Every season, a few running backs explode onto the scene late in the season and become difference-making additions, some even capable of helping a wise owner win their league.
Fantasy football rankings 2015: Running backs for standard leagues, Week 14
Running backs pop late in the season like no other position, so the waiver wire stays relevant all season long. Here are our fantasy football running back rankings for standard leagues for Week 14.
A couple of seasons ago, Zac Stacy had a huge late-season suge. Last year, Tre Mason and C.J. Anderson popped late. This year, Thomas Rawls, Buck Allen and David Johnson were all basically unowned as recently as a few weeks ago. This week all three are in our consensus top 14.
This just doesn’t happen as often at the other positions. Again speaking anecdotally, the only such events I can think of late in the season were:
- Tim Tebow in the second half of 2011 (say what you want about him, but he was a productive fantasy player) and Mark Sanchez last year. Quarterbacks don't do well here.
- The only wide receiver who comes to mind is Denard Robinson, who, of course, was a running back to begin with, just happening to qualify at wide receiver. Maybe Donte Moncrief?
- Scott Chandler, this year, is the obvious answer at tight end. Mychal Rivera last year, just a little? But he was only good for a couple weeks.
In some ways, this makes sense. The NFL has such a dearth of quarterbacks that the idea of a productive one on someone’s bench feels almost shameful. And teams use so many wide receivers and tight ends that, generally, if one’s good, we just find out from normal progression. But at running back, franchises will settle on one guy, and the backup could be gold.
I don’t have numbers on all of this, but I do know that last year, in ESPN fantasy, the two players on the most winning rosters were Anderson and Odell Beckham Jr. The late-season running backs can make the difference between first and, well, not-first.
It’s tempting, especially for teams in first place or close, to “dance with the ones that brought you.” And often, it’s the right call. But owners who assume their team is finished are owners who miss out on Stacy, on Anderson, on Rawls. And those teams aren’t the ones that end up winning.
On to our Week 14 running back rankings for standard leagues.
Running backs for standard leagues, Week 14
(DK: Daniel Kelley; DC: Dan Ciarrocchi; AM: Andrew Miller; JD: John Daigle; SK: Scott Kaliska)
| Rk | Consensus | Tm | Opp. | DK | DC | AM | JD | SK |
| 1 | LeSean McCoy | BUF | @PHI | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2 | Doug Martin | TB | NO | 7 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 3 | Adrian Peterson | MIN | @ARI | 1 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| 4 | Jonathan Stewart | CAR | ATL | 5 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| 5 | Thomas Rawls | SEA | @BAL | 9 | 3 | 8 | 5 | 5 |
| 6 | Devonta Freeman | ATL | @CAR | 6 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 7 |
| 7 | DeAngelo Williams | PIT | @CIN | 3 | 7 | 10 | 6 | 6 |
| 8 | Matt Forte | CHI | WAS | 8 | 11 | 5 | 9 | 9 |
| 9 | David Johnson | ARI | MIN | 16 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 |
| 10 | Mark Ingram | NO | @TB | 4 | 10 | 16 | 12 | 12 |
| 11 | Todd Gurley | STL | DET | 12 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 11 |
| 12 | Lamar Miller | MIA | NYG | 19 | 12 | 14 | 10 | 10 |
| 13 | Chris Ivory | NYJ | TEN | 18 | 16 | 9 | 11 | 13 |
| 14 | Buck Allen | BAL | SEA | 10 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 17 |
| 15 | Shaun Draughn | SF | @CLE | 17 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 |
| 16 | T.J.Yeldon | JAC | IND | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 15 |
| 17 | Darren McFadden | DAL | @GB | 11 | 19 | 18 | 15 | 16 |
| 18 | Jeremy Hill | CIN | PIT | 13 | 20 | 17 | 22 | 20 |
| 19 | Charcandrick West | KC | SD | 27 | 18 | 20 | 17 | 18 |
| 20 | Latavius Murray | OAK | @DEN | 20 | 17 | 23 | 23 | 21 |
| 21 | Ronnie Hillman | DEN | OAK | 14 | 23 | 31 | 20 | 19 |
| 22 | LeGarrette Blount | NE | @HOU | 26 | 21 | 27 | 21 | 22 |
| 23 | Frank Gore | IND | @JAC | 22 | 27 | 19 | 28 | 23 |
| 24 | Spencer Ware | KC | SD | 21 | 28 | 25 | 25 | 25 |
| 25 | Giovani Bernard | CIN | PIT | 30 | 25 | 21 | 26 | 27 |
| 26 | DeMarco Murray | PHI | BUF | 33 | 29 | 22 | 24 | 26 |
| 26 | Eddie Lacy | GB | DAL | 23 | 24 | 29 | 29 | 29 |
| 28 | C.J. Anderson | DEN | OAK | -- | 22 | 24 | 18 | 24 |
| 29 | Jeremy Langford | CHI | WAS | 24 | 33 | 34 | 27 | 28 |
| 30 | James White | NE | @HOU | 31 | 30 | 28 | 31 | 32 |
| 31 | James Starks | GB | DAL | 25 | 35 | 33 | 30 | 31 |
| 32 | Danny Woodhead | SD | @KC | 36 | 26 | 39 | 33 | 30 |
| 33 | Darren Sproles | PHI | BUF | 34 | 31 | 38 | 34 | 35 |
| 34 | Theo Riddick | DET | @STL | 37 | 32 | 40 | 36 | 34 |
| 35 | Duke Johnson Jr. | CLE | SF | 47 | 34 | 26 | 42 | 37 |
| 36 | Antonio Andrews | TEN | @NYJ | 35 | 43 | 32 | 38 | 39 |
| 37 | Alfred Blue | HOU | NE | 28 | 40 | 37 | 41 | 43 |
| 38 | Charles Sims | TB | NO | 32 | 38 | 43 | 40 | 41 |
| 38 | Ameer Abdullah | DET | @STL | 43 | 39 | 42 | 37 | 33 |
| 40 | Matt Jones | WAS | @CHI | 49 | 36 | 41 | 35 | 36 |
| 41 | Bilal Powell | NYJ | TEN | 29 | 44 | 36 | 48 | 44 |
| 42 | Alfred Morris | WAS | @CHI | 46 | 42 | 45 | 32 | 42 |
| 43 | Isaiah Crowell | CLE | SF | 38 | 47 | 35 | 45 | 47 |
| 44 | Melvin Gordon | SD | @KC | -- | 41 | 48 | 39 | 40 |
| 45 | Ryan Mathews | PHI | BUF | -- | -- | 30 | -- | 38 |
| 46 | Shane Vereen | NYG | @MIA | -- | 37 | -- | 44 | 46 |
| 47 | Chris Polk | HOU | NE | 41 | 49 | 47 | 47 | 48 |
| 48 | Rashad Jennings | NYG | @MIA | -- | 46 | -- | 43 | 45 |
| 49 | Joique Bell | DET | @STL | 40 | -- | 46 | -- | -- |
| 49 | Jay Ajayi | MIA | NYG | 42 | 50 | 49 | 49 | 49 |
| -- | Kerwynn Williams | ARI | MIN | 45 | -- | 44 | -- | -- |
| -- | Kenjon Barner | PHI | BUF | 39 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | Dan Herron | IND | @JAC | -- | 45 | -- | 46 | 50 |
| -- | Juwan Thompson | DEN | OAK | 44 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | Jonathan Grimes | HOU | NE | 48 | -- | 50 | -- | -- |
| -- | Chris Thompson | WAS | @CHI | -- | 48 | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | Brandon Bolden | NE | @HOU | 50 | -- | -- | 50 | -- |
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