2012 Fantasy Football Week 14: Running Backs (RB) Rankings/Projections

With the playoffs on the line last week, fantasy owners with Arian Foster had to be disappointed in the distribution of touches in Houston’s backfield. Justin Forsett carried the football 14 times, the same amount as Foster and he actually ran for more yards than the star veteran.

Credit this committee approach to the fact that the Titans made it easy (big lead by halftime, horrible play from Jake Locker) on Houston; it probably made sense to ease Foster’s workload as the Texans have an all-important matchup against the Patriots this week. Expect Forsett to give Foster a breather at times this week, but this should be a game where Foster touches the football over 25 times.

If the Texans should win, they will just about clinch the division and wrap up home-field advantage, and at that point we will have to be concerned about Forsett earning more time down the stretch.

What Did We Learn From Week 13?

Another monster performance for Bryce Brown against the Cowboys as he rushed for two touchdowns and over 160 yards for the second week in a row. While Brown did have another fumble, he is benefiting from LeSean McCoy missing time from a concussion, and with the Eagles going young for evaluation of the future, Brown should continue to see a full compliment of touches this week.

Until proven otherwise, consider Brown a RB1 going forward as he has the skill set to dominate and the situation to pile on the numbers down the stretch.

DeMarco Murray finally returned to action against the Eagles and looked good carrying the football 23 times for 83 yards and a score. The night actually should have been better than that if not for an 11-yard negative run as the Cowboys were trying to run time off the clock at the end of the game.

Keep an eye on Murray’s health during the week to see if his foot injury flairs up on him, but if he’s a go for the Steelers, consider him a safe play.

Sean’s Week 14 Watch List

It was Fred Jackson and not C.J. Spiller that led the Bills in touches last week, but Spiller did hit a 44-yard touchdown run. Spiller remains as one of the more explosive running backs in the game, but the presence of Jackson will hurt his odds of playing at the RB1 level that we've come to expect this season. 

Will this be the week we see Darren McFadden back in action? We should find out quick as the Raiders play an early game this week against the Broncos on Thursday. If he plays, consider him no higher than a flex as the Raiders are sure to use a committee in his return and will likely have to abandon the run in the second half.

If Maurice Jones-Drew is out again this week, it appears the early favorite for the starting job this week will be Montell Owens (via Florida Times-Union). It was Owens that finished the game as the replacement for injured Rashad Jennings as he carried the football seven times for 29 yards and picked up a two-point conversion.

Owens would be a borderline flex play if he wins the starting job, but expect the Jaguars to use some type of committee.

1	Adrian Peterson	Bears
2	Trent Richardson	Chiefs
3	Arian Foster	@ Patriots
4	Ray Rice	@ Redskins
5	Bryce Brown	@ Buccaneers
6	Jamaal Charles	@ Browns
7	Doug Martin	Eagles
8	Chris Johnson	@ Colts
9	Marshawn Lynch	Cardinals
10	BenJarvus Green-Ellis	Cowboys
11	C.J. Spiller	Rams
12	Frank Gore	Dolphins
13	Stevan Ridley	Texans
14	Alfred Morris	Ravens
15	Knowshon Moreno	@ Raiders
16	Ahmad Bradshaw (I)	Saints
17	Michael Turner	@ Panthers
18	Mikel Leshoure	@ Packers
19	Matt Forte	@ Vikings
20	Steven Jackson	@ Bills
21	Ryan Mathews	@ Steelers
22	DeMarco Murray	@ Bengals
23	Fred Jackson	Rams
24	Reggie Bush	@ 49er
25	Darren McFadden (I)	Broncos
26	Vick Ballard	Titans
27	Jonathan Dwyer	Chargers
28	Shonn Greene	@ Jaguars
29	Beanie Wells	@ Seahawks
30	Darren Sproles	@ Giants
31	Montell Owens	Jets
32	DeAngelo Williams	Falcons
33	Jacquizz Rodgers	@ Panthers
34	Mark Ingram	@ Giants
35	James Starks	Lions
36	Bilal Powell	@ Jaguars
37	Ronnie Hillman	@ Raiders

Week 14 Standard Rankings – QB | RB | WR | K | D |