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With five weeks left in the season, many fantasy leagues are heading into their final week of the regular season. In other words, it's crunch time. A win this week can determine your seeding in the playoffs, whether you make it into the playoffs or not, and/or a potential shot at a bye in the first round of the playoffs. That being said, it's a crucial week for some so let's not waste any time and jump right into this week's top 50 PPR running backs.
RUNNING BACKS |
Team |
OPP |
|
1 |
Adrian Peterson MIN |
SEA |
|
2 |
DeAngelo Williams PIT |
IND |
|
3 |
Devonta Freeman ATL |
@TB |
|
4 |
Jonathan Stewart CAR |
@NO |
|
5 |
LeSean McCoy BUF |
HOU |
|
6 |
Darren McFadden DAL |
@WAS |
|
7 |
Doug Martin TB |
ATL |
|
8 |
Javorius Allen BAL |
@MIA |
|
9 |
Spencer Ware KC |
@OAK |
|
10 |
Todd Gurley STL |
ARI |
|
11 |
Matt Forte CHI |
SF |
|
12 |
Chris Ivory NYJ |
@NYG |
|
13 |
Eddie Lacy GB |
@DET |
|
14 |
Thomas Rawls SEA |
@MIN |
|
15 |
C.J. Anderson DEN |
@SD |
|
16 |
Mark Ingram NO |
CAR |
|
17 |
Giovani Bernard CIN |
@CLE |
|
18 |
David Johnson ARI |
@STL |
|
19 |
Ronnie Hillman DEN |
Denver Broncos |
@SD |
20 |
Jeremy Langford CHI |
Chicago Bears |
SF |
21 |
T.J. Yeldon JAC |
@TEN |
|
22 |
LeGarrette Blount NE |
PHI |
|
23 |
Danny Woodhead SD |
DEN |
|
24 |
DeMarco Murray PHI |
@NE |
|
25 |
Shaun Draughn SF |
@CHI |
|
26 |
Theo Riddick DET |
GB |
|
27 |
Latavius Murray OAK |
KC |
|
28 |
Lamar Miller MIA |
BAL |
|
29 |
Jeremy Hill CIN |
Cincinnati Bengals |
@CLE |
30 |
Frank Gore IND |
@PIT |
|
31 |
Duke Johnson CLE |
CIN |
|
32 |
Alfred Blue HOU |
@BUF |
|
33 |
Matt Jones WAS |
DAL |
|
34 |
Shane Vereen NYG |
NYJ |
|
35 |
Brandon Bolden NE |
New England Patriots |
PHI |
36 |
Charles Sims TB |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
ATL |
37 |
Alfred Morris WAS |
Washington Redskins |
DAL |
38 |
Antonio Andrews TEN |
JAC |
|
39 |
James Starks GB |
Green Bay Packers |
@DET |
40 |
Ameer Abdullah DET |
Detroit Lions |
GB |
41 |
Bilal Powell NYJ |
New York Jets |
@NYG |
42 |
Darren Sproles PHI |
Philadelphia Eagles |
@NE |
43 |
Isaiah Crowell CLE |
Cleveland Browns |
CIN |
44 |
Tevin Coleman ATL |
Atlanta Falcons |
@TB |
45 |
Mike Tolbert CAR |
Carolina Panthers |
@NO |
46 |
Melvin Gordon SD |
San Diego Chargers |
DEN |
47 |
Jay Ajayi MIA |
Miami Dolphins |
BAL |
48 |
Terrence West BAL |
Baltimore Ravens |
@MIA |
49 |
Kerwynn Williams ARI |
Arizona Cardinals |
DAL |
50 |
Jonathan Grimes HOU |
Houston Texans |
@BUF |
Adrian Peterson is the clear cut number one running back even against the Seahawks. He's averaging 21.5 carries per game and has 25+ carries in three of the last four games. He is literally carrying the Vikings offense on his shoulder and leading them to victory. He has scored in four consecutive games and has topped 100 rushing yards in four of his last five games. The Seahawks have allowed a touchdown in two of their last three games. Not to mention, a running back like Peterson is matchup proof.
Second on this list is DeAngelo Williams who had a big game against the Seahawks last week and looks forward to a much more favorable matchup. The Colts allow the eighth most fantasy points per game to opposing running backs (17.7). They surrender 95.5 rushing yards per game, 4.2 yards per carry, and have yielded 12 touchdowns to running backs. Williams caught seven passes last week for 88 yards. He has been targeted 17 times in his last four starts and has three touchdowns in his last three games. This is a great spot for Williams to continue to produce at a high level.
Surprise, surprise, Buck Allen finds himself in the top 10 this week. If he is still available in your league, stop what you're doing and go pick him up. He scored a touchdown on Monday night against the Browns and had 83 total yards. He also caught four of his five targets. In the last two games, he's been targeted 11 times and has caught nine passes. This week he faces off against the Dolphins who are unable to stop the run. Opposing running backs are averaging 120.4 rushing yards per game and 4.3 yards per carry against the Dolphins, while scoring 12 touchdowns. The Dolphins are also allowing 4.3 receptions per game and surrender the third most fantasy points per game to backs (20.5). This is another great spot for Allen who is now the Ravens workhorse.
Eddie Lacy has put two strong games in consecutive weeks and is slowly climbing up the weekly rankings. He has 100 or more rushing yards in two straight games and caught a touchdown pass on Thanksgiving Day against the Bears. He's set to face the Lions who surrender 93.5 rushing yards per game and have allowed the most rushing touchdowns to opposing running backs (12). Lacy has received 39 carries in the last two weeks and is averaging 5.3 yards per carry in that span. He's heating up at the right time and if you've held onto him all season, now it's time for that patience to pay off.
Outside the top 20, Theo Riddick is someone who can be very helpful in PPR formats. He has 11 targets and 10 receptions in his last two games. He has topped 60 receiving yards in each of those games and scored a touchdown last week. He isn't going to rush for a ton of yards, but his involvement in the passing game makes him a sneaky flex option. The potential game flow for this matchup should benefit Riddick as I'm expecting the Lions to trail early and depend on the pass.
Best of luck to all this week!