It’s playoff time! For the lucky ones in FantasyLand, a postseason berth has been clinched and a playoff seed is set. For so many of the rest of us, this is either the opening playoff week, or it’s the last chance to get into the semifinals that await in many leagues in Week 15.
Fantasy football rankings, Week 14: Consensus running backs for standard leagues
The SB Nation fantasy team reveals which running backs rank in the top 50 for standard leagues heading into Week 14.
Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports
So, suffice it to say, it doesn’t get any bigger than this. And if you are the proud owner of any of the consensus top four in our weekly standard league running back rankings — and that would be David Johnson, Le’Veon Bell, Ezekiel Elliott and LeSean McCoy — you plug and play one more time and hope the good times keep on rolling.
All you Melvin Gordon and DeMarco Murray owners have little to fear, as well. And for those of you with two of the above on your rosters, life is probably pretty good right now.
But for those of you who only have one piece of our Super Six, or none at all, here is hoping you have some of our other lower-ranked plays that could well surprise given their circumstance this weekend.
By far the most intriguing play on the board is our 12th-ranked running back, Matt Forte. Now, at first blush, the idea of playing anyone on the Jets after that embarrassing tank job on Monday night seems like a suicide mission. The Jets have no quarterback and they apparently have no self-respect, given how they laid down and let the Colts destroy them at home before a national audience.
But if you believe in redemption, or at least think the Jets will try to salvage some pride after the fall, then Forte is a player that needs to be in your starting lineup, either as an RB1 or RB2 and certainly as a flex.
With Bryce Petty the likely starter this week against the 49ers, the Jets will almost certainly look to grind and pound with Forte, in order to hide their green (pardon the pun) quarterback. Guess what? The 49ers are the most run-friendly defense in the league, allowing 169 yards per game and a league-leading 17 touchdowns. And because it’s the fast-pace Chip Kelly 49ers, expect Forte to get some extra carries and targets just by showing up.
And if Forte’s teammates also show up, Forte is going to make a lot of owners on the playoff fence very happy.
You know who else is happy? Jeremy Hill owners. At least, they should be. We’ll have to wait and see if A.J. Green will be back this week, but even if he is, this is still the Browns we’re talking about, and Hill, our 20th-ranked back, carved them up (169 yards, 1 TD) the last time these teams played in Week 7. And that was with Gio Bernard in the lineup. It’s all Hill, all the time now, and even off the bye, we shouldn’t expect the Browns to suddenly have discovered how to stop the run.
Running backs (standard) Week 14
(ZS: Zach Senvisky, JM: Jason Marcum, SK: Scott Kaliska, JG: Jeff Goldberg, DG: Derek Gordon)
| Rk | Consensus | Tm | Opp. | ZS | JM | SK | JG | DG |
| 1 | David Johnson | ARI | @ MIA | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Le'Veon Bell | PIT | @ BUF | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| 3 | Ezekiel Elliott | DAL | @ NYG | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 4 | LeSean McCoy | BUF | vs. PIT | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| 5 | Melvin Gordon | SD | @ CAR | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 |
| 6 | DeMarco Murray | TEN | vs. DEN | 5 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 6 |
| 7 | Devonta Freeman | ATL | @ LA | 8 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
| 8 | Spencer Ware | KC | vs. OAK | 9 | 14 | 9 | 10 | 14 |
| 9 | Matt Forte | NYJ | @ SF | 7 | 16 | 7 | 15 | 15 |
| 10 | Lamar Miller | HOU | @ IND | 17 | 10 | 16 | 9 | 10 |
| 11 | Doug Martin | TB | vs. NO | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 13 |
| 12 | Jonathan Stewart | CAR | vs. SD | 22 | 7 | 22 | 7 | 7 |
| 13 | Jay Ajayi | MIA | vs. ARI | 21 | 9 | 15 | 17 | 9 |
| 14 | Mark Ingram | NO | @ TB | 19 | 11 | 20 | 11 | 11 |
| 15 | Thomas Rawls | SEA | @ GB | 13 | 17 | 11 | 12 | 19 |
| 16 | Jordan Howard | CHI | @ DET | 10 | 18 | 10 | 21 | 18 |
| 17 | Latavius Murray | OAK | @KC | 14 | 19 | 14 | 16 | 17 |
| 18 | Robert Kelley | WAS | @ PHI | 23 | 13 | 23 | 13 | 12 |
| 19 | Todd Gurley | LA | vs. ATL | 16 | 15 | 21 | 19 | 16 |
| 20 | Frank Gore | IND | vs. HOU | 15 | 21 | 17 | 18 | 23 |
| 21 | Jeremy Hill | CIN | @ CLE | 12 | 24 | 12 | 22 | 27 |
| 22 | Carlos Hyde | SF | vs. NYJ | 18 | 23 | 18 | 24 | 21 |
| 23 | Devontae Booker | DEN | @ TEN | 25 | 20 | 25 | 20 | 20 |
| 24 | Theo Riddick | DET | vs. CHI | 24 | 22 | 24 | 23 | 22 |
| 25 | LeGarrette Blount | NE | vs. BAL | 20 | 28 | 19 | 29 | 28 |
| 26 | Tevin Coleman | ATL | @ LA | 29 | 26 | 27 | 27 | 24 |
| 27 | Rashad Jennings | NYG | vs. DAL | 26 | 30 | 26 | 25 | 32 |
| 28 | Isaiah Crowell | CLE | vs. CIN | 28 | 27 | 28 | 26 | 33 |
| 29 | Terrance West | BAL | @ NE | 27 | 33 | 30 | 28 | 29 |
| 30 | Tim Hightower | NO | @ TB | 34 | 25 | 31 | 33 | 25 |
| 31 | Kenneth Dixon | BAL | @ NE | 30 | 36 | 29 | 30 | 26 |
| 32 | Dion Lewis | NE | vs. BAL | 31 | 29 | 34 | 31 | 31 |
| 33 | Darren Sproles | PHI | vs. WAS | 32 | 32 | 32 | 37 | 35 |
| 34 | Wendell Smallwood | PHI | vs. WAS | 36 | 35 | 33 | 36 | 30 |
| 35 | Jerick McKinnon | MIN | @ JAC | 35 | 38 | 35 | 35 | 38 |
| 36 | James Starks | GB | vs. SEA | 45 | 31 | 45 | 32 | 36 |
| 37 | Derrick Henry | TEN | vs. DEN | 41 | 37 | 41 | 38 | 34 |
| 38 | Bilal Powell | NYJ | @ SF | 33 | 44 | 36 | 39 | 44 |
| 39 | Matt Asiata | MIN | @ JAC | 39 | 39 | 39 | 42 | 39 |
| 40 | Mike Gillislee | BUF | vs. PIT | 37 | 40 | 38 | 44 | 45 |
| 41 | T.J. Yeldon | JAC | vs. MIN | 40 | 41 | 40 | 43 | 41 |
| 42 | Paul Perkins | NYG | vs. DAL | -- | 34 | -- | 34 | 37 |
| 43 | Duke Johnson | CLE | vs. CIN | 38 | 45 | 37 | 45 | 48 |
| 44 | James White | NE | vs. BAL | 44 | 42 | 44 | 41 | 42 |
| 45 | Ryan Mathews | PHI | vs. WAS | 46 | 43 | 46 | 40 | 40 |
| 46 | Rex Burkhead | CIN | @ CLE | 42 | 48 | 42 | 46 | 43 |
| 47 | Christine Michael | GB | vs. SEA | 43 | -- | 43 | -- | -- |
| 48 | Robert Turbin | IND | vs. HOU | -- | 46 | -- | 47 | 46 |
| 49 | Alfred Morris | DAL | @ NYG | -- | 47 | -- | -- | 47 |
| 50 | Jalen Richard | OAK | @KC | 47 | -- | 47 | -- | -- |
| -- | Chris Thompson | WAS | @ PHI | 50 | 49 | 49 | 48 | -- |
| -- | Chris Ivory | JAC | vs. MIN | 48 | -- | 48 | -- | -- |
| -- | Damien Williams | MIA | vs. ARI | -- | 50 | -- | 49 | 50 |
| -- | Charles Sims | TB | vs. NO | 49 | -- | 50 | 50 | -- |
| -- | Alfred Blue | HOU | @ IND | -- | -- | -- | -- | 49 |
