There's a classic football saying, “you can't make the club from the tub." Well, in fantasy football it's hard to win the strap if your players aren't getting the snaps. This week, I'll stick with featuring the backfield battles that continue to wage on as we enter the fantasy football playoffs. But first, there are some interesting wide receivers that deserve some attention. Tweet @ericmcclung with your comments and suggestions.

  • Over the last two weeks for the depleted Browns, Brian Hartline has played 94 and 97 percent of the snaps. Over the last three games, he's caught six or more passes for 70-plus yards in each contest.

Backfield battles

DeMarco Murray vs.  Darren Sproles vs. Ryan Mathews

Murray only played 14 snaps against the Patriots and took his frustrations directly to the owner. Chip Kelly is saying that giving Sproles 19 touches was specific to the game plan against New England. You now have to wonder what the likely return of Mathews (concussion) this week against the Bills will mean. Murray's lack of lateral agility is clear, making him a terrible fit in this offense. In limited opportunities, Mathews has looked more than the part and could prove to be extremely relevant the rest of the season.

Matt Forte vs. Jeremy Langford

Last week, Forte played seven more snaps than the rookie Langford. In Week 13, the gap was 16 snaps. Second-year man Ka'Deem Carey even got into the action by playing six snaps and scoring on a four-yard touchdown. The Bears came into the week with playoff aspirations, but the shocking defeat to the lowly 49ers now has them at 5-7 and seeded 11th in the NFC. It will be interesting to see how Chicago elects to play out the string given Forte's bleak future with the team.

Giovani Bernard vs. Jeremy Hill

Any Bengals blowout is going to see a lot of Hill and this 37-3 shellacking of the Browns was no different. Hill played a season-high 60.7 percent of the snaps and has seen his playing time increase over of the last four games. Meanwhile, Bernard's 34 percent snap rate trumps the previous season-low of 43 percent back in Week 6. The fantasy schedule has the Bengals hosting the Steelers before going on the road to face the 49ers and Broncos. Things should lean back toward Bernard this week in a possible shootout.

Eddie Lacy vs. James Starks

Coming off what was easily his best game of the season (105 rushing yards, 34 receiving yards, TD), Lacy managed one yard on six touches and was relegated to backup duties after missing the team curfew the night before the Lions game. Heading into this week's contest against the Cowboys, it's nearly impossible to know if Lacy's demotion was only temporary. However, James Starks hasn't been able to captivate on his growing number of opportunities. More importantly, the Packers can ill afford to mess around as they look to hold off the Vikings for the NFC North crown.

Charcandrick West vs. Spencer Ware

All week the Chiefs coaching staff said that West and Ware would be used in a committee. And that's exactly what we saw. West played 67 percent of the snaps while Ware saw the field the other 33 percent of the time. Unfortunately, neither one was able to get anything going against a terrible Raiders run defense. Ware did find the end zone, however. Even if West continues to see an edge in snaps and touches, Ware's power and size will continue to come into play near the goal line.

Chris Ivory vs. Bilal Powell

Since returning from an ankle injury, Powell's availability has made a significant impact on Ivory's usage. Over the last three games, Ivory has seen 10 or fewer carries on two occasions. How things play out continue to come down to simple game flow. When the Jets are playing from behind, Powell is going to play a lot of snaps. Looking forward, Ivory figures to be the lead dog against the Titans and Cowboys. But trusting him against the Patriots in a Week 16 fantasy championship could prove disastrous if the Jets are down multiple scores before halftime.

Alfred Morris vs. Matt Jones

Morris only played eight snaps while Jones played his most snaps, by far, since Week 7. Morris saw 23 carries in Week 12, yet was down to six carries this week. There doesn't seem to be any rhythm or reason to how the Redskins utilize these running backs. They are hard to roster and nearly impossible to consider starting with so little clarity.

Alfred Blue vs. Chris Polk vs. Jonathan Grimes

According to the practice reports, Blue came into Week 13 with a back issue. Very little was made of the injury being significant, yet Blue played just 12 percent of the snaps. Polk led the group with 39 percent, three more than Grimes. Blue had scored in the two previous games while Polk found the end zone on his lone reception of the day. Just when it appeared that Blue was gaining some traction, Polk outsnaps him and gets a season-high 12 carries.

Antonio Andrews vs. David Cobb

This could be the end of the road for Andrews' meddling fantasy value. Cobb played 40 percent of the snaps, easily his highest mark of the year. However, both backs did very little with the 13 carries they each received. To further complicate matters, it's possible Dexter McCluster (knee) returns this week.