RB Starts/Sits
Injuries and committees have made a mess of a lot of backfields. Here are three backs to trust this week and three to bench.
Yo! Real quick, before we get to the picks →
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Now, on to the picks…
🔥 START: Jaylen Warren (PIT) vs. Colts
Warren has been one of the most efficient backs in football with Rico Dowdle sidelined, and his matchup sets up nicely.
220 rushing yards at 6.5 YPC over his last two games, averaging 18.1 fantasy points as the RB9 over that span
Ranks top-5 with 19 missed tackles forced, and played a massive 97% snap rate in Week 4
Indianapolis has been one of the more generous run defenses, giving up 28.1 fantasy points per game to opposing backfields (6th-most)
Dowdle is expected back, which could bring a timeshare, but Warren's receiving role with Aaron Rodgers gives him a safe floor either way. Pittsburgh ranked second in RB targets last season, so he stays in lineups.
🪑 SIT: Cam Skattebo (NYG) @ Commanders
Skattebo is still the Giants' lead back, but the production hasn't shown up, and this is a tough week to expect a turnaround.
10.0 or fewer fantasy points in each of his last three games, at 3.5 YPC or less in three of his four starts
Najee Harris keeps taking early-down and red-zone work, including two carries from the 6-yard line in Week 2
Washington has been one of the stingiest defenses against backs, allowing just 12.3 fantasy points and 56.0 rushing yards per game to the position
With Jaxson Dart out for the season, much of the offense around him has taken a big hit. Skattebo is a low-end RB2 right now at best, and this matchup pushes him onto the bench.
🔥 START: D'Andre Swift (CHI) @ Packers
Swift's Week 4 ended badly, but he's still the lead back in a run-first offense facing one of the friendliest run defenses in the league.
Handled 19+ opportunities in each of his first three games, something he did only seven times in all of 2025
Green Bay allows a ton of fantasy points to RBs and a 56.9% rushing success rate (3rd-highest)
With backup QB Tyson Bagent under center, Chicago should lean heavily on the ground after running 49 times in Week 4
The fumbles and Kyle Monangai's 146-yard day are real concerns. Even so, Swift is one of only two backs, along with Derrick Henry, to finish in the top 24 in each of the last six years, and this matchup is too good to pass up.
🪑 SIT: Tony Pollard (TEN) vs. Texans
Pollard gets the volume, but almost nothing else in this setup works in his favor.
Scored his first touchdown of the season in Week 4 and still ran for just 48 yards on 16 carries
Houston has been the stingiest defense in the league against backs, allowing an NFL-low 11.8 fantasy points per game and zero rushing touchdowns
Tennessee is a 7-point home underdog, and rookie QB Cam Ward keeps taking goal-line carries
Pollard was "allergic to the end zone" last season too, ranking 64th in fantasy points per opportunity. Leave him on the bench.
Up next: a former backup who's become a bell cow, and he gets a defense that's been giving up points to backs all season.
🔥 START: Emanuel Wilson (SEA) vs. 49ers
With Jadarian Price on IR and Zach Charbonnet still sidelined, Wilson has become Seattle's unquestioned RB1.
Week 4: 21 carries, 120 scrimmage yards, and two touchdowns (one rushing, one receiving)
He was clearly the bell cow, while George Holani managed only seven carries for 18 yards
San Francisco ranks among the highest in EPA allowed to running backs and has given up 15+ fantasy points to three different backs this season
Wilson doesn't have elite burst, but he's tough to bring down and the workload is his alone. Start him as an RB2 while Seattle's backfield stays thin.
🪑 SIT: David Montgomery (HOU) @ Titans
Montgomery's three-touchdown opener feels like a long time ago.
Hasn't scored in three straight games, averaging just 2.7 YPC
Has 11 or fewer carries in each of his last three games, while Woody Marks has taken over third-down and red-zone work
Week 4 was his low point: 10 carries for 24 yards and zero targets
Houston simply can't run the ball right now. Even with a favorable game pace against Tennessee, Montgomery is hard to trust as more than a desperation FLEX.
That's the list: three backs to start, three to sit, and one clear edge in every matchup.
-Joe
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