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It's been an interesting three weeks for running backs in fantasy football.

Christian McCaffrey hasn't played a game yet, Bijan Robinson doesn't crack the top 10 in fantasy points, and Alvin Kamara is back to form in 2023 after a down year.

At the same time, rushing numbers are rising across the NFL as offenses adapt to more two-high safety looks.

Eight teams have run the ball more often than they have passed it in the last three weeks, up from four at this time last year. Two teams, the New Orleans Saints and the Green Bay Packers, ran the ball on more than 60% of their offensive plays. The highest rush play percentage through three weeks in 2023 was 53% for the Baltimore Ravens.

Multiple matchups in Week 4 could prove lucrative for some less popular running backs and others that are worth avoiding for certain backs. Here's which running backs should start (and which should sit) in Week 4.

How to win your fantasy football league: Sign up for The Huddle in 2024

Fantasy football start 'em: Week 4 RBs

David Montgomery, Detroit Lions (vs. Seahawks)

Jahmyr Gibbs was the Lions' running back who got more attention early in the season, but so far it's been Montgomery's backfield. He outscores Gibbs 51-40 and has scored a rushing touchdown in every game this year. Montgomery just posted Detroit's first 100-yard rushing performance of the year against the Cardinals. This week he faces a Seahawks defense that allowed 177 yards on the ground in Week 2 against the Patriots and suffered cuts on runs between tackles against Miami last week, regardless of what the box score said.

Devin Singletary, New York Giants (against cowboys)

The Giants have had a very tumultuous start to the season, and perhaps lost in the shuffle is how good Singletary has been. He had one rushing touchdown in the last two weeks and could have had another if he had been more selfish in Week 3 against the Browns. He's averaging 4.7 yards per carry so far and 5.0 in his last two games against two much weaker run defenses than Minnesota in Week 1. In Week 4, he'll face a Cowboys rushing defense that's ranked in the NFL Rushing yards ranked last (185.7) and touchdowns allowed (8).

Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. Colts)

The Colts were unable to stop the run at all in the first two weeks of the season. Indianapolis allowed Joe Mixon and Josh Jacobs over 150 rushing yards each in Weeks 1 and 2 before bouncing back last week against a poor Bears offensive line. Harris has yet to have a great day, with 70, 69 and 70 rushing yards in Weeks 1-3, respectively. That could change against a leaky Colts rushing defense, especially as Pittsburgh's quarterback situation continues to improve each week.

Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers (vs. Bengals)

Speaking of improved quarterbacking situationsHubbard was able to carry the ball a lot more in Week 3, with Andy Dalton at quarterback and the Panthers in control. He took advantage of those additional touches to the tune of 114 yards and averaged 5.4 yards per carry on his 21 attempts. It's been a week, but the Panthers' offense looked more balanced with Dalton under center.

Carolina faces an 0-3 Bengals squad in Week 4. The Bengals are one of the worst teams in rushing yards so far this season, and they might have looked even worse had the Commanders' Austin Ekeler stayed healthy Monday night.

WEEK 4 FANTASY RANKINGS: 30 promoted and relegated teams

Fantasy football sit 'em: Week 4 RBs

D'Andre Swift, Chicago Bears (vs. Rams)

Swift hasn't looked like the running back he was so far in Philadelphia in 2024. After going from one of the league's best offensive lines to one of its worst, the former Eagle's average yards per carry dropped from 4.6 to an abysmal mark of 1.8. And after second-year defensive lineman Roschon Johnson gained more yards on fewer touches in Week 3, there's a chance the Bears could downgrade their offseason addition in favor of the younger option.

Zach Charbonnet, Seattle Seahawks (against Lions)

Charbonnet had the best game of his two-year career with 91 rushing yards against the Dolphins in Week 3. Why not use him in week 4? Well, Miami had allowed opponents' leading rushers an average of 6.6 yards per carry in Weeks 1 and 2. Additionally, Charbonnet had the advantage of leading Seattle's rushing attack while Kenneth Walker was sidelined with an oblique injury.

Head coach Mike Macdonald said he is “very optimistic” that Walker will return in Week 4. As if that wasn't enough, the Seahawks face a Lions team that was significantly stingier in the run game. They have allowed opposing RB1s just 2.6 yards per carry and just one rushing touchdown all season.

Rachaad White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs. Eagles)

After the Buccaneers drafted Oregon running back Bucky Irving in the fourth round of the draft, White was under some pressure to prove himself worthy of being Tampa Bay's lead back entering 2024. So far he hasn't been able to do this. He's averaging just 2.1 yards per carry through three weeks of the season, compared to Irving's 6.2 yards, and his runs are decreasing each week: 15 in Week 1, 10 in Week 2 and 6 in Week 3.

Fantasy Football Start-Em-Sit-Em Games Week 4

Looking for more fantasy football advice? USA TODAY Sports offers you:

→ Kickers Are People Too: Here are some of the most clutch kickers your fantasy team should have in Week 4.

→ The wide receiver position has been decimated this season. Protect yourself in Week 4 with start 'em, sit 'em advice for wideouts.

→ Do you need an edge under the center? Here are the best quarterback options to start and sit in Week 4.

→ Tight ends can be the perfect x-factor for any fantasy team. Here's who you should start and sit with in week 4.

→ Good defense can shut down your fantasy opponent's offense. Here are some D/ST options for starting and participating in Week 4.

On By John Fenwick

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