'Tis the season for gift-giving, ham-eating, and nervously sweating our make-or-break fantasy football lineup decisions. With six teams on bye, a handful of stud running backs injured, and plenty of tough matchups, it will be as difficult as ever to make start 'em, sit 'em calls. But this is also the season of giving, so ease your mind while we dish out advice in the form of our Week 14 fantasy RB rankings for standard leagues.
Before we begin (take a deep breath), here are the six teams on bye this week: Packers (Aaron Jones, AJ Dillon), Colts (Jonathan Taylor), Bears (David Montgomery), Saints (Alvin Kamara), Commanders (Brian Robinson, Jr., Antonio Gibson), and Falcons (Cordarrelle Patterson, Tyler Allgeier). We can also add Kenneth Walker III (ankle) to the lengthy list of injured RBs that includes Joe Mixon (concussion), Michael Carter (ankle), Damien Harris (thigh), and JK Dobbins (knee).
With a ton of players off the table, countless fantasy owners will be stressing over which fringe starts to make at the all-important RB position. The top 15-20, of course, are about as easy of a batch of must-starts as ever. With so many RB1s and RB2s injured or off, the clear remaining workhorse backs all get an extra boost of confidence. That includes the Dolphins duo of Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr. (@ Chargers in Week 14), who disappointed mightily last week. Los Angeles has surrendered the third-most fantasy points per game (FPPG) to the position and the most over the past month. The Dolphins should go back to getting both involved after a tough loss last week where Miami seemed to have a pass-happy plan from the start.
WEEK 14 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
D'Onta Foreman (@ Seahawks) and Latavius Murray (vs. Chiefs) become almost as valuable as the Cowboys' tandem of Tony Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott (vs. Texans). Whereas the Dallas backs will split work against the porous Houston run defense (the worst in fantasy, regardless of format), Foreman and Murray will handle the majority of the run and passing downs against below-average rushing defenses.
WEEK 14 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Don't get cute with your bell-cow backs — if they get the work on their real-life team, they should most likely be getting the start in your lineup. So, unless you have guys who are ranked higher on our list, don't hesitate to start Miles Sanders (@ Giants), James Conner (vs. Patriots), Travis Etienne Jr. (@ Titans), Najee Harris (vs. Ravens), and Dameon Pierce (@ Cowboys) despite their tough matchups. Pierce is the biggest worry, but despite his recent slump, he's earned our trust as at least a flex thanks to volume and touchdown upside. The rest should similarly be able to piece their ways to flex finishes with either a short score or a decent number of total yards.
WEEK 14 FANTASY PICKS: Sleepers | Busts | Start 'em, sit 'em
We even like Isiah Pacheco (@ Broncos) and Zonovan Knight (@ Bills) in their tough matchups, as both handled at least 16 touches and produced double-digit standard-league points last week. Jerick McKinnon is always lurking to steal touches in Kansas City -- and Knight's outlook would change if Carter is back -- but we expect these two talented youngsters to produce enough to merit flex spots.
WEEK 14 DFS: Best stacks | Best values
As far as committee backs, we're back in on Cam Akers (vs. Raiders), who's back in the good graces of Sean McVay now that the games are pretty much meaningless for L.A. The Rams are looking at draft boards more so than the playoff picture, but you'll take the volume against Vegas' mediocre run defense. D'Andre Swift (vs. Vikings) also finally looks to have his burst back. If his usage continues to trend in the right direction, he could be a week-winner in a plus-matchup. Minnesota has surrendered at least 11 ground yards seven times this season and at least 120 rushing yards in five of the past six weeks.
WEEK 14 DFS LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel
We're not nearly as excited about James Cook and Devin Singletary (vs. Jets), Rachaad White and Leonard Fournette (@ 49ers), or Gus Edwards and JK Dobbins (@ Steelers). All are in ambiguous situations and are facing top-12 run defenses. Given the offenses they play in, any could pop for a short score -- and both the Bills' and Bucs' backs have PPR upside -- but if at all possible, avoid these situations this week.
If you need to go deep for sleepers, your best bets off the waiver wire are Seattle's DeeJay Dallas and Tony Jones, Jr. (vs. Panthers). Only five teams have allowed more rushing yards than Carolina over the past four weeks, so there's upside with whoever starts for the Seahawks if Walker is out. (And don't forget Travis Homer!) Samaje Perine (vs. Browns) should also maintain flex value even if Mixon returns thanks to a highly favorable matchup, similar to Alexander Mattison (@ Lions) and Chuba Hubbard (@ Seahawks). None are safe bets for even seven touches, but if you're desperate in deep leagues, they have plus matchups.
Kyren Williams (vs. Raiders), Jordan Mason (vs. Buccaneers), and Joshua Kelley (vs. Dolphins) have all been seeing more playing time lately, but only Williams has an even slightly favorable matchup. Don't take a chance with these backs this week, but they make for solid postseason stashes.
Note: We'll be updating these RB rankings throughout the week, so check back for analysis and the latest player movement.
Week 14 fantasy RB rankings for standard leagues
Rankings based on standard, non-PPR scoring leagues
Rank Player
1 Dalvin Cook, Vikings @ Lions
2 Austin Ekeler, Chargers vs. Dolphins
3 Derrick Henry, Titans vs. Jaguars
4 Josh Jacobs, Raiders @ Rams
5 Joe Mixon, Bengals vs. Browns
6 Saquon Barkley, Giants vs. Eagles
7 Nick Chubb, Browns @ Bengals
8 Rhamondre Stevenson, Patriots @ Cardinals
9 Tony Pollard, Cowboys vs. Texans
10 Christian McCaffrey, 49ers vs. Buccaneers
11 Ezekiel Elliott, Cowboys vs. Texans
12 D'Onta Foreman, Panthers @ Seahawks
13 Jamaal Williams, Lions vs. Vikings
14 Raheem Mostert, Dolphins @ Chargers
15 Jeff Wilson Jr., Dolphins @ Chargers
16 Miles Sanders, Eagles @ Giants
17 Latavius Murray, Broncos vs. Chiefs
18 James Conner, Cardinals vs. Patriots
19 Travis Etienne Jr., Jaguars @ Titans
20 Najee Harris, Steelers vs. Ravens
21 Dameon Pierce, Texans @ Cowboys
22 Cam Akers, Rams vs. Raiders
23 Isiah Pacheco, Chiefs @ Broncos
24 Zonovan Knight, Jets @ Bills
25 Devin Singletary, Bills vs. Jets
26 D'Andre Swift, Lions vs. Vikings
27 James Cook, Bills vs. Jets
28 Rachaad White, Buccaneers @ 49ers
29 Travis Homer, Seahawks vs. Panthers
30 Leonard Fournette, Buccaneers @ 49ers
31 Gus Edwards, Ravens @ Steelers
32 Tony Jones Jr., Seahawks vs. Panthers
33 Samaje Perine, Bengals vs. Browns
34 Chuba Hubbard, Panthers @ Seahawks
35 Kyren Williams, Rams vs. Raiders
36 Michael Carter, Jets @ Bills
37 JK Dobbins, Ravens @ Steelers
38 Joshua Kelley Chargers vs. Dolphins
39 Kareem Hunt, Browns @ Bengals
40 Jordan Mason, 49ers vs. Buccaneers
41 Alexander Mattison, Vikings @ Lions
42 Jerick McKinnon, Chiefs @ Broncos
43 Ameer Abdullah, Raiders @ Rams
44 Jaylen Warren, Steelers vs. Ravens
45 Dontrell Hilliard, Titans vs. Jaguars
46 Kenneth Gainwell, Eagles @ Giants
47 Melvin Gordon III, Chiefs @ Broncos
48 Keaontay Ingram, Cardinals vs. Patriots
49 Mike Boone, Broncos vs. Chiefs
50 Raheem Blackshear, Panthers @ Seahawks
51 Benny Snell Jr., Steelers vs. Ravens
52 Justice Hill, Ravens @ Steelers
53 JaMycal Hasty, Jaguars @ Titans
54 Nyheim Hines, Bills vs. Jets
Week 14 RB fantasy projections, rankings from Draft Sharks
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