Fantasy RB Rankings Week 13: Who to start, sit at running back in fantasy football

Sloan Piva

Fantasy RB Rankings Week 13: Who to start, sit at running back in fantasy football image

With the fantasy football playoffs rapidly approaching — and injuries rearing their ugly heads seemingly more than ever — it has simultaneously become more challenging and more crucial to make the right start-or-sit decisions at running back. Our Week 13 fantasy RB rankings for standard leagues will help you navigate these choppy waters so you can smoothly sail through the home stretch of the season. 

After a one-week hiatus, the byes are back. Only two teams — the Cardinals and the Panthers — are idle this week, so owners of Arizona's James Conner and Carolina's D'Onta Foreman will be unable to start those two. Playing an even more negative role this week will be injuries, which have stacked up at the RB position this season as much as we've ever seen. 

Adding to a growing list of injured backs, Week 12 saw Jacksonville's Travis Etienne Jr. (foot), the Jets' Michael Carter (ankle), Pittsburgh's Najee Harris (abdomen), and New England's Damien Harris (thigh) exit early. With Leonard Fournette (hip), Joe Mixon (concussion), and Raheem Mostert (knee) not even suiting up, there are plenty of unsettled situations to watch around the league.

WEEK 13 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers

With every injury comes a new opportunity. Case in point: A hearty welcome to the top 20 to Jacksonville's JaMycal Hasty (@ Lions in Week 13), who impressed after Etienne went down in Week 12. The former Niner is no stranger to impressing in relief efforts, and he gets a superb matchup with a Detroit D that entered Week 12 allowing the 10th-most rushing yards and fourth-most rushing TDs in the NFL. If Etienne is out, Hasty is a better start than touch-poor Lions back D'Andre Swift in that same game and about even with Jamaal Williams considering Williams' TD upside. 

WEEK 13 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers

Fantasy owners know that all of the top 15-20 RBs are must-starts virtually every week (yes, even the disappearing Dameon Pierce, who has a much better matchup against Cleveland this week), but most of the backs ranked in the 20s this week have bounced up, down, and all around this season. Gus Edwards (vs. Broncos) appears back to full health and should be solid against a reeling Broncos' defense that just gave up over 100 yards to D'Onta Foreman. Brian Robinson Jr. (@ Giants) is coming off his best NFL game and should be ready to impose his power on a New York D that Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard gashed for 152 yards and a TD on the ground on Turkey Day. That's why we like him and Antonio Gibson as at least flexes. By the way, those Cowboys are both must-starts vs. the Colts — way too much volume and talent to bench them. 

WEEK 13 DFS LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel

Guys we would have considered questionable plays a few weeks ago have become RB2 and flex options today. Cam Akers (vs. Seahawks) has done a 360-degree as the Rams' RB1, and he quietly tallied 4.6 yards per carry in Week 12 against the Chiefs. More important, he has a highly favorable matchup against the Seahawks' porous run defense this week. Kyren Williams (vs. Seahawks) also has some sneaky flex upside in that matchup, too, considering he had more carries and snaps than Akers last week. Chiefs' rookie Isiah Pacheco (@ Bengals) also looked good last week, amassing 89 scrimmage yards and a score on a whopping 23 touches. He's a must-start even in a middling matchup this week.

WEEK 13 DFS: Best values | Best stacks

Going even deeper, don't sleep on the Jets' Zonovan Knight (@ Vikings), who could be starting if Carter is out. There's a chance James Robinson is active after being a healthy scratch last week, but Knight impressed with over 100 total yards, so we're expecting him to get the bulk of the carries. It's a tough matchup, though, so consider Knight nothing more than a flex in 12-team leagues.

WEEK 13 FANTASY PICKS: Sleepers | Busts | Start 'em, sit 'em

Along those same lines, Cordarrelle Patterson (vs. Steelers) remains a high-ceiling player despite splitting carries with Tyler Allgeier, but we admittedly downgrade him a bit in standard formats. Latavius Murray (@ Ravens) isn't in a committee, but he only had one good run last week. If he doesn't break a big play or score a short TD, he could disappoint in a tough matchup against Baltimore. Similarly, Rachaad White (vs. Saints) has a brutal matchup against New Orleans, so if Fournette is back, be careful with both. The same goes for Devin Singletary (@ Patriots) facing a New England defense allowing the fewest fantasy points per game to RBs.

Kareem Hunt (@ Texans), Samaje Perine (vs. Chiefs), and possibly Darrell Henderson Jr. (@ Lions) are your best deep sleepers thanks to highly favorable matchups, but shallow leaguers don't need to worry about them.

Note: We'll be updating these RB rankings throughout the week, so check back for analysis and the latest player movement.

Week 13 fantasy RB rankings for standard leagues

Rankings based on standard, non-PPR scoring leagues

Rank    Player
1    Nick Chubb, Browns @ Texans
2    Austin Ekeler, Chargers @ Raiders
3    Josh Jacobs, Raiders vs. Chargers
4    Derrick Henry, Titans @ Eagles
5    Joe Mixon, Bengals vs. Chiefs
6    Christian McCaffrey, 49ers vs. Dolphins
7    Saquon Barkley, Giants vs. Commanders
8    Dalvin Cook, Vikings vs. Jets
9    Kenneth Walker III, Seahawks @ Rams
10    Dameon Pierce, Texans vs. Browns
11    Aaron Jones, Packers @ Bears
12    Rhamondre Stevenson, Patriots vs. Bills
13    Jonathan Taylor, Colts @ Cowboys
14    David Montgomery, Bears vs. Packers
15    JaMycal Hasty, Jaguars @ Lions
16    Alvin Kamara, Saints @ Buccaneers
17    Jamaal Williams, Lions vs. Jaguars
18    Tony Pollard, Cowboys vs. Colts
19    Jaylen Warren, Steelers @ Falcons
20    Miles Sanders, Eagles vs. Titans
21    Jeff Wilson Jr., Dolphins @ 49ers
22    Gus Edwards, Ravens vs. Broncos
23    Brian Robinson Jr., Commanders @ Giants
24    Cam Akers, Rams vs. Seahawks
25    Ezekiel Elliott, Cowboys vs. Colts
26    Isiah Pacheco, Chiefs @ Bengals
27    Antonio Gibson, Commanders @ Giants
28    Cordarrelle Patterson, Falcons vs. Steelers
29    Latavius Murray, Broncos @ Ravens
30    Rachaad White, Buccaneers vs. Saints
31    Leonard Fournette, Buccaneers vs. Saints
32    Kareem Hunt, Browns @ Texans
33    Zonovan Knight, Jets @ Vikings
34    Kyren Williams, Rams vs. Seahawks
35    Devin Singletary, Bills @ Patriots
36    Raheem Mostert, Dolphins @ 49ers
37    D'Andre Swift, Lions vs. Jaguars
38    Tyler Allgeier, Falcons vs. Steelers
39    Benny Snell Jr., Steelers @ Falcons
40    Jordan Mason, 49ers vs. Dolphins
41    James Robinson, Jets @ Vikings
42    AJ Dillon, Packers @ Bears
43    Samaje Perine, Bengals vs. Chiefs
44    Darrell Henderson Jr., Jaguars @ Lions
45    Jerick McKinnon, Chiefs @ Bengals
46    Darrynton Evans, Bears vs. Packers
47    Deon Jackson, Colts @ Cowboys
48    Kenyan Drake, Ravens vs. Broncos
49    Dontrell Hilliard, Titans @ Eagles
50    Alexander Mattison, Vikings vs. Jets
51    James Cook, Bills @ Patriots
52    Joshua Kelley Chargers @ Raiders
53    Travis Homer, Seahawks @ Rams
54    Caleb Huntley, Falcons vs. Steelers
55    Kenneth Gainwell, Eagles vs. Titans
56    Marlon Mack, Broncos @ Ravens
57    Mark Ingram II, Saints @ Buccaneers
58    Matt Breida, Giants vs. Commanders
59    Justice Hill, Ravens vs. Broncos
60    Nyheim Hines, Bills @ Patriots

Week 13 RB fantasy projections, rankings from Draft Sharks

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Sloan Piva

Sloan Piva Photo

Sloan Piva is a content producer for The Sporting News, primarily focused on betting, fantasy sports, and poker. A lifelong New Englander, Sloan earned his BA and MA in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts and now lives in coastal Rhode Island with his wife and two kids.