Breece Hall missed the first game at Miami in Week 14 with a knee injury, and I'm nervous to trust him in the rematch in Week 18. Hall is a low-end No. 2 running back at best in the majority of leagues.
He's coming off a terrible game in Week 17 at Buffalo with 10 carries for 45 yards and one catch for 8 yards on one target. Now, he did score at least 13.1 PPR points in each of his past two games against the Jaguars and Rams, but the Dolphins run defense is tough.
No running back has topped 50 yards rushing against Miami since Week 10, and the Dolphins have allowed just two rushing touchdowns to a running back in their past nine games. Miami will likely make it a priority to stop Hall, especially with a playoff spot for the Dolphins on the line.
It's been a tough year for Hall, and I don't expect him to end his season on a high note. I'm hesitant to trust Hall as a must-start Fantasy running back in Week 18.
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RBs to Start
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The Chargers could decide to rest their starters in Week 18 at Las Vegas if the Steelers beat the Bengals on Saturday. But I still expect Dobbins to play some of the game against the Raiders since he needs 58 rushing yards to trigger a $150,000 bonus for reaching 900 yards. And if the Chargers are playing to win for the No. 5 seed in the AFC (Pittsburgh needs to lose to Cincinnati for that to happen), then Dobbins could have a huge game. He just had 15.3 PPR points in Week 17 at New England in his first game back from a four-game absence with a knee injury. And he scored 22.9 PPR points against the Raiders in Week 1. Dobbins could be a top-10 running back in all leagues in Week 18.
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Guerendo returned in Week 17 against Detroit following a one-game absence with a hamstring injury, and he scored 13.9 PPR points. He's been a factor in the passing game in his past two outings with eight catches for 83 yards on eight targets, and hopefully, Joshua Dobbs keeps him involved through the air with Brock Purdy (elbow) hurt. The Cardinals have allowed three running backs in their past four games to score at least 16.2 PPR points, and I like Guerendo as a No. 2 Fantasy running back in all leagues in this matchup.
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Tracy had a rough game in Week 17 against the Colts despite 22 total touches. He had 20 carries for 59 yards and two catches for 14 yards on three targets for just 9.3 PPR points. But I like that he dominated playing time again with 66 percent of the snaps, and he should be able to rebound in Week 18 against the Eagles. Normally, this would be a matchup to avoid, but Philadelphia plans to rest its starters for the playoffs. I'll trust Tracy as a No. 2 running back against backups, and he has scored at least 14.5 PPR points in three of his past five games overall.
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Dowdle did a nice job at Philadelphia in Week 17 with 23 carries for 104 yards and one catch for 4 yards on one target. He lost a fumble, which kept him at 9.8 PPR points, but this was his fourth 100-yard game in his past five outings. He had 19 carries for 86 yards and three catches for 12 yards on three targets at Washington in Week 12, and the Commanders have allowed a running back in each of the past three games to score at least 17 PPR points. Dowdle is worth trusting as a No. 2 running back in all leagues.
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Warren is dealing with a rib injury, which is something to keep an eye on, but hopefully, he plays Saturday against the Bengals. I like Warren and Najee Harris as the No. 2 running backs in this game, but I have Warren ranked higher if he's healthy. He's played more snaps than Harris in each of the past four games, and Warren has more touches in the past two outings (33-26). Warren has scored at least 14.2 PPR points in each game over that span, and he has 10 catches for 85 yards and 11 targets against Baltimore and Kansas City. Harris only has three catches for 14 yards on six targets in his past four games, but he was great against the Bengals in Week 13 with 24.9 PPR points. Warren scored 10.4 PPR points against Cincinnati, and eight running backs have reached that mark in the past seven games against the Bengals. This should be a productive game for Warren and Harris in Week 18.
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Sleepers (Start/Sit)
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Chase Brown (ankle) is likely out for this game at Pittsburgh, which would make Herbert the starter. While Brown has been awesome this season, the Bengals have gotten great production from their backfield all year with Brown and Zack Moss. The duo combined to score at least 13.1 PPR points in 13 of 16 games this season, and hopefully, Herbert can follow suit. He had four games last year in Chicago with at least 15 total touches, and he scored at least 19.1 PPR points in three of those outings. I like Herbert as a No. 2 running back in all leagues.
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James Conner (knee) and Trey Benson (ankle) are out for Week 18 against San Francisco, so Carter will start against the 49ers, and he should be considered a No. 2 running back in all leagues. The 49ers have allowed three running backs in a row to score at least 13.2 PPR points, and Carter did a nice job in Week 17 at the Rams after Conner left with 13 carries for 70 yards and two catches for 11 yards on two targets for 10.1 PPR points. He also scored 9.8 PPR points in Week 16 at Carolina with five carries for 18 yards and five catches for 30 yards on five targets.
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The Eagles are expected to rest starters in Week 18 against the Giants, including Saquon Barkley. We'll see who plays for Philadelphia, but Gainwell should get the chance for the majority of touches. And I like him as a No. 2 running back in all leagues. A running back has scored at least 12.9 PPR points against the Giants in 13 games in a row. Gainwell has four games in his career with at least 15 total touches, and he scored at least 11.4 PPR points in three of them.
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James Cook needs 19 rushing yards for the second 1,000-yard season of his career, so the Bills might give him the chance to reach that mark in Week 18. But Cook isn't expected to play much of the game, if at all, since Buffalo is locked into the No. 2 seed in the AFC. That could mean additional playing time for Davis, and I like him as a low-end starter in all leagues at New England. Cook missed Week 6 at the Jets, and Davis scored 18.2 PPR points with 23 total touches for 153 total yards. The Patriots have allowed five running backs to score at least 15.3 PPR points in five games in a row, including Cook with 27.6 PPR points in Week 16. Ty Johnson could also be a factor, but he's a flex option at best. Davis could be great for Buffalo in Week 18.
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Kyren Williams isn't expected to play in Week 18 against Seattle, so Corum could be the lead running back against Seattle. I like Corum as a low-end starter in all leagues in this matchup. We haven't seen Corum in a featured role in his rookie campaign, and his best performance so far this season is 4.2 PPR points in Week 13 at New Orleans. But the Seahawks have allowed a running back to score at least 12.1 PPR points in five games in a row, and Corum will hopefully have success playing with Rams backups in Week 18.
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RBs to Sit
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Swift scored 12.1 PPR points in Week 17 against Seattle, which was the first time he reached double digits in PPR since Week 11 against Green Bay. He had 14 carries for 71 yards and a touchdown and two catches for 13 yards on targets against the Packers, and that was the last time he scored a touchdown. Green Bay should be able to contain Swift in the rematch, and I would only use him as a flex option in the majority of leagues in Week 18.
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We don't know if the Patriots will go back to Stevenson as the main running back in Week 18 against the Bills or stick with Antonio Gibson, which is what happened in Week 17 against the Chargers. Stevenson started the game but was likely limited in his touches after he fumbled against Buffalo in Week 16. He had two carries for 1 yard and one target against the Chargers, while Gibson had 12 carries for 63 yards and one target. I would try to avoid the Patriots backfield if possible since it could be messy, even with the Bills expected to rest starters since they are locked into the No. 2 seed in the AFC.
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It's always a guessing game for the Denver backfield, but it appears like Jaleel McLaughlin has taken over as the preferred rusher. Williams had no carries in Week 17 at Cincinnati, and he's been held to single digits in carries in seven games in a row. He does have two games over that span with at least 12.3 PPR points, but he had one carry for 1 yard, and two catches for 6 yards on two targets at Kansas City in Week 10. The Chiefs are expected to rest starters in Week 18, but the only Broncos running back I would consider as a flex is McLaughlin. Williams is too risky to trust in most leagues.
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