Fantasy football managers know that every lineup decision can make or break a week, and choosing the right players to start or sit is where championships are won. With the 2026 NFL season underway, matchups, stats, and trends are more important than ever. From favorable matchups and scoring trends to players you should avoid in tough spots, my weekly positional start and sit guide is built to give you an edge.
Want your start/sit questions answered within minutes? Join the Blitz Community for free fantasy football advice all season long.
Running Backs to Start
David Montgomery HOU
David Montgomery burned fantasy managers in one of the best matchups on the board last week, but I’m willing to go right back to him against Indianapolis. After scoring three total touchdowns on 23 touches in Week 1, Montgomery was held to 10 yards on six carries against Cincinnati while adding two receptions for 14 yards. The touch distribution was obviously concerning with Woody Marks getting 13 opportunities, but the playing time wasn’t nearly as bad as the box score suggests. Montgomery and Marks both played 38 offensive snaps, so this hasn’t suddenly become a backfield where Montgomery is operating as the clear backup.
Indianapolis gives him a great opportunity to bounce back. The Colts have struggled to consistently stop the run through the first two weeks, and that’s exactly the type of environment where I want to take another chance on Montgomery’s early-down and scoring role. The three touchdowns in Week 1 also reminded us why he doesn’t necessarily need 20-plus touches to produce a strong fantasy score. Marks has earned enough work that I’m no longer treating Montgomery as a volume-based RB1, but one disappointing performance isn’t enough for me to abandon a player who is still splitting the backfield snaps evenly and should have opportunities near the goal line. I’m going back to Montgomery as an RB2 in Week 3.
Jaylen Warren PIT
Jaylen Warren hasn’t given us a massive fantasy performance yet, but his workload has been considerably more encouraging than the box scores. He has 21 carries for 89 yards through two games while catching seven of 10 targets for another 61 yards, giving him 150 scrimmage yards on 28 touches. The receiving usage is particularly important because Warren has already drawn 10 targets, giving him a path toward fantasy production even when Pittsburgh can’t establish the running game. Most importantly, Rico Dowdle is dealing with a toe injury and missed Wednesday’s practice while wearing a walking boot. Warren has an injury of his own, but his shoulder issue only limited him in Wednesday’s practice rather than keeping him off the field entirely.
Cincinnati makes this an even easier player to trust. Warren doesn’t need Pittsburgh to give him 20 carries because the receiving work can keep him involved regardless of game script, and Dowdle’s status could create additional opportunities if he’s limited or unavailable. I’m not assuming Warren suddenly controls the entire backfield because Dowdle actually entered the game before him last week, but the injury situation clearly increases Warren’s path toward touches. If Dowdle is ruled out, Warren becomes one of my favorite RB2 plays of the week. Even if Dowdle suits up at less than 100%, Warren’s combination of rushing and receiving usage makes him someone I’m comfortable starting against Cincinnati.
Chuba Hubbard CAR
Chuba Hubbard’s situation has changed dramatically since we were worried about Jonathan Brooks eating into his workload entering the season. Hubbard handled 12 carries for 53 yards against Atlanta last week and caught both of his targets for 11 yards and a touchdown, giving him 64 scrimmage yards and 14.4 PPR points. More importantly, Brooks’ groin/core injury is significant enough that he’s heading to injured reserve and is expected to undergo surgery. That removes the biggest threat to Hubbard’s workload and gives him a much cleaner path toward controlling Carolina’s backfield.
Cleveland isn’t a matchup I’m aggressively targeting, so Hubbard is here because of his role rather than because I expect Carolina to run all over the Browns. That’s an important distinction. The Panthers have scored 71 points through two games, Bryce Young is playing extremely well, and Hubbard now has a much clearer path toward carries, receiving work, and goal-line opportunities. At running back, secure volume can overcome an imperfect matchup, especially when that back is attached to an offense consistently reaching scoring position. Hubbard has gone from a questionable flex entering the season to a player I’m comfortable starting as an RB2 in Week 3.
Running Backs to Sit
Jeremiyah Love ARI
Jeremiyah Love remains one of my favorite young running backs long term, but Arizona still isn’t giving him the workload we need for reliable fantasy production. Love carried nine times for 29 yards against Seattle last week and caught three passes for 16 yards, finishing with only 45 scrimmage yards. Through two games, he’s averaging 3.5 yards per carry with 70 rushing yards on 20 attempts. The bigger problem is playing time. Love did out-touch Tyler Allgeier 12-7 last week, but Allgeier has played 76 total offensive snaps through two games compared with only 52 for Love. Arizona has also publicly indicated that it intends to continue rotating the two backs.
Now Love goes into San Francisco while still playing fewer snaps than Allgeier. He scored in Week 1 and possesses enough explosiveness to turn limited touches into a useful fantasy performance, but that’s exactly what we’d be betting on right now: efficiency and touchdown variance rather than secure volume. I don’t want to give up on Love or sell low because his talent could eventually force Arizona to expand his role. For Week 3, though, a back playing around 40% of the snaps needs too many things to go right. Until Love starts taking playing time away from Allgeier, I’m keeping him on the bench when I have another viable RB2 or flex.
Travis Etienne Jr. NO
Travis Etienne Jr.’s Week 2 usage was considerably more concerning than his Week 1 performance suggested. He opened the season with 78 scrimmage yards on 16 touches, including seven receptions, while Alvin Kamara was unavailable. Kamara returned against Baltimore and immediately complicated everything. Etienne finished with eight carries for 25 yards and two receptions for six yards while playing roughly half of New Orleans’ offensive snaps. His receiving involvement also dropped dramatically, and Kamara received the Saints’ lone running-back red-zone carry. That creates a much different fantasy situation than the one Etienne had to himself in Week 1.
There was at least one encouraging development beneath the overall split. Etienne played 21 second-half snaps compared with only seven for Kamara and out-touched him 8-4 after halftime, so I’m not declaring that Etienne has lost this backfield. The problem is that we’re still dealing with an uncertain committee, reduced receiving usage, and now a hamstring injury that limited Etienne in Wednesday’s practice. The Raiders don’t need to be an elite run defense for this sit to make sense. Until New Orleans gives us a clearer hierarchy and Etienne gets through the hamstring issue, I’m treating him as an RB3/flex rather than an automatic starter.
Bucky Irving TB
Bucky Irving is easily the most aggressive sit in this group because there is absolutely nothing wrong with his workload or his performance. He had eight carries for 45 yards and a touchdown while catching seven passes for 48 yards in Week 1, then followed it with 17 carries for 89 yards and four receptions for one yard against Cleveland. Through two games, Irving has 183 scrimmage yards, 11 receptions and a touchdown while averaging 5.4 yards per carry. He also handled 21 opportunities last week while playing more than three-quarters of Tampa Bay’s offensive snaps. This is not a workload fade. Irving has established himself as the clear centerpiece of this backfield.
This is specifically about lowering Irving relative to his normal ranking in a more difficult Week 3 matchup with Minnesota. His receiving involvement normally gives him an excellent floor, but last week was a reminder that receptions don’t automatically create meaningful fantasy production when four catches produce one yard. I’m also not telling fantasy managers to bench Irving for a random flex option. He’s running too well and controlling too much of Tampa Bay’s backfield for that. If I have another legitimate RB2 or strong flex with a better matchup, though, I’m willing to lower expectations and consider sitting Irving this week. The workload gives him every opportunity to beat the recommendation, but I don’t view him as the automatic high-end RB2 he normally would be in a more favorable matchup.
