Fantasy Football Week 14 Rankings: Top 40 Running Backs

There are plenty of questionable running back situations, leaving fantasy owners in a bind.  Do we trust the backs who have gotten us to the precipice of fantasy playoffs or do we go with other options?  Let’s take a look at how my rankings currently look:

1. Peyton Hillis – Cleveland Browns – at Buffalo
2. Maurice Jones-Drew – Jacksonville Jaguars – vs. Oakland
3. Knowshon Moreno – Denver Broncos – at Arizona
4. Rashard Mendenhall – Pittsburgh Steelers – vs. Cincinnati
5. Arian Foster – Houston Texans – vs. Baltimore
6. Adrian Peterson – Minnesota Vikings – vs. New York Giants
7. Michael Turner – Atlanta Falcons – at Carolina
8. Chris Johnson – Tennessee Titans – vs. Indianapolis
9. LeSean McCoy – Philadelphia Eagles – at Dallas
10. Ray Rice – Baltimore Ravens – at Houston
11. Steven Jackson – St. Louis Rams – at New Orleans
12. Matt Forte – Chicago Bears – vs. New England
13. Jonathan Stewart – Carolina Panthers – at Atlanta
14. LeGarrette Blount – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – at Washington
15. Mike Tolbert – San Diego Chargers – vs. Kansas City
16. Jamaal Charles – Kansas City Chiefs – at San Diego
17. Darren McFadden – Oakland Raiders – at Jacksonville
18. Ahmad Bradshaw – New York Giants – at Minnesota
19. Fred Jackson – Buffalo Bills – vs. Cleveland
20. Christopher Ivory – New Orleans Saints – vs. St. Louis
21. Tim Hightower – Arizona Cardinals – vs. Denver
22. Felix Jones – Dallas Cowboys – vs. Philadelphia
23. LaDainian Tomlinson – New York Jets – vs. Miami
24. James Stark – Green Bay Packers – at Detroit
25. Marshawn Lynch – Seattle Seahawks – at San Francisco
26. Brian Westbrook – San Francisco 49ers – vs. Seattle
27. Cedric Benson – Cincinnati Bengals – at Pittsburgh
28. Shonn Greene – New York Jets – vs. Miami
29. Beanie Wells – Arizona Cardinals – vs. Denver
30. Jahvid Best – Detroit Lions – vs. Green Bay
31. BenJarvus Green-Ellis – New England Patriots – at Chicago
32. Thomas Jones – Kansas City Chiefs – at San Diego
33. Brandon Jacobs – New York Giants – at Minnesota
34. Michael Bush – Oakland Raiders – at Jacksonville
35. Ronnie Brown – Miami Dolphins – at New York Jets
36. Maurice Morris – Detroit Lions – vs. Green Bay
37. Tashard Choice – Dallas Cowboys – vs. Philadelphia
38. Keiland Williams – Washington Redskins – vs. Tampa Bay
39. Ryan Mathews – San Diego Chargers – vs. Kansas City
40. Danny Woodhead – New England Patriots – at Chicago

Thoughts:

• Chris Johnson struggled for the second consecutive week, with 53 yards on 13 carries.  He certainly picked the wrong time to stink up the joint, huh?  If he had a tougher matchup then maybe you’d consider something drastic, but the Colts have allowed the fourth-most rushing yards per game (142.8).  Keep him as an RB1 and hope that he can rebound.
• What happened to the Chargers rush defense?  Fantasy owners shied away from Darren McFadden in Week 13, as he had been struggling, only to see the McFadden and Michael Bush combine for 192 yards and two touchdowns.  Certainly helps to keep Jamaal Charles higher on the rankings, doesn’t it?  At the same time, seeing McFadden and Bush virtually split carries (and both be as productive) cannot be what fantasy owners were hoping for.  Jacksonville is in the middle of the pack against the run and it is hard to imagine the duo replicating their impressive success.
• While Rashard Mendenhall has a quality matchup, he has rushed for less than 60 yards in three of his last four games.  Still, with the weather starting to turn, you have to think the Steelers are going to try to ride him a little more.
• Arian Foster’s ability in the passing game keeps him among the best running backs in the league, despite the difficult matchup in Week 14.
• In Week 13 Jonathan Stewart had 21 carries for 92 yards and a touchdown while Mike Goodson had just three carries.  In the two games since returning from injury, Stewart has rushed for 190 yards on 33 carries.  Clearly, he has returned to form and is viewed as the top back in Carolina once again.  Consider him a solid RB2 in all formats.
• The fears of Mike Tolbert’s hand limiting him in the passing game appear to have been for naught, as he had six receptions for 47 yards.  He didn’t get many carries, but the Chargers also fell behind early and were trying to battle back.  Continue to view him as a solid RB2 in all formats.
• Who will get the bulk of the carries in Detroit, Jahvid Best or Maurice Morris?  Not being able to answer that question downgrades both of them.  Check the news as the week progresses to see how things may play out.
• The same question can be asked about the New York Giants duo.  Despite Brandon Jacobs running strong and starting, he fell behind Ahmad Bradshaw quickly, who saw the bulk of the carries.  I’d continue to consider Bradshaw the more valuable back, but the uncertainty in the number of carries downgrades both of them slightly, especially against the Vikings.
• Will Pierre Thomas return?  If so, how many carries will he see?  Christopher Ivory is the best bet at this point, but it’s hard to consider him more than a low-end RB2 until we know exactly how things will play out.

What are your thoughts on these rankings?  Who's too high?  Who's too low?

Make sure to check out Rotoprofessor’s Week 14 Rankings:

• Top 25 Quarterbacks
• Waiver Worthy

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