The fact that we have six teams on a bye might make you think that Najee Harris is a must-start running back this week. Due his matchup against the Baltimore Ravens and his disappearing role in the passing game, I would prefer to avoid him.
Harris has been much more efficient since the Steelers came back from their bye, and he has at least 17 carries in all three games he's started and finished, but his role in the passing game has vanished. He has one game with more than one target since Week 8, and that was the game Jaylen Warren missed with a hamstring injury. More worrisome was the fact that the team thought it should give Benny Snell six carries last week.
That makes Harris a touchdown-dependent back in Week 14 and there are plenty of reasons to doubt whether he'll score. First, Vegas doesn't think there will be much scoring in this game at all, with the over/under sitting at 37. That's probably because the Ravens have only allowed more than 13 points once since Week 8. None of those points have come on rushing touchdowns from running backs.
This week it would be understandable if you're forced to start Harris, it's that bad. But I'm doing my best to avoid it.
Now let's get to the rest of the Week 14 RB Preview:
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DeeJay Dallas or Tony Jones should lead this backfield, but neither is more than a flex.
RB Preview
Numbers to know
6 -- Red-zone touches for Zonovan Knight in Week 13, he's a must-start back.
612 -- Scrimmage yards for Josh Jacobs during the Raiders' three-game win streak, by far the most in the NFL.
25 -- Touches for Chrisitan McCaffrey in the first game without Jeff Wilson. This could be the trend moving forward with Jimmy Garoppolo out for the season.
4 -- Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard each have scored four touchdowns over the past three games. Perhaps they can both be startable Fantasy options.
2.8 -- Yards per carry for Derrick Henry over the last four games. He could easily turn it around in an instant, but it has not been an encouraging stretch of football for Henry.
98% -- Snap rate for Rhamondre Stevenson in Week 13, the highest among running backs.
8 -- Jerrick McKinnon played eight of the 11 Chiefs snaps inside the 10-yard line.
17 -- Cam Akers dominated Rams' running back carries with 17 in Week 13.
As of now, we're prioritizing Tony Jones over DeeJay Dallas, but the injury situation in Seattle is very uncertain. Neither Kenneth Walker nor Dallas has been ruled out. If Dallas starts, I'd rank him as a high-end flex, if it's Jones, he's a low-end flex. And beware if Travis Homer is cleared, he would likely dominate passing downs.
Hubbard is a low-end flex if D'Onta Foreman is healthy, but Foreman is battling multiple injuries, so that's no sure thing. Over the past three weeks the Seahawks have surrendered 455 yards and five touchdowns to running backs. If Foreman is out, Hubbard could be a week winner in Week 14.
Mason was the clear No. 2 behind Christian McCaffrey with Elijah Mitchell out of the picture. We all know McCaffrey's injury history, and Mason now appears to be just one injury away from 15-plus touches per game in an offense that should be even more run-heavy with Brock Purdy at quarterback.
Latavius Murray caught four passes in Mike Boone's first game back and the Chiefs have been among the worst in the league against pass-catching running backs this season. Murray's low price gives you extra flexibility and he has plenty of upside against a Chiefs defense that just gave up 21.5 PPR Fantasy points to Samaje Perine.
Knight does have a terrible matchup against the Bills, but Mike White's propensity to dump balls off to backs should keep his value afloat even if his 5.5 yards per carry comes crashing back to earth. Expect a minimum of four catches in this game from the Jets' new feature back.
