Week 14 marks both the final week of NFL byes and the last regular-season matchup for most fantasy football leagues.
Unfortunately, many big running backs will be absent for fantasy managers’ push for a playoff berth or a higher seed/points total.
Christian McCaffrey, TreVeyon Henderson, Tyrone Tracy, and the Panthers’ Rico Dowdle-Chuba Hubbard duo will duck out at the worst time for fantasy players.
On the bright side, we may welcome back at least one major name who’s been out due to a long-term injury.
Who are the best names to replace these every-week options? Let’s dig into the murkier running back tiers to make important start-sit decisions with The Sporting News’ Week 14 fantasy RB rankings.
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Fantasy Week 14 RB Rankings: Start ’em, sit ’em lineup tips for running backs this week
Please note these RB rankings reflect point-per-reception (PPR) scoring, with 0.1 point for every rushing or receiving yard and 6 points for every touchdown.
↕️ Week 14 Fantasy Rankings
| Rk | Tr | Running Back | TM | OPP | Week 14 Value |
| 1 | 1 | De’Von Achane | MIA | @NYJ | Elite RB1 |
| 2 | 1 | James Cook | BUF | CIN | Elite RB1 |
| 3 | 2 | Josh Jacobs | GB | CHI | RB1 |
| 4 | 2 | Bijan Robinson | ATL | SEA | RB1 |
| 5 | 2 | Jonathan Taylor | IND | @JAX | RB1 |
| 6 | 2 | Jahmyr Gibbs | DET | DAL | RB1 |
| 7 | 3 | Chase Brown | CIN | @BUF | RB1 |
| 8 | 3 | Travis Etienne | JAX | IND | RB1 |
| 9 | 3 | Derrick Henry | BAL | PIT | RB1 |
| 10 | 4 | Kyren Williams | LAR | @ARI | RB1/RB2 |
| 11 | 4 | Kimani Vidal | LAC | PHI | RB1/RB2 |
| 12 | 4 | Saquon Barkley | PHI | @LAC | RB1/RB2 |
| 13 | 4 | Bucky Irving | TB | NO | RB1/RB2 |
| 14 | 5 | Ashton Jeanty | LV | DEN | Strong RB2 |
| 15 | 5 | Breece Hall | NYJ | MIA | Strong RB2 |
| 16 | 5 | Javonte Williams | DAL | @DET | Strong RB2 |
| 17 | 5 | Quinshon Judkins | CLE | TEN | Strong RB2 |
| 18 | 6 | Jordan Mason | MIN | WAS | RB2 |
| 19 | 6 | Bam Knight | ARI | LAR | RB2 |
| 20 | 6 | Devin Neal | NO | @TB | RB2 |
| 21 | 6 | RJ Harvey | DEN | @LV | RB2 |
| 22 | 6 | Chris Rodriguez | WAS | @MIN | RB2 |
| 23 | 6 | Kareem Hunt | KC | HOU | RB2 |
| 24 | 7 | Kenneth Walker | SEA | @ATL | RB2/Flex |
| 25 | 7 | D’Andre Swift | CHI | @GB | RB2/Flex |
| 26 | 7 | Woody Marks | HOU | @KC | RB2/Flex |
| 27 | 7 | Kenneth Gainwell | PIT | @BAL | RB2/Flex |
| 28 | 8 | Zach Charbonnet | SEA | @ATL | Strong Flex |
| 29 | 8 | Kyle Monangai | CHI | @GB | Strong Flex |
| 30 | 8 | Jaylen Warren | PIT | @BAL | Strong Flex |
| 31 | 8 | Nick Chubb | HOU | @KC | Strong Flex |
| 32 | 9 | Zavier Scott | MIN | WAS | Flex |
| 33 | 9 | Blake Corum | LAR | @ARI | Flex |
| 34 | 9 | Tyjae Spears | TEN | @CLE | Flex |
| 35 | 9 | Michael Carter | ARI | LAR | Flex |
| 36 | 10 | Rachaad White | TB | NO | Flex |
| 37 | 10 | Tyler Allgeier | ATL | SEA | Flex |
| 38 | 10 | David Montgomery | DET | DAL | Flex |
| 39 | 11 | Samaje Perine | CIN | @BUF | Flex/Bench |
| 40 | 11 | Tony Pollard | TEN | @CLE | Flex/Bench |
| 41 | 11 | Bhayshul Tuten | JAX | IND | Flex/Bench |
| 42 | 11 | Jaret Patterson | LAC | PHI | Flex/Bench |
| 43 | 12 | Jaleel McLaughlin | DEN | @LV | Flex/Bench |
| 44 | 12 | Keaton Mitchell | BAL | PIT | Flex/Bench |
| 45 | 12 | Isiah Pacheco | KC | HOU | Flex/Bench |
| 46 | 12 | Jerome Ford | CLE | TEN | Flex/Bench |
| 47 | 13 | Ollie Gordon | MIA | @NYJ | Bench |
| 48 | 13 | Ty Johnson | BUF | CIN | Bench |
| 49 | 13 | Jacory Croskey-Merritt | WAS | @MIN | Bench |
| 50 | 13 | Jeremy McNichols | WAS | @MIN | Bench |
| 51 | 14 | Brashard Smith | KC | HOU | Bench |
| 52 | 14 | Emanuel Wilson | GB | CHI | Bench |
| 53 | 14 | Sean Tucker | TB | NO | Bench |
| 54 | 14 | Malik Davis | DAL | @DET | Bench |
| 55 | 15 | Jaylen Wright | MIA | @NYJ | Bench |
| 56 | 15 | Evan Hull | NO | @TB | Bench |
| 57 | 15 | Will Shipley | PHI | @LAC | Bench |
| 58 | 15 | Clyde Edwards-Helaire | KC | HOU | Bench |
| 59 | 15 | Isaiah Davis | NYJ | MIA | Bench |
| 60 | 15 | Raheem Mostert | LV | DEN | Bench |
| 61 | 15 | Adam Prentice | DEN | @LV | Bench |
| 62 | 15 | Ray Davis | BUF | CIN | Bench |
| 63 | 15 | Chris Brooks | GB | CHI | Bench |
| 64 | 15 | LeQuint Allen | JAX | IND | Bench |
| 65 | 15 | Rasheen Ali | BAL | PIT | Bench |
| 66 | 15 | Tank Bigsby | PHI | @LAC | Bench |
| 67 | 15 | Hunter Luepke | DAL | @DET | Bench |
| 68 | 16 | Trayveon Williams | LAC | PHI | Bench |
| 69 | 16 | Amar Johnson | LAC | PHI | Bench |
| 70 | 16 | Kaleb Johnson | PIT | @BAL | Bench |
| 71 | 16 | Alec Ingold | MIA | @NYJ | Bench |
| 72 | 16 | Myles Gaskin | SEA | @ATL | Bench |
| 73 | 16 | Owen Wright | TB | NO | Bench |
| 74 | 16 | Tyler Goodson | IND | @JAX | Bench |
| 75 | 16 | Sione Vaki | DET | DAL | Bench |
| 76 | 16 | Julius Chestnut | TEN | @CLE | Bench |
| 77 | 16 | Patrick Ricard | BAL | PIT | Bench |
| 78 | 16 | Kendall Milton | CIN | @BUF | Bench |
| 79 | 16 | Travis Homer | CHI | @GB | Bench |
| INJ | — | Aaron Jones | MIN | WAS | |
| INJ | — | Alvin Kamara | NO | @TB | |
| INJ | — | Emari Demercado | ARI | LAR | |
| INJ | — | Dylan Sampson | CLE | TEN | |
| INJ | — | Justice Hill | BAL | PIT | |
| INJ | — | George Holani | SEA | @ATL | |
| INJ | — | Tahj Brooks | CIN | @BUF | |
| IR-R | — | Omarion Hampton | LAC | PHI | |
| IR-R | — | Trey Benson | ARI | LAR | |
| IR-R | — | Nyheim Hines | LAC | PHI | |
| IR-R | — | Hassan Haskins | LAC | PHI | |
| IR | — | J.K. Dobbins | DEN | @LV | |
| SUSP | — | Josh Williams | TB | NO | |
| BYE | — | Christian McCaffrey | SF | BYE | |
| BYE | — | TreVeyon Henderson | NE | BYE | |
| BYE | — | Tyrone Tracy | NYG | BYE | |
| BYE | — | Rico Dowdle | CAR | BYE | |
| BYE | — | Devin Singletary | NYG | BYE | |
| BYE | — | Chuba Hubbard | CAR | BYE | |
| BYE | — | Brian Robinson | SF | BYE | |
| BYE | — | Rhamondre Stevenson | NE | BYE | |
| BYE | — | D’Ernest Johnson | NE | BYE | |
| BYE | — | Terrell Jennings | NE | BYE | |
| BYE | — | Trevor Etienne | CAR | BYE |
Which fantasy running backs have a Week 14 bye?
- Christian McCaffrey, 49ers
- TreVeyon Henderson, Patriots
- Tyrone Tracy, Giants
- Rico Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard, Panthers
Which top RB injuries should I know for Week 14 fantasy rankings?
- Omarion Hampton (ankle fracture) and Trey Benson (knee) may finally return from injured reserve to reset the Chargers and Cardinals backfields, respectively. If you’ve been riding Kimani Vidal and (lately) Bam Knight, it may be time to pivot, and hopefully you’ve prepared for these changes already.
- Watch for Kyren Williams, who left during the first half of the Rams’ shocking upset loss but returned. It may be a bigger Blake Corum share this week, though Williams remains worth starting against the Cardinals.
- The Vikings ‘Aaron Jones (shoulder) is in danger of missing at least one week after a Week 13 ding. Jordan Mason would be a high-end flex, at minimum, for however long Jones would miss; Zavier Scott would count as a desperation play, especially in PPR games, as the replacement complementary back.
- Devin Neal filled in admirably for Alvin Kamara (knee) and would remain flex-worthy even if the big-name veteran returns for the Saints.
👮 Protect your backfield: RB handcuff rankings, depth charts
Which running backs should I add from the Week 14 waiver wire?
- Chris Rodriguez Jr., Commanders (23%)
- Samaje Perine, Bengals (3%)
- Blake Corum, Rams (16%)
- Zavier Scott, Vikings (0%)
All rostership percentages are current on Yahoo Fantasy Sports as of Monday.
➕ Best fantasy RB pickups this week: Week 14 waiver wire
Who are the best Week 14 fantasy running backs?
We’ll deviate from talking about some of the well-known studs for two up-and-down contributors who are trending upward.
Because a few must-start names are on bye, let’s take some time to recognize Chase Brown, who weathered early-season inefficiency to regain his every-week RB1 status, especially in PPR games. Joe Burrow’s return should preserve Brown’s ceiling as the offense will keep churning.
Bucky Irving’s handy Week 13 return (81 scrimmage yards, 1 TD) might’ve punched many playoff tickets for those lucky enough to have weathered the Buccaneers star’s seven-game absence. Irving renders Sean Tucker just about irrelevant moving forward and remains a borderline fantasy RB1.
Which RB fantasy sleepers should I start in Week 14?
Jordan Mason would have a huge bump if Aaron Jones has to miss time; the Vikings will square off with the Commanders, one of the easiest defensive matchups for fantasy production among running backs.
As noted, the Rams may lean more on the already busier Blake Corum with Kyren Williams dinged-up.
Struggling to round out your flex spot? The Broncos’ Jaleel McLaughlin has served as a handy change-of-pace back to RJ Harvey in the past few weeks. PPR players scrambling for help should look his way against a Raiders team who leaks points to … well, just about every position.
Who are the biggest RB bust candidates for fantasy Week 14?
Kareem Hunt has been Andy Reid’s top back for most of the year, but Isiah Pacheco may steal more work as he rounds back into health, and the Texans’ RB defense remains one of the best in the league and toughest for fantasy purposes.
The Titans have been surprisingly strong against the run and leak plenty against the pass; Quinshon Judkins may not carry too big a load in Week 13.
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