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Fantasy Football Rankings: Running backs for Week 13

Ranking the best running backs by matchup and opportunity for Week 13 of the 2018 NFL Season. 

By NHB
Arizona Cardinals v Los Angeles Chargers Photo by Harry How/Getty Images

We’re in a post-bye world now and there’s a bounty of running backs to be started.

Good will running!

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Rank Running Back Team Opponent High-Floor/High-Ceiling RB1s -- Elite Tier
Rank Running Back Team Opponent High-Floor/High-Ceiling RB1s -- Elite Tier
1 Todd Gurley II LAR at DET Gurley's gonna eat Snacks' lunch.
2 Christian McCaffrey CAR at TB McCaffrey has 9 touchdowns over the last 5 games and Tampa Bay's on deck.
High-Floor/High-Ceiling RB1s
3 Ezekiel Elliott DAL NO A high-volume of work will keep Zeke rolling.
4 Alvin Kamara NO at DAL Kamara will likely have steady work all night long.
5 David Johnson ARI at GB This is a good spot for DJ to smash. The Packers are reeling.
6 Saquon Barkley NYG CHI Banking on talent to beat out coaching in a tough matchup.
7 Aaron Jones GB ARI Jones gets bellcow usage again a bottom-barrel run defense.
8 Nick Chubb CLE at HOU Chubb's obliterating defenses and his passing game usage is ticking up.
9 James Conner PIT LAC A fumble derailed his usage last week. Go back to him and you will be rewarded.
10 Joe Mixon CIN DEN The Bengals will lean heavily on their bellcow with Andy Dalton going on IR.
11 Phillip Lindsay DEN at CIN The Bengals defense is appalling. Lindsay could have a career day.
12 Josh Adams PHI WAS Adams was solidly productive on 22 carries last week and Coach Doug Pederson said he wants to get Adams even more work. It's a great matchup too.
High-Floor/High-Ceiling RB2s
13 Spencer Ware KC at OAK Ware resumes his old role as Kansas City's bellcow in a heavenly matchup against the league's slowest defense. Expect the reliable, well-rounded Ware to smash box scores as a season-altering starter in redraft leagues.
14 Gus Edwards BAL at ATL Similar to the man listed above him, Edwards is in a spot to set career bests against the barely-there Falcons defense.
15 Austin Ekeler LAC at PIT We'll need to watch practice reports to get an understanding of how Justin Jackson will be utilzed. Ekeler could potentially walk into the Melvin Gordon role uncontested.
16 Sony Michel NE MIN The potential return of Rex Burkhead drops Michel out of the RB1 tier for now.
17 Dalvin Cook MIN at NE Cook seems to be solely producing through the air -- a good thing in a surefire shootout against the Pats.
18 Chris Carson SEA SF Seattle's presumed lead back has a great matchup against a struggling 49ers defense.
19 Matt Breida SF at SEA Breida looks to be at full health and should see a full 20-touch workload.
20 Lamar Miller HOU CLE A volume play with a good matchup.
21 Tarik Cohen CHI at NYG Trubisky's limited at best and it's a good run defense matchup.
High-Floor/Capped-Ceiling RB2s
22 James White NE MIN White's production has dropped off steeply in recent weeks but he's still got a concrete role in the NE offense.
23 Adrian Peterson WAS at PHI WAS will look to feature AD against the struggling division rival.
24 Nyheim Hines IND at JAX Hines and Wilkins will likely split work down the middle. I like the guy featured in Andrew Luck's passing game more.
High-Floor/Capped-Ceiling RB3s
25 T.J. Yeldon JAX IND Jacksonville will be forced to throw the ball to keep up with Indy. Yeldon could lead the team in targets as a result.
26 Peyton Barber TB CAR Barber's recent production is pushing him towards the RB2 discussion. He's got a great matchup on deck.
27 Mark Ingram NO at DAL Dallas plays stout run defense but a 10-touch player in the New Orleans offense is good for RB3 production.
28 Tevin Coleman ATL BAL A very difficult matchup, volume of work keeps him buyoued.
Shaky Floor/Capped-Ceiling RB3s
29 Justin Jackson LAC at PIT If we get any indication that Jackson will see serious work, he will immediately replace Tevin Coleman in the RB2/3 fringes.
30 Dion Lewis TEN NYJ Lewis's sporadic production makes things unclear, it's a great matchup though.
31 LeSean McCoy BUF at MIA McCoy should get 15+ touches against a crappy Dolphins defense.
32 Doug Martin OAK KC Jon Gruden will look to boost Martin's stats even in a blowout.
33 Frank Gore MIA BUF With Kenyan Drake hurt, Gore will receive a slightly higher volume of work against a subpar Buffalo run D.
34 Jordan Wilkins IND at JAX Jacksonville's defense is reeling once again and Wilkins should see 10 or more touches against a bulldozing offensive line.
35 Carlos Hyde JAX IND Hyde will likely see 10+ touches against a middling Colts defense.
36 Jordan Howard CHI at NYG The weekly Howard dice roll features a plus matchup and a shaky workload.
37 Royce Freeman DEN at CIN Freeman could see some productive garbage time goal-line work in a plus matchup.
RB4s
38 Rashaad Penny SEA SF Penny should see decent change-of-pace work as the Seahawks roll over the San Francisco 49ers.
39 Isaiah Crowell NYJ TEN He's got a bad matchup and Josh McCown at quarterback.
40 Theo Riddick DET LAR The slot receiver will have a boost in targets against the Rams.
41 Duke Johnson Jr. CLE at HOU His usage is trending the wrong direction and it's a tough matchup.
42 Jalen Richard OAK KC Richard could see a decent amount of second half snaps as Oakland tries to rally back against a murderous Kansas City offense.
43 Elijah McGuire NYJ TEN Banking on McGuire slowly taking over the lead back role.
44 LeGarrette Blount DET LAR If Detroit makes it near the goal-line, Blount should punch one in.
45 Corey Clement PHI WAS Clement will funciton as the No. 2 back in a good matchup.
46 Alfred Blue HOU CLE Blue was afforded 14 touches last week.
47 Derrick Henry TEN NYJ A touchdown-dependent small-boom or bust RB.
48 Chris Thompson WAS at PHI "If he plays…"

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