The New Orleans Saints turned to Tony Jones Jr. to shoulder the load against the Carolina Panthers on Monday Night Football when Jamaal Williams exited the game with a leg injury.

With Alvin Kamara set to return from his suspension in Week 4 and rookie running back Kendre Miller potentially making his NFL debut in Week 3, how aggressively should you go after Jones on the fantasy football waiver wire? Let’s take a closer look.

Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer and Start/Sit Optimizer to help you make the right decision!

Should Tony Jones Jr. Be a Fantasy Waiver Wire Add in Week 3?

Let’s start by acknowledging the admirable job Jones did filling in for Williams once the latter exited the game prematurely with an injury.

Sure, his efficiency wasn’t great, but he did manage to find the end zone twice in a game where points were at a premium.

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However, while Jones certainly did his part during the team’s 20-17 win over the Panthers on Monday Night Football, his 34 rushing yards on 12 carries certainly leaves the door wide open for another back — or even Taysom Hill — to take significant work away from Jones as soon as this upcoming week.

Hill finished the game as the team’s leading rusher with 64 yards on just eight carries. He could factor into the running game in a similar fashion if Miller doesn’t appear in his first NFL game in Week 3.

Miller is a talented early-down running back prospect from TCU who the team invested third-round draft capital in during the 2023 NFL Draft. If Miller is healthy enough to go this week, don’t be surprised if the organization wants to give the kid an expanded role with Williams dealing with an injury and Kamara out of the lineup for one more week.

Even if Miller is inactive for a third straight week to start the season, Jones’ fantasy value will undoubtedly plummet once Kamara returns to the team.

Feel free to throw a dart at Jones on the waiver wire, but understand that there is a high likelihood that this will be a one-week rental at the RB position.

Jerome Ford came into the 2023 NFL season with barely any carries under his belt, but he’s now going to be forced into a much larger role after a catastrophic injury to Nick Chubb on Monday Night Football against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

What can we expect from the second-year RB in Chubb’s absence, and is he someone that fantasy football managers should pick up off of the waiver wire?

Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer and Start/Sit Optimizer to help you make the right decision!

Should Jerome Ford Be a Fantasy Waiver Wire Add in Week 3?

Due to the gruesome injury that Chubb sustained in Week 2 against the Steelers, Ford is absolutely someone that fantasy managers need to prioritize on the waiver wire. As the clear RB2 in this offense prior to Chubb’s injury, Ford should easily see 15+ touches per week moving forward.

3-yard TD to Jerome Ford puts the @Browns ahead

📺: #CLEvsPIT on ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/zWM8hlwdPY pic.twitter.com/bvfwzgdvf4

— NFL (@NFL) September 19, 2023

The question will be how much fantasy managers should spend of their FAAB or waiver wire priority to acquire him. It’s completely unrealistic to expect that Ford will replace Chubb’s production identically…Chubb’s one of the best pure RBs in the NFL.

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However, Ford does have the talent to be a key contributor for fantasy lineups moving forward in one of the league’s most run-heavy offenses. We should see Pierre Strong Jr. become involved as a rotational back, but this will be Ford’s backfield for the time being.

If he sees 15+ touches each week, he has the ability to be a top-20 option for fantasy lineups. He has the top-end speed to be a home-run threat any time he’s given the ball behind this stellar offensive line. Plus, he’s a smooth and natural receiver out of the backfield.

If we knew that Ford was going to be the only option, he’d be a 40-50% FAAB bid going into Week 3. However, there are still plenty of available free agent RBs on the market that easily could find their way into this offense with the expectation that Chubb will not play again in 2023.

It would not be surprising at all to see Kareem Hunt brought back into the fold and be the rotational option alongside Ford for the remainder of the year. Leonard Fournette also could come in as a free agent signing to be the pass-catching complement to Ford’s work on the ground.

Ford will be the top priority RB pickup for the week. He should be viewed as a top-24 option next week against the Titans. However, we need to just be prepared for the potential that Cleveland signs another one of the RBs sitting out there waiting for an opportunity like this one.

If that’s the case, Ford moves to a fantasy asset in a committee approach for an offense that we still have major questions about. I’m willing to spend 20-25% of my FAAB for the upside, but it all depends on how desperately I need a RB.

Above all else, though, we wish Chubb a speedy and quick recovery from an injury that looked brutal. These players are human too, and we need to remember that as we discuss the fallout of these injuries. We can’t wait to see you on the field again soon, Nick.

The running back position continues to give us surprise after surprise through the first two weeks of the NFL season. Who are some RB start/sit options for your fantasy football team in Week 3? Let’s take a closer look.

Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer to help you make the right decision!

Which RBs Should You Start in Fantasy This Week?

Tyler Allgeier, Atlanta Falcons

Regardless of how you feel about another running back not named Bijan Robinson seeing 15+ carries a week in the Atlanta Falcons backfield, Tyler Allgeier is seeing enough work on a weekly basis to make him a Flex option at the position.

This week, he’ll face a Detroit Lions defense that surrendered two rushing scores to the Seattle Seahawks. Until we see otherwise, Allgeier seems like a safe bet to see 10+ touches on a weekly basis.

Kenneth Walker III, Seattle Seahawks

Speaking of those two rushing touchdowns against the Lions, Kenneth Walker III managed to save his fantasy day by finding paydirt twice in the team’s 37-31 overtime win in Week 2.

Walker significantly out-touched rookie RB Zach Charbonnet for a second consecutive week and appears to be the preferred back in this offense.

The Seahawks have a date with rookie quarterback Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers in Week 3, which could generate a game script that favors Walker seeing north of 20 total touches with TD upside.

Which RBs Should You Sit in Fantasy This Week?

Khalil Herbert, Chicago Bears

For a second consecutive week, Khalil Herbert has failed to top 40 yards rushing or find the end zone as the team’s leading ball carrier.

This isn’t all Herbert’s fault. The team has failed to firmly establish an identity running the football, and the presence of rookie Roschon Johnson is further limiting Herbert’s opportunities to produce top-20 RB numbers in this offense.

MORE: Early Fantasy Football Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em Picks for Week 3

Unless the Bears’ running game improves drastically over the next week, Herbert is a potential game script victim against the high-powered Kansas City Chiefs offense.

Not to mention, the Chiefs only gave up 48 yards rushing to the Jacksonville Jaguars running backs in Week 2. This feels like Herbert could be a TD-dependent option in Week 3. I would go with other options if you have them available.

Dameon Pierce, Houston Texans

Oddly enough, the Houston Texans’ passing offense has been far more productive than most anticipated heading into the 2023 season. But this production through the air hasn’t helped generate enough scoring opportunities to benefit running back Dameon Pierce.

Pierce’s 26 carries for just 69 yards with no rushing scores have made him one of the more disappointing players in fantasy football through the first two weeks.

Unfortunately, his matchup in Week 3 against the Jacksonville Jaguars — who have given up just 93 yards rushing to opposing running backs through the first two weeks of the season — isn’t likely to make things easier on the ground.

Until Pierce starts giving us a bit more with his touches, he probably needs to find his way to your bench.

Zack Moss, Indianapolis Colts

What a 2023 debut by running back Zack Moss! His 107 total yards on 22 touches and a score certainly gave the Colts offense a boost in their 31-20 Week 2 win over the Houston Texans.

So, why is Moss appearing on the sit ’em list?

Well, the matchup against a stout Baltimore Ravens defense — who haven’t allowed a rushing touchdown or 60-yard rusher this season — should make life a bit more difficult for the Colts’ offense.

Moss is definitely a waiver wire target this week but beware of starting him against the Ravens.

Trending Searches for RB Start/Sit

Did you know that we have a Start/Sit Optimizer here at Pro Football Network?! It’s completely free to use, and it allows you to enter up to six players to find the best option to plug into your starting lineup!

It also allows us to see the most popular trending searches, and we’ve jotted some of them down here to help provide some clarity!

Should You Start Tyler Allgeier or Isiah Pacheco?

When looking at the respective touches for each player through the first two games, Allgeier looks to have an edge in weekly usage. Isiah Pacheco has 20 carries to Allegeier’s 31 up to this point of the season.

However, Pacheco feels like the preferred — and top — option in a high-powered backfield, while Allegeier is playing alongside arguably the league’s most dynamic back in Bijan Robinson.

The matchup also favors the Chiefs this week, who are going up against the Chicago Bears. Chicago allowed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to rush for over 100 yards, which hasn’t happened very often since the start of the 2022 season.

Give me Pacheco this week.

Should You Start Zack Moss or Alexander Mattison?

Minnesota Vikings running back Alexander Mattison has drawn two of the toughest run defenses in the league to start the 2023 season, and his poor efficiency on a per-touch basis confirms those narratives.

Luckily, the matchup gets a bit easier against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 3, which should help produce more scoring opportunities and running lanes to get this Vikings rushing attack back on track.

MORE: Early Week 3 Waiver Wire Pickups

On the flip side, Moss had a fantastic 2023 debut but will be squaring off against the vaunted Ravens defense with either a rookie or backup quarterback.

I’ll take Mattison this week in a bounce-back performance.