Week 3 lineup calls: Running backs

Lineup calls: QB | RB | WR | TE | K | D/ST

Did you win the “Brandon Jackson Sweepstakes” in Week 2?

You applauded his touchdown run, but probably held your hands up and shrugged your shoulders when you contemplated his anemic rushing total.

Other fantasy owners celebrated the early dominance of Michael Turner, but then shrieked when his rushing total didn’t advance beyond 75 yards against the Cardinals. Admit it. You wondered aloud whether yards and touches were being keyed in incorrectly.

Owners of Ryan Mathews are gripping after watching him fumble again and then leave the game against Jacksonville with an ankle injury.

I won’t go through each and every one of the early missteps and weak performances out of running backs through two weeks of action. I’ll spare you the misery. Suffice it to say, fantasy owners are hoping to see better days ahead. They’re hoping that the resurgence begins on Sunday.

Let’s break down the Running Back “Lineup Calls” for Week 3.

Top 10 Running Backs

Running Back Sleepers

Running Back Flops

Brandon Jackson at Chicago

Jackson scored a touchdown last week, but did little else to inspire much confidence. He’s facing a rejuvenated Chicago defensive front that has played quite well against Jahvid Best and the three-headed monster in Dallas. Jackson probably still cracks your lineup as a low-end RB2, but you’re hoping for a cheap touchdown on the back of the passing game. I’m not anticipating much in the yardage department.

Jerome Harrison at Baltimore

Harrison continues to amass a sizable workload in the split backfield with Peyton Hillis, but he’s clearly an afterthought in the red zone. He’s piled up 29 touches in two weeks and 127 total yards. Unfortunately, it’s Hillis’ world at the goal line. He’s riding the bench against the run-stuffing Haloti Ngata and the stout Baltimore front.

Cadillac Williams vs. Pittsburgh

Williams started the 2010 campaign with a solid, albeit unspectacular, effort against the Browns. He amassed 98 total yards (75 rushing) on 24 touches. Williams then piled up 28 touches for 59 total yards in the Week 2 win over Carolina. The Buccaneers will attempt to lean on Williams once again, but I don’t see a lot of space in his future against a Pittsburgh squad that stuffed Chris Johnson. It may be an obvious “no-go,” but sometimes you have to put the chalk on the board.