Fantasy Football Week 13 Running Back Start/Sit: RJ Harvey, Kenneth Gainwell and More

Welcome to Week 13's fantasy football start/sit breakdown for the wide receiver position! I hope you all had an excellent Thanksgiving, both on and off the fantasy football field. 

As always, I'd like to start with a quick recap of my results from last week. Overall, Week 12 was a mixed bag. I had some big hits, including Emanuel Wilson (listed as a Start) finishing as the RB2 overall with 25.5 points. But Ashton Jeanty was not far behind him with 20.8, and I listed the rookie as a Sit. 

Tyrone Tracy Jr. also made me look stupid with an RB1 performance (14.5 points), so my only good Sit selection was the Tampa Bay duo of Rachaad White (4.7) and Sean Tucker (5.1). My remaining two Start picks of Kenneth Walker (11.6) and Aaron Jones (7.2) provided solid and mediocre outputs, respectively. 

In general, I'd hope for better results than that. Hopefully, we can get right back on track this week, picking the best and worst fringe options from the Sunday slate. Let's get right into it. 

For more help with your toughest Week 13 Start/Sit decisions, check out FantasySP's NFL Start/Sit tool!

Running Backs To Start Week 13

Kenneth Walker III, Seattle Seahawks

As mentioned, I listed Walker as a Start last week, and he came through with a decent outing. But the fourth-year back's usage was more than just decent — it was excellent. I gave a full breakdown of Walker's increased role in the Week 12 Fantasy Football Usage Report, but here's the short version: He's officially the Seahawks' RB1, not just the 1A to Zach Charbonnet's 1B.

And being the clear RB1 for an excellent team that is favored by a massive 11.5 points is an excellent place to be. This is especially true for Walker, a big-play runner who is liable to break one at any point. If he gets 20 carries, which hasn't happened all season but seems very likely this week, he's almost guaranteed to have at least one splash play. Even if he doesn't, his increased overall usage makes him a solid RB2 option.

RJ Harvey, Denver Broncos

It's likely depressed because the Broncos were on bye in Week 12, but I'm still surprised to see Harvey being started in less than 50% of leagues this week. The rookie had his first game without J.K. Dobbins in Week 11 (prior to Denver's bye). And while the actual results (6.5 half-PPR points) were mediocre, his usage was encouraging.

With Dobbins out, Harvey played 61% of the Broncos' offensive snaps — his previous career-high was 41%. He also handled by far a career-high share of the backfield's rush attempts, 65% (11 to just six for Jaleel McLaughlin). The rookie also led the backfield in route rate (34%) and targets (three). 

Just like with Walker, we're looking at a young, explosive back who now has a legit RB1 role. And the Broncos also have a relatively soft matchup with the Commanders, who allow the fourth-most points per game to opposing backs. Put it all together, and Harvey is a no-brainer start this week.

Kimani Vidal, Los Angeles Chargers

As I write this, Kimani Vidal is being started in only 8.2% of ESPN leagues. Omarion Hampton, who was ruled out for Week 13, is active in over twice that many (16.8%). Obviously (or at least hopefully), this discrepancy won't last, but Vidal still deserves to be started in far more leagues now that the rookie has been ruled out.

The last time we saw Vidal and the Chargers' offense, they were blown out by the Jaguars. The sophomore RB finished with just five carries, two targets, and 2.2 half-PPR points. But we've got a larger sample than just one game of Vidal's role with Hampton sidelined, and it has been very solid.

Since Week 6, Vidal has played 72% of the Chargers' offensive snaps. He has handled 72% of their RB rushes and seen a 7% target share on a 46% route participation rate. All of those numbers are far and away the highest of any back in this offense over that time frame. In a cushy matchup with the Raiders (to be fair, Vegas' defense is mediocre in terms of points allowed to RBs, but the Chargers are 9.5-point favorites), Vidal is a very solid starting option.

Running Backs To Sit Week 13

Kenneth Gainwell, Pittsburgh Steelers

Gainwell is coming off back-to-back big weeks. He scored 26.0 half-PPR points against the Bengals in Week 11 and followed it up with a 15.2-point outing last week. Now, he gets to face the Bills' defense, who allow the third-most points to opposing RBs. What's not to like?

Unfortunately, there are a few things. For one, Gainwell's truly massive performance came while Jaylen Warren was dealing with an ankle injury. With Warren back healthy last week, Gainwell was still involved, even leading the team in snaps. But he was the clear RB2 in terms of ground work, with just a 36% RB rush share.

Instead, Gainwell did most of his damage through the air, racking up six targets. But those came on just 17 routes — while he is the team's primary receiving back, we can't expect him to keep seeing games with nearly a 20% target share. 

That's especially true this week as, despite being weak to the position overall, the Bills' defense is stingy in terms of receiving production allowed to backs. They give up just 23 receiving yards per game to opposing backfields, the third-lowest mark in the league. With that in mind, this seems more like a game where Warren will feast on the Bills' weak run defense, while Gainwell is unlikely to provide more than mediocre flex production. 

Bucky Irving/Rachaad White/Sean Tucker, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Last week, I recommended fading both White and Tucker because they were likely to be stuck in an uninspiring committee. This week, that committee gets even more crowded, as Bucky Irving is on track to make his return. 

With Irving — who was the team's workhorse before his injury — back, Tucker and White are both easy fades. The trickier part of this pick is fading the sophomore himself, who was a legit fantasy stud the last time we saw him on the field. However, we just saw the Buccaneers ease in another one of their star players, as Chris Godwin posted just a 36% snap share in his Week 12 return. I wouldn't be surprised if we see something similar with Irving, especially given that Tucker and White both had some impressive moments in his absence.

To be fair, Irving is an explosive playmaker. He was fantasy-relevant even while serving as White's backup as a rookie, and this is a good matchup with the Cardinals' defense. With that in mind, he's not a must-bench. But, if he's on your roster, you've likely found at least a relatively startable back to fill in for him during his injury (especially if you're still in playoff contention). I recommend giving that back one last ride, waiting to see how Irving's usage looks in his long-awaited return. 

Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots

This one's pretty simple. In his return from injury last week, Rhamondre Stevenson did not return to his RB1 role. He was the clear backup to TreVeyon Henderson, trailing the rookie in snap rate (64% to 31%), carries (18 to six), route rate (51% to 23%), and targets (four to two). Perhaps he was just being eased in, but we haven't really been given any reason to believe that was the case. It seems more likely that the Patriots have just decided to hand the keys to their highly drafted rookie for the stretch run of this season.

With that in mind, Rhamondre should not be started in over a quarter of leagues, which is currently the case. Even in a good matchup with the Giants, his projected workload simply isn't good enough to make him a startable fantasy option. If you currently have Rhamondre in your lineup, it's time to start looking elsewhere — there might legitimately be a better option on your wavier wire.