Week 15 usually means Fantasy football playoffs has arrived in most leagues. If you made it in, that means you were able to circumvent injuries, inconsistent game scripts, and in some cases diminished skills. If you didn't make the playoffs this time around well... I suppose there's always next year. If you're still in the running for a league championship, there are a couple of injuries to keep an eye on leading up to Week 15. Josh Jacobs (knee), Alexander Mattison (ankle), Isaiah Pacheco (shoulder), and Brian Robinson Jr. (hamstring) are banged up and could be out of the lineup. Thankfully the waiver wire is teeming with running backs capable of keeping your Fantasy team afloat.
Jamey Eisenberg has his Start 'Em & Sit 'Em calls for Week 15 at running back here. His Waiver Wire column can also direct you to the best options that may be available in your leagues. And don't forget to check out Heath Cummings' quarterback preview for more help with matchup notes, numbers to know and more. Plus check out Heath's Week 15 projections over at SportsLine.
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START 'EM & SIT 'EM
Running Backs
RBs to Start
Projections powered by
Sportsline
I thought Elliott would play well in Week 14 at Pittsburgh, and he exceeded my expectations stepping in for an injured Rhamondre Stevenson (ankle) with 27 PPR points. Elliott struggled on the ground with 22 carries for just 68 yards, but he was a star in the passing game with seven catches for 72 yards and a touchdown on eight targets. The Patriots love throwing to their running backs and are now No. 5 in receptions to the position with 74. Three running backs in the past four games against the Chiefs have scored at least 19.7 PPR points, and all three (D'Andre Swift in Week 11, Josh Jacobs in Week 12 and James Cook in Week 14) had at least three catches. Start Elliott as a No. 2 running back in all leagues.
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In three games since Joe Brady took over as offensive coordinator for Ken Dorsey, Cook has scored at least 16 PPR points in each outing against the Jets, Eagles and Chiefs. The best part is his role in the passing game with 14 catches for 169 yards and two touchdowns on 16 targets, and hopefully that becomes a staple of this offense to close the season. Cook also has 43 carries over that span, and he should remain heavily involved in Week 15 against Dallas in a potential shootout. The Cowboys are a tough matchup since only five running backs this season have scored at least 12.6 PPR points, but I'm still starting Cook with confidence as a No. 2 running back in all leagues.
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The Lions should lean heavily on their running backs in Week 15 against Denver, and Jahmyr Gibbs and Montgomery should get plenty of touches. The Broncos pass defense is tough, but their run defense has been an issue all season. Gibbs has a higher ceiling than Montgomery, but we know Montgomery is the safer bet to find the end zone since he's scored a touchdown in all but one game that he's been able to finish this season, which was last week at Chicago. He still scored 11.5 PPR points against the Bears, and the Broncos have allowed 10 running backs to score at least 14 PPR points this season.
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Moss has struggled as the Colts starter for the past two games with Jonathan Taylor (thumb) out against Tennessee and Cincinnati with 32 carries for just 79 yards, along with six catches for 34 yards on 11 targets. He hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 8, so hopefully he's due for a breakout game against the Steelers at home. Pittsburgh has struggled in the past two games against James Conner and Ezekiel Elliott, and both running backs scored at least 22.5 PPR points, with three total touchdowns. The lack of production the past two games for Moss has been frustrating, but I'm still starting him with confidence as a No. 2 running back in all leagues in Week 15.
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Swift has been tough to trust lately, and he comes into Week 15 at Seattle with a combined 17.3 PPR points in his past three games against Buffalo, San Francisco and Dallas. Nick Sirianni knows he has to run the ball more, and Swift will hopefully get a healthy workload after just 19 total touches in his past two outings against the 49ers and Cowboys, both losses. The Seahawks are No. 5 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs, and nine running backs have scored at least 12.9 PPR points against Seattle in the past seven games. This could be a breakout game for Swift.
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Sleepers (Start/Sit)
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If Alexander Mattison (ankle) is out for Week 15 at Cincinnati then Chandler has the chance to be a No. 2 running back in all leagues. The Bengals have allowed a running back to score at least 15.9 PPR points in four of their past five games, and Chandler would be in line for 20-plus touches as the starter. Mattison left Week 14 at Las Vegas, and Chandler finished with 12 carries for 35 yards and three catches for 7 yards on three targets. New Minnesota starter Nick Mullens will likely rely on Chandler out of the backfield, and he has two games in his past three outings with at least three receptions.
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The Commanders went into their bye in Week 14 with Brian Robinson Jr. leaving their Week 13 game against Miami with a hamstring injury. If Robinson is out in Week 15 at the Rams then Gibson would be a borderline starter in all leagues given his expected workload, and he had 14 total touches against the Dolphins when Robinson got hurt. I would still consider Gibson a sleeper and a flex in PPR even if Robinson is active given Gibson's role in the passing game. He scored at least 11.2 PPR points in three of his past four games, and he has at least four catches in four of his past five outings, with 25 targets over that span.
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The Falcons are the only team in the NFL yet to allow a running back to score a touchdown on the ground. We'll see if Hubbard can crack the code, and Hubbard should be considered a borderline starter in all leagues. He's scored at least 11.6 PPR points in three games in a row, including two outings with at least 20.2 PPR points. In his past two games against Tampa Bay and New Orleans, Hubbard has 48 carries for 191 yards and two touchdowns and two catches for 9 yards on two targets. With Thomas Brown calling plays for the Panthers, Hubbard has excelled, and that should continue in Week 15 against the Falcons.
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It's tough to fully trust Mitchell since the Ravens haven't turned the backfield over to him yet, but you can definitely see the upside every time he touches the ball. He had 10 total touches in Week 14 against the Rams and averaged 6 yards per carry. He was at 7.1 yards per carry in Week 12 at the Chargers, and he's shown the ability to score from anywhere on the field. This could be a great week to get Mitchell involved in the passing game since the Jaguars are No. 1 in most receptions allowed to running backs. And eight running backs have scored at least 13.2 PPR points against Jacksonville this season. I like Mitchell as a flex in all leagues.
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RBs to Sit
Projections powered by
Sportsline
Walker returned from his two-game absence with an oblique injury in Week 14 at San Francisco and had eight carries for 21 yards and four catches for 33 yards on five targets. Those were the most targets and receptions he had since Week 1, and hopefully his role in the passing game remains the same moving forward. But Zach Charbonnet isn't going away and had just two fewer touches than Walker against the 49ers, which caps the upside for Walker. And this is a brutal matchup against the Eagles, who are No. 4 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs. Walker should be considered a flex option at best in Week 15.
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Singletary was back in the lead role for Houston in Week 14 at the Jets ahead of Dameon Pierce, and Singletary performed well with 12.5 PPR points. He had 13 carries for 65 yards and a touchdown but no catches on three targets. We're waiting to find out if C.J. Stroud (concussion) will play in Week 15 at the Titans, and if Stroud is out then I don't want to trust any Texans. Even with Stroud, Singletary could still find it hard to run against Tennessee, which has been tough on running backs at home this year.
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If Isiah Pacheco (shoulder) remains out in Week 15 at New England then we'll see Edwards-Helaire and Jerick McKinnon again split touches for the Chiefs. That's what happened in Week 14 against Buffalo, and Edwards-Helaire led Kansas City in touches with 11 carries for 39 yards and two catches for 29 yards on four targets. He played 48 percent of the snaps. McKinnnon played 45 percent of the snaps, and he had four carries for 19 yards and a touchdown and three catches for 18 yards on three targets. This is a bad matchup for the Chiefs backfield since New England has locked down Saquon Barkley, Austin Ekeler and Najee Harris in the past three weeks, holding them to a combined 18.7 PPR points. I'd lean slightly toward McKinnon this week as a flex given his role in the passing game, but I would prefer to sit both Chiefs running backs in most leagues.
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Fantasy managers looking for help in the playoffs should be adding White with Josh Jacobs (knee) not expected to play Thursday night against the Chargers, but that doesn't mean you should start White in the majority of leagues. He'll split touches with Ameer Abdullah, and given Abdullah's expected role in the passing game, he has more upside than White. While it's a good matchup -- the Chargers are No. 6 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs -- White is not worth trusting in Week 15 just because he has the potential for an expanded role.
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Bust Alert (Start/Sit)
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The last time we saw Conner in Week 13 at Pittsburgh he had his best game of the season with 22.5 PPR points. He ran 25 times for 105 yards and two touchdowns against his former team but had no catches on two targets. Don't chase those points because this is a tough matchup for him in Week 15 against San Francisco. The 49ers are No. 5 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs, and only Rachaad White in Week 11 scored double digits in PPR against San Francisco in the past five games, including matchups against Travis Etienne, D'Andre Swift and Kenneth Walker III. Also, prior to Week 13, Conner had scored fewer than 8.5 PPR points in three games in a row. He's only worth using as a flex option at best in Week 15 in most leagues.
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