The running back position continues to miss some of its best talent, and the list of guys sitting out in Week 7 is even longer than usual. There's no Miles Sanders (knee) Thursday night, and Raheem Mostert (ankle) is expected to be placed on IR, so he's gone at least three weeks, in addition to the lingering absences of Christian McCaffrey (ankle), Austin Ekeler (hamstring), and Nick Chubb (knee), all of whom are expected to be sidelined in Week 7 again. And, as of Wednesday afternoon, we still don't know if Joe Mixon (foot) is going to play. Oh, and Jonathan Taylor, Myles Gaskin, Dalvin Cook, and the Ravens backs are on bye this week.
That's eight likely must-start backs out of the picture this week, and at least a few other question marks that will hopefully be resolved by Sunday. In some cases, there are viable replacement options available — Justin Jackson for Ekeler, Jamycal Hasty or Jeff Wilson for Mostert, Boston Scott for Sanders — but in many cases, it's a net loss for the position or the replacements are already rostered, which means you might be in a tough spot.
We're here to help you with those tough spots. Jamey Eisenberg's Start 'Em & Sit 'Em calls for running back will help you figure out those tough lineup decisions, and make sure you check out his sleepers for potential options to add if you're in a pinch.
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START 'EM & SIT 'EM
Running Backs
Start 'Em
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Let's hope Leonard Fournette (ankle) stays on the sideline for another week -- and maybe the rest of the season -- because it has been great for Jones. He has three games in a row with at least 106 rushing yards, as well as 11 catches on 16 targets over that span. He has also scored two touchdowns, and he's living up to the expectations we had for him prior to Fournette signing in Tampa Bay. This week, Jones gets a tasty matchup against the Raiders, who are top three in Fantasy points allowed to running backs, and Las Vegas has allowed eight total touchdowns to the position in just five games. Even if Fournette is active this week, I would still start Jones with confidence, and I consider him a top 10 running back in all formats.
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In the past three games since Tarik Cohen (ACL) went down, Montgomery is averaging 13.3 PPR points per game. He has 14 catches on 19 targets over that span, and he just had 23 total touches in Week 6 at Carolina. Now, he hasn't run the ball well in those three outings with 39 carries for 114 yards (2.9 yards per carry), but the Bears will continue to lean on him as a workhorse, which is great. The Rams haven't allowed a running back to score since Week 2, but they've given up at least five catches to running back groups in five of six games this year. Those catches could be key for Montgomery in PPR this week.
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The last time we saw Jackson in Week 5 at New Orleans in the first game without Austin Ekeler (hamstring), he looked great with 15 carries for 71 yards, along with five catches for 23 yards on six targets. Jackson will continue to share work with Joshua Kelley in Week 7 against Jacksonville, and Kelley should be considered a sleeper. But if Jackson comes close to 20 total touches again this week, he should be awesome. The Jaguars have allowed six running backs to score at least 12 PPR points this season.
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I should have made Swift the Start of the Week in Week 6 instead of Alexander Mattison based on the bold prediction I had for him on Sunday's Fantasy Football Today on CBS Sports HQ. I said Swift would rush for over 100 yards and score against the Jaguars, and he finished with 14 carries for 116 yards and two touchdowns, along with three catches for 7 yards on four targets. It just made sense for the Lions to give him more work after their bye, and the matchup was fantastic. I like the matchup again this week at Atlanta for Swift, who played at Georgia, and the Falcons allow the second-most receptions to running backs on the year.
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The Cowboys run defense has struggled all season, especially over the past three games against Cleveland, the Giants and Arizona. Over that span, Dallas has allowed 502 rushing yards and five touchdowns on 83 carries. This should be a good week for Washington to lean on Gibson, who has struggled the past two games against the Rams and Giants. He had a three-game scoring streak prior to that, and he should be able to find the end zone again in Week 7 against the Cowboys. You can also use J.D. McKissic as a sleeper in PPR this week since he comes into Week 7 with 19 catches on 22 targets in his past three outings.
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Sleepers
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Scott gets the chance for an increased workload with Miles Sanders (knee) hurt, and hopefully he beats up on the Giants this week like he did in two games against them in 2019 when he combined for 48 PPR points. He should be considered a high-end flex in this matchup, and Corey Clement can also be used as a desperation play in deeper leagues.
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White has been great the past two games against Kansas City and Denver with 15 catches for 103 yards on 17 targets, and he should continue to be a valuable weapon for Cam Newton this week. While he doesn't have a touchdown yet this year, White is worth starting in all PPR leagues as at least a flex given his involvement in the passing game.
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Edmonds watched as Kenyan Drake went off against the Cowboys in Week 6 and only had six total touches (one catch), but I expect his involvement in the passing game to increase this week given the expected game flow against Seattle. The Seahawks are also among the league leaders in receptions allowed to running backs, and Edmonds had 10 catches on 12 targets in two games prior to Week 6.
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The Bills will hopefully give Moss more work now that he's back from the toe injury that sidelined him for three games prior to Week 6, and Devin Singletary wasn't dominant in Moss' absence. Moss also scored in Week 1 against the Jets on a reception, so hopefully he can find the end zone again in the rematch.
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The Jets will hopefully start giving Perine more work than Frank Gore this week against the Bills, and Perine did OK in Week 6 at Miami with seven carries for 27 yards, along with two catches for 9 yards on three targets. The Bills have allowed a running back to score in five of six games this year, so hopefully Perine gets his first NFL touchdown this week.
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Sit 'Em
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I'm OK with McKinnon as a flex option this week against the Patriots since Raheem Mostert (ankle) is out, and McKinnon had 37 PPR points during the two games Mostert missed with a knee injury in Week 3 at the Giants and Week 4 against the Eagles. He's better in PPR than non-PPR leagues (McKinnon had 10 catches on 12 targets in the two games without Mostert), but this isn't a good matchup at New England. The Patriots have allowed just two rushing touchdowns in their past 21 regular season games, and we could see San Francisco give JaMychal Hasty or Jeff Wilson (calf) more work than expected in tandem with McKinnon. New England also is among the league leaders in fewest receptions allowed to running backs this year.
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I liked Harris a lot going into last week against the Broncos, but he only had six carries for 19 yards, along with one catch for 14 yards. Game flow was bad for Harris with the Patriots chasing points, and we'll see what happens this week against the 49ers. San Francisco has allowed just two rushing touchdowns to running backs on the season, and Darrell Henderson's 88 rushing yards in Week 6 were the most allowed by the 49ers on the year.
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Bell is expected to make his debut with the Chiefs this week, but don't plan on using him in most Fantasy leagues. Clyde Edwards-Helaire should still dominate touches, and we'll see if Bell even plays ahead of Darrel Williams. Eventually, we could see Bell play a prominent role for the Chiefs, but don't count on him doing much in Week 7 as long as Edwards-Helaire is healthy.
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I like Swift this week against the Falcons, but I would try to avoid Peterson, especially in PPR, since he only has two catches for 28 yards on four targets since Week 1. While he has scored in consecutive games, we should see Swift start taking on more work in this backfield after his breakout game in Week 6. And, even though the Falcons have struggled against running backs this season, they have allowed just two rushing touchdowns to the position and none since Week 2.
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Lindsay did great filling in for Melvin Gordon (illness) last week at New England with 23 carries for 101 yards, but Gordon is expected to return against the Chiefs. And that should mean a shared workload for both running backs. I would expect Gordon to get the majority of touches and work in the passing game, but Lindsay can still be used as a flex option. That said, only two running backs have scored against the Chiefs this season, and I don't want to trust Lindsay if I don't have to with Gordon back on the field.
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Bust Alert
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Drake was a star in Week 6 against Dallas with 20 carries for 164 yards and two touchdowns, and it was great to see. But I'm expecting a downturn in production for him this week, and he could struggle if he fails to score. For some reason, the Cardinals are not using Drake in the passing game, and he has two catches for 8 yards on four targets in his past four outings. In the three games this season where Drake hasn't scored (Week 2 against Washington, Week 3 against Detroit and Week 4 at Carolina), he's combined for 21 PPR points. Seattle has allowed three rushing touchdowns this season, but the Vikings are the only team to really have success on the ground against the Seahawks, who held Todd Gurley (56 yards) and Ezekiell Elliott (34 yards) in check. If Drake doesn't find the end zone, this could be a rough game for him, so consider him a low-end starting option at best in all leagues.
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So who should you start and sit this week? And which surprising quarterback could lead you to victory? Visit SportsLine now to get Week 7 rankings for every position, plus see which QB is going to come out of nowhere to crack the top 10, all from the model that out-performed experts big-time last season.
