Getty Antonio Gibson #24 of the Washington Football Team.
Welcome to our Fantasy Football Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em Running Back edition for Week 13 of the NFL season. In this column, we highlight the position’s highest-scoring player from a week ago. Plus, a reserve in Vegas worth a flyer.
* Reminder: Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em is intended to present you with the non-obvious choices for your fantasy lineup. We dig deep into player matchups, scoring trends, and other factors to best help you with your fantasy decisions. Superstars such as Christian McCaffrey will not be found in this column. If you’re looking for players of that caliber check out our weekly fantasy football running back rankings.
Start-Sit [QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | DEF | Ks]
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RB: Start ‘Em
David Montgomery vs. DET
Montgomery may have averaged just 3.6 ypc this season prior to last week, yet he’s now rushed for at least 89 yards in two of his past three games. Even more important, he’s averaged 19.6 touches per game over his last five contests. The Lions give up the most points, rushing attempts, rushing yards and rushing TDs to RBs this season. Over their last three games, they’ve allowed five total TDs to the position.
Nyheim Hines at HOU
Jonathan Taylor will likely be back this week. However, Hines is still a worthy play in PPR-formats. He’s now played an average of 60.5% of the team’s offensive snaps in two of the past three games. Tied for the team-lead in targets (55), Hines has caught five-plus passes in half of his past six games. Over the last two weeks, the Texans rank within the top-3 in targets, receptions and receiving yards surrendered to RBs.
J.K. Dobbins at DAL
Since returning from a Week 7 bye, Dobbins has seen at least 14 touches in all but one game. In the most recent game in which Dobbins was available, he out-touched both Mark Ingram and Gus Edwards 17-5. Over Dallas’ past two weeks, opponents’ leading rushers have averaged 30.8 ppg, with each rushing for exactly 115 yards and totaling four TDs.
Wayne Gallman at SEA
Gallman has scored a TD in five straight games, totaling six scores over that span, which is more than he had in any of his previous three seasons. He’s averaged 22.5 touches over his last two games, a number that should remain on-trend in Week 13 with Daniel Jones’ status up in the air. Over the last four weeks, the Seahawks are tied with the Lions for the most rushing TDs surrendered to RBs (7).
Sleeper: Devontae Booker at NYJ
Josh Jacobs’ sprained ankle could potentially force him out of Las Vegas’ lineup in Week 13. Even if not, chances are his workload will be lightened in a matchup with the woesome Jets. The Jets allow the 10th-most points to RBs this year. If Jacobs is inactive Booker creeps into the RB2 discussion.
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RB: Sit ‘Em
Sit of the Week: Devin Singletary at SF
Yes, Singletary out-attempted and out-rushed Zach Moss a week ago, leading the team with 82 rushing yards. However, he’s now been outsnapped by Moss in four straight games. Eliminate a Week 10 matchup with Alvin Kamara from the books and the 49ers have allowed just one rushing TD to RBs since Week 2.
Todd Gurley/Ito Smith/Brian Hill vs. NO
The Falcons are “hopeful” Gurley can return this week. Ito Smith and Brian Hill took the lead in Atlanta’s backfield in Gurley’s absence a week ago, essentially splitting carries down the middle. Gurley has averaged just 47 ypg over his last five games but has stayed afloat by finding the endzone, scoring 4 TDs over that span. The Saints haven’t allowed a single rushing TD to an opposing RB since returning from their Week 6 bye. Gurley mustered up a meager 26 yards against NOLA just two weeks ago.
J.D. McKissic at PIT
After averaging an absurd 14.5 targets from Week 9-10, McKissic has come back down to earth, totaling just six targets and five receptions over the last two weeks. Not coincidental, QB Alex Smith has totaled 36 less targets over the last two weeks than he had the two weeks prior. The Steelers allow the fewest targets, receptions and receiving yards to RBs.
Buyers Beware: Antonio Gibson at PIT
We’re all well aware of Gibson’s absurd outing on Thanksgiving day, topping 100 yards and finding the endzone three times. However, he’s been extremely productive for quite some time now, scoring a TD in five straight games (8 TDs). The Steelers have allowed just 5 TDs to RBs this year, including zero since Week 8.
Start-Sit [QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | DEF | Ks]
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