Fantasy Football Week 13 Running Back Start/Sit: Tony Pollard, Justice Hill, Gus Edwards, Nick Chubb and More
These are the running backs who you need to get in your lineup or should be keeping on your bench in Week 13
Start
Jeremy McNichols, Washington Commanders
It's looking like there is a strong chance that the Commanders will be without both Austin Ekeler and Brian Robinson Jr. in Week 13. If that is indeed the case on Sunday, you should get McNichols into your lineup.
There is a chance that he doesn't get a whole lot done on the ground, however, he should be able to PPR his way to success. All the running back targets should be heading his way, as well as a handful of carries. He could see up around 15 opportunities in this game and if he can catch four-plus passes, then he should finish the week as a solid flex option.
Tony Pollard, Tennessee Titans
Tyjae Spears continues to deal with a litany of injuries, and Pollard continues to reap the benefits. He goes up against a Washington team that is middle of the pack against the run, but looks to be in a downward spiral coming off three straight losses, including a Week 12 disaster against the lowly Dallas Cowboys.
Both the matchup and the game script look like they could potentially be much better than they looked like they would be about a month ago. Be sure to get Pollard in all your lineups this week.
Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots
Stevenson has had some very low lows this season, but this is not the week to leave him on your bench. The Indianapolis Colts' defense is terrible and it's particularly weak up the middle of the field despite having quite a few excellent players in the area.
Indy is allowing the fourth-most fantasy points to running backs this season and this is a rare game that the Patriots have a legitimate chance of winning. In games that they win, they lean heavily on their starting running back.
Justice Hill, Baltimore Ravens
This is a game that I've projected the Philadelphia Eagles to win. It's a tough matchup for the Ravens and a rare occasion when they could be playing catchup. Derrick Henry may also have a tougher time getting it going on the ground this week than usual.
If all of that plays out, we will see a lot more Hill, much like we have in other games that play out in a similar fashion. We view him as a potential flex option this week with more PPR upside than you might assume at first glance.
Sit
Gus Edwards, Los Angeles Chargers
J.K. Dobbins has already been ruled out with a knee sprain for Week 13 and it sounds like he'll miss some additional time beyond that. Edwards is the assumed next man up. We wouldn't rush to get him into your lineups. This isn't a matter of matchup or anything like that, we simply just aren't confident in what Edwards' workload will look like.
We fully expect Hassan Haskins and Kamani Vidal to also get in the mix and Edwards could see significantly fewer opportunities than we are anticipating. This could be a situation where his value comes down to him falling into the end zone or not.
Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns
He fell into the end zone twice last week and you shouldn't chase the points. This week he takes on a strong Denver Broncos defense that could completely stifle the Browns' offense.
Their offense has also become competent enough that they could build a lead and force Cleveland to throw the ball throughout most of the second half. Jerome Ford is also slowly getting more involved in the offense again. Avoid Chubb if at all possible.
Travis Etienne, Jacksonville Jaguars
Etienne has been bad and the Jags offense has been even worse. Trevor Lawrence is far from a lock to return and Tank Bigsby is looking like he'll be fully healthy for Week 13.
Even with Bigsby sidelined, Etienne wasn't any good. Unless a lot drastically changes for this offense very quickly, you should probably be avoiding Etienne until further notice.
Javonte Williams, Denver Broncos
If we were to look back on this article going back to the beginning of the season, it's hard to imagine anyone has appeared more in the sit column than Williams. It is mind-boggling how anyone hasn't completely thrown in the towel on this offense, yet every week we receive questions about starting Williams.
Unless you are in an extremely deep league or beyond desperate, which you shouldn't be in a week with no byes, he should be nowhere near your lineup. The same goes for anyone else in that backfield. That's how we would feel if they had a good matchup.
However, they play the Browns this week, and they've allowed the seventh-fewest fantasy points to running backs this season. Bench him or even cut him just to be safe. He'll end up being a poison pill for another team.
