Upgrades For Week 2 Running Back Rankings: Riding Derrick Henry To Freedman's RB Favorites

Let's get into the Week 2 RB edition of Freedman's Favorites, where I highlight guys I'm upgrading because of …

• Favorable betting factors and situational spots
• Advantageous defensive matchups (perhaps aided by injury)
• Increased usage expectations (again, maybe aided by injury)

For process notes regarding this series, see the end of this piece. Also, check out the rest of my Week 2 favorites and fades.

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Week 2 Running Back Rankings (Top 24)

Week 2 Matchup Upgrades in the RB Rankings: Kyren Williams vs. Giants & David Montgomery vs. Bengals

There are a few "flow chart" defenses so bad that they provide automatic upgrades to whatever RBs they face. If a guy is playing one of them, I aggressively move him up my ranks. If not, I carry on.

Based on the numbers I see in our Fantasy Life DvP (Defense vs. Position) Matrix as well as RBs Don't Matter and FTN, the Giants and Bengals last year were two of the biggest flow chart defenses for RBs.

• Giants: No. 32 in defensive rush EPA (0.109) and defensive rush DVOA (10.9%)
• Bengals: No. 1 in largest fantasy boost allowed to RBs (+4.6)

Bang a gong.

Kyren Williams (Rams) vs. Giants: Williams wasn't great in Week 1 (65 yards, 1 TD), but he also wasn't terrible, and given how bad the Rams offense was overall (7 points), his 14-point fantasy performance was notable. Plus, he was still the clear No. 1 RB on the team (72 Utilization Score, per our Fantasy Life Utilization Report), and now he's an indoor home favorite with a three-day rest advantage against an East Coast team traveling across the country for a non-divisional primetime game way out of its typical 1 p.m. ET play window. The only guy in the league with 1,300+ yards and 13+ TDs in each of the past three seasons, Williams should get his production in this spot.

David Montgomery (Texans) vs. Bengals: Still capable of grinding between the tackles and running routes out of the backfield, Montgomery had a volume-driven top-5 positional performance in Week 1 (27.4 points, 79 yards, 3 TDs on 20 carries, 3 targets). Already 29 years old, he's far from flashy, but when placed in the right circumstances (as he was with the Lions in 2023-24, when he was the league's best No. 2 RB with 2,248 yards, 25 TDs in 28 games), Montgomery's plenty capable of producing. Playing his second game in a row to open the season and also favored, Montgomery likely has the "right circumstances" this week against the Bengals, who could be without EDGE Shemar Stewart (knee).

RB Rankings Week 2 Scoring Upgrades: James Cook vs. Lions & D'Andre Swift vs. Vikings

Sometimes upgrades are as simple as: "This team is going to score a lot of points, so I need to bump up the RB."

This week, the Bills are No. 2 in implied team total (28.5 points); the Bears, No. 5 (27).

Upgrades warranted.

James Cook (Bills) vs. Lions: Last week Cook was one of my fantasy fades, and I suppose I got that call right (69 yards, no TDs on 13 carries, 4 targets). Still, Cook was one of my 2026 fantasy favorites for the season, and in Week 1 the Bills put up 36 points on the road against the vaunted Texans defense, so I got lucky that Cook didn't produce. I don't expect him to have any trouble putting up numbers this week as a favorite at home, where the Bills have a maximized advantage against the Lions, who are outside of conference, on grass (vs. turf), and outdoors (vs. indoors). I don't love the idea of first-year HC Joe Brady preparing a game plan on a short week, but QB Josh Allen has historically done well in the first month of the season (20-12 ATS, 19.8% ROI, per Action Network). I expect the Bills to be their usual selves on offense and to give Cook opportunities to perform, especially with change-of-pace RB Ty Johnson (hamstring) potentially out for a second week in a row.

D'Andre Swift (Bears) vs. Vikings: Swift had a career-best 1,386-yard, 10-TD campaign last year, and then in Week 1 he was the No. 2 RB (31.9 points, 134 yards, 3 TDs on 18 carries, 1 target). Maybe he's not a full-blown workhorse, but he is one of only nine RBs with 1,200+ scrimmage yards in each of the past three seasons, so maybe he's, you know, better at football than most people think. I don't expect the Bears to score 59 points again this week … but they did just score 59 points, so they have a chance to do considerable damage in this spot as a home favorite. 

Week 2 Defensive Injury Upgrades: Cam Skattebo at Rams & Jacory Croskey-Merritt at Cowboys

Here are a couple RBs who get upgrades because of defensive injuries.

Cam Skattebo (Giants) at Rams: Skattebo impressed last year in eight games as a rookie (617 yards, 7 TDs), and he was especially remarkable in his four full starts (398 yards, 4 TDs) before an unseemly ankle injury cut his season short. With his Week 1 performance (81 yards, 1 TD on 18 carries), Skattebo has picked up where he left off. As a road dog, Skattebo isn't in an ideal spot, but he does have some circumstantial edges: HC John Harbaugh is great on the road (90-64-6 ATS, 13.7% ROI) and as a dog of at least +3 (42-25-3 ATS, 21.1% ROI), the Rams could be exhausted after traveling almost 16,000 miles to Australia and back, EDGE Myles Garrett (knee, IR) is out, SS Kamren Curl (ankle) exited Week 1 with an injury, and DT Aaron Donald (rest) could be rusty in his first game in over two years.

Jacory Croskey-Merritt (Commanders) at Cowboys: The artist occasionally known as "Bill" did well enough in a tough matchup last week against the Eagles (56 yards, 1 TD on 16 carries, 1 target), and now he has a great matchup against the Cowboys, who last year were No. 2 in largest fantasy boost allowed to RBs (+3.0). While Croskey-Merritt is on the second game of a divisional back-to-back road trip, at least he's playing indoors in a game with a strong 50.5-point total. HC Dan Quinn has historically used Week 2 as a launchpad (7-1 ATS, 68.8% ROI, per Action Network), and while the Commanders are underdogs, in Weeks 1-4 divisional road dogs have outperformed (150-117-8 ATS, 9.3% ROI). The Cowboys could be without LB DeMarvion Overshown (hamstring) and FS Malik Hooker (forearm), both of whom exited Week 1 with injuries.

Week 2 Offensive Injury Upgrades: Derrick Henry vs. Saints & Rhamondre Stevenson vs. Steelers

Here are a couple RBs who get upgrades because of offensive injuries.

Derrick Henry (Ravens) vs. Saints: Before the season, I pitched Henry to Matthew Berry as one of his 2026 Ride or Die candidates. After Henry finished Week 1 as the No. 1 RB (34.8 points, 163 yards, 3 TDs on 24 carries, 1 target), I feel good about that call. (Way better than I do about my "bold call" that the Ravens will miss the playoffs. Yikes!) Despite joining the team at the ancient age of 30, Henry was No. 2 in scrimmage yards (3,859) and all-purpose TDs (34) over the past two seasons, and he could see exceptional usage in Week 2 given that the Ravens are home favorites and might lean especially hard into the run game without WRs Zay Flowers (hamstring), Devontez Walker (groin) and Ja'Kobi Lane (wrist). 

Rhamondre Stevenson (Patriots) vs. Steelers: The Pats left a lot to be desired with just 10 points in the season opener, but Stevenson did his job as a workhorse (92 Utilization Score, 95 yards on 18 carries, 6 targets). With an extra four days, Stevenson should be rested and ready for this matchup as a favorite at home, where the Pats have a boosted advantage against the Steelers, who are outside division and on turf (vs. grass). Without No. 1 WR A.J. Brown (ankle, IR), the Pats run more than usual, and if No. 2 RB TreVeyon Henderson (ankle) is out once again, the vast majority of that extra work could go to Stevenson.

Week 2 Home Favorite Upgrades: Omarion Hampton vs. Chargers & Bucky Irving vs. Browns

In general, I want to be heavy on RBs favored at home, where they're likely to enjoy a more run-heavy game script.

Here are two such RBs who stand out.

Omarion Hampton (Chargers) vs. Raiders: Week 1 did not go according to plan (43 yards, 1 TD on 12 carries), but I don't expect the Chargers to suffer another 26-14 loss this week. Hampton could benefit from a run-heavy game script as a favorite, especially if No. 1 WR Ladd McConkey (chest) is out, and he's playing his second straight game at home to open the season. Plus, QB Justin Herbert has historically been great in Weeks 1-4 (15-8-1 ATS, 24.7% ROI) and in division (22-9-1 ATS, 36.0% ROI), especially against the Raiders (8-3 ATS, 38.2% ROI). This feels like a massive bounceback spot for the entire Chargers offense.

Bucky Irving (Bucs) vs. Browns: Last week Irving had 93 yards and a TD on 8 carries and 7 targets as the Bucs scored 27 points in a road loss. Now they're -8.5-point favorites at home against the Browns, who just allowed 34 points and are on their second away game in a row. Especially without change-of-pace RB Sean Tucker (hamstring), Irving could go off.

Notes

Week 2 Favorites & Fades: Here's the rest of the pieces.

• Introduction
• QB Favorites
• QB Fades
• RB Favorites
• RB Fades
• WR Favorites
• WR Fades
• TE Favorites
• TE Fades

Defensive Matchups: Since the season is just one week old, I still rely primarily on prior defensive data.

Injuries: Since I write Freedman's Favorites on Monday and Tuesday, I have incomplete injury information. After I submit this article, any updated thoughts I have regarding injuries will manifest in my rankings. For our quick fantasy thoughts every day, subscribe to the Fantasy Life newsletter.

Schedule: This season, I have the following rankings schedule.

• Tue AM: Publish
• Thu AM: Refresh
• Thu PM: Make necessary TNF changes
• Sat PM: Update
• Sun AM: Revise
• Sun PM: Finalize based on news prior to 1 p.m. ET kickoff

Accuracy: I'm a seven-time top-20 ranker in accuracy and a long-time profitable player prop bettor. 

Scoring: All fantasy points are half-PPR scoring unless otherwise stated.

Abbreviations: Here are some abbreviations I might have used in the piece.

• Fantasy Points per Game (FPPG)
• Against the Spread (ATS)
• Over/Under (O/U)
• Team Total (TT)
• Moneyline (ML)
• Return on Investment (ROI)
• Adjusted Yards per Attempt (AY/A)
• Expected Points Added (EPA)
• Success Rate (SR)
• Completion Percentage Over Expected (CPOE)
• Defense-Adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA)
• AirYAC (Air Yards + Yards After Catch)
• Weighted Opportunity Rating (WOPR)
• Average Depth of Target (aDOT)
• Short Down and Distance (SDD)
• Long Down and Distance (LDD)

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