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.
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Running Backs to Start
Braelon Allen NYJ
Braelon Allen becomes one of my favorite Week 4 running back starts if Breece Hall is unable to play. Hall suffered a thigh/quad injury late against Detroit, received encouraging MRI results but is considered week-to-week, and has remained out of practice entering Week 4. Allen stepped into the backfield after Hall went down, putting him in position for a significant workload increase if Hall can’t return against Chicago. Allen hasn’t had enough volume through three weeks for his season-long production to tell us much, but this recommendation is about how dramatically his opportunity could change. Assuming Hall remains out, Allen would have a realistic path toward 15-plus opportunities.
The matchup is exactly where I’d be willing to bet on that increased workload. Chicago has already shown it can be attacked on the ground, and the Jets shouldn’t need Allen to suddenly become Breece Hall as a receiver for him to return fantasy value. At his size, Allen also gives New York a natural early-down and short-yardage option, which creates touchdown upside if the Jets can sustain drives. The biggest thing to monitor is Hall’s status because this recommendation changes considerably if he’s unexpectedly active. But if Hall is ruled out, I’m not waiting a week to see what Allen’s expanded role looks like. The combination of additional carries, potential goal-line work, and a favorable matchup puts him firmly in my starting lineup.
Aaron Jones Sr. MIN
Aaron Jones’ workload over the past two weeks has quietly become one of the strongest reasons to trust him in Week 4. He carried 23 times for 105 yards in Week 2 and followed that with 17 carries for 58 yards against Tampa Bay while catching all five of his targets for another 34 yards. That’s 92 scrimmage yards on 22 opportunities in Week 3 after receiving 23 carries the previous week. Across those two games, Jones has handled 46 combined carries and targets, showing that Minnesota is comfortable leaning on him as both a runner and receiver rather than treating him as a player who needs perfect efficiency to produce.
Miami has also been one of the NFL’s most favorable matchups for opposing running backs through three weeks, which makes this an excellent spot to keep chasing that workload. What I particularly like about Jones is that his receiving involvement gives him protection against game script. If Minnesota controls the game, he has already shown us 20-carry upside. If the Vikings are forced into more passing situations, five receptions last week showed us another path to fantasy points. We’re getting a back with consecutive weeks of substantial opportunity against a defense that has struggled to contain the position. Jones belongs in lineups as a strong RB2 with legitimate upside beyond that.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt WAS
Jacory Croskey-Merritt didn’t reward fantasy managers who started him last week, but I’m considerably more interested in the workload than the 36 rushing yards. He handled a season-high 19 carries after receiving 16 in Week 1 and 12 in Week 2, bringing him to 47 carries for 142 yards through three games. That’s only 3.0 yards per carry, so I’m not pretending the efficiency has been good. The important development is that Washington continues giving him opportunities. Croskey-Merritt enters Week 4 with the strongest claim to the lead rushing role after handling a season-high 19 carries last week.
There are moving pieces in this backfield that prevent me from calling the workload completely secure. Austin Ekeler has returned to the picture, while Rachaad White is dealing with a shoulder injury. But that uncertainty doesn’t erase what Washington showed us last week. Croskey-Merritt received 19 rushing attempts, and now he gets an Indianapolis defense that has been vulnerable on the ground and has struggled to consistently prevent opponents from sustaining offense. I’m willing to bet on the volume before the efficiency catches up. If he gets another 15-20 carries, he doesn’t need to be spectacular to produce a usable fantasy week, and any goal-line opportunities would give him a considerably higher ceiling.
Running Backs to Sit
Omarion Hampton LAC
Omarion Hampton has gone from someone I was comfortable trusting early in the season to one of the more concerning running back situations entering Week 4. Hampton still handled 15 carries for 56 yards against Buffalo last week, but the underlying usage was considerably more concerning than the box score. Hampton and Keaton Mitchell played nearly identical snap totals, while Mitchell received eight carries and was considerably more involved in the passing-game portion of the offense. Hampton still held the advantage in rushing volume, so I’m not calling this a completely even backfield yet. But we’re no longer looking at the clean feature-back workload that would allow us to overlook an inefficient or difficult matchup.
And Seattle is not where I want to test whether Hampton can overcome reduced playing time. The Seahawks have been one of the NFL’s toughest rushing matchups through three weeks, ranking among the league leaders in rushing defense and rushing success rate allowed. That puts considerably more pressure on Hampton to either score a touchdown or regain some of the passing-down work Mitchell has begun taking. The talent hasn’t suddenly disappeared, and 15 carries last week keeps Hampton involved enough that I wouldn’t call him an automatic bench in every league. But between the increasingly legitimate committee and one of the more difficult rushing matchups on the slate, I’m lowering expectations considerably and would rather use a back with a more secure path to 15-plus touches.
Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson NE
I’m grouping Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson together because the biggest problem isn’t either player’s talent. It’s that New England hasn’t given us a backfield structure I trust enough for fantasy. Stevenson played 33 offensive snaps last week, accounting for just over half of the offense, but finished with only seven carries and three targets. Henderson played 23 snaps, received eight carries and drew one target. Even in a game where New England desperately needed offensive production, neither back separated himself enough from the other to establish the type of workload we want from a weekly fantasy starter.
Buffalo doesn’t need to be an elite run defense for this to be a bad fantasy setup. The problem is combining uncertain workload with an offense that could again be forced away from a balanced approach. If New England falls behind, we’re left guessing which back gets passing-down opportunities. If the game stays competitive, we’re still dealing with Stevenson and Henderson dividing early-down work. Henderson remains the player I’d rather roster because of the upside if his role eventually grows, but that doesn’t mean I need to start him before the growth actually happens. Until one of these backs establishes a substantially larger share of the snaps, touches or high-value opportunities, I’m keeping both on the bench in normal formats.
David Montgomery HOU
David Montgomery is easily the most uncomfortable sit of this group because the matchup itself is actually favorable. Through three games, Montgomery has 37 carries for only 103 yards, averaging 2.8 yards per carry, although he’s already scored three total touchdowns. The workload has also started moving in a direction that concerns me. In Week 3, Montgomery still led Woody Marks in playing time and touches, finishing with 11 carries for 33 yards and two receptions for 15 yards, while Marks had five carries for 15 yards and caught one pass for six yards. The bigger development came near the goal line, where Houston gave Marks a carry from the one-yard line, and he converted it for a touchdown. One play doesn’t mean Marks has suddenly taken over the high-value work, but that’s exactly the type of touch Montgomery needs to maintain if he’s going to overcome his inefficient rushing production.
Dallas makes this a difficult sit because the Cowboys have allowed 539 rushing yards at 5.0 yards per carry through three games, and opposing running backs have averaged more than 114 rushing yards per game against them. That’s why this isn’t a matchup fade whatsoever. I’m betting against Montgomery’s current role being strong enough to fully capitalize on it. Recent reporting indicates Houston is considering changing how it distributes its backfield workload between Montgomery and Marks, which becomes particularly concerning when Montgomery is averaging only 2.8 yards per carry, and Marks has already started receiving valuable goal-line work. Montgomery can absolutely punish this call with a touchdown against a vulnerable Dallas run defense, but if I have another legitimate RB2 option with a more secure workload, I’m willing to sit him until we get a clearer picture of how much Houston intends to expand Marks’ role.
