Top 10 Running Back Studs - Best Fantasy Football RB Performances from Week 14

The fantasy football regular season is just about over and we now head to what will be the playoffs in most fantasy football leagues. No more bye weeks are remaining, so everyone can now exhale and breathe comfortably. The next few weeks will be the most integral time when it comes to making the proper Start/Sits and knowing who to prioritize on waivers. As much as many fantasy analysts have touted the idea of Zero RB this year, we know that star RBs still win fantasy championships.

Three notable running backs put up absolute monster performances in Week 14 that included the likes of Jerick McKinnon, Christian McCaffrey, and Miles Sanders. Josh Jacobs and Saquon Barkley finished inside the top 10 and the Dallas Cowboys had another week with both of their RBs finishing as RB1s. J.K. Dobbins came back to the Ravens lineup after missing their last 6 games and looked good even if he isn't completely healthy yet.

Here are the Top 10 running back from Week 14 based on fantasy points scored in half-PPR formats. Make sure to bookmark our live fantasy football scoreboard so you can see all the live scoring and top fantasy football performances each week, during the games, and afterward as well.

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Top 10 Running Backs - Fantasy Football Week 14

Here are the top 10 running back from Week 14 of the NFL season in half-PPR scoring:

1. Jerick McKinnon

McKinnon finished as the overall RB1 in fantasy this week despite only having 6 carries for 22 yards on the ground. He did, however, have 7 receptions for 112 yards and 2 TDs. On a broken play that included an incredible flip under pressure from Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, McKinnon caught the oddly-thrown pass and scampered 56 yards to the house. The Chiefs were victorious 34-28 in a game that was too close for comfort.

The Chiefs running back room has been a difficult one to decipher for fantasy purposes as the early-season touches went to Clyde Edwards-Helaire and most recently rookie Isiah Pacheco. Nonetheless, McKinnon has still been sparingly involved in the Chiefs' backfield playing 25, 30, 21, and 28 percent of the team's offensive snaps in the last month. McKinnon is better used as a situational pass catcher and is not the Chiefs' workhorse running back under any circumstances as the bulk of the carries have gone to Pacheco.

McKinnon could be an enticing flex play next week against a struggling Houston Texans defense that has allowed the most fantasy points to opposing RBs on the season at 27.4 fantasy points per game. Nonetheless, McKinnon is difficult to play for fantasy each week, but he should be rostered in 100% of leagues. His snap shares are a cause for concern, but due to playing in the high-powered Chiefs' offense, he has the potential to go off at any time as we saw in Week 14. McKinnon was a promising running back who once signed a big contract with the 49ers in 2018 before injuries hobbled him for the better part of the three NFL seasons in his prime.

2. Christian McCaffrey

Still the G.O.A.T. for fantasy purposes, CMC finished as the RB2 on the week and went over 100 yards rushing for the first time since Week 3. As we know, CMC has been a giant cheat code for fantasy due to his incredible receiving ability, but it was great to see him get going on the ground as well. On the day CMC had 14 rushes for 119 yards and a TD along with 2 receptions for 34 yards and a TD as well.

The 49ers' offense didn't lose a beat with rookie Brock Purdy under center and they rolled the Tampa Bay Bucs 35-7. Coming up the 49ers will play the Seattle Seahawks on a short week on Thursday Night Football in Week 15. If you are in your league's fantasy playoffs, CMC is an absolute must-start even on short rest. He has proven that he deserved to be the 1.01 for fantasy this year despite two injury-riddled seasons in 2020 and 2021.

With a rookie QB under center and 49ers and wide receiver Deebo Samuel sidelined for several weeks with a high-ankle sprain, the 49ers' offense will run through CMC for the rest of the regular season. Their Week 17 Championship Week matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders is incredibly enticing for fantasy purposes as well. If you are rostering CMC you have as good of a chance at winning your league as anyone.

3. Miles Sanders

A player who has been a great value for fantasy this season, Sanders had a solid outing on Sunday in what has become a seemingly unstoppable offense in Philadelphia. The Eagles put up 48 points and rolled over their division rivals, the New York Giants 48-22. This makes three straight weeks that Philadelphia has scored 33+ points in a game. With tight end Dallas Goedert set to return soon, this offense has an incredible array of skill players with A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Sanders to go along with quarterback Jalen Hurts.

On Sunday, Sanders rushed 17 times for 144 yards and 2 TDs but caught just one pass for 11 yards. His receiving numbers have down considerably of late, but he has still been a Top 10 fantasy RB on the season overall. Sanders has been incredibly touchdown dependent this year for fantasy due to his decreased role in the passing game compared to seasons prior. Nonetheless, he has been a solid value for fantasy given how late Sanders was taken in a lot of drafts. Coming up the Eagles have a juicy fantasy matchup against the Chicago Bears in Week 15.

Sanders is in your fantasy lineups each week due to how great the Eagles' offense is, but he should be viewed as a high-end RB2 with upside for fantasy. His lack of involvement in the passing game doesn't make him as game-script-proof as other fantasy RBs like CMC, Jacobs, Barkley, and Ekeler, but he is still worth starting. Just know he is going to need to find the end zone to have a solid week for you in fantasy.

T-4. Austin Ekeler

What more can be said about Ekeler other than he is consistent every week? In a Week 14 victory over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday Night Football, Ekeler rushed 15 times for 45 yards and a TD but was back to his old tricks in the receiving game with 8 receptions for 59 yards. Ekeler has 93 receptions so far on the season for 623 yards and 5 TDs, which is an incredible feat in itself!

While the Chargers have had plenty of injuries on the offensive side of the ball, they have found a way to keep the chains moving every week. On the rushing front, Ekeler has 153 carries for 634 yards and 8 TDs good for a 4.1 yards per carry average. While he hasn't been as dominant as a rusher as some of the other RBs in the league, his receiving ability, and involvement in the passing game are just too good to pass up.

Ekeler is shaping up to be a fantasy MVP this season and is in your lineup every week regardless of opponent. His sensational receiving ability makes him game-script-proof and an absolute blue-chip fantasy asset even if it doesn't always look pretty on the ground. Coming up the Chargers play the Titans, Colts, and Rams during the fantasy playoffs.

T-4. James Conner

Monday Night Football was a gruesome affair as Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray went down on the third play of the game with what many are unfortunately saying is a severe knee injury. Backup Colt McCoy gave a valiant effort, but the Cards were downed by the Patriots 27-13. Running back James Conner had a solid game rushing 15 times for 85 yards and a TD along with 6 receptions for 29 yards.

Conner has been banged up quite a bit this season, but still delivered another solid performance for fantasy. He is the lead RB on the Cardinals, but going forward their entire offense is not full of auto-starts if Kyler Murray is indeed on the shelf for the rest of the season. Coming up the Cardinals will play the Broncos and Bucs followed by the Falcons in Week 17.

Conner should be viewed as a high-end RB2 with upside as long as he is healthy. The Broncos' defense is a good one coming up, but there is a high likelihood of Conner playing the majority of the offensive snaps. Prior to MNF Conner had played 97, 77, and 96 percent of the team's offensive snaps. The fact that he is hardly leaving the field makes him difficult to sit for fantasy.

6. Tony Pollard

Another week, another top fantasy finish for Pollard, who has been red-hot and has an RB7 or better finish in 5 of the last 6 Cowboys games. Against a struggling Texans defense, Pollard rushed 10 times for 42 yards and a TD including 4 receptions for 20 yards and a TD. It was a surprisingly tough game for Dallas who gutted it out in a 27-23 victory.

Both of the Cowboys' running backs have been viable for fantasy purposes due to how hot of a heater they have been on offensively. The good news is the Cowboys play the Jaguars in Week 15, but in Weeks 16 and 17, their matchups are difficult for fantasy RBs drawing the Eagles and Titans. Pollard may be a matchup-dependent RB for your fantasy lineups (depending on who else you have) during those weeks even though he has been great lately.

Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard have both been startable for fantasy due to how well their offense has been playing as the Cowboys have been on a 4-game winning streak. While Pollard has seen 20+ carries in a game just once this season, he and Zeke being able to spell each other has been a great asset for the Cowboys' offense and has helped keep them both fresh. Against the Jaguars, Pollard will be another must-start for fantasy.

7. Derrick Henry

The King has returned. After cooling off in the last two weeks, Henry was back at it again on Sunday even though the Titans were boat raced by the Jaguars. Henry rushed 17 times for 121 yards and a TD as well as having 3 receptions for 34 yards. On the season, Henry has 26 total receptions for 320 yards. While that may not seem like a lot, he is already at a career-high in receptions with 4 games still to go in the regular season. It also implies that Henry isn't as game-script dependent as he has been in years past.

While the Titans are sagging of late and have fallen to 7-6 on the season, they are still likely to win the AFC South and host a home playoff game. Henry has been a vital part of their season's success and even at age 28 hasn't shown many signs of slowing down. Henry has rushed 275 times for 1,199 yards and 11 TDs. It will likely be the third time in four seasons that Henry will have eclipsed 300+ carries.

Regardless of the opponent, Henry is in your lineups for the fantasy playoffs. Coming up the Titans get the Chargers and Texans (which are great matchups), but they will face a tough foe in Week 17 against a stout Dallas Cowboys defense in championship week. No matter what we know that Henry can run through any defense and we shouldn't overthink things too much. Start Henry.

8. Josh Jacobs

While he wasn't as efficient as he had been in the previous several weeks of the season, Jacobs still got the job done for fantasy. On Thursday Night Football against the Los Angeles Rams, Jacobs rushed 27 times for 99 yards and a TD on top of 2 receptions for 15 yards. Jacobs has been an RB9 or better in 5 of the last Raiders games and has been one of the best values of the entire fantasy season.

What is going on in Las Vegas right now with Josh Jacobs and Davante Adams has become the perfect storm for fantasy. Tight end Darren Waller and wide receiver Hunter Renfrow are on Injured Reserve, embattled head coach Josh McDaniels is fighting to prove he deserves another year (that TNF choke job certainly didn't help), and the Raiders declined Josh Jacobs's fifth-year option for 2023 which means they don't care how much wear and tear they put on him, there is little depth behind the two stars, and they are supported by a competent QB in Derek Carr. Did I also mention that their defense also stinks?

Jacobs suffered an injury to his pinky finger on TNF, but he should be fine in time for the Raiders' Week 15 contest against the Patriots. Due to his sheer volume alone playing nearly 80 percent of the Raiders' offensive snaps over the last month, Jacobs is a must-start with the current hot streak he is on even against a tougher Patriots defense.

9. J.K. Dobbins

Dobbins is a very talented running back who has the potential to be a superstar. Unfortunately, he is still shaking off some of the rust from a nasty knee injury that ended his 2021 season before it even began. Dobbins later revealed that he tore his ACL, MCL, and PCL, and his road to recovery has been anything but easy. After missing almost the last 2 months of football, Dobbins rushed 15 times for 120 yards and a TD against the Steelers in Week 14.

He isn't involved much in the Ravens' passing game, which is a detriment to his fantasy value and you could see during his runs on Sunday that he still isn't anywhere near close to 100 percent. The good news is the Ravens have some great fantasy matchups for running backs coming up with the Browns' defense in Week 15 followed by the Falcons and Steelers. With how long it has taken Dobbins to get back to health, we should be leery of Javonte Williams in 2023 given he suffered close to the same knee injury that Dobbins did.

As long as he is off the injury report for this week, Dobbins could be a great play as an RB2 or Flex play for fantasy purposes against the Browns' defense that is giving up the third-most fantasy points to opposing RBs on the season at 25.1 points per game. Keep an eye on what head coach John Harbaugh and the Ravens tell us during the week about Dobbins's health.

10. Chuba Hubbard

Hubbard had a solid outing in a 30-24 upset of the Seattle Seahawks in Week 14. He rushed 14 times for 74 yards and a TD and had 3 receptions for 25 yards. D'Onta Foreman was involved in the Panthers' offense as well rushing 21 times for 74 yards, Hubbard was clearly the more explosive RB of the two during the game.

The Panthers are now 4-4 under interim head coach Steve Wilks since Matt Rhule was fired. Hubbard is more involved in the passing game than Foreman is and should be rostered in all fantasy formats for the rest of the season. They are both matchup-dependent RBs to play in fantasy, but Hubbard is talented out of the backfield and does have value as a pass catcher.

Coming up the Panthers play the Steelers, Lions, and Bucs. If Foreman were to miss any time, then Hubbard would be close to a must-start for fantasy. For now, he is largely matchup dependent and we can't quite count on consistent usage from him even though the Panthers' offense has been much better in recent weeks.

Looking Forward

How did you do in Week 14? Next week the next phase of fantasy stress (and fun) starts again with the fantasy playoffs coming up in most leagues. You will be faced with some agonizing start/sit decisions and many fantasy contests will come down to the wire. Be sure to follow us here at RotoBaller with up-to-date fantasy news and team reports.

While trade deadlines have passed, make sure to keep your eye on your league's waivers. It's also important to stay up to date on all team injury reports and news so that you can use your waivers and FAAB priority wisely. If you have been saving your FAAB now is the time to use it to make strategic pickups for your league's playoffs. Having running back depth can be crucial for your team over the full grind of a fantasy season and we should always be looking to find value at RB whenever possible.

Are there any running backs not on this list who you expect to bounce back in Week Fifteen? If you have any FAAB or waiver questions as well, feel free to get at me on Twitter.

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