The first week of the fantasy football season brought both clarity and chaos to running back depth charts. Some players cemented their status as workhorse backs, rewarding the managers who drafted them.
However, other backfields devolved into committees, leaving fantasy managers with difficult start-sit decisions heading into Week 2.
Risers: Travis Etienne Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars
Despite Jacksonville’s offensive struggles, Travis Etienne Jr. reestablished himself as the team’s clear RB1. He ran the ball 16 times for 143 yards while adding three receptions for another 13. He managed 18.6 fantasy points without a touchdown.
Etienne played on 60% of the offensive snaps, while Tank Bigsby rotated with LeQuint Allen and Bhayshul Tuten. All four backs saw the field, but Bigsby was closer to the rookies than to Etienne. This is Etienne’s backfield.
Travis Etienne goes 71 YARDS on the ground!
CARvsJAX on FOXhttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/tvsIl6cNNJ
— NFL (@NFL) September 7, 2025
Fantasy managers who invested an eighth or ninth-round pick in the former top prospect were rewarded. Now, that doesn’t mean this is how things will remain. However, for now, Etienne is a weekly RB2 who should not be left on fantasy benches.
Breece Hall, New York Jets
Breece Hall exploded in his return to the spotlight, rushing 19 times for 107 yards and adding two receptions for 38 yards in the Jets’ high-scoring loss to Pittsburgh. His 16.5 PPR points came without finding the end zone, indicating massive ceiling potential when touchdown luck turns his way.
This was a vintage Hall performance. After looking like a shell of his former self in 2024, the fourth-year player resembled the elite talent we saw during his rookie year. The performance showcased Hall’s elite burst and vision as he consistently found gaps in Pittsburgh’s typically stout run defense.
It is worth noting that Hall split time with Braelon Allen and a little of Isaiah Davis. Reports that this backfield would be a committee appear to have been accurate, at least for one week. But if Hall is going to play this well, it’s not going to matter.
His 5.6 yards per carry average was particularly impressive given Pittsburgh’s defensive reputation. Several runs featured the explosive second-level speed that made Hall a fantasy darling before his 2022 injury. The receiving work (two catches on four targets) showed continued involvement in the passing game despite Justin Fields’ mobility.
With the Jets’ passing game showing life under Fields and the offensive line providing solid run blocking, Hall appears poised to outperform his ADP. His combination of volume, efficiency, and big-play ability makes him a locked-in RB1 with league-winning upside. Fantasy managers who bought the dip on Hall are being rewarded with exactly the production they drafted him to provide.
Fallers: Isiah Pacheco, Kansas City Chiefs
The only positive takeaway from Isiah Pacheco’s performance on Friday night is that he looked fully healthy. Other than that, it was an unmitigated disaster.
Pacheco started, but immediately exited the game on the second play for Brashard Smith. Then, Kareem Hunt entered on third down. While Smith only played eight snaps, he combined with Hunt to play as many as Pacheco, whose snap share was 50%.
The bigger issue was the roles. Pacheco served as the early down back, but Hunt came in on passing downs and in short yardage situations. That makes Pacheco the dreaded two-down back who doesn’t catch passes and doesn’t get goal-line carries. That archetype of running back is unstartable in fantasy.
READ MORE: Fantasy Football Risers and Fallers Week 2: Player Values On the Move Include Travis Etienne Jr., Jakobi Meyers, and Kenneth Walker III
For now, fantasy managers cannot put Pacheco in lineups until we see something change.
Kenneth Walker III, Seattle Seahawks
It appears that reports of the Seattle Seahawks’ backfield being an even split between Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet were not entirely accurate. But not for the reason you’d think.
This wasn’t even. This was the Charbonnet show.
Walker started, but was outsnapped and outcarried by Charbonnet. He also ran fewer routes, and Charbonnet punched in the touchdown.
Previously, Walker was the clear lead back, and Charbonnet barely played. However, whenever Walker missed time, Charbonnet was an every-week RB1. Now, it looks like Charbonnet is the 1a and Walker is the 1b. The split backfield destroys the fantasy values of both backs for as long as both remain healthy. It is very difficult to endorse starting Walker going forward.
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