Here is the Week 14 Running Backs Coach with my recommendations first and some relevant data you should be keeping an eye on when doing your research and making lineup decisions.
High End Options
David Johnson continues to be a lock for at least 100 total yards per week which he has achieved in every game this year. His price continues to rise as he sits just under 10 K on both FanDuel and Draft Kings. He takes on a Miami defense that ranks 29th in YPC allowed and 30th in yards per game allowed. The price is becoming more difficult to fit but there is no safer a play right now.
Le'Veon Bell continues to rack up catches and averages seven per game which is insane for a running back. He has also gone over 100-plus yards rushing in three-straight games. He is game flow proof and takes on the Bills this week who are 16th in YPC allowed, 25th in YPG allowed and 28th in rushing touchdowns allowed. He is a bit cheaper than Johnson but does not have the same touchdown upside.
LeSean McCoy is averaging a league-leading 5.5 yards per carry. It is a bit concerning that he is losing goal line carries to Mike Gillislee but still finds the end zone on a regular occurrence from further out. Pittsburgh has not given up many yards per game because they’ve played with a lead a numerous games and faced some of the weaker running teams this season. They are 18th in YPC allowed, 19th in touchdowns allowed and are just 20th in rush defense according to Pro Football Focus.
Melvin Gordon continues to produce on massive touches and goal line chances. He has racked up 12 touchdowns this season. This week, San Diego heads to Carolina, a team that has fallen apart on defense despite their decent ratings in most categories. Unless Luke Kuechly returns, the Panthers will be a defense to target for the rest of the season as the rest of the team is just going through the motions.
Mid-Level Options
Jordan Howard is the only thing the Bears having going for them right now. Chicago visit the Lions who have played some better defense over the last two months. The Lions have not given up many fantasy points to running backs though. Detroit is 19th in YPC allowed and owns the 30th ranked run defense. Howard is averaging an impressive 4.9 YPC so he is the only hope for the game to stay close. With the game flow likely going against him, he can only be used in GPP’s.
Spencer Ware came through with two touchdowns last week and could have come up with a third had Alex Smith not missed him on a wide-open long touchdown reception. Oakland is 31st in YPC allowed, 30th in YPG allowed, 28th in touchdowns allowed and 26th in run defense rating per Pro Football Focus. Ware has been a bit unpredictable but has put up some strong numbers in several games. The erratic play calling lends him to be a GPP play coming off a short week.
Matt Forte gets his crack at the 49ers run defense. It looks like Bryce Petty will start for the Jets so look for the 49ers to try and stack the box. San Francisco sits at 32nd in YPC allowed, 32th in YPG allowed, 31st in touchdowns allowed and 29th in run defense rating per Pro Football Focus. Forte has been hit-or-miss this season but has taken advantage of some good match-ups in the past. The west coast trip after a Monday night is not ideal but the Jets should be pissed about their embarrassing performance.
Jeremy Hill had a rough time running the ball last week but did find the end zone. The yards per carry has been awful the last two games at 1.5 YPC. He takes on the Cleveland defense that is 27th in YPC allowed, 31st YPG allowed, 24th in touchdowns allowed and 27th in run defense rating. The Bengals are also eighth in run blocking per Pro Football Focus. Hill did see his price jump a bit but is still very affordable.
Lamar Miller has really been struggling lately but draws a favorable match-up this weekend against Indianapolis. There is a bit of a risk as we’ve seen other running backs get carries. Should he struggle early, it could happen a bit more often. The Colts are 28th in YPC allowed, 26th in YPG allowed and 32nd in run defense rating per Pro Football Focus. This is a big divisional game and with Osweiler struggling, you can expect the Texans to want to run the ball.
Low Cost Options
Robert Kelley is the lone cheap option jumping out at this point. He takes on a struggling Eagles team. The best way to attack them is the running game despite last week’s passing game breakdown versus Cincinnati. The offensive for Philadelphia is struggling so should lead to a positive game flow for Washington. Philadelphia is 13th in YPC allowed, 16th in YPC allowed and 19th in run defense rating per Pro Football Focus. Kelley has a strong 4.7 YPC for the season.
Opp Ru | Opp Ov | Opp Ru Def | ||||||||||||||||||||
Player | Tm | Opp | G | Snaps | RuAtt | RuYds | RuTD | YPC | Rec | ReYd | ReTd | Tar | Fum | Def Rk | Def Rk | Yds/G | DVOA | O/U | $Line | $FD | $DK | $FA |
David Johnson | ARI | MIA | 12 | 693 | 228 | 1,005 | 11 | 4.4 | 64 | 704 | 4 | 96 | 3 | 22 | 17 | 142.2 | 0.0000 | 43.5 | -125 | $9700 | $9800 | $6800 |
Le'Veon Bell | PIT | BUF | 9 | 505 | 180 | 817 | 3 | 4.5 | 63 | 501 | 1 | 77 | 3 | 24 | 21 | 126.8 | 0.0510 | 47 | 108 | $9000 | $9000 | $6500 |
Ezekiel Elliott | DAL | NYG | 12 | 538 | 263 | 1,285 | 12 | 4.9 | 28 | 322 | 1 | 34 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 99.7 | -0.0960 | 47.5 | 150 | $8500 | $8400 | $6500 |
LeSean McCoy | BUF | PIT | 11 | 433 | 174 | 949 | 9 | 5.5 | 35 | 236 | 1 | 40 | 2 | 10 | 8 | 100.4 | -0.0590 | 47 | 108 | $8300 | $8200 | $5800 |
Melvin Gordon | SD | CAR | 12 | 601 | 251 | 992 | 10 | 4 | 41 | 419 | 2 | 56 | 2 | 6 | 14 | 101.3 | -0.0220 | 0 | $8200 | $7400 | $5700 | |
DeMarco Murray | TEN | DEN | 12 | 663 | 229 | 1,043 | 8 | 4.6 | 45 | 309 | 3 | 54 | 3 | 26 | 1 | 134.0 | -0.1850 | 43.5 | -120 | $7900 | $7000 | $5750 |
Jordan Howard | CHI | DET | 11 | 441 | 181 | 883 | 5 | 4.9 | 22 | 242 | 1 | 38 | 1 | 25 | 31 | 107.1 | 0.1610 | 43.5 | -365 | $7800 | $6400 | $5000 |
Matt Forte | NYJ | SF | 12 | 444 | 211 | 784 | 7 | 3.7 | 29 | 256 | 1 | 42 | 1 | 32 | 29 | 184.7 | 0.1250 | 0 | $7700 | $6800 | $5200 | |
Spencer Ware | KC | OAK | 11 | 394 | 163 | 734 | 3 | 4.5 | 27 | 395 | 2 | 34 | 2 | 28 | 22 | 136.2 | 0.0620 | 47 | -181 | $7600 | $6400 | $5500 |
Devonta Freeman | ATL | LA | 12 | 440 | 176 | 785 | 7 | 4.5 | 37 | 318 | 2 | 47 | 0 | 12 | 15 | 124.4 | -0.0190 | 45 | 220 | $7500 | $6100 | $5400 |
Doug Martin | TB | NO | 6 | 201 | 105 | 313 | 2 | 3 | 12 | 115 | 0 | 14 | 1 | 16 | 25 | 106.8 | 0.0820 | 51 | -142 | $7300 | $6200 | $5500 |
Jay Ajayi | MIA | ARI | 11 | 372 | 173 | 908 | 7 | 5.2 | 22 | 113 | 0 | 28 | 2 | 11 | 3 | 106.8 | -0.1480 | 43.5 | -125 | $7200 | $5900 | $4900 |
Lamar Miller | HOU | IND | 12 | 511 | 225 | 903 | 3 | 4 | 28 | 148 | 1 | 36 | 2 | 31 | 30 | 119.5 | 0.1490 | 0 | $7200 | $5100 | $5100 | |
Mark Ingram | NO | TB | 12 | 358 | 143 | 758 | 3 | 5.3 | 35 | 264 | 4 | 41 | 2 | 23 | 12 | 126.6 | -0.0240 | 51 | -142 | $7100 | $5300 | $5000 |
Jeremy Hill | CIN | CLE | 12 | 315 | 170 | 677 | 7 | 4 | 17 | 135 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 29 | 32 | 140.6 | 0.1730 | 43.5 | 220 | $6900 | $5800 | $5500 |
Carlos Hyde | SF | NYJ | 10 | 408 | 174 | 686 | 6 | 3.9 | 22 | 126 | 1 | 26 | 2 | 2 | 27 | 98.5 | 0.0930 | 0 | $6900 | $4900 | $4750 | |
Todd Gurley | LA | ATL | 12 | 498 | 211 | 679 | 4 | 3.2 | 32 | 250 | 0 | 42 | 2 | 27 | 28 | 110.0 | 0.1080 | 45 | 220 | $6900 | $5000 | $4700 |
Latavius Murray | OAK | KC | 10 | 345 | 140 | 553 | 11 | 4 | 29 | 228 | 0 | 38 | 0 | 19 | 11 | 133.0 | -0.0300 | 47 | -181 | $6800 | $5400 | $4850 |
LeGarrette Blount | NE | BAL | 11 | 388 | 230 | 957 | 13 | 4.2 | 6 | 31 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 80.5 | -0.1840 | 45.5 | -311 | $6700 | $5300 | $5150 |
Devontae Booker | DEN | TEN | 12 | 337 | 146 | 510 | 3 | 3.5 | 19 | 143 | 0 | 27 | 2 | 14 | 24 | 92.3 | 0.0790 | 43.5 | -120 | $6600 | $4800 | $4800 |
Jonathan Stewart | CAR | SD | 9 | 337 | 127 | 461 | 7 | 3.6 | 4 | 40 | 0 | 12 | 1 | 15 | 9 | 97.2 | -0.0510 | 0 | $6500 | $5400 | $5000 | |
Thomas Rawls | SEA | GB | 5 | 115 | 45 | 120 | 0 | 2.7 | 9 | 72 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 7 | 18 | 101.4 | 0.0150 | 46.5 | 125 | $6500 | $5700 | $5250 |
Theo Riddick | DET | CHI | 10 | 390 | 92 | 357 | 1 | 3.9 | 53 | 371 | 5 | 67 | 0 | 21 | 16 | 116.2 | -0.0050 | 43.5 | -365 | $6300 | $5500 | $4400 |
Terrance West | BAL | NE | 12 | 318 | 163 | 650 | 5 | 4 | 19 | 122 | 1 | 29 | 1 | 4 | 19 | 102.8 | 0.0180 | 45.5 | -311 | $6200 | $4000 | $4550 |
Rashad Jennings | NYG | DAL | 9 | 284 | 121 | 414 | 2 | 3.4 | 28 | 177 | 1 | 34 | 0 | 8 | 26 | 89.7 | 0.0840 | 47.5 | 150 | $6100 | $4900 | $4400 |
Frank Gore | IND | HOU | 12 | 475 | 198 | 749 | 4 | 3.8 | 29 | 204 | 3 | 37 | 1 | 17 | 13 | 117.5 | -0.0220 | 0 | $6000 | $4800 | $4450 | |
Jerick McKinnon | MIN | JAC | 11 | 293 | 115 | 357 | 1 | 3.1 | 20 | 102 | 1 | 28 | 0 | 18 | 10 | 126.1 | -0.0350 | 39.5 | 160 | $6000 | $3600 | $4100 |
Robert Kelley | WAS | PHI | 11 | 189 | 112 | 524 | 4 | 4.7 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 4 | 110.1 | -0.1460 | 46.5 | -110 | $5900 | $4200 | $4600 |
Tim Hightower | NO | TB | 12 | 199 | 105 | 422 | 1 | 4 | 17 | 170 | 1 | 20 | 0 | 23 | 12 | 126.6 | -0.0240 | 51 | -142 | $5900 | $4500 | $4150 |
Matt Asiata | MIN | JAC | 12 | 298 | 96 | 317 | 5 | 3.3 | 23 | 168 | 0 | 28 | 0 | 18 | 10 | 126.1 | -0.0350 | 39.5 | 160 | $5800 | $3300 | $3900 |
Chris Ivory | JAC | MIN | 9 | 255 | 93 | 350 | 2 | 3.8 | 16 | 117 | 0 | 21 | 4 | 13 | 6 | 112.9 | -0.1420 | 39.5 | 160 | $5700 | $3700 | $4300 |
James Starks | GB | SEA | 8 | 251 | 61 | 142 | 0 | 2.3 | 19 | 134 | 2 | 25 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 108.3 | -0.1440 | 46.5 | 125 | $5700 | $3800 | $4500 |
Darren Sproles | PHI | WAS | 12 | 380 | 73 | 339 | 1 | 4.6 | 45 | 387 | 1 | 61 | 0 | 30 | 23 | 124.7 | 0.0740 | 46.5 | -110 | $5600 | $4400 | $4400 |
Bilal Powell | NYJ | SF | 12 | 291 | 49 | 311 | 1 | 6.3 | 37 | 247 | 1 | 51 | 0 | 32 | 29 | 184.7 | 0.1250 | 0 | $5600 | $5000 | $4150 | |
Isaiah Crowell | CLE | CIN | 12 | 419 | 145 | 605 | 5 | 4.2 | 32 | 294 | 0 | 40 | 1 | 20 | 20 | 125.4 | 0.0200 | 43.5 | 220 | $5500 | $3900 | $4100 |
Tevin Coleman | ATL | LA | 9 | 227 | 79 | 292 | 6 | 3.7 | 21 | 334 | 1 | 28 | 0 | 12 | 15 | 124.4 | -0.0190 | 45 | 220 | $5400 | $4000 | $4700 |
Wendell Smallwood | PHI | WAS | 12 | 149 | 74 | 309 | 1 | 4.2 | 6 | 55 | 0 | 13 | 1 | 30 | 23 | 124.7 | 0.0740 | 46.5 | -110 | $5400 | $3800 | $4100 |
Dion Lewis | NE | BAL | 3 | 44 | 16 | 74 | 0 | 4.6 | 11 | 71 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 80.5 | -0.1840 | 45.5 | -311 | $5400 | $3900 | $4400 |
Mike Gillislee | BUF | PIT | 11 | 179 | 64 | 375 | 6 | 5.9 | 8 | 40 | 1 | 10 | 0 | 10 | 8 | 100.4 | -0.0590 | 47 | 108 | $5300 | $4600 | $4000 |
T.J. Yeldon | JAC | MIN | 12 | 429 | 103 | 373 | 1 | 3.6 | 38 | 247 | 1 | 52 | 2 | 13 | 6 | 112.9 | -0.1420 | 39.5 | 160 | $5300 | $3800 | $4100 |
Kenneth Dixon | BAL | NE | 8 | 116 | 46 | 206 | 0 | 4.5 | 18 | 100 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 4 | 19 | 102.8 | 0.0180 | 45.5 | -311 | $5000 | $3800 | $4150 |