Fantasy Football Week 14: Alvin Kamara, Phillip Lindsay and other must starts

Here’s the Week 14 edition of top five running backs to start on your fantasy football team.

Week 14 is already here, and we have yet to have a perfect 5-5 still. Week 13 didn’t help.

Last week’s edition of top 5 running backs to start on your fantasy football team had two players finish within the top 10 in ESPN PPR standard scoring leagues. Todd Gurley was up to his usual trick with 132 rushing yards, 33 receiving yards and two rushing scores. He was the second-highest scoring running back with 31.5 fantasy points.

Christian McCaffrey continued his dominance with a 31.1-point day courtesy of 106 rushing yards, 55 receiving yards and one score. Saquon Barkley, Sony Michel, and Aaron Jones finished outside of the top 10.

This week gets tricky for teams in the playoffs as some of the most owned running backs may see their workload diminish a lot prior to the NFL Playoffs. Meaning, Gurley may not be a safe go this week.  Here are the top five running backs to consider starting in Week 14 fantasy football.

5. Phillip Lindsay, Denver Broncos

We all know about the New York Giants super rookie Saquon Barkley. But the second-best offensive rookie resides in Denver.

Yes, Phillip Lindsay has been a beast for the Denver Broncos. Quite frankly, he deserves way more attention too.

The undrafted free agent has accumulated 937 rushing yards and eight scores so far. He has been a big part of keeping the Broncos playoff hopes alive, especially last week when he had a career-high 28.9 points.

Lindsay ran for 157 rushing yards and two scores in Week 13. This week, the Broncos play the swooning San Francisco 49ers.

Next: 4. Saquon Barkley

4. Saquon Barkley, New York Giants

While the New York Giants don’t have much, if anything, to play for, Barkley is still a must-start. The team doesn’t seem too interested in simply tanking after a slow start to the season.

The already mentioned Barkley doesn’t look as though he’s too interested in that idea either as he helped lead Big Blue to a win against the Chicago Bears in Week 13. After having a relatively quiet first half, he broke out big in the second half of the game.

It would seem as though the Giants are starting to get the hint that the Dallas Cowboys got when they drafted their own stud running back a few years ago. That hint? Feed your game-changing running back if you want to win.

Week 14 marks a must-win for the Washington Redskins, the team the Giants will play. The Redskins are relying on third-string, and former New York Jets quarterback, Mark Sanchez, to lead them to a win. Meaning, the Giants will have the football a lot in this one.

Next: 3. Alvin Kamara

3. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints

Alvin Kamara set the world on fire to begin this season. He came out of the gate with multiple big fantasy days.

Mark Ingram then came back from his suspension and things have changed. Kamara hasn’t had those monster games since.

Well, that will change when the New Orleans Saints travel to Tampa Bay to play the Buccaneers. There are two reasons why we can expect the Saints and Kamara to have a huge game: 1. The Bucs handed the Saints a loss in Week 1 in New Orleans. 2. The Saints have been hearing about their awful performance last week against the Cowboys ever since.

The Buccaneers are also one of the worst defenses against the run in the NFL. They have allowed the second-most rushing scored in the NFL with 13.

Next: 2. Christian McCaffrey

2. Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers

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There is a saying in sports that goes “ride the hot hand.” This is usually said when referencing to a scorer in the NBA or a pitcher in the MLB.

However, that saying pertains directly to Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey here. In Week 12 he scored 46.7 points, and in Week 13 he went for 31.1.

McCaffrey has gone for 100+ rushing yards in back-to-back games for the first time this season. Not to mention, he has also been a handful catching passes out of the backfield as well.

The Cleveland Browns on the road are the next matchup for the Panthers. While the Browns have had some bright spots this season, their run defense has been one of the league’s worst.

Next: 1. Ezekiel Elliott

1. Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys have completely changed the direction of their season. America’s team has rattled off four straight wins and currently sit atop the NFC East division with a record of 7-5.

Things are clicking for Dallas, and Ezekiel Elliott has been a big reason. He has been a workhorse for the team, which has led to a lot of W’s.

Elliott has scored 25+ points in four straight games. Two of those games were 33+ points.

This week, the Cowboys have another marquee matchup at homes against the second-place Philadelphia Eagles. This is a must-win game, so expect Zeke to be featured a lot.