Fantasy Football Week 13 Running Back Preview: Waiver priority, projections, DFS plays and more

Things haven’t been “normal” in Fantasy Football since at least 2019, but a quick glance at the early running back rankings for Week 13 is still alarming. 

In the first run of my projections, Alexander Mattison and Jamaal Williams are both top-eight backs while Saquon Barkley,  Ezekiel Elliott and Alvin Kamara are outside the top 12. And, of course, Dalvin Cook and Christian McCaffrey aren’t there at all. In fact, Elliott and Kamara are the only two of the top seven picks from August we expect to play in Week 13. And they both have their question marks.

For Elliott, he’s banged up, sharing with Tony Pollard, and facing a Saints defense that still ranks as the best in the NFL against the run. For Kamara, he’s returning from a multi-week absence, sharing with Mark Ingram, and playing his first game of the season with Taysom Hill starting at quarterback. 

I understand, for most people, sitting Elliott of Kamara with your season on the line, especially in an island game like Thursday night, is not something you can stomach. And I get that. After all, it’s your team, and you should start who you feel comfortable with. For me, I wouldn’t feel comfortable starting Elliott or Kamara over Mattison, Williams or the other dozen-plus running backs I have ranked ahead of them.

Let’s get to the rest of the Week 13 RB Preview:

Week 13 RB Preview

The following players are not being projected to play Week 13 at this time. Here’s what it means:

• 32 — Alexander Mattison had 32 touches in each of the first two games Dalvin Cook missed this season.
• 30.3 — Lions running backs are averaging more than 30 touches per game this season.
• 51 — Alvin Kamara had 51 receiving yards combined in Taysom Hill’s four starts last season.
• 5 — Elijah Mitchell has caught five passes in two of his past three games. Deebo Samuel’s absence could make it three of four.
• 3.2 — Saquon Barkley. is averaging 3.2 yards per carry since the beginning of 2020.
• 90.6 — Since Week 7,  Myles Gaskin has scored 90.6 PPR Fantasy points, which makes him a top 12 running back.
• 24 — Antonio Gibson is averaging 24 rush attempts per game since Washington’s bye.
• 38.9% — Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson both have exactly 38.9% of the Patriots rush attempts over the past two weeks. A true split.

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