{"id":257447,"date":"2025-12-05T08:00:45","date_gmt":"2025-12-05T13:00:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=257447"},"modified":"2025-12-04T09:25:28","modified_gmt":"2025-12-04T14:25:28","slug":"fantasy-football-rankings-top-running-backs-week-14","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/12\/05\/fantasy-football-rankings-top-running-backs-week-14\/","title":{"rendered":"Fantasy Football Rankings: Top Running Backs for Week 14"},"content":{"rendered":"

You have to love these late-season byes, don’t you?\u00a0 When we drafted Christian McCaffrey, we weren’t worried about Week 14.\u00a0 In fact, if you told us he would be healthy for all of the first 13 weeks of the season, we would be so happy that we wouldn’t have even heard what you said next.\u00a0 But here we are, in the last week of the fantasy football regular season (for many of us), without the services of our best player.\u00a0 To be fair, there are four regular-season games left after this weekend, and the first bye week occurred in Week 5.\u00a0 So, there is some symmetry in how the league schedule makers decided to spread out the 32 bye weeks.\u00a0 Let’s just hope that all of you CMC owners out there have already locked your spots in your fantasy post-season, and you’ll be fine without your stud back for one week.\u00a0 As for the other teams that have this week off, there seems to be a bit of serendipity in the timing of the break, as all three backfields were somewhat muddied in Week 13 for one reason or another.<\/p>\n

In Carolina<\/a>, we thought Rico Dowdle had staked his claim to the bell-cow role in that backfield weeks ago, but this past week, Chuba Hubbard not only split the backfield touches right down the middle, but he actually out-snapped his teammate 59% to 42%.\u00a0 Meanwhile, Treveyon Henderson owners were screaming at their televisions on Monday night as Rhamondre Stevenson reared his handsome head with 60% of the backfield snaps in New England<\/a> after it seemed like the rookie had moved ahead of him in the Patriots pecking order.\u00a0 Finally, the Giants<\/a>‘ mess of a season got even messier when Tyrone Tracy left the Monday night game with what turned out to be a bruised hip.\u00a0 Devon Singletary took over for Tracy after the injury and looked very good in the process, so who knows what the split will be when Big Blue returns to the field next week.\u00a0 Either way, these are all problems for next week.\u00a0 For this week, let’s see which backs appear in our Week 14 running back rankings.<\/p>\n

Week 14 Running Back Rankings<\/h2>\n

1) James Cook vs. Cincinnati<\/h3>\n
\"\"
Photo Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Cook has been one of the best backs in the league all season long, ranking as the overall RB6 through 13 weeks.\u00a0 Over the Bills<\/a>‘ last three games, he has gone over 100 total yards in every game and is averaging about 23 PPR points in fantasy over that span.\u00a0 This week, he should get all the work he can handle against a Bengals<\/a> defense that is ranked dead last against the running back position in fantasy and ranked #31 overall against the run.\u00a0 He has shown us what he can do when the matchup is ripe, as he has scored over 20 fantasy points in 6 of his 12 starts this season.\u00a0 This is going to be #7.<\/p>\n

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For more help with your fantasy football rosters, check out our Week 14 Start\/Sit<\/a>!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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2) Jaymyr Gibbs vs. Dallas<\/h3>\n

\"Week<\/p>\n

Last week was a down week for Gibbs on Thanksgiving Day as he was held under 15 fantasy points for just the 3rd time in 12 games this season.\u00a0 With Amon-Ra St. Brown possibly missing this game with an ankle injury, I expect Gibbs to be leaned on even more in the passing game.\u00a0 He’s a must-start in a great matchup that projects to have the highest point total of the week.\u00a0 Leave him in your lineups.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

3) De’Von Achane vs. New York Jets<\/h3>\n
\"Buy
Photo Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Achane has been a top 16 back or better in every single week of this fantasy season.\u00a0 The entire Miami<\/a> offense runs through him, and this weekend, they get a soft matchup against the Jets<\/a> and their #25-ranked rush defense.\u00a0 He’s going to get the ball at least 20 times, and he’s going to put up plenty of fantasy points in the process.\u00a0 In any given week, he is a threat to be the overall RB1, and this year, he hasn’t done it yet.\u00a0 He came close a couple of weeks ago, but Jamhyr Gibbs edged him out.\u00a0 This might be the week it happens.<\/p>\n

4) Jonathan Taylor vs. Jacksonville<\/h3>\n
\"Colts
Photo Credit: Lisi Niesner\/Reuters via Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

JT had been a permanent fixture at the top of this list for most of this season, but lately things have been a bit tougher for the Colts<\/a> and their star back.\u00a0 Teams have figured out that if you can slow down Taylor and put pressure on Daniel Jones, the Colts offense struggles.\u00a0 It seems pretty simple, so why did it take about 10 weeks for the league to wisen up?\u00a0 It has as much to do with who the Colts played in the first 10 games of the season as anything else.\u00a0 Those 10 games include two against Tennessee<\/a> and games against the likes of Las Vegas<\/a>, Arizona<\/a>, Miami, and Atlanta<\/a>.\u00a0 That’s not the whole story, as he also torched the Chargers<\/a> and Broncos<\/a>, who were both ranked as top 10 units when the two teams faced off.\u00a0 Taylor is still an elite player and will be a top 10 option every week. We just can’t expect three touchdowns in every game.\u00a0 The Jaguars<\/a> are the top-ranked defense in the league against the run and rank 3rd DVOA against the running back position.\u00a0 It’s not an ideal matchup, but he’s still a stud, so you have to play him.<\/p>\n

5) Josh Jacobs vs. Chicago<\/h3>\n
\"Josh
Photo Credit: Tork Mason\/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jacobs returned to the Packers<\/a> lineup after a one-game absence and picked right up where he left off with 17 carries for 83 yards.\u00a0 He failed to get into the end zone for the second straight start and for just the 3rd time all season.\u00a0 I expect him to get a full workload this week against a Bears<\/a> defense that is ranked 28th against the run, and he should return to the end zone for the 12th time this season.\u00a0 There’s just something about Lambeau Field in December that says “run the ball” and I think that’s what the Packers will do all day on Sunday.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

6) Bucky Irving vs. New Orleans<\/h3>\n
\"Bucky
Photo Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

He finally made it back onto the field last week, and he looked great.\u00a0 It took a bit for him to knock off a little rust, but by the end of the game, he was flying through holes and attacking the defense just like the guy we remember from last year.\u00a0 This week, he should feast on a weak Saints<\/a> defense that’s ranked 21st against the run in a game that should have a very favorable game script for the Buccaneers<\/a> running game.<\/p>\n

7) Quinshon Judkins vs. Tennessee<\/h3>\n
\"quinshon
Photo Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This game has a few interesting story lines considering the two teams have a combined record of 4-20.\u00a0 While many will be tuning in just to see Shadeur Sanders fail, I will be interested in seeing how Judkins and the running game are able to work in a contest that the Browns<\/a> are actually favored to win.\u00a0 I think the rookie back is going to get the ball well over 20 times and will score at least once.https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/jets\/<\/p>\n

8) Bijan Robinson vs. Seattle<\/h3>\n
\"Week
Dec 16, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson (7) poses with offensive tackle Kaleb McGary (76), guard Chris Lindstrom (63), center Drew Dalman (67), guard Matthew Bergeron (65), offensive tackle Jake Matthews (70) and tight end Charlie Woerner (89) after the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This isn’t a great matchup against the #2-ranked run defense in the league, but Bijan is matchup-proof.\u00a0 He won’t have the room to run he had last week against the Jets, but he will be involved both as a rusher and pass catcher for Atlanta all game long.\u00a0 This won’t be one of his signature spike weeks, but he should still grind out 16+ fantasy points.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

9) Derrick Henry vs. Pittsburgh<\/h3>\n
\"\"
Photo Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Ravens and Todd Monken dropped the ball last week against the Bengals.\u00a0 Most egregious was the total lack of involvement by King Henry in a game where he was only given the ball 10 times for 60 yards.\u00a0 When your big back is averaging 6 yards per carry, you might want to give the ball to him a little more.\u00a0 The easiest way to beat the Steelers<\/a> has been through the air this year, but Henry needs to be involved early, running the ball to set up the pass for Lamar Jackson later in the game.\u00a0 That, combined with his goal-line work, makes Henry a top 10 option this week.<\/p>\n

10) Kyren Williams vs. Arizona<\/h3>\n
\"Running
Photo Credit: Alex Gallardo-USA TODAY Sports<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

We don’t love how involved Blake Corum has become, but this matchup is still too good to pass up.\u00a0 Williams is still the preferred option at the goal line, scoring 5 touchdowns over his last 5 games, and the Rams<\/a> should have their way with the Cardinals in the desert.\u00a0 We should have plenty of scoring chances for Williams, as well as a great game script for the L.A. running game.\u00a0 Williams just barely eclipsed Chase Brown, who plays a soft Bills run defense, and Travis Etienne, who has a nice matchup against the Colts.<\/p>\n

For more great fantasy football analysis, check out DrRoto.com<\/a>!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You have to love these late-season byes, don’t you?\u00a0 When we drafted Christian McCaffrey, we weren’t worried about Week 14.\u00a0 In fact, if you told us he would be healthy for all of the first 13 weeks of the season, we would be so happy that we wouldn’t have even heard what you said next.\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5637,"featured_media":254872,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[59,33912],"tags":[2320,33805],"class_list":["post-257447","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fantasy","category-fantasy-rankings","tag-nfl-schedule","tag-running-back-rankings"],"modified_by":"Doug Henderson","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/257447","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5637"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=257447"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/257447\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":257455,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/257447\/revisions\/257455"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/254872"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=257447"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=257447"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=257447"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}