Week 13 Fantasy Football Rankings: Peyton Hills and RBs Better Off on the Bench

With the playoffs one or two weeks away in most fantasy football leagues, Week 13 is absolutely vital for many teams in terms of playoff positioning or qualifying for the playoffs at all. Because of the importance of winning this week, some tough decisions will need to be made.

It looks as though several star running backs will be faced with extremely tough matchups this weekend. This means that fantasy owners will have to choose between established options and perhaps less-reliable bench players. With that said, here are three running backs best left on the bench in Week 13.

Steven Jackson - St. Louis Rams

Although St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson has struggled over the past two weeks, he has probably been the only bright spot on a lackluster team this season. Jackson has over 800 yards rushing and four touchdowns on the year, and he has continued to be a go-to guy for fantasy owners, just as he has for the past several seasons.

Despite that, I wouldn't count on Jackson putting up big numbers on Sunday. The Rams will have to contend with the San Francisco 49ers and their league-best rushing defense. The Niners run defense is so good, in fact, that they are allowing just 75 yards per game. When you combine that with the Rams' ineptitude, Jackson doesn't have a high ceiling this week.

On top of that, the Niners have yet to allow a rushing touchdown this season, so it makes little sense to risk a poor fantasy outing by starting Jackson. The Rams also figure to be playing from behind for much of the game, so quarterback Sam Bradford will likely be throwing at will. It may hurt to do so, but sitting Jackson is the best play this week.

Rashard Mendenhall - Pittsburgh Steelers

With just one 100-yard rushing game all season long, Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall has been a major fantasy disappointment. Even so, he is still considered my most to be a must-start commodity. That thinking should be thrown out the window this week as he faces the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Bengals rank fifth in the league against the run and held Mendenhall to just 44 yards on 16 carries when the teams met a few weeks ago. Mendenhall did manage to find pay dirt twice in that game, but scoring touchdowns is more about being in the right place at the right time than anything.

You can bank on Mendenhall scoring a touchdown or two if you'd like, but he only has six all season long and isn't likely to put up good auxiliary numbers against the Bengals. Cincinnati's secondary has also proven to be a bit shaky since Leon Hall was lost for the season due to injury, so I think Pittsburgh will focus more on the pass anyway.

Peyton Hills - Cleveland Browns

After missing several weeks with a hamstring injury, Cleveland Browns running back Peyton Hillis returned to action last week and showed some signs of life by picking up 65 rushing yards against the Cincinnati Bengals. He will face an even tougher matchup on Sunday, however, as the Browns take on the Baltimore Ravens.

The Ravens have the league's third-best run defense, so I don't anticipate Hillis having much running room. It may be tough for fantasy owners to consider sitting Hillis as they have waited all year long for him to return to last season's form, but facing Baltimore's vicious defense simply isn't a situation in which he can easily succeed.

In addition to that, the Ravens are a far superior team, so I expect them to be playing with the lead. This means that Hillis may not have many opportunities to carry the ball provided he doesn't get going early. I would assume that most Hillis owners have a backup option they have been going to all season long, and I think it's safe to say that option is probably the way to go this week.