Happy December, fantasy faithful! We have so much to look forward to in the home stretch of an exciting NFL regular season, but first, we must do all we can to get into the fantasy football playoffs. With a massive number of running backs either injured or on bye this week, making start 'em, sit 'em decisions has never been trickier. Our Week 14 fantasy RB PPR rankings will help guide you like Rudolph leading Santa's sleigh. (Hey, it's never too early for the Christmas references — I have two kids under four over here!).
This week seems like a prime example of when and why you should do your due diligence and look ahead to the following week. Our weekly waiver wire watchlist helps you get ahead of the waiver buzz by pinpointing potential streamers and breakouts. But fear not — if you have a back from the Packers (Aaron Jones, AJ Dillon), Colts (Jonathan Taylor), Bears (David Montgomery), Saints (Alvin Kamara), Commanders (Brian Robinson, Jr., Antonio Gibson), or Falcons (Cordarrelle Patterson, Tyler Allgeier), we have you covered. We also have your back if you lost rookie standout Kenneth Walker III (ankle) or have been playing without Joe Mixon (concussion), Damien Harris (thigh), or Michael Carter (ankle).
You don't need us to tell you about the elite PPR cream of the crop. The top 10 — and even the top 20, in weeks like these — should be fairly concrete lineup locks. A few surprising names get bumped into that top 20, including D'Onta Foreman (@ Seahawks in Week 14) off a bye and facing the third-most generous defense to RBs in PPR formats. Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr. (@ Chargers) get a boost, as Los Angeles has surrendered the third-most PPR points to RBs this season. We expect Mike McDaniel to return his offense to what it knows best after a tough loss to the old-familiar 49ers, so look for both backs to get big bumps in touches.
WEEK 14 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Even players who sometimes feel like fringe plays, such as Miles Sanders (@ Giants), James Conner (vs. Patriots), Dameon Pierce (@ Cowboys), and Latavius Murray (vs. Chiefs), are borderline must-starts this week based simply on volume and TD potential. And if you have active backs who play any part of the passing game, you're locking them in during the "byemageddon" that is Week 14. That includes Isiah Pacheco (@ Broncos), Zonovan Knight (@ Bills), and D'Andre Swift (vs. Vikings), the latter of which gets a nice bump in PPR formats. All three backs looked very involved in their respective offenses in Week 13, and all three are capable of making explosive plays as pass-catchers in tight games. Cam Akers (vs. Raiders) doesn't do much as a receiver, but he's still a recommended play in a favorable matchup after last week's big outing.
WEEK 14 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
We're not as excited about committees in Buffalo, Tampa, or Baltimore. Bills rookie James Cook (vs. Jets) continues to see expanded opportunities as the season progresses — he out-carried veteran Devin Singletary 14-13 last Thursday and his six catches for 41 yards helped him finish with over 100 scrimmage yards -- but Singletary still got the call on the one-yard line. Given the uncertainty of the situation and the relatively tough matchup, they're both middling flex options. Ditto for Rachaad White and Leonard Fournette (@ 49ers), who only have flex value because of their roles in Tampa's passing game. No team allows fewer FPPG to D/STs than San Francisco, so this is a low-floor, low-ceiling matchup for both backs. The same goes for Gus Edwards and JK Dobbins (@ Steelers), who are TD-or-bust afterthoughts in PPR formats.
WEEK 14 DFS LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel
Welcome back to relevance, DeeJay Dallas and Tony Jones, Jr. (vs. Panthers)! Kenneth Walker III's ankle injury could bump these guys into heavy usage, and heavy usage against Carolina usually means an explosion of points. The Panthers have surrendered 156.4 rushing yards per game over the past five weeks and allow just under 25 PPR points per game to RBs on the season. This situation will need to be watched closely, as Dallas is dealing with an ankle injury of his own and fellow backup Travis Homer missed last week because of a knee injury and illness. Whoever starts for Seattle has value.
WEEK 14 DFS: Best stacks | Best values
If you really need to dig deep, you could consider flexing Chuba Hubbard (@ Seahawks), Samaje Perine (vs. Browns), Kareem Hunt (@ Bengals), and Jerick McKinnon (@ Broncos). All four should see plenty of touches both on the ground and through the air, and all face defenses that have proven susceptible to RBs in the passing game. Alexander Mattison (@ Lions) and Kyren Williams (vs. Raiders) could also be in play in deep leagues because of their matchups, but hopefully, you don't have to take that big of a risk.
WEEK 14 FANTASY PICKS: Sleepers | Busts | Start 'em, sit 'em
Note: We'll be updating these RB PPR rankings throughout the week, so check back for analysis and the latest player movement.
Week 14 fantasy RB PPR rankings
Rankings based on full-point PPR scoring leagues.
Rank Player
1 Austin Ekeler, Chargers vs. Dolphins
2 Josh Jacobs, Raiders @ Rams
3 Dalvin Cook, Vikings @ Lions
4 Joe Mixon, Bengals vs. Browns
5 Saquon Barkley, Giants vs. Eagles
6 Rhamondre Stevenson, Patriots @ Cardinals
7 Christian McCaffrey, 49ers vs. Buccaneers
8 Derrick Henry, Titans vs. Jaguars
9 Nick Chubb, Browns @ Bengals
10 Tony Pollard, Cowboys vs. Texans
11 Ezekiel Elliott, Cowboys vs. Texans
12 D'Onta Foreman, Panthers @ Seahawks
13 Jamaal Williams, Lions vs. Vikings
14 Raheem Mostert, Dolphins @ Chargers
15 Travis Etienne Jr., Jaguars @ Titans
16 Najee Harris, Steelers vs. Ravens
17 Jeff Wilson Jr., Dolphins @ Chargers
18 Miles Sanders, Eagles @ Giants
19 James Conner, Cardinals vs. Patriots
20 Latavius Murray, Broncos vs. Chiefs
21 Isiah Pacheco, Chiefs @ Broncos
22 Zonovan Knight, Jets @ Bills
23 D'Andre Swift, Lions vs. Vikings
24 Dameon Pierce, Texans @ Cowboys
25 Cam Akers, Rams vs. Raiders
26 Rachaad White, Buccaneers @ 49ers
27 Devin Singletary, Bills vs. Jets
28 James Cook, Bills vs. Jets
29 Leonard Fournette, Buccaneers @ 49ers
30 Travis Homer, Seahawks vs. Panthers
31 Tony Jones Jr., Seahawks vs. Panthers
32 Samaje Perine, Bengals vs. Browns
33 Chuba Hubbard, Panthers @ Seahawks
34 Gus Edwards, Ravens @ Steelers
35 Kareem Hunt, Browns @ Bengals
36 Michael Carter, Jets @ Vikings
37 Jerick McKinnon, Chiefs @ Broncos
38 Kyren Williams, Rams vs. Raiders
39 JK Dobbins, Ravens @ Steelers
40 Ameer Abdullah, Raiders @ Rams
41 Joshua Kelley Chargers vs. Dolphins
42 Jordan Mason, 49ers vs. Buccaneers
43 Alexander Mattison, Vikings @ Lions
44 Jaylen Warren, Steelers vs. Ravens
45 Dontrell Hilliard, Titans vs. Jaguars
46 Kenneth Gainwell, Eagles @ Giants
47 Melvin Gordon III, Chiefs @ Broncos
48 Mike Boone, Broncos vs. Chiefs
49 Nyheim Hines, Bills vs. Jets
50 Justice Hill, Ravens @ Steelers
51 Keaontay Ingram, Cardinals vs. Patriots
52 Raheem Blackshear, Panthers @ Seahawks
53 Benny Snell Jr., Steelers vs. Ravens
54 JaMycal Hasty, Jaguars @ Titans
Week 14 RB PPR fantasy projections, rankings from Draft Sharks
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