Fantasy football waiver wire: Best running backs available in Week 14

The fantasy football season is nearing its end. This is either the last week of the regular season, or the first week of the playoffs if you play in a deeper league. Either way, we’re in the stretch run and every move will be critical from here on out as owners fight for the championship.

The running back position largely escaped Week 13 without major incident, though there are a few injury situations to watch. Adrian Peterson missed the week with a neck injury and could be questionable for Week 14. Alex Collins gutted through a calf injury to score two touchdowns. And Ty Montgomery was placed on injured reserve, officially ending a bust of a season. Otherwise, the position is surprisingly healthy heading into the final stretch of the season, so many owners should have their top stars ready to go.

Without further ado, here are the week’s top running back waiver wire options, owned in 50 percent or less of Yahoo! standard leagues.

Riddick got the start in place of Ameer Abdullah, who was out with a neck injury. As always, he was a better player in the pass game than the run, getting just five carries for 21 yards but adding five catches for 41 yards. The reception total was his highest since Week 6, while he also scored just his third touchdown of the season. It’s been a disappointing season for Riddick, normally a reliable PPR asset. He’ll be a borderline RB2 again if Abdullah misses another week.

Jones made his return from injury in emphatic fashion. After missing two games with a sprained MCL, he took a backseat to Jamaal Williams for most of the Packers’ Week 13 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Jones finally saw his first carry in overtime, turning it into a 20-yard walkoff touchdown. With Montgomery done for the year, Jones will have a role in the offense when healthy. But he could be stuck in a dreaded committee with Williams, who had another strong performance.

Back from a groin injury, Davis is the new starter in Seattle’s never-ending carousel backfield. The good news is that he had his best performance of the season, racking up 20 touches for 101 total yards. He also left Eddie Lacy and Thomas Rawls in the dust, playing 45 snaps while the latter two had six combined. The Seahawks appear to have settled on Davis as the early down back with J.D. McKissic on passing plays. It’s been impossible to trust this run game all year, but Davis will have some streaming appeal against the Jacksonville Jaguars, whose defense is still vulnerable on the ground.

With Doug Martin in concussion protocol, we thought that Jacquizz Rodgers would take over in his place. Whoops! Barber got the start instead and dominated the backfield, taking 27 touches for 143 total yards and rendering Rodgers an afterthought. If Martin misses another game, Barber will be in the RB2 conversation against the Lions.