What he lacks in raw talent he makes up for in playing time, as
Mason ascends to the unquestioned RB1 with Aaron Jones (hamstring)
hitting IR this week. With more and more backfields being split,
Mason should be a lock for 20 touches against a Bengals defense
that has yielded the 3rd most fantasy points to the position.
Coming off a strong 27-touch 120 total yard day against a good
Niner defense, Kamara should once again be the focal point of
an offense led by a young quarterback playing on the road in Seattle.
Seattle’s defense gives up only 17 points-per-game, but
they have been positively roasted by backs out of the backfield.
The 19 receptions for 211 yards given up to opposing backs easily
leads the NFL, meaning Kamara should be in for a strong PPR day
in Week 3.
I know Pacheco and the Kansas City run game has been invisible
through the season’s first two weeks, but the Chiefs must
be able to establish some semblance of a ground threat if they
are going to climb out of an 0-2 hole. While the Giants support
a fierce pass rush trio, they’ve been gashed for over 177
yards-per-game on the ground, including an NFL high four rushing
touchdowns. If the KC ground attack can’t establish their
footing in this one, it might never happen.
Jacobs has scored in 10 straight games, and remains one of the
rare bell-cow backs in the NFL, but he’s running into an
absolute buzzsaw on Sunday. The Browns offense might be a mess,
but the defense, especially against the run, has been devastating.
They did the unthinkable last week, stifling King Henry and the
league’s best rushing attack. Even with the two touchdowns,
Jacobs has been mediocre, averaging a sickly 3.6 yards-per-carry
on 42 totes. He’s also been a near zero in the passing game
with only 1 reception on 1 target. Don’t count on a breakout
this week.
Highly Drafted Rookie Running Backs
The deepest running back class in recent times has largely been
a dud over the first two weeks. Much ballyhooed backs Ashton
Jeanty and Omarion
Hampton have a single combined touchdown and have yet to surpass
50 yards on the ground. 2nd-round darlings TreVeyon
Henderson and RJ
Harvey are mere role players in their backfields. Quinshon
Judkins is working into shape, but has a brutal matchup against
the Pack. Outside of Jeanty, it might be fair to relegate these
guys to FLEX status at the very best.
After a dynamic Week 1, it looked like Hall was on the ascend
after a rough 2024. But he and the Jets crashed back to earth
in a thumping against the Bills, and now Justin Fields is out
with a concussion, and the stout front of the Bucs is on deck.
Tampa has been a run defense to avoid since Vita Vea entered the
league and 2025 is no different, as the Bucs have given up the
5th-fewest rushing yards per game.
