Fantasy Football Start 'Em & Sit 'Em: Week 14 Running Backs
Who you want in your Week 14 lineup at running back
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1 min read
We'll be missing Jonathan Taylor, Nyheim Hines, Damien Harris, Rhamondre Stevenson, Brandon Bolden, Miles Sanders, Boston Scott, Jordan Howard, Kenneth Gainwell and Myles Gaskin on byes for Week 14. Yup, add on Mark Ingram (COVID) and a bunch of injuries, and lots of us could be scrounging in Fantasy.
Jamey Eisenberg has his Start and Sit calls for RB below. His Waiver Wire column also can direct you to the best options who may be available in your leagues. Also check out Heath Cummings' Week 14 Running Back Preview for much more.
START 'EM & SIT 'EM
Running Backs
Start 'Em
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You're obviously starting Williams if Melvin Gordon (hip) remains out again in Week 14 against Detroit, but you can start Williams and probably Gordon also if both are active. I'm not sure if Williams has now put himself in the lead spot of this tandem when Gordon returns, but he should be the top option. Williams was exceptional against the Chiefs in Week 13 when Gordon was out with 23 carries for 102 yards, as well as six catches for 76 yards and a touchdown on nine targets. He's now scored at least 19 PPR points in each of his past two games and could be a star to close the season. The Lions have allowed five running backs to score at least 17 PPR points in their past five games.
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This has to be the week Barkley breaks out, right? He's facing a Chargers defense that is second in the NFL in rushing yards allowed and ninth in most Fantasy points allowed to running backs. The Chargers have allowed six rushing touchdowns to running backs in their past five games and 15 rushing touchdowns to the position on the season, which is second only to the Jets (18). Barkley hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 4, so he's due. Keep starting him as a top 15 Fantasy running back in all leagues for this week.
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We'll see how the Packers use Dillon and Aaron Jones coming off their bye in Week 13, but you should expect both to be heavily involved. That makes Dillon still worth using as a No. 2 Fantasy running back in all leagues. He's been great lately with at least 12 PPR points in four games in a row, including his past three outings with at least 15 PPR points. He should stay hot against the Bears, who have allowed a running back to score at least 13 PPR points in eight games in a row prior to Week 14. Jones is also worth starting as a high-end No. 2 running back in all leagues, and he should be close to 100 percent after dealing with a knee injury prior to Green Bay's bye.
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We'll see if Darrell Henderson's thigh improves enough to get him on the field in Week 14 against the Cardinals, but Michel took advantage of Henderson being an emergency running back in Week 13 against Jacksonville. Michel had 24 carries for 121 yards and a touchdown, as well as three catches for 8 yards on four targets. It was around this time last year when Cam Akers started taking over for Henderson, and the same thing could happen with Michel now. Even if Henderson plays, Michel can still be used as a flex option against the Cardinals, who have allowed three running backs to score at least 24.0 PPR points in their past five games. And if Henderson doesn't play again, Michel has top-10 upside in all leagues.
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Foreman and Dontrell Hilliard are both worth using this week as starting options against the Jaguars. I would expect Foreman to lead the team in carries, but both should play quite a bit, especially if Jeremy McNichols (concussion) remains out. The last time we saw the Titans it was in Week 12 against the Patriots, and Foreman had 19 carries for 109 yards, as well as one catch for 3 yards on one target, with a lost fumble. Hilliard had 12 carries for 131 yards and a touchdown, along with one catch for 2 yards on two targets. The Titans typically beat up on the Jaguars with Derrick Henry (foot), who has 632 rushing yards and eight touchdowns in his past five games against Jacknsonville. Foreman or Hilliard won't have similar success, but both of them are worth using as at least flex options this week. I like Foreman slightly better as the bigger back in this matchup, and Jacksonville has allowed three running backs to score at least 12 PPR points in the past five games.
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Sleepers
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Hubbard will start in place of Christian McCaffrey (ankle), and hopefully Hubbard can repeat his performance from Week 8 against the Falcons when McCaffrey was out then also with a hamstring injury. Hubbard had 24 carries for 82 yards and a touchdown against Atlanta, along with one catch for 9 yards. The Falcons have allowed a running back to score at least 14 PPR points in three of their past four games, so Hubbard has the chance to be a low-end starter in all leagues. You can also use Ameer Adullah as a sleeper as well in PPR. In that first meeting with the Falcons, Abdullah had six carries for 25 yards, along with three catches for 35 yards on five targets.
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The 49ers could be without their top two running backs this week if Elijah Mitchell (concussion) and Jeff Wilson (knee) are unable to play, as well as Deebo Samuel (groin) still banged up. That would make Hasty the lead option in the backfield against the Bengals. Now, he would probably share work with fullback Kyle Juszczyk, but Hasty has flex appeal in Week 14. Keep in mind the Bengals are without standout linebacker Logan Wilson (shoulder), and Mitchell has been a workhorse with at least 20 total touches in four games in a row. Hasty could be looking at extended action in a positive situation. There's also the scenario of Mitchell being out and Wilson starting, which would make him the sleeper ahead of Hasty. It's a situation to monitor, but Wilson or Hasty could be in a great spot this week.
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Penny looked like Seattle's best running back in Week 13 against San Francisco, and hopefully he can be the top option for the Seahawks to close the season. He'll share touches with Adrian Peterson and potentially Alex Collins, Travis Homer and DeeJay Dallas, but I would gamble on Penny as a flex option this week. Against the 49ers, Penny had 10 carries for 35 yards, along with one catch for 27 yards on one target, and he led Seattle with a 40-percent snap share. Now, Homer and Peterson both scored, although Homer's touchdown was on a fake punt, but Penny should have the most upside. You can use Penny and Peterson as flex options this week, and the Texans have allowed four running backs to score at least 16 PPR points in their past five games.
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Sit 'Em
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We'll see if the Bills opt to use three running backs in Week 14 at Tampa Bay with Singletary, Matt Breida and Zack Moss, or Buffalo could make Moss a healthy scratch again like what happened in Week 12. Either way, Singletary's value likely won't change much. He's combined for just 14 PPR points in his past three games, and it's doubtful he'll have much success against Tampa Bay's stout run defense. At best, Singletary is just a flex option in deeper leagues this week.
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Henderson might be active again in Week 14 against the Cardinals, but clearly that's not a guarantee he'll play based on what transpired in Week 13 against Jacksonville. Dealing with a thigh injury, the Rams opted to rest Henderson and lean heavily on Michel. The same thing could happen this week, or Michel just might be the lead back of this tandem moving forward. I don't have high hopes for Henderson this week if he's active and on the field, although he did score 15 PPR points against the Cardinals in their Week 4 meeting. However, it doesn't appear like he'll get the 19 total touches he had in that game now that Michel looks like a significant factor in this backfield.
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Davis did well last week against Tampa Bay with four carries for 32 yards and a touchdown, along with four catches for 37 yards on four targets, but not much changed for him aside from finding the end zone. He's now gone five games in a row with 10 total touches or less, and his 69 yards against the Buccaneers were the most over that span. He does have three games in a row with at least three catches, so maybe he can be a flex option in deeper PPR leagues. But as long as Cordarrelle Patterson is healthy, Davis isn't trustworthy as a starter in most leagues.
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Hunt is more of a bust alert than a must-sit Fantasy option, but this could be a rough outing for him. For starters, we have to make sure he's 100 percent after dealing with a calf injury in his Week 12 meeting with the Ravens. Remember, he missed five games prior to Week 12 with a calf injury, so hopefully this isn't going to be a reoccurring problem. And this is a tough matchup against the Ravens, who haven't allowed a running back to score a touchdown since Week 7. In the first meeting with Baltimore, Nick Chubb and Hunt combined for 15 carries for 36 yards, as well as Chubb catching two passes for 23 yards on four targets. Both will do better than that, but Hunt should only be used as a flex option this week in the majority of leagues.
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Bust Alert
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Urban Meyer seems clueless when it comes to how much Robinson should be playing and when he should be on the field. In Week 13 at the Rams, Robinson was limited to nine total touches, and he played just 44 percent of the snaps. Now, he fumbled for the second game in a row, which is never a good thing, but the Jaguars need to lean on Robinson as much as possible. Given the uncertainty of his workload, you should consider Robinson just a borderline starter or flex. He had a monster game against the Titans in Week 5 with 21 PPR points, and hopefully he can do that again. But he also could leave you with a minimal stat line like he did at the Rams, and he's scored 11 PPR points or less in three games in a row.
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