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Week 13 Running Back Rankings - PPR Leagues

Examining the best matchups for week thirteen running backs from a point per reception-league standpoint.

By Matias Wodner
Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

This is it. Many of you have already clinched your spot in the fantasy playoffs, but there are a lot of spots still up for grabs that will come down to this week's results. A lot of teams will be without a fantasy star that has gotten many teams close or into the playoffs: DeMarco Murray. Isaiah Crowell is also on bye, so some owners will have to be extra shrewd this week at the running back position. Let's see what the week has in store for us.

Rank Player Team Opponent Analysis
1 David Johnson ARI WAS What else can we say about DJ? He's my vote for fantasy MVP.
2 LeSean McCoy BUF @OAK Oakland hasn't been able to stop anyone on the ground and Shady has shown an enormous ceiling in great matchups.
3 Le'Veon Bell PIT NYG Three straight 20+ point performances. He already has 57 catches on the year.
4 Ezekiel Elliott DAL @MIN While this seems like the most daunting matchup Zeke will face this year, the Vikings gave up 30 (!) point performances to Jordan Howard and David Johnson. Start Zeke with confidence.
5 Spencer Ware KC @ATL Tyreek Hill's emergence is sapping targets from Ware, but here come the Falcons defense to end Ware's mini slump. Atlanta has hemorrhaged the third most fantasy points to the position.
6 Melvin Gordon SD TB Gordon has a safe floor and a huge ceiling. He can find a middle ground between the two this week against a stiffening but still vulnerable Bucs defense.
7 Jordan Howard CHI SF Even with the offense in flux, Howard kept rolling in a tough matchup. He now gets the most favorable matchup for running backs in fantasy and in real life.
8 Devontae Booker DEN @JAX He hasn't been great and the offensive line is struggling, but the Jags continue to give up big plays to running backs. Booker has a chance for a big game.
9 Carlos Hyde SF @CHI The Niners offense is coming alive, which puts game scripts more in favor for Hyde. They should be in this game for the duration of it, which will give Hyde plenty of opportunity for production.
10 Matt Forte NYJ IND After going into the bye week with four straight double digit performances, Forte came out of it with a clunker in a good matchup. He gets another great matchup this week, so you have to start him.
11 Devonta Freeman ATL KC The Chiefs aren't as good as they seem on defense, and Freeman is matchup proof anyway (two touchdowns against ARI last week).
12 Theo Riddick DET @NO The Lions will be chasing points all game, which should result in a bunch of receiving production from Riddick.
13 Lamar Miller HOU @GB

Miller has had so many "almost" touchdowns this year, and the Packers defense has been crumbling.
14 Doug Martin TB @SD Game flow could work against him, but it won't matter if he continues to see 20+ touches. The matchup is ripe for fantasy goodness, too.
15 Mark Ingram NO DET Hightower is inexplicably getting more touches than him, but Ingram continues to severely outproduce him on a per touch basis. Ingram is a high-upside RB2 this week and going into the playoffs.
16 Todd Gurley LA @NE He hasn't lived up to his ADP, but Gurley has quietly been one of fantasy's most consistent running backs. There's no ceiling in this offense, but his floor isn't something to hate.
17 Jeremy Hill CIN PHI In a brutal matchup while finding nothing on the ground, Hill still managed to hit double digit points thanks to a great receiving day. With a big workload coming weekly, he now gets a much better matchup.
18 Latavius Murray OAK BUF While Buffalo isn't bad on the ground, they continue to give up short rushing touchdowns. Murray is as good a bet as any to get one of those.
19 Jay Ajayi MIA @BAL While I don't want to bump him down too much because he's been so good, the matchup literally can't be any worse. Temper expectations and hope for a short touchdown.
20 Wendell Smallwood PHI @CIN Smallwood didn't get as much opportunity as he should've on MNF because the Packers held the ball for the whole game and the Eagles fell behind. He still looked really good with his touches, and should have more opportunity in this one.
21 Thomas Rawls SEA CAR So much for the "Rawls is going to carry teams to the championship" hype. The Seahawks were horrible on Sunday, and now Rawls faces off against one of the league's best run defenses.
22 Tim Hightower NO DET He keeps getting double digit touches in an unstoppable offense. Tough to ignore.
23 Rob Kelley WAS ARI Well, we found Kelley's floor on Thanksgiving. That floor could hit again in a tough matchup this week, but the Redskins' potent offense leaves scoring chances for Kelley most weeks.
24 Kenneth Dixon BAL MIA He outsnapped West and is the coaching staff's preferred option. He holds more value in PPR, as well.
25 James Starks GB HOU So he's really bad, but the Packers keep feeding him carries and short passes. The volume is what you're counting on in a good matchup.
26 Rashad Jennings NYG @PIT I trust Jennings for one week after hating on him for YEARS, and he delivers a seven point performance against the BROWNS. I'm done with this dude forever.
27 LeGarrette Blount NE LA The Rams have been stingy against running backs for most of the season, but as a home favorite running back, Blount offers plenty of touchdown potential.
28 Frank Gore IND @NYJ Coming off a brutal matchup, Gore gets another one this week. I wouldn't feel confident in him as anything more than a flex in a 12 team league.
29 Jonathan Stewart CAR @SEA Stewart has a massive ceiling due to his bevy of goal line touches, but he also comes with a brutally low floor. Color me skeptical that he escapes his floor on the road against Seattle.
30 Terrance West BAL MIA Becoming the lesser half of a timeshare with Dixon, West still gets enough touches to be playable in deeper leagues.
31 Tevin Coleman ATL KC Should be less rusty this week, but Freeman is just much better at this point. You have to rely on a touchdown from Coleman.
32 T.J. Yeldon JAX DEN Chris Ivory is highly questionable with a hamstring injury, leaving a (hopefully healthier) Yeldon as the main guy against an overrated Broncos run defense.
33 Matt Asiata MIN DAL Different week, same thing. You're banking on a one yard touchdown.
34 Darren Sproles PHI @CIN Strictly the passing down back, Sproles still offers a solid floor in PPR.
35 Dion Lewis NE LA He's eating away at White's touches and looks great doing it. He could be a factor in the fantasy playoffs.
36 Bilal Powell NYJ IND Has arguably looked better than Forte all year, but still isn't getting enough touches to consider him a safe flex play. He has a lot of scoring upside due to his speed, though, and can house one in this great matchup.
37 Jalen Richard OAK BUF Has forced DeAndre Washington into being a healthy inactive, but still has plenty of competition for consistent touches. He's a home run hitter, though, much like Powell.
38 Jerick McKinnon MIN DAL One week, he looks like he's ready to take the next step. The next week, Ronnie Hillman is getting touches ahead of him. Who knows what this week will bring.
39 Rex Burkhead CIN PHI We've reached the Rex Burkhead point of the season. He's not a terrible PPR flex in deep leagues.
40 James White NE LA While his role is dwindling, he still catches a few passes a game. You could do worse in really deep leagues for your flex spot.
41 Paul Perkins NYG @PIT I can't wait until the Rashad Jennings era is over, so we can see Perkins with a full workload.
42 Mike Gillislee BUF @OAK Hamstring injuries are tricky, but if he suits up, he could be a nice Hail Mary play as a home run hitter in a great matchup.
43 Shaun Draughn SF @CHI Has retaken his pass catching role and delivered two straight solid performances.
44 Kapri Bibbs DEN @JAX Booker's breather back, Bibbs has looked solid when thrown into the action.
45 Peyton Barber TB @SD Martin's breather back, he gets a few touches per game but doesn't offer any upside.
46 Chris Thompson WAS @ARI Hasn't been getting much work since Kelley's emergence, but could be needed if this turns into a shootout.
47 Dwayne Washington DET @NO I'm old enough to remember when he was going to keep your team afloat after the Ameer Abdullah injury.
48 Ty Montgomery GB HOU Good for a couple of catches per game.
49 Akeem Hunt HOU @GB If Miller's lingering injuries affect him, Hunt might see more touches than usual in this one
50 Jamize Olawale OAK BUF He's the punt play of the century.