Byes are back but light with only James Conner, D'Onta Foreman and Chuba Hubbard out for Week 13. Injuries to Josh Jacobs, Travis Etienne, Najee Harris, Leonard Fournette, Joe Mixon, Alvin Kamara, Christian McCaffrey, Raheem Mostert, Michael Carter and more, however, will make things a bit tight for some Fantasy managers.
Jamey Eisenberg has his Start and Sit calls for RB here. His Waiver Wire column also can direct you to the best options who may be available in your leagues. And don't forget to check out Heath Cummings' running back preview for more help with matchup notes, Week 13 numbers to know and more.
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START 'EM & SIT 'EM
Running Backs
RBs to Start
Projections powered by
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We'll keep an eye on Leonard Fournette (hip) to see if he can return in Week 13, but even if he plays, I still like White as a starter in the majority of leagues. He should remain the lead running back for the Buccaneers, and he played well in Week 12 at Cleveland with 14 carries for 64 yards, along with nine catches for 45 yards on nine targets. Hopefully he keeps his role in the passing game, and that should help him in PPR, even in a tough matchup against the Saints.
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Tony Pollard will likely remain the better running back in Dallas, but Elliott should produce at a high level as well. I like Elliott as a high-end No. 2 running back in all leagues in Week 13. He looked fantastic in Week 12 against the Giants with 16 carries for 92 yards and a touchdown and one catch for 3 yards on three targets. He's now scored a touchdown in four games in a row, with six touchdowns over that span, and the Colts have allowed three touchdowns to running backs in their past three games.
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Edwards returned in Week 12 at Jacksonville from a two-game absence due to a hamstring injury and took over as the lead running back for the Ravens, finishing with 16 carries for 52 yards and a touchdown, along with a fumble. He didn't have a catch, which is always a problem in PPR, but he could have a big game against the Broncos this week. Three of the past four running backs against Denver have run for at least 109 yards, and the combination of D'Onta Foreman and Chuba Hubbard last week had 41 carries for 178 yards. Edwards is a must-start running back in all leagues, with his value higher in non-PPR formats.
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Pierce has been miserable of late with 15 carries for 16 yards, along with five catches for 17 yards on nine targets, in his past two games against Washington and Miami. But he has the chance to rebound this week against the Browns, who are terrible against stopping the run. Cleveland has allowed a running back to score or gain over 100 total yards in three games in a row, with four total touchdowns over that span, and the Browns are No. 2 overall for the season in most Fantasy points allowed to running backs. Prior to Week 11, Pierce had scored at least 11 PPR points in seven games in a row, so hopefully he's back to that level again this week.
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In two games without Khalil Herbert (hip), Montgomery has been a solid Fantasy running back, including Week 12 at the Jets when Justin Fields (shoulder) was also out. Montgomery scored 20 PPR points at Atlanta in Week 11 and 13 PPR points at New York in Week 12, and he should have similar success against the Packers in Week 13. We'll see if Fields can return against Green Bay, but Montgomery gets to face a Packers defense that has allowed six total touchdowns to running backs in the past three games against Dallas, Tennessee and Philadelphia, with Tony Pollard, Derrick Henry and Miles Sanders each scoring at least 21 PPR points.
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Sleepers (Start/Sit)
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It was always going to be a matter of time before Robinson started to take advantage of his touches and have a big game, and that happened in Week 12 against Atlanta. He had 18 carries for 105 yards against the Falcons, adding two catches for 20 yards and a touchdown on three targets, and he scored a season-high 20 PPR points. It's now two games in his past three outings with at least 14 PPR points, and he should have another productive stat line against the Giants in Week 13. A running back has scored or gained over 100 total yards against the Giants in six games in a row, with eight touchdowns over that span, and Robinson is worth using as No. 2 running back in all leagues for this matchup. As for Antonio Gibson, consider him a flex option for this week, especially since he's been dealing with a foot injury in practice.
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Michael Carter (ankle) is doubtful for Week 13 at Minnesota, which means we should see the Jets lean on Knight for a big workload. That means Knight could have the potential to be a No. 2 Fantasy running back in all leagues. Carter was hurt in Week 12 against Chicago, and Knight stepped up with 14 carries for 69 yards, along with three catches for 34 yards on three targets. He played in tandem with Ty Johnson, who also had a productive game against the Bears with five carries for 62 yards and a touchdown, along with one catch for 16 yards on two targets. But Knight has the potential to be the lead running back and also catch passes from Mike White, and the Vikings have allowed four running backs to score at least 17 PPR points in their past three games. I'm excited to see what Knight can do for an encore with Carter out. And Johnson can even be used as a flex option in deeper leagues.
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It's probably risky going back to Dillon in any capacity for Fantasy managers, but I don't mind him as a flex in deeper leagues against the Bears. The matchup is enticing since Chicago has allowed seven running backs to score or gain at least 100 total yards in the past five games, with eight touchdowns over that span. Aaron Jones should be a star for the Packers, but Dillon just had eight carries for 64 yards and a touchdown, along with three catches for 24 yards on four targets, in Week 12 at Philadelphia. Hopefully he can stack two productive games in a row for the first time this season.
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In PPR, Williams might be worth using as a flex option in deeper leagues. Williams played the most snaps for the Rams in Week 12 at Kansas City and finished with 11 carries for 35 yards, along with three catches for 25 yards on three catches. He now has two games with three catches in his past three outings, and he should continue to be heavily involved in the passing game with the Rams likely chasing points in Week 13 against Seattle. The Seahawks are among the league leaders in receptions (65), receiving yards (535) and receiving touchdowns (three) to running backs this year, so Williams' role in the passing game should help him in this matchup. Meanwhile, you can avoid Cam Akers in most leagues since he's not scoring touchdowns or working in the passing game.
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RBs to Sit
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Patterson has run well when given the ball, but he's not being used as the featured back in Atlanta. And in a tough matchup with the Steelers, that makes Patterson someone to sit in the majority of leagues. Patterson has averaged 5.0 yards per carry in his past two games against the Bears and Commanders, but he only has 21 carries over that span. He hasn't scored a touchdown in three games in a row, and he only has seven catches for 37 yards in his past four outings. The Steelers have only allowed two rushing touchdowns to running backs in their past five games, and Patterson likely won't help your Fantasy roster if he doesn't score this week.
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It's a revenge game for Murray, who spent last season in Baltimore, but he should know the Ravens have a tough run defense. In their past four games against Tampa Bay, New Orleans, Carolina and Jacksonville, no running back has run for more than 30 yards or scored on the ground. Only JaMycal Hasty caught a touchdown against Baltimore over that span. Murray has done a nice job as the lead running back for the Broncos and should get plenty of work -- he has at least 14 total touches in three of his past four games -- but I would only use him as a flex option in most leagues in Week 13.
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The Patriots run defense continues to be stifling and just held Dalvin Cook to 22 carries for 42 yards, along with four catches for 14 yards on five targets, in Week 12. David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert are the lone running backs to score touchdowns against New England, and only five running backs have topped 12 PPR points against the Patriots this year. Singletary had scored at least 15 PPR points in consecutive games prior to Week 12 when the Lions held him to eight PPR points, but he also has just four games this season with more than 10 PPR points. Singletary is a flex at best this week in most leagues. He also has just one touchdown in his past five meetings with New England.
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The Bengals run defense was fantastic against Derrick Henry in Week 12, holding him to 38 yards and no touchdowns on 17 carries. He was productive in the passing game with three catches for 79 yards on three targets, but this should be a tough matchup for Pacheco. He doesn't work in the passing game with four catches for 30 yards on four targets for the season. Pacheco has done a nice job lately running the ball and scored his second touchdown of the year in Week 12 against the Rams. But this game should be all about the Kansas City aerial attack, and Pacheco isn't likely to be a huge factor. He's best used as a flex, with his value higher in non-PPR leagues.
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Bust Alert (Start/Sit)
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Wilson is worth starting as a flex option in the majority of leagues, but his value is lower for this week with Raheem Mostert (knee) back and starting offensive tackles Terron Armstead (pectoral) and Austin Jackson (ankle) out. Even though this is a revenge game for Wilson, who started his career in San Francisco before getting traded to Miami, I expect him to struggle. Wilson has scored in three games in a row for the Dolphins, but this is a tough matchup against the 49ers, who allow the fewest Fantasy points to opposing running backs this season. Only one running back has scored a touchdown against San Francisco since Week 7, and only six running backs have scored more than 10 PPR points against the 49ers all year. Wilson should know this defense from having practiced against it earlier this season, but the defense also knows him. I'm worried that Wilson will have a down performance, even in a revenge game.
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