Week 15 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Frank Gore and Top RBs To Leave Benched

It's playoff time, and some of the NFL's best running backs find themselves in terrible matchups this week. You can't afford to have players at such an important position no showing for you this week. 

So, if you have any of these guys, search the waiver wires in your leagues for better options. 

Frank Gore

This is a bad matchup on all counts. Gore has not been the same back since injuring his ankle early in the season. He hasn't had a 100-yard rushing day since Week 9, and has always struggled rushing in short yardage spots and getting into the end zone. 

The defense he's going against hasn't allowed 100 yards rushing since Week 6 against Jacksonville. Even though the 49ers don't throw particularly well, the Steelers' defense will have a shut down day against the 49ers' offense. 

Rashard Mendenhall 

Monday Night Football will not bring us a lot of points. As good as the Steelers' run defense has been in recent weeks, the 49ers have been that good all year. San Francisco hasn't allowed 100 yards rushing to an opposing team (let alone single player), nor have they allowed a touchdown on the ground. 

Even in the games they have lost, the 49ers haven't allowed anything against the elite backs that they have faced. Ray Rice didn't even crack 60 yards against them on Thanksgiving, and Beanie Wells had all of 27 yards a week ago. 

Even when teams beat the 49ers and are in position to run, the San Francisco defense doesn't surrender anything on the ground. Mendenhall won't be the one to change that.

Ryan Mathews

A common theme here is that all of these running backs are going against elite defenses, and Mathews is no different.

Baltimore hasn't allowed 100 yards rushing to a team in four weeks. Mathews is on a bit of a hot streak, but that's going to come to a crashing end this week. The likely return of Ray Lewis is not going help Matthews' cause. 

As scary as it is to throw against Ed Reed, that will be how San Diego succeeds in this game, if they do.

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