Week 14 Fantasy Football Start/Sit Candidates: Running Backs
Wondering whom to start and sit at running back this week? Below are three top-notch starts and one sit option at the running back position for Week 14 of the 2022 NFL season.
Week 13 Review – half-PPR scoring
Starts
- RB D’Andre Swift (Detroit Lions) @ Jacksonville Jaguars – 19.1 fantasy points (RB5)
- RB Zonovan “Bam” Knight (New York Jets) @ Minnesota Vikings – 14.3 fantasy points (RB13)
- RB David Montgomery (Chicago Bears) vs. Green Bay Packers – 14.7 fantasy points (RB12)
Sits
- RB Latavius Murray (Denver Broncos) @ Baltimore Ravens – 8.1 fantasy points (RB31)
Running Back – Starts
Ezekiel Elliott (Dallas Cowboys) vs. Houston Texans
Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott has been forced into a timeshare with explosive teammate Tony Pollard, leading to a moderate 12.4 half-PPR points per game (RB19) for Elliott.
Elliott should have little issue fully returning value on Sunday though as 4for4 betting partner, BetMGM, has Dallas pegged for an ephemeral 17.0-point home-favorite spread.
Despite the Batman and Robin setup, Elliott is still averaging 15.7 rush attempts per game, tied for the 11th most among 34 NFL running backs with at least 100 rush attempts, per 4for4’s NFL Player Stats Explorer. His 57.1% green-zone rush-attempt share is tied for 12th.
The Houston Texans’ 170.2 rushing yards per game and 7.9% explosive rushing plays allowed rate are both the highest frequencies in the NFL, per 4for4’s NFL Team Stats Explorer.
Miles Sanders (Philadelphia Eagles) @ New York Giants
Philadelphia Eagles lead running back Miles Sanders should have a sturdy workload against the division rival New York Giants as BetMGM has Philadelphia as 7.0-point road favorites.
Both Sanders’ 77.0 rushing yards per game and 4.9 yards per rush attempt rank among the top eight of 34 NFL running backs with at least 100 rush attempts. Philadelphia’s bulldozing offensive line has helped the run game average a 6.6% explosive rushing plays generated rate, the fifth-highest rate in the league.
New York’s 141.9 rushing yards allowed per game are the seventh most in the NFL and their 6.6% explosive rushing plays allowed rate is the second highest.
D’Onta Foreman (Carolina Panthers) @ Seattle Seahawks
Carolina Panthers No. 1 running back D’Onta Foreman (foot) is expected to play this week against the Seattle Seahawks.
Since taking over lead duties in Week 7, Foreman has averaged 19.2 rush attempts per game, the fourth most among NFL running backs with at least 50 rush attempts during that span. His 2.1 yards after contact per rush attempt is tied for No. 10 and his 61.5% green-zone rush attempts share is tied for 11th.
Seattle is allowing 156.5 rushing yards per game and 26.3 half-PPR points per game to opposing running backs, per 4for4's Schedule-Adjusted Fantasy Points Allowed. Both rates are the second highest in the league.
*Check out the full RB Rankings here.
Running Back – Sits
Cam Akers (Los Angeles Rams) vs. Las Vegas Raiders
Los Angeles Rams running back Cam Akers saw a larger-than-normal role last week as the team stayed competitive with the Seattle Seahawks until the final buzzer. As a result, Los Angeles employed a -6.2% pass rate over expectation, a 4.0% run frequency increase of their season-long -2.2% average.
This week, Los Angeles opened as +6.0-point home underdogs against the team tied for the league’s 15th-ranked run defense (114.8 rushing yards allowed per game). Seattle’s 156.5 rushing yards allowed per game are the second worst.
Las Vegas have nearly blanked their opponent’s long-run game, allowing just a 4.1% explosive rushing plays allowed rate, the eighth-best in the league.
Passing-game specialist Kyren Williams will eat into Akers’ workload given the expected game environment.
