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Should I start Nick Chubb, David Montgomery, or Aaron Jones in Week 2? Fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em picks and recommendations for the 2025 NFL season.
It's easy to get excited about the rookie fantasy football running backs, but don't forget about the vets! Which can be relied upon for fantasy football lineups in Week 2?
28-year-old David Montgomery, 29-year-old Nick Chubb, and 30-year-old Aaron Jones Sr. all have steady roles in their respective offenses, despite a mixed bag of fantasy football performances in Week 1.
So, should fantasy managers start Nick Chubb, David Montgomery, or Aaron Jones Sr. in Week 2? Let's dive in and find out.
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:- 2025 fantasy football rankings
- Running back (RB) fantasy football rankings
- Wide receiver (WR) fantasy football rankings
- Tight end (TE) fantasy football rankings
- Quarterback (QB) fantasy football rankings
- FLEX fantasy football rankings
- Defense (D/ST) fantasy football rankings
- Kicker (K) fantasy football rankings
- Dynasty fantasy football rankings
Should I Start Nick Chubb for Fantasy Football?
This one is pretty cut and dry: If you play in a non-PPR league, Nick Chubb can be considered for a flex spot against the Tampa Bay defense, although he's probably on the outside looking in.
The Buccaneers are one week removed from stifling Bijan Robinson (on the ground, at least) and Tyler Allgeier to the tune of 48 yards on 22 attempts. Robinson made his money in the receiving game, taking six receptions for 100 yards and a score.
With a patchwork offensive line in front of him, Chubb's running lanes against a sturdy front seven will be small. And, as has been the case throughout his career, he won't add much of anything through the air. He played one of 10 snaps in the two-minute drill and zero third-down snaps. He is strictly an early-downs runner.
Chubb did run well in his Houston debut, averaging over 4.5 yards per carry on 14 attempts. But, without a reception or a touchdown, his day ended with six PPR points. It's the difference between real and fake football.
Nick Chubb quietly had a really strong afternoon against the Los Angeles Rams
He finished 4th amongst all running backs (minimum 10 carries) with a success rate of 53.8% and 5th in yards per carry at 4.6 yards per clip.
More than passable while Joe Mixon misses time #HTownMade
— John Crumpler (@JohnCrumplerMD) September 9, 2025
We're projecting double-digit carries for Houston's new starting running back again, but his outlook is mostly touchdown-dependent. If he scores, you'll be happy. If not, prepare for single digits in the score column.
Should I Start David Montgomery for Fantasy Football?
David Montgomery's outlook hinges on whether you believe Week 1 was just an offensive hiccup for Detroit, and not the byproduct of losing their offensive coordinator in the offseason.
The veteran running back has the most to lose if the Lions don't find their groove. He doesn't catch the passes out of the backfield that Jahmyr Gibbs does. He's not as high on the priority list as Amon-Ra St. Brown. He doesn't have the speed to break a defense like Jameson Williams. Montgomery's best skill is plowing into the endzone. It's what's kept him in the RB2 conversation for the last two seasons.
If the offense is worse and there are fewer touchdown opportunities, managers will cringe at a fantasy score without catches and scores.
Here comes Micah Parsons 👀
The Packers' pass rusher pressures Jared Goff into throwing an interception.
🎥 @NFLpic.twitter.com/NWI84toBze
— The Athletic NFL (@TheAthleticNFL) September 7, 2025
Jared Goff hasn't been great at Lambeau Field since he arrived in Detroit, so there is a good chance any worries about the Lions offense are overblown. It's also why I'm willing to give Montgomery another chance, at home, against the Chicago Bears. The sample size of this group of players being one of the most feared offenses in the NFL versus one lousy game is in your favor.
As always (and despite his four receptions in Week 1), non-PPR is the favorite format for Knuckles. He's ranked just outside the RB2 range this week.
Should I Start Aaron Jones Sr. for Fantasy Football?
The discourse out of Minnesota is "Jordan Mason this, Jordan Mason that." And, yes, the Vikings' 1B ran the football better than Jones and helped give the momentum to Minnesota for the Monday night comeback. Lost in the Mason love affair is that the 30-year-old Jones still has some juice himself.
Mason outsnapped Jones (30 to 28), nearly doubled him in carries (15 to eight), and got all of the running back carries in the red zone. Jones' superior skill set, and what led to the elder statesman outscoring his counterpart in fantasy football, is in the receiving game. Jones caught three passes to Mason's one, but scored on a 30-yard pass down the sideline.
It's a route drawn up for only a few NFL running backs.
J.J. McCarthy to Aaron Jones to put the Vikings ahead!
MINvsCHI on ESPN/ABC
Stream on @NFLPlus and ESPN+ pic.twitter.com/yCrUxLdH1U— NFL (@NFL) September 9, 2025
Mason's usage is indeed going to hinder Jones' season-long outlook, but he's still worthy of a flex spot consideration in most weeks, especially in PPR formats. Jones will get multiple looks from quarterback J.J. McCarthy per game. He's ranked just outside RB2 range in RotoBaller's rankings against Atlanta - ahead of Mason.
Who Should I Start Tool
Not sure who to start? Check out the Who Should I Start tool:
Compare up to four players and we'll tell you who to start...
Who Should I Start? Who Should I Sit? Some common Week 2 fantasy football lineup decisions are regarding players like Nick Chubb, David Montgomery, Aaron Jones. But not to worry, we are here to help make these decisions and build winning lineups in Week 2. Set your optimal fantasy football lineups for Week 2 of the 2025 NFL season. Our free Who Should I Start? tool will help make your fantasy football lineup decisions. Compare up to four NFL players, and we tell you who to start... all free! Get your winning lineups set, and make the right decisions.
Week 2 Player Decisions. Today's focus is on specific players - Nick Chubb, David Montgomery, Aaron Jones. These are some of the most common searches for fantasy football lineups in Week 2.
Using The Tool. This is a simple tool but very powerful. The first step is to enter the player names that you want to compare. In the first box, search for the first player's name. In the second box, search for the second player's name. Compare up to four NFL players at once, and then click the Who To Start? button to see who the recommended starts are based on weekly fantasy football matchups.
Improvements For Who Should I Start? You may have noticed, our Who Should I Start? tool has gotten an overhaul. We've added lots of great features for you to give you as much information as possible to win your fantasy football matchups each week. You'll see NFL player tiles with headshots and bye weeks, enhanced search results with data to compare, and a slick new interface. We hope you enjoy!
How It Works. Each week, our RotoBaller staff puts together their weekly fantasy football rankings and projections based on their research. That information is the core data that is powering the decision-making in this tool. When you search for player names, you will only see those players who are ranked. If someone is out for the week, they will not appear in the search results.
Scoring Formats. Fantasy football managers play in various types of leagues, and this tool allows you to choose whether it's PPR scoring, Half-PPR scoring, or Standard (Non-PPR) scoring. The second thing you want to do is to select the scoring format. There are three small radio buttons (small circles), so click on the scoring format you prefer. The results may vary based on the scoring format you select.
Popular Week 2 Searches. Curious to see some tough lineup decisions for Week 2 (2025)? Below you will find a list of some popular Who Should I Start? searches that RotoBaller readers are looking at this week. Click any of the links to see the result and recommendation.
Popular Week 2 Searches - Start/Sit Player Comparisons
Below are some popular Week 2 searches and comparisons from our 'Who To Start' tool for Nick Chubb, David Montgomery, Aaron Jones compared to others:
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