Week 2 Fantasy Football Running Back Starts: Jordan Mason, J.K. Dobbins, Rhamondre Stevenson, Jeff Wilson and More
These are the running backs you need to get into your fantasy lineup this week.
Start
Derrick Henry, Baltimore Ravens
After the season opener on Thursday Night Football, a lot of fantasy owners were very concerned about King Henry. We are here to tell you not to be. His production has been tied to game script his entire career, as his production is much higher in wins than losses.
The thing is when he was at the peak of his abilities, even the bad games were still great. That may not be the case anymore, but he will still dominate when the Ravens have the luxury of pounding him up the middle and wearing down the defense - a luxury they didn't have against the Kansas City Chiefs last week.
Well, the Raiders aren't the Chiefs and the Ravens are going to crush them this week. Despite the Raiders having a strong defensive line, Henry will see the volume and goal-line work to have a monster week.
Jordan Mason, San Francisco 49ers
I don't expect Christian McCaffrey to be out there in Week 2, especially if reports of Achilles tendonitis are true. However, even if he is active, Mason should still see plenty of work as the team eases CMC into action.
The Minnesota Vikings' defensive front should be no match for a 49ers' rushing attack that dominated the Jets' D-line. Mason is a flex option if CMC is active and an RB1 if he's once ruled out.
Devin Singletary, New York Giants
No one is going to get excited about starting Singletary, but the Commanders' defense looked horrendous in Week 1 and we expect even the Giants to move the ball and score points against them. We understand that some owners are avoiding all Giants which is a reasonable idea, but that's why we're letting you know that he should be a solid flex option in Week 2.
Brian Robinson, Washington Commanders
On the other side of the ball in that same game, we have Robinson, who should have a great game against the Giants. He was the clear top option for Washington when running the ball while also catching a few passes, and getting the goal-line work last week.
Austin Ekeler was a factor, but primarily as a pass-catcher. The Commanders should have a lead or at least be in a tight game this week, making this a more favorable game script for Robinson. We like him as a mid-range RB2 on Sunday.
J.K. Dobbins, Los Angeles Chargers
Dobbins was in a time split and far outperformed Gus Edwards in Week 1. Nevertheless, we don't expect Edwards to go away and with a hot-hand approach, he could see more carries than Dobbins's owners hope for. Still, going by what we've seen so far, this is the back to roll with.
More importantly, the Chargers play the Carolina Panthers this week, who were unfathomably bad last week and couldn't top anyone. It stands to reason that both Dobbins and Edwards could have monster weeks with how much they will be running the ball. This game will get ugly quick and both backs could top 20 carries. To make matters worse for Carolina, they lost their top run-stopper for the season in last week's embarrassing loss.
Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots
Stevenson left no doubt who the undisputed RB1 was in New England last week, making fantasy owner's fear of Antonio Gibson an afterthought. Stevenson carried the ball 25 times and caught all three of his targets totaling 126 yards and a TD while Gibson saw just seven carries, and more importantly no targets in the passing attack.
Expect much of the same this week against the Seattle Seahawks in another winnable game for the Pats, who will have to continue to run the ball and play defense to compete on any given week. I've been saying it all offseason, this Pats team is going to be competitive this season and we saw the formula for that last week in their win against the heavily favored Bengals.
Bonus**
Jeff Wilson Jr., Miami Dolphins
Monitor the Dolphins' injury report closely heading into Thursday Night Football. There is a legitimate chance that De'Von Achane and Raheem Mostert could both end up inactive on a short week. If that is the case, then Wilson and not rookie Jaylen Wright will be the back to start.
They showed they trusted him in Week 1 by leaving Wright off the active roster for the game and he rewarded them with a clutch performance in crunch time. He should have a very good game against the Buffalo Bills if he draws the start.
Looking for start/sit help? Be sure to check out the FantasySP Who Should I Start tool.
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