom half of the RB2s, Cam Scadaboo, Ramondre Stevenson coming in at top 20.
20:29Jeremiah Love, Travis HN. Chuba Hubbard and Jadarian Price at 24.
20:32Let's all take a little stop at Bucky Irving, guys.
20:35Bucky Irving comes in as the ECR 18 on this list.
20:38The matchup grade is a one star. So it is a theoretical really bad matchup against Cleveland.
20:43Maybe not as bad as thought before, but it's still, it's giving a bad grade here.
20:48You guys are both higher on Bucky Irving than what the ranks have.
20:52Let's go to Fitzy, the resident Bucky Irving manifester from all draft season.
20:56What did you think of the usage? What did you think of the production?
21:00What do you think of this matchup for this week with Bucky Irving fits?
21:04I thought the usage was great. Bucky Irving out snapped Caney Gainwell 36-25.
21:08Ran more routes than Gainwell 21-13. Last season, Bucky only had six carries from the opponent's 10-yard line or closer.
21:14Got one on Sunday. Ran it in for a 10-yard touchdown.
21:18No Sean Tucker, though. We'll see what it looks like in future weeks at the goal line.
21:23But yeah, really encouraging. Only eight carries, 45 yards a touchdown.
21:26But Bucky had seven targets, caught all of them for 48 yards.
21:30So a really good day in PPR with Bucky.
21:32And on one hand, yeah, the Browns run defense, not a pushover.
21:36And they did a respectable job against the Jaguars running game last week.
21:40But at the same time, the Buccaneers are eight and a half point favorites.
21:44So we expect them to have a run-friendly game script.
21:47And look, Bucky Irving was banged up last year.
21:50The Tampa Bay offensive line was banged up last year.
21:53Baker Mayfield was banged up last year. Things didn't look as good as they had in 2024.
21:58Everyone's healthy now. Things looked a lot like 2024 in week one of 2026.
22:02Something I'll throw out. It's pretty interesting about Bucky.
22:05When you go and look via fantasy points, you look at success rate.
22:08He had technically, you have to do a filter here.
22:11He comes in at 16. But when you take out the guys without like, you know, there's like one or two carries.
22:18And you look at actual volume. He comes in with the 11th best success rate of RBs at over 62%.
22:24And also a low stuff rate. So if you can correlate those two things together where, you know, he is having positive
22:31production out of runs and not getting stopped behind.
22:33And he's catching balls. Like that's a, that's, it's one week one.
22:37It's only one week, but that's like a really good start.
22:40I mean, it's, it tracks similarly to like what, I mean, Javante Williams had a 61% or no, I'm sorry, 66% success
22:47rate, but he was stuffed at the line a lot more.
22:50Bucky wasn't. It was one of the lowest rates.
22:53Only DeAndre Swift. It looks like had a true lower stuff rate on there.
22:57So I'll throw that back out just as a fun stat.
23:00Erickson, uh, Fitzy's got him at 15. You got him in 17, both higher.
23:04Any, anything to add any thoughts, any excitement on Bucky Irving for this week?
23:09He looked healthy. He looked like his rookie year form, his pre-injury sophomore form, eight carries for 45 yards, right?
23:15So if he can get more volume on the ground, which you're expecting as a heavy home favorite against the Cleveland Browns,
23:21who talked about it all last week with the Jaguars, Jaguars are going to destroy the Cleveland Browns because their defense is not near.
23:28It's overrated when they play on the road every single year, it's been overrated.
23:33And where are they playing this week? On the road in Tampa Bay, in Florida, where they just got their, the doors blown off of them.
23:40They're going back to Florida, but it's going to happen all over again.
23:44So especially when you look at who's the quarterback for the Tampa Buccaneers, Baker Mayfield.
23:49Do you think he's not going to put up a 40 burger on his old team that decided to let him go and bring in Deshaun Watson?
23:57Yeah. I think the Browns, or I think that the Buccaneers are in for a good offensive day.
24:02You just almost got like John Wick. You're like, yeah, I'm thinking Baker's back.
24:06That's what you just turned into there. I'm thinking Bucky is good.
24:10Let's go to the next RB here. I think this is where things like really start to get trippy.
24:16It's Jeremiah Love. So like I've been kind of negative.
24:19You have all draft season about Jeremiah Love. I would say in the usage that you saw, there was, you know, obviously the goal line carry early on.
24:27That was kind of exciting. That looked like that's Algiers' role.
24:30But there was an obvious limitation. He is ECR 21 on this list.
24:34And this is the first time you guys are kind of like really split.
24:39And that split happens where Fitzy is slightly higher than ECR.
24:42And Erickson, you have moved him outside of a top 24 running back.
24:46So he's not an RB2 for you. So Erickson, let's go and talk with you for a second on the negative here.
24:52You have him at 26. So non-RB2, non-startable, obviously flex range.
24:56You could probably get him in there. But what did you think about?
25:00I know they're easing him into the offense. But what makes you push him off of being a top 24 RB?
25:06Seattle Seahawks defense. That's really the only reason why I'm pushing him down.
25:10Because I, what I saw in week one, exceeded my expectations for a player that suffered a high ankle sprain in the preseason.
25:17The fact that he looked so efficient running the football, six missed tackles for us on just 11 carries.
25:22And the fact that he was still produced, got that red zone carry over Tyler Algier was really positive for his season long outlook.
25:29I just don't think this is the week where you can expect two running backs in a committee to be productive against
25:36arguably the best defense in the NFL, especially heading after week one when the Broncos we thought were good.
25:42They got boat raced. The Houston Texans we thought were good.
25:45They got boat raced. Seahawks still really good defense, elite defense.
25:48And Arizona obviously plays Seattle. They play in the same division.
25:52Seattle's very familiar with Arizona, Jacoby Brissett, and this offense.
25:55So that's what has me concerned about if he is still splitting touches with Tyler Algier on 10 to 12 touches.
26:01Is he going to be able to get there and finish the top 24 running back unless he scores against a really tough defense?
26:08That's where I get concerned. So again, I'm not trying to bury him.
26:12Really like him season long because I think eventually he's going to continue to eat neat into Tyler Algier's work in this backfield.
26:19But in a committee, in a bad matchup, I'm looking to kind of shy away.
26:23Boat raced. I like that. Fitzy, I kind of went into last week's match because I was completely wrong about it.
26:30I thought the Cardinals were just going to get stomped.
26:33And that would lead to a situation where you might see Love a little bit later on.
26:38They wouldn't be able to run. So maybe they're passing the ball to Jeremiah Love.
26:42That was incorrect. But that feels like that's what we could be in for for this one.
26:47If that Seattle defense is rough and they are up offensively, if they get into that space, I think that works maybe
26:54a little bit better for Jeremiah Love so you can get involved in the pass game.
26:59But what for you has him as a top 24 back in this really, really tough matchup?
27:04I get the concern about the matchup. But if you're playing the Seattle Seahawks, don't you have to try to run the
27:10ball against them to slow their pass rush down?
27:13Don't you have to throw some screen passes to your backs?
27:16And certainly I think Jeremiah Love is better equipped to do damage on screens than Tyler Algier is like you can't let
27:23Jacoby Brissett drop back 45 times against the Seattle defense and take seven step drops.
27:27It's just not going to go well. So I think we're going to see Love used quite a bit.
27:33Like Erickson said, I think, you know, Tyler Algier out snapped Love 44 to 32 in week one.
27:39We're going to see things start to move the other way with Love out snapping Algier slowly, but surely.
27:44And the good thing is with Love, if you're an investor on those 32 snaps, he touched the ball.
27:50Well, he got either a carry or a target on 47% of those snaps, 15 carries plus targets.
27:55So I don't think they can afford to not have him be a big part of the game plan against Seattle this week.
28:02On the other end of that same game, Jadarian Price is the last one in this range, I think, to talk about.
28:09He is given one of two five-star matchup grades here.
28:12We have like the physical grade and then we have like the five stars.
28:16This is a five-star. And I believe looking through this, now there's a couple, actually, there's a couple in the top 12 RBs.
28:23This range, it's only Kyron Williams and then Jadarian Price.
28:26Fun thing about Price. Price, he seemed really explosive, but according to fantasy points, he had zero actual explosive yards, which accounts to 15 plus.
28:33Yet he had a 70% success rate as a running back.
28:37And he accounted for four first downs for that team.
28:40So great matchup. Seems like he can explode a little bit more.
28:43We might see some of that explosive run, but you guys a little bit split on this.
28:48Fitzy, you are the higher dog. So you like the rookies a little bit more.
28:53ECR 24, Fitzy got him at 22. Erickson pushing back a tiny bit at 25.
28:57Fitzy, take on Jadarian Price for this week. You just figure Seattle is going to be run heavy with Drew Lockett quarterback.
29:04You know, play ball control. Let your awesome defense win the game for you against the Cardinals.
29:09And Arizona actually did do a pretty nice job against the Chargers in week one.
29:14Chargers only ran for 81 yards, averaged 3.9 yards per carry.
29:17But yeah, Price did look good in week one.
29:20I think he gets more than 10 carries this week.
29:23And he had a couple of catches in week one, too.
29:26They only produced six yards, but good to see him involved in the passing game.
29:30Erickson, I kind of think there might be a case that Jadarian Price might be a better play than Jeremiah Love this week.
29:37But I think you have him one spot behind.
29:40Did I have that correct? One spot ahead. One spot ahead.
29:43Okay. So maybe, yeah, there is a slight agreement there.
29:46What do you think about Jadarian Price? I think that he should definitely get more carries.
29:51Then George Helani, please. If Seattle wants to not blow this game, make sure that they give their best running back more
29:58opportunities, which they did talk about a little bit in the post presser.
30:01Mike McDonald, the offensive coordinator, talking about, hey, he looked really, really good.
30:05Looked explosive. You just listed off how successful he was running the football.
30:09And it was a night and day difference between him and George Helani, who really is just a breather back, is there
30:16to take up snaps, is not like a difference maker.
30:19They need difference making plays if Drew Locke is going to be under center.
30:23So I think I agree with Fitzy where I would take the over if his carries open up around nine and a half.
30:30I know I hit the under on 12 and a half carries in week one, but after the first drive, I was looking like, oh man, I'm dead.
30:38I'm dead in the water. They're going to keep feeding this guy because he just looks so explosive at the start of
30:45that game, but obviously, and you have to remember too, losing their starting quarterback.
30:49I think maybe that had them lean on bringing in someone like George Helani just because, hey, we have a new quarterback in there.
30:56Maybe he hasn't taken as many reps as Jarrion Price.
30:59So maybe that also played an influence on the snap count.
31:03The red zone usage does concern me as well because they liked, they used Helani there.
31:07They brought Emmanuel Wilson in for some of those green zone snaps, which does concern me, but Jarrion Price is explosive and
31:14I can't help but think, what are these Notre Dame running backs?
31:18Then going head to head, I think Price is going to want to be like, hey man, I was also pretty good at Notre Dame too.
31:25So maybe he's tabbing for a big explosive run.
31:28So I like Price just like a slightly better, especially because Seattle's favored.
31:32I expect them to win this game. So give me the running back on the team that should win.
31:38It seems like Erickson hates all these Notre Dame guys.
31:41You'd think it was his school that got stopped by Notre Dame two weeks ago instead of mine.
31:46Did you go to USC or something? What's your problem?
31:49What's your problem, Erickson? I do want to do one more aside question.
31:53I know the guy I'm going to mention is going to come up later, so you don't have to talk about him
31:59and I don't want to go crazy into this, but Erickson, ECR 20, Ramondre Stevenson, if Travion Henderson is active, does that change?
32:06I don't know what your view is on him right now, but do you think Ramondre Stevenson should be pushed out of an RB two?
32:14If Travion Henderson is active, yay or nay? Hmm.
32:17I have him right now at 23 and his rank would obviously be pretty fluid if Travion Henderson is active.
32:23I just don't know what Henderson's role will be coming off of his injury and you have to look at the Patriots matchup here.
32:30They're home favorites against the Pittsburgh Steelers who gave up a lot of production to B.
32:35B. John Robinson to get that Ramondre is not B.
32:38John Robinson, but I still think that it's Stevenson's job as the RB one until Henderson shows that, hey, I'm ready to take on a bigger workload.
32:46Can he pass, bro? That has nothing to do with his ankle injury.
32:50So I think Stevenson's probably still a good volume play, even if it's not to the extent that we saw in week one.
32:56But your rank currently is relative to Henderson not being active?
33:0023? It's a hedge ranking. Okay. That's a total reasonable answer, too.
33:03What is the Star Wars quote? I don't do things in, what is it?
33:07In hypotheticals or something like that? Or a Sith?
33:10Something like that. Do you guys watch Star Wars?
33:13I'm familiar. I'm familiar with it. Someone to comment, save me, please.
33:16Fitzy, you familiar with Star Wars? I am. I can't pull the quote.
33:20So the commenters and YouTube are going to have to save Erickson.
33:24I can't bail him off. I thought you were going to do a Yoda or something.
33:29You'll find it. We'll figure it out. Fitzy, same question, just really quick.
33:33Ramondre, does he need to be hit backwards, especially relative to the ECR of 20 if Travion Henderson?
33:38And I know you're going to talk about him later, so you don't have to talk about Travion yet.
33:44But would you push Ramondre back significantly if Travion's out?
33:47Not significantly. I have him RB23 in my rankings.
33:49He probably goes down a spot or two if Henderson is back.
33:53Okay, cool. Perfect. Let's talk about those flex RBs, 24 through 36, 25 through 36, actually.
33:58Coming in at 25, we've got Quinshawn Jutkins on the big board, Basial Tootin at 26, Jalen Warren, Jordan Mason, Ja'Kory Kraski-Mirrit, J.K.
34:05Dobbins. The bottom half is Marshawn Lloyd, Kyle Monongai, Rico Dowdle, Tony Pollard, Aaron Jones, and Blake Corum.
34:10A couple of these guys that you might be dropping in at flex or, you know, I don't know if you have a bad running back situation.
34:18These might be your RB2s. Ja'Kory Kraski-Mirrit, we saw some really good usage.
34:22He comes in at ECR 29. But you both have him lower.
34:26Vitsi, you're the lowest. You've got him at 35.
34:28He is barely grasping on as a flex running back option for you this week.
34:33So talk to us about Ja'Kory Kraski-Mirrit. Good news, bad news for Bill from week one.
34:38The good news led the Commanders in snaps, 34, only 29 for Rashad White, 7 for Katron Allen.
34:43And Bill looked good. 16 carries, 63 yards, a touchdown, one catch for minus seven yards.
34:48But we don't expect to get a lot of passing game production from him.
34:52The bad news, the Commanders were down 24 to 16, down eight with under five minutes left in the game.
34:58And the Commanders had it second and two at the Eagles 22-yard line.
35:02Bill runs for the first down, fumbles, and luckily for Washington, one of their offensive linemen pounces on it to preserve the drive.
35:09Bill immediately gets pulled for rookie Katron Allen. Allen stays on the field for the rest of the drive, has the first
35:15two carries immediately after the Bill fumble, wound up having three carries for 11 yards on the drive.
35:21Commanders scored a touchdown, failed the two-point conversion, lost by two points.
35:24I'm a little nervous that we didn't see Bill after that fumble and the game was on the line and the Commanders
35:31put in rookie Katron Allen to finish the game.
35:34That's a little scary. JCM had four fumbles on 175 carries last season.
35:38Is he in danger of getting quick hooked if he fumbles again in this game?
35:42That's fair. So he's kind of moved out. Not really a good flex option if you're trying to put RVs out there when they're going with.
35:50Erickson, you're also lower. You're not as low. You're a little bit closer to ECR, but 31.
35:55So anything you want to add to that? I mean, it really did get messed up towards the back end of this
36:02with Katron Allen getting involved in here. But what are your thoughts on Ja'Cory Krosky-Merick?
36:06Only Sith deal in absolutes. That is the Star Wars quote.
36:09Because I have nothing else to add with Bill.
36:12He is very scary because it seems like they could pull the plug on him very, very quickly.
36:17The other thing with him, because he did not seem to take on a larger role in the passing game, like that was being suggested throughout training camp.
36:26Oh, we want Bill to step up, be a better pass catcher.
36:29One catch for negative seven yards on two targets.
36:32Actually, just one target is not a signal that, oh, yeah, he's going to be involved in the passing game a lot more.
36:39If they're facing more negative game script against a high-powered Dallas Cowboys offense that is looking to bounce back after a pretty
36:46poor performance on Sunday Night Football, who's in the game?
36:49Probably Rashad White and not JCM. So he seems like he is very, very on the fringe and very boom or bust,
36:55where I think that the bust risk probably outweighs the actual boom where, okay, gets 15 carries, 60 yards and touchdown.
37:01That's the upside case like we saw in week one against a good Philadelphia Eagles front.
37:06But the downside case, like Fitz alluded, he gets benched outright, gets game scripted outright.
37:11I think you can probably find a better flex play, considering he's someone that you probably didn't even start in week one.
37:17On the opposite end of what you guys just did, so Ja'Cory Krosky-Meritt ranked higher.
37:22You guys are lower. Rico Dowdle is ranked lower, and you guys are a little bit higher, not anything crazy.
37:28He's ECR 33 for this week. Not a great matchup against New England, but you guys both have him at least a spot higher.
37:35Erickson, you're 32. Fitzy, you're 31. Erickson, why don't we start with you?
37:39This is against your Patriots team. We really didn't get the production.
37:42I think we got some of the usage of Dowdle that we were hoping to get, but then we got no efficiency.
37:49Everything I thought was going to happen just went to Warren.
37:52Warren was the efficient one. What's your take on Dowdle in this matchup for this week?
37:57I don't want to play Rico Dowdle. Last week was the smash spot for him.
38:02At home against a Cooper Rush, Falcons-led offense. Dowdle should absolutely feast.
38:05We were taking all the overs on his rushing yards props.
38:09Anytime touchdowns for Uncle Rico. Eight carries for 15 yards.
38:12Just outproduced by Jalen Warren. So even though Dowdle got the majority of the snaps, that did not translate to any type of production.
38:19And I find it hard to believe that Mike McCarthy and the staff are going to go back and think, OK, yeah,
38:25well, we got to get Rico more involved. We got to get him more usage.
38:30When you look at the strengths of the Patriots defensive line, it's the interior.
38:34So when you have speedier backs, you can get to the outside like a Jadarian Price.
38:39Those are the running backs that are going to have more success against this defense.
38:43Not the more plodding running backs like a Rico Dowdle.
38:46Not to say that he can't rip off explosive runs.
38:49He showed that in Dallas and in Carolina the last two seasons.
38:53But I think that if you're looking for running backs to get to the edge, I think that's actually more of a
38:59Jalen Warren type of game script, especially if the Steelers are trailing.
39:03I think Jalen Warren is a better pass catcher than Rico Dowdle is.
39:07So even though he was running routes, catching targets, I mean, the guy wasn't producing any type of yardage.
39:13And I thought it was really interesting, too, that the Steelers in the first game under Mike McCarthy, number one in pass rate over expectation in week one.
39:21So I think they're going to be slinging the football, trying to hit DK Metcalf downfield for a lot of air yards
39:28against Christian Gonzalez and these other Patriots defensive backs.
39:30So I think that unless we get like a total reversal where last week set up so well for Rico Dowdle and
39:37just terrible, this week sets up so poorly for Rico Dowdle and does amazing.
39:41Unless that happens, which I'm just not willing to bet on.
39:44Well, maybe I mean, maybe you, Erickson, need to rethink your rank because you're higher than him.
39:49And Fitz, you're the same way. I wonder if you have any more positive take because this is one of those cases
39:56where you guys are both ranked higher. But are you both going to have just a pessimistic outlook of wanting to even play Rico Dowdle?
40:04Or Jalen Warren, for that matter. Well, like it's just OK.
40:07Yeah, I was team Jalen Warren in the offseason.
40:10I just like I think Warren's the better player and I think he's the better fit for Aaron Rodgers.
40:15And, you know, who wants to get rid of the ball quickly and not take hits.
40:20But it was just weird. I guess I have to take the L because Rico had 14 more snaps and ran eight more routes that I don't understand.
40:28Rico Dowdle running eight more routes than Jalen Warren.
40:31So right now I've got him back to back.
40:34I'm taking the coward's way out. I've got Rico 31 and Warren 32.
40:38I want to do two quick hitters in here.
40:40One I just kind of added, but I think it's important.
40:44And we don't have to go crazy on these guys.
40:47But number one is Marshawn Lloyd. Marshawn Lloyd given one of the best matchup grades of this flex range here.
40:53Obviously, some questions with Chris Brooks getting his usage.
40:55He comes in at 31. Fitzy, yay or nay on Marshawn?
40:59Because I feel like we've got this thing where the top half of these guys feel a lot better for flex options.
41:05The bottom half, I think it's just like we don't want Datto.
41:09We want Ja'Cory Krosky merit. What about Lloyd? Where does he fit for you?
41:13Is he a yay or nay wanting to start him this week against the New York Jets?
41:18Wanting to is a nay. He's RB 34. I think maybe they get a positive game script.
41:23I mean, the Packers are favored by what? Like four points at the Jets.
41:27But Lloyd didn't look especially good against the Vikings.
41:30And I just worry that the offensive line for Green Bay was so bad that like they are going to need a back to help protect Jordan Love.
41:38And I think Chris Brooks is better at doing that than Marshawn Lloyd is.
41:43Erickson, your thoughts on Marshawn Lloyd this week? Comes down to the Packers offensive line and whether they can hold up.
41:49I don't know if Aaron Banks is even going to play in this game.
41:53Probably not. Not likely. So they're playing on the road.
41:56I get the Jets showed out defensively against the Titans.
41:59They're the Titans. But the Jets did revamp their defensive line this offseason.
42:03I think that they actually have some decent road graders in the interior.
42:07They're definitely more of a pass funnel defense where when you look at the Jets, you definitely want to throw against their
42:14defensive backs, especially when you don't have Mika Fitzpatrick.
42:16Because he's going to be out there starting stud safety who they traded for in this offseason.
42:21So I know LaFleur loves to run the football, but given that he doesn't have Josh Jacobs, given that his offensive line
42:28is banged up, I think they're just going to trust in Jordan Love and hope that he gets enough time to get
42:35the ball out to these explosive playmakers that Green Bay is littered in to take advantage of this poor Jets secondary without their starting safety.
42:42So I think Marshawn Lloyd is just kind of he's going to be out there.
42:46You're hoping that he rips off an explosive play, but I agree with Fitzy where you're probably still see a lot of
42:53Chris Brooks because of the pass protection. Now, this last guy here before we just get a deep option from each of
43:00you, this might be the guy that is like the end of a tier.
43:04Like I said, like the top half looks like fun flex options in the back half.
43:09We're just like this is a guy you guys are dramatically higher on than what ECR is.
43:14And that's Blake Corum, Blake Corum, five star matchup grade, 36 on ECR.
43:18Both of you have them inside of a top 30 running back this week.
43:22Fitzy, you have them as the highest at 28.
43:25Erickson's right there at 29. So just quick hits on Blake Corum.
43:28Do you think he fits that mold of what I said?
43:31Is he kind of like the last break of a tier that you're cool with putting them as flex because you're so much higher?
43:39Or am I overthinking that? He does take a little bit of a hit in full PPR just because he doesn't chip in much as a pass catcher.
43:47But yeah, the Giants run defense did look better against the Cowboys after being terrible last season.
43:52Still, Corum just looked great in that game against the 49ers.
43:55I love the way he takes the handoff, pauses for a second to read the blocking, and then just hits the gas
44:02and accelerates so quickly and hits the hole hard.
44:05Rams are seven point home favorites against the Giants.
44:07You know, one of their reasons for going to Australia was so late was to not disrupt their circadian rhythm.
44:13So I do think with the extra rest, this could be a get right spot for the Rams offense after the weirdness of Australia.
44:21Erickson, same thing. You got him top 30. Does he kind of break as an option you really like playing as a flex?
44:27And obviously you're into him this week. So quick thoughts on Corum.
44:31He was the one bright spot in a lackluster performance by the entire Rams offense in week one.
44:36It was Blake Corum. He was the reason why they looked good at the beginning of the game.
44:42And I think they're going to continue to feature him alongside Kyron Williams.
44:46They're going to split drives. But if Corum continues to flash this explosive upside and they have positive game script in the
44:52second half against the New York Giants, I think Blake Corum could continue to run wild, get more touchdown opportunities.
44:58So I think that he's a great flex play.
45:01So obviously this is the top 36. Your favorite outside the top 36 ECR backs.
45:05Probably you're going to have him higher is who?
45:08So Kalon Black. He is ECR RB 37. So sliding right into the threshold because we got proof of concept in week
45:15one that the 49ers, I think, want to lighten Christian McCaffrey's load so that he plays the entire season and he doesn't break down.
45:22And that comes in the form of Kalon Black, who matched Christian McCaffrey in total touches in week one, actually had more
45:29carries and looked really good with those opportunities that he got.
45:32So I know that every game script is not going to work where the 49ers are up big against a certain opponent and more closely contested contests.
45:40Yeah, it's probably going to be Christian McCaffrey out there.
45:43But when you're playing the Miami Dolphins, who have arguably the worst roster, especially on defense in the NFL and playing them
45:50at home, this is a pretty obvious spot where if Vegas is right and the 49ers just steamroll as the Death Star,
45:56again, my second Star Wars reference on this show.
45:59Kalon Black is going to get them, by the way.
46:02What? Have you even seen the Star Wars movie?
46:04Yes, of course I have. I don't believe that you've seen them all.
46:08I'm just like, Death Star, Sith, what's a Jedi?
46:11I don't know. But I do know. Yeah, that sounds like someone has seen it, but you know Kalon Black.
46:17Kalon Black, he's going to have opportunities in this matchup, or he should have opportunities, especially on the ground.
46:23So I think that as a desperation flex play, again, he's probably been added to your roster.
46:28I know that sometimes you don't always feel super confident about adding a player you just got off waivers.
46:34But if we get anything like a similar game script to week one for the San Francisco 49ers, Kalon Black should be
46:40involved a decent amount, maybe score a touchdown. Kalon Black, like the, what is it?
46:45McCaffrey's his Padawan or something like that? The Sith roll in two?
46:48I mean, there's great references that you know. I mean, you're the relative expert here.
46:53Fitzy, you're running back outside the top 36. We've kind of alluded to him a little bit here, but let's talk about this running back.
47:00Travion Henderson, RB 33 for me. I think he's worthy of at least flex consideration.
47:05Back at practice on Tuesday, and I think we saw the limitations of Ramondre Stevenson against Seattle in week one.
47:11He's a really good back, but there's just not a lot of big play juice there.
47:15Travion Henderson absolutely has big play juice, and the Patriots are probably going to need it without A.J.
47:21Brown in the lineup for the next month. Fantasybros.com slash rankings.
47:24That's fantasybros.com slash rankings. If you want to check out all of the positional ranks, you want to look at more of the RB stuff, please do so.
47:33You can use that to hang along with us in the episodes, and you can just use that throughout the week as well.
47:39If you're checking out the app, plenty of great tools that are going to help you set all of these decisions if we're not out there.
47:47But that is going to do it for running back ranks.
47:51Know that we've got wide receiver and a quarterback and tight end episode coming up here, so don't miss those.
47:57That is going to do it, though. Good luck in week two.
48:00I'm Chris Welsh. That's Pat Fitzmaurice and Andrew Erickson.
48:03We'll see you in the next episode right here on Fantasy Pros, the fantasy football podcast.
48:08Bye, friends. Thanks for listening to the Fantasy Pros Fantasy Football Podcast.
48:11If you love the show, the best free way to support us is by leaving a positive review on Apple Podcasts at fantasypros.com slash review or on Spotify.
48:20Follow us on X, Instagram, and TikTok at Fantasy Pros, and subscribe to our YouTube channel at youtube.com slash fantasypros.
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