Welcome to BYEmageddon 2: Electric Boogaloo in Week 13 with four teams on bye. Your league’s fantasy football playoffs could be coming up in the next few weeks so it is important to try and make the best matchups that you can. With that in mind, here are three running backs that you should start and three that you should sit for your Week 13 fantasy football lineup.
Running Back Starts
Boston Scott, Philadelphia Eagles vs. New York Jets
This could be either Scott or starter Miles Sanders. At the time of this writing, it looks like Sanders may have re-tweaked an old injury that could see him miss this week’s game. If he does, Scott should get the bulk of the carries in a great matchup. No matter who is the lead back in this one, they should be in your lineup. The Jets are giving up the most fantasy points per game to opposing running backs.
Alexander Mattison, Minnesota Vikings vs. Detroit Lions
Speaking of starting running backs that are dealing with an injury, Dalvin Cook is missing the game due to his dislocated shoulder he experienced in Week 12. Mattison will be the lead back here and has a good matchup. The Lions are giving up the third-most fantasy points per game to opposing running backs. In Week 5, Mattison was the lead back against this same defense and he had 22.8 half-PPR fantasy points.
Myles Gaskin, Miami Dolphins vs. New York Giants
Gaskin has gotten back into a groove with the Dolphins turning in back-to-back solid fantasy outings. In half-PPR fantasy leagues, he had 17.1 points in Week 11 and 18.2 in Week 12. Gaskin takes on the Giants this week and they are giving up the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing running backs in fantasy. Look for him to make it three fantasy-relevant performances in a row!
Running Back Sits
Damien Harris, New England Patriots vs. Buffalo Bills
Harris has been splitting more and more carries with the rookie Rhamondre Stevenson. With the slightly reduced workload, the fantasy expectation for Harris was already lowering. Throw in that Harris is taking on the Bills this week and it is almost nonexistent. The Bills are giving up the fewest fantasy points per game to opposing running backs.
Alex Collins, Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers
Collins is the lead back for the Seahawks, but he hasn’t been able to capitalize on the opportunity. Even in half-PPR leagues, he has had fewer than six fantasy points in five straight games going back to Week 7. The 49ers are giving up average numbers against running backs, but with the lack of solid performance from Collins, he hasn’t done much to inspire confidence this week.
Kenyan Drake, Las Vegas Raiders vs. Washington Football Team
I almost went with Josh Jacobs here, but he is going to get enough volume that he will be fine even in a tough matchup. The WFT is giving up the 11th fewest fantasy points per game to opposing running backs. Drake has seen a decreased workload with Jacobs taking on more snaps. The WFT defense looked dominant in their Week 12 game and if they keep that up in Week 13, Drake will have an unproductive week.