D'Andre Swift has been one of the most disappointing running backs in Fantasy Football, maybe the most. He's only picked up 48 yards on 24 rush attempts (2.0 YPC) and 24 yards on six targets (4.0 YPT). Amongst backs with at least 20 touches this season, his 2.57 yards per touch ranks dead last, and more than a yard worse than Ezekiel Elliott. This all comes even though Swift has seen eight men in the box at a very low rate.

All of that is to say that you probably do not want to start Swift in Week 3. I say probably because he is facing a Colts defense that has give up 175 rushing yards per game to running backs, the most in the league. They are also bottom 10 in yards per carry allowed and Fantasy points per game allowed. This is truly a matchup of a running back who has done nothing against a defense that will seemingly allow anything. 

These are the types of decisions we have to make early in the year. Do we trust a back we thought was an RB2 against a dream matchup or do we believe what he has shown us through two weeks? The flip side of that question is Devin Singletary, who looked awesome in Week 2 against the Commanders but now faces a much better Browns defense. I'm starting Singletary over Swift this week, but they both rank as flexes.

As always, you can find my full projections -- position by position -- over at Sportsline.

No ad available

Now let's get to the rest of the Week 3 RB Preview:

Week 3 RB Preview

Who's Out
Numbers to Know
Matchups That Matter
Waiver Wire Targets
DFS Plays
Projections
RB Preview
Who's Out

The following players are not being projected to play Week 3 at this time. Here's what it means:

Isiah Pacheco RB
KC Kansas City • #10
Age: 25 • Experience: 3 yrs.
Carson Steele and Samaje Perine will split the work at running back until Pacheco returns.
Tank Bigsby RB
JAC Jacksonville • #4
Age: 22 • Experience: 2 yrs.
Travis Etienne should dominate running back touches for Jacksonville.
RB Preview
Numbers to know
  • 76.2% -- Jordan Mason has handled 76% of the 49ers rush attempts this season. That is the highest mark in the league.
  • 5.04 -- J.K. Dobbins has averaged 5.04 yards before contact per rush attempt. He may be a league winner.
  • 5.24 -- Brian Robinson is averaging 5.24 yards after contact per rush attempt, which leads the NFL.
  • 46.2% -- Amongst qualified backs, Devin Singletary ranks first with a 46.2% avoided tackle rate.
  • 18.5% -- Tony Pollard's 18.5% target share ranks fifth amongst running backs. He looks like a feature back in this offense.
  • 4.0 -- Alvin Kamara is averaging an astounding 4.0 yards per route run. There is regression coming, but he has been wildly efficient in all areas of the game.
RB Preview
Matchups that matter
Matchups that Matter
Projections powered by Sportsline
D'Andre Swift RB
CHI Chicago • #4
Age: 25 • Experience: 5 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

@ IND IND -0.5 O/U 42.5

OPP VS RB

20th

PROJ PTS

13.3

RB RNK

24th

YTD Stats

RUYDS

48

REC

4

REYDS

24

TD

0

FPTS/G

6.6
J.K. Dobbins RB
LAC L.A. Chargers • #27
Age: 25 • Experience: 5 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

@ PIT PIT -0.5 O/U 35.5

OPP VS RB

27th

PROJ PTS

15.3

RB RNK

17th

YTD Stats

RUYDS

266

REC

4

REYDS

4

TD

2

FPTS/G

21.5
Devin Singletary RB
NYG N.Y. Giants • #26
Age: 27 • Experience: 6 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

@ CLE CLE -3.5 O/U 38.5

OPP VS RB

18th

PROJ PTS

10.9

RB RNK

23rd

YTD Stats

RUYDS

132

REC

5

REYDS

15

TD

1

FPTS/G

11.9
Zamir White RB
LV Las Vegas • #3
Age: 25 • Experience: 3 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

vs CAR LV -3.5 O/U 40.5

OPP VS RB

19th

PROJ PTS

6.9

RB RNK

27th

YTD Stats

RUYDS

68

REC

5

REYDS

16

TD

0

FPTS/G

5.7
RB Preview
Waiver Wire Targets
Week 3 Adds (RB Preview)
Carson Steele RB
KC Kansas City • #42
Age: 22 • Experience: Rookie

Weekly Breakdown

@ ATL KC -2.5 O/U 46.5

OPP VS RB

19th

RB RNK

30th

ROSTERED

10%

YTD Stats

RUYDS

27

REC

0

REYDS

0

TD

0

FPTS/G

0.4
Isiah Pacheco is out for six to eight weeks and as of Tuesday morning it appears Carson Steele is the first option to lead the Chiefs backfield. At the very least, we would expect Steele to be the short yardage back, which gives him a chance to be a touchdown-dependent flex. It's possible he sees 15 touches and functions as a true RB2. Assuming Kareem Hunt does not sign, you can spend up to 20% of your FAB on Steele.
Samaje Perine RB
KC Kansas City • #34
Age: 29 • Experience: 8 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

@ ATL KC -2.5 O/U 46.5

OPP VS RB

10th

RB RNK

33rd

ROSTERED

20%

YTD Stats

RUYDS

0

REC

2

REYDS

13

TD

0

FPTS/G

1.7
Perine is likely just a spoiler for Carson Steele, handling the majority of passing downs and a handful of carries. But Steele is a rookie and has already fumbled once, so there is upside beyond that for the veteran. I will be looking to spend 5-10% of my FAB on Perine on the hope that he receives a bigger share of the load.
Cam Akers RB
MIN Minnesota • #22
Age: 25 • Experience: 4 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

@ MIN HOU -0.5 O/U 45.5

OPP VS RB

1st

RB RNK

NR

ROSTERED

4%

YTD Stats

RUYDS

32

REC

1

REYDS

3

TD

0

FPTS/G

2.5
Joe Mixon is battling an ankle injury and Akers looked surprisingly spry in Week 2 action. If both Mixon and Dameon Pierce are out, we could see 15 touches from Akers, though he does have a difficult matchup. Don't spend too much on him and view him as a high-end flex if he gets a start.
Stashes (RB Preview)
Kareem Hunt RB
KC Kansas City • #29
Age: 29 • Experience: 8 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

vs NYG CLE -3.5 O/U 38.5

OPP VS RB

7th

RB RNK

NR

ROSTERED

2%

YTD Stats

RUYDS

0

REC

0

REYDS

0

TD

0

FPTS/G

0
Hunt is visiting the Chiefs on Tuesday. Until he signs he's a speculative add in deep leagues. If Hunt signs, we wouldn't expect him to have a big role in Week 3 but he would have the upside of becoming a starter in the Chiefs offense for up to a month after he gets back in game shape. If he's a Chief before your waiver run he's worth up to 10% of FAB.
RB Preview
DFS Plays
Top DFS Play
Projections powered by Sportsline
De'Von Achane RB
MIA Miami • #28
Age: 23 • Experience: 2 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

@ SEA SEA -3.5 O/U 41.5

OPP VS RB

30th

PROJ PTS

23

RB RNK

4th

YTD Stats

RUYDS

120

REC

14

REYDS

145

TD

2

FPTS/G

26.3
The Dolphins are treating Achane like a workhorse and as long as he holds up to that role you should expect him to be one of the most productive backs in Fantasy Football. We're expecting Skyler Thompson to start in Week 3 and he has targeted running backs on more than 25% of his career NFL pass attempts. Thompson is bad news for everyone in this offense except for Achane, who should have a busy day both in the air and on the ground.
Contrarian DFS Play
Projections powered by Sportsline
Zach Charbonnet RB
SEA Seattle • #26
Age: 23 • Experience: 2 yrs.

Weekly Breakdown

vs MIA SEA -3.5 O/U 41.5

OPP VS RB

29th

PROJ PTS

12.8

RB RNK

10th

YTD Stats

RUYDS

50

REC

7

REYDS

60

TD

2

FPTS/G

15
Charbonnet was terribly inefficient on his way to 17.9 PPR Fantasy points and now he's gotten a price bump because of the production. I would expect that will make him unpopular in Week 3 despite the fact he faces a Dolphins defense that was just gashed by James Cook. With Skylar Thompson at QB for the Dolphgins I expect Seattle to be playing from ahead, and Charbonnet to top 20 touches.
RB Preview
Heath's Projections

My full set of Week 3 Fantasy football projections for every position are now available on SportsLine. You'll find them here. Find out which of my favorite plays are projected to score higher than consensus rankings and which don't live up to their draft hype, at least in Week 3. Projected stats for all starting running backs are available, so be sure to check out the full set of projections at SportsLine.

No ad available

Who should you start and sit this week? And which surprising quarterback could lead you to victory? Visit SportsLine now to get Week 3 Fantasy rankings for every position, plus see which quarterback comes out of nowhere to crack the top 10, all from the model that has outperformed experts big-time.