Start em or sit em? Fantasy football start or sit decisions can be excruciating. While it feels great to make the right call and cruise to fantasy glory, it hurts just as much when you have someone erupt while on your bench. You can use our Who Should I Start? tool to gauge advice from fantasy football experts as you make your lineup decisions. And you can also sync your fantasy football league for free using our My Playbook tool for custom advice, rankings and analysis.
Let’s take a look at a few polarizing players and what fantasy football expert Derek Brown advises. And you can find all of DBro’s fantasy football outlook in this week’s fantasy football primer.
Fantasy Football Start’em, Sit’em Lineup Advice
Jordan Mason (MIN)
With Aaron Jones out, Jordan Mason should be the Vikings’ clear workhorse back. He has averaged 13.5 touches and 56.5 total yards. Those numbers should both go up, and I expect Mason to flirt with 17-20 touches this week. He has been efficient on the ground with his work. Among 50 qualifying backs, Mason ranks 13th in explosive run rate, sixth in missed tackles forced per attempt, and 20th in yards after contact per attempt. Mason should have a productive day against a run defense that has the 11th-lowest stuff rate while ranking 14th in yards after contact per attempt and 15th in yards before contact per attempt.
Travis Etienne Jr. (JAC)
Travis Etienne is the RB9 in fantasy points per game. Last week, he still easily led this backfield with a 66% snap rate, 14 of the 24 running back carries, and a 45.5% route share (7.1% target share). Etienne has averaged 17.5 touches and 122.5 total yards. Among 50 qualifying backs, Etienne ranks sixth in explosive run rate and third in yards after contact per attempt. Etienne should have another strong game against a run defense that has allowed the 12th-highest explosive run rate, the 11th-most rushing yards per game, and the fourth-highest missed tackle rate.
Kenneth Walker III (SEA)
Kenneth Walker saw his snap share drop from Week 1 to Week 2 (40% to 35%), but he was more productive with his volume. He finished with 14 touches with the 23 snaps he played with 118 total yards as the RB5 for the week. Walker had three red zone rushing attempts while Zach Charbonnet had two. His rushing efficiency has still been outstanding. Among 35 qualifying backs, Walker ranks second in explosive run rate, sixth in missed tackles forced per attempt, and 13th in yards after contact per attempt. I wouldn’t be shocked if Walker saw his usage increase in the coming weeks if he continues to outplay Charbonnet. This week’s matchup offers another low-key opportunity for Walker to break off some big plays. The Saints are 16th in rushing yards per game allowed while also giving up the third-highest missed tackle rate and the 11th-most yards after contact per attempt.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt (WAS)
With Austin Ekeler out for the season, Jacory Croskey-Merritt will take over more of the Washington backfield. It’s just a question of how much. I expect Jeremy McNichols to be worked in, especially on passing downs, but Croskey-Merritt (aka Bill) should have the lion’s share of the early down work moving forward. In a limited sample, Bill has been good with a 7.1% explosive run rate and 3.50 yards after contact per attempt. Bill has a tough matchup on the ground this week and likely needs a touchdown to pay off for fantasy. The Raiders have allowed the tenth-lowest explosive run rate, the 11th-lowest missed tackle rate, and the fifth-fewest yards after contact per attempt.
Omarion Hampton (LAC)
This isn’t what Fantasy GMs signed up for as they drafted Omarion Hampton as their RB2. They thought they were getting a Chargers’ offense that was centered around Hampton as the engine, but the Bolts are a pass-happy team in 2025, and Hampton has been ok but not amazing with his opportunities. He has averaged 71.5% of the snaps with 13 touches and 43 total yards per game. Hampton has a respectable 17% missed tackle rate but only 2.35 yards after contact per attempt. It’s only a two-game sample, so it’s not time to press the panic button. Hampton could see Najee Harris eat into his workload more in Week 3, though. Harris played 72% of the snaps in the fourth quarter last week and looked good while on the field. Hampton does have a good matchup this week and should still be the leader of the backfield, so fire him up, but there is some risk. Denver has allowed the fifth-highest missed tackle rate, the most yards after contact per attempt, and the 13th-most rushing yards per game.
Rhamondre Stevenson (NE)
Rhamondre Stevenson has been the team’s clear lead back, playing 65% of the snaps in both games and three of the five running back red zone rushing attempts. Stevenson has averaged 12.5 touches and 84.5 total yards. He is the RB19 in fantasy points per game. Among 50 qualifying backs, Stevenson ranks 18th in explosive run rate, 22nd in missed tackles forced per attempt, and 14th in yards after contact per attempt. He should have another strong outing this week against a struggling Pittsburgh run defense. Pittsburgh has allowed the third-highest explosive run rate, the fifth-most rushing yards per game, and the second-highest missed tackle rate.
Cam Skattebo (NYG)
The Cam Skattebo takeover has begun. In Week 2, he led the Giants’ backfield in snap share (50.8%), route share (40%), rushing attempts (11 of 16 running back rushing attempts), and red zone carries (all six). He finished with 13 touches and 59 total yards as the RB22 in fantasy. Skattebo’s per-rush metrics are ok, but they aren’t amazing past his 7.7% explosive run rate. He has a 15% missed tackle rate and 2.38 yards after contact per attempt. The sample size is small (13 carries), so we don’t need to rush to conclusions. Skattebo hopefully has an even higher snap share this week, and his volume can overcome a horrible matchup. Kansas City has allowed the fifth-lowest explosive run rate, the seventh-lowest missed tackle rate, and the fourth-fewest yards after contact per attempt.
Subscribe: YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | iHeart | Castbox | Amazon Music | Podcast Addict | TuneIn
If you want to dive deeper into fantasy football, check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Football Tools as you navigate your season. From our Start/Sit Assistant – which provides your optimal lineup based on accurate consensus projections – to our Waiver Wire Assistant, which allows you to quickly see which available players will improve your team and how much – we’ve got you covered this fantasy football season.