If you're playing into Week 17, filling out your running back spot could be even more of a headache than usual. We already know Chris Carson (hip) and Mark Ingram (calf) won't be playing, and we might not see Dalvin Cook (chest) out there either. Add in that the Bills have already locked in their playoff seeding, and it wouldn't be terribly surprising to see Devin Singletary limited this week, either.
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It can be a tough position to figure out even in the best of times, and Week 17 only compounds those issues. Good thing Jamey Eisenberg is here with his Start 'Em & Sit 'Em column to help you fill out a winning lineup in Week 17. For more help, check out Heath Cummings' running back preview for matchup notes, stats you need to know, projections, and more.
START 'EM & SIT 'EM
Running Backs
Start 'Em
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Throw out Week 15 at Kansas City when Lindsay only had seven carries for 32 yards and no catches in the snow. Otherwise, he's had at least 18 total touches in three of his past four games. In two of those, he's scored at least 13 PPR points, and I expect him to do well here against the Raiders, who have allowed seven total touchdowns to running backs in their past five games. Lindsay also said the Raiders, who are still alive for a playoff berth, aren't getting into the postseason with a win against the Broncos. "If they think they're going to come in here and try to clinch the playoffs, they've got something coming because we're here to win the game," Lindsay said.
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Mack, one of our co-Starts of the Week last week with Devonta Freeman (both were awesome), should stay hot for the second week in a row against the Jaguars. He had 14 carries for 109 yards and a touchdown against Jacksonville in Week 11 in the game where he broke his hand, and he just had 16 carries for 95 yards and a touchdown, as well as two catches for 6 yards, in Week 16 against Carolina. Since Week 9, a span of seven games, 13 running back have either 100 total yards or a touchdown against Jacksonville, which is amazing.
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The Chiefs were clearly thrilled to get Williams back in Week 16 at Chicago after he was out for the previous three games with a rib injury. He got 16 carries for 65 yards, as well as three catches for 27 yards and a touchdown on three targets, and his 19 total touches were the most for a Kansas City running back since Week 10 when he had 24 total touches against Tennessee. Williams was hurt in the first meeting with the Chargers in Week 11 in Mexico City, but last year he had 29 PPR points against the Chargers in Week 15 at home. And the Chargers come into Week 17 having allowed three touchdowns to running backs in their past two games.
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Drake has been a star in the Fantasy playoffs, and that should continue this week against the Rams. In his past two games against Cleveland and Seattle, he has 46 carries for 303 yards and six touchdowns, as well as four catches for 27 yards and five targets. He struggled against the Rams in Week 13 with seven PPR points, but I expect him to do better in the rematch based on his performance the past two games. In their past two games, Los Angeles has allowed four rushing touchdowns to Ezekiel Elliott (two), Tony Pollard and Raheem Mostert.
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Mostert continues to prove he's the best San Francisco running back, and hopefully his touchdown streak reaches six in Week 17. He's scored in each of the past five games and is averaging 16.0 PPR points over that span. Seattle has been awful against the run of late with seven touchdowns allowed to running backs in the past four games, including Christian McCaffrey and Drake each scoring twice. It's a huge game for the 49ers to try and lock up the No. 1 seed in the NFC, and Mostert should help San Francisco secure the win on the road.
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Sleepers
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I've put Jones in this spot in each of the past two weeks, and he delivered in Week 16 with 19 PPR points against Houston. He had three catches against the Texans and should continue to be involved in the passing game due to all the injuries at receiver for Tampa Bay. Jones also scored 15 PPR points at Atlanta in Week 12.
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This might be Peterson's last game in the NFL since he's 34 and nothing is guaranteed for his future. One thing we do know is he's been playing well coming into Week 17 with at least 12 PPR points in four games in a row. He has eight games this year with at least 13 carries, and he's scored at least 11 PPR points in seven of those outings. Dallas has allowed a running back to score in each of the past two games.
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Edwards and Justice Hill are worth using this week with Mark Ingram (calf) out. Edwards should get the majority of touches for the Ravens, which could be awesome, even against the Steelers. He's averaging 5.2 yards per carry, and Ingram has scored a touchdown in five of the past seven games. Ingram also scored against the Steelers in Week 5. Hill is more of an option in deeper leagues, but he is someone to consider as a flex, especially in PPR.
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Even though Seattle made headlines this week by signing Marshawn Lynch, as well as Robert Turbin, it should be Homer who has the most touches for the Seahawks now that Chris Carson (hip), C.J. Prosise (arm) and Rashaad Penny (ACL) are out. In Week 16 against Arizona when Carson and Prosise got hurt, Homer had five carries for 16 yards, as well as six catches for 26 yards on eight targets. He's worth using as a flex in PPR against the 49ers, who have allowed three touchdowns to running backs in the past two games.
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Michel has been a regular on the sit list for most of the season, but he should do well this week against the Dolphins. And let's give him credit, he does have over 100 total yards in each of his past two games against the Bengals and Bills. But he hasn't scored a touchdown since Week 7, which has been frustrating, and the Patriots continue to use James White and Rex Burkhead to take away touches. I like Burkhead as a sleeper this week, and White should be started in PPR. But Michel should do well also, and he had 21 carries for 83 yards and a touchdown at Miami in Week 2.
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Sit 'Em
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Let's rewind a week and forget everything we said about Boone in Week 16 against the Packers. He was a disaster replacing Dalvin Cook (shoulder) and Alexander Mattison (ankle) with 11 carries for 28 yards, as well as one catch for 5 yards on one target. If Cook and Mattison are out again in Week 17 against Chicago, I'd rather use Ameer Abdullah instead of Boone. Abdullah had four carries for 27 yards and six catches for 31 yards on seven targets against the Packers, so consider him a sleeper this week. Boone cannot be trusted against the Bears, even though the matchup is favorable.
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Even though the Vikings might be resting guys on defense this week to prepare for the wild-card round of the playoffs, it's still risky to use Montgomery in most leagues. Despite getting 14-plus touches in seven games in a row, he only has one game with more than six PPR points over that span. I'm going to draft a lot of Montgomery in 2020 when most people pass on him, because his workload should remain consistent, and I expect the Bears offensive line to improve this offseason. But his rookie year hasn't been great, and I don't expect him to finish with a strong performance on the road at Minnesota. He also had just nine PPR points against the Vikings in Week 4 despite 24 total touches.
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It was great to see Johnson back in Week 16 at Denver after being out for the previous eight games with a knee injury. He had 10 carries for 42 yards and one catch for 1 yard on one target, but he shared touches with Bo Scarbrough, who had eight carries for 34 yards. I expect that split to remain in Week 17 against the Packers, and Green Bay's run defense has looked better in the past two games against Chicago and Minnesota. This game matters to the Packers for seeding in the NFC, and they should be able to contain Johnson on the ground. He's a flex at best in Week 17.
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Laird could be looking at a big workload in Week 17 at New England with Myles Gaskin (ankle) out, but that shouldn't matter much against the Patriots. Laird has struggled the past two games against the Giants and Bengals with a combined eight PPR points, and he only has one touchdown on the season. The Patriots have allowed just two touchdowns to running backs on the season and should be able to dominate the Dolphins at home. At best, Laird is a flex option in PPR.
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Hyde was awesome in Week 15 at Tennessee with 26 carries for 104 yards and a touchdown, and he's scored in consecutive games against Tampa Bay last week. But this really isn't about his performance or the matchup, and it's more about how much he might play. As we said about Deshaun Watson, the Texans might have nothing to play for this week if the Chiefs beat the Chargers and lock up the No. 3 seed in the AFC. That would leave the Texans in the No. 4 spot, and they might decide to rest key guys, including Hyde. Then again, if the Chiefs lose to the Chargers, the Texans will try to win, so Hyde could be fine. It's risky, and I expect the Chiefs to win, meaning Hyde could play limited snaps against the Titans.
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Bust Alert
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The theme of Week 17 is who will play and how much when it comes to teams heading to the playoffs with nothing on the line. The Bills are one of those teams since they are locked into the No. 5 seed in the AFC. We don't know exactly how long Sean McDermott will play his key guys, but it's doubtful Singletary will get a full workload. As such, look at Frank Gore and T.J. Yeldon as potential sleepers against the Jets. I'd be nervous to trust Singletary in Week 17, so look for an alternative given his potential to get limited touches in a meaningless game.
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