Last week, Eddie Lacy bucked the trend against the Ravens, rushing for over 100 yards but the Jets, Chargers, and Seahawks defense remained vicious against the run game. It’s not an exact science but, more often than not, the tough defense will stop even the best running back in his tracks.
This week, Le’Veon Bell faces a tough test in the Ravens after being held to 16 carries for 34 yards against the Jets. I’d avoid him if possible. The same goes for Stevan Ridley, Maurice Jones-Drew, and Zac Stacy, and any of the running backs in Arizona or Atlanta. Marshawn Lynch is a tough start, Arizona has held Reggie Bush, Darren Sproles, Pierre Thomas, and DeAngelo Williams under seven fantasy points. Frank Gore put up 10.1 FPS against them last week, the most they’ve allowed.
You have to start Arian Foster against the tough Chiefs D, though, he’s been eating up defenses all season.
Otherwise, Knowshon, Lamar Miller, Doug Martin, and Jamaal Charles are all very startable against their unfavorable matchups.
On the flip side, Brandon Jacobs looks like a decent play against the Vikings who haven’t stopped anyone this year. DeAngelo Williams, Matt Forte, LeSean McCoy, and Danny Woodhead are all must-starts this week. I wouldn’t play Trent Richardson against the Broncos defense with the likelihood of having to pass a lot if they’re down early (plus TRich has been rough).
Let’s take a look at all of the fantasy football running back matchups this week.
Browse Defensive Matchups by Position: QB – RB – WR – TE
Highly Unfavorable, Unfavorable, Neutral, Slightly Favorable, Favorable
|
Rank |
AVG |
Defense |
Week 7 Opponents |
|
1 |
12.0 | Ravens | Le’Veon Bell, Felix Jones |
|
2 |
12.33 | Jets | Stevan Ridley, Brandon Bolden, LeGarrette Blount |
|
3 |
12.47 | Chargers | Maurice Jones-Drew |
|
4 |
13.32 | Seahawks | Rashard Mendenhall, Andre Ellington |
|
5 |
13.48 | Buccaneers | Jacquizz Rodgers, Jason Snelling, Steven Jackson (Q) |
|
6 |
13.6 | Chiefs | Arian Foster, Ben Tate |
|
7 |
13.88 | Cardinals | Marshawn Lynch |
|
8 |
14.3 | Colts | Knowshon Moreno, Ronnie Hillman |
|
9 |
14.37 | Bengals | Reggie Bush, Joique Bell |
|
10 |
14.46 | Packers | Willis McGahee, Chris Ogbonnaya |
|
11 |
15.5 | Bills | Lamar Miller, Daniel Thomas |
|
12 |
15.64 | Panthers | Zac Stacy, Daryl Richardson, Isaiah Pead |
|
13 |
15.7 | Falcons | Doug Martin |
|
14 |
15.9 | Eagles | Joseph Randle, Philip Tanner |
|
15 |
16.38 | Raiders | BYE |
|
16 |
17.40 | Texans | Jamaal Charles |
|
17 |
17.83 | Saints | BYE |
|
18 |
17.93 | Patriots | Bilal Powell, Chris Ivory |
|
19 |
18.22 | Bears | Alfred Morris, Roy Helu |
|
20 |
18.27 | Browns | Eddie Lacy |
|
21 |
18.4 | Giants | Adrian Peterson |
|
22 |
18.92 | Cowboys | LeSean McCoy |
|
23 |
19.38 | Titans | Frank Gore, Kendall Hunter |
|
24 |
19.38 | 49ers | Chris Johnson |
|
25 |
19.42 | Broncos | Trent Richardson, Donald Brown |
|
26 |
20.17 | Lions | Gio Bernard, BenJarvus Green-Ellis |
|
27 |
20.92 | Steelers | Ray Rice |
|
28 |
21.15 | Jaguars | Danny Woodhead, Ryan Mathews |
|
29 |
21.54 | Redskins | Matt Forte |
|
30 |
22.16 | Dolphins | C.J. Spiller, Fred Jackson |
|
31 |
23.82 | Rams | DeAngelo Williams, Mike Tolbert |
|
32 |
23.88 | Vikings | Brandon Jacobs, Michael Cox, Peyton Hillis |
*Values based on Yahoo standard scoring.
Browse Defensive Matchups by Position: QB – RB – WR – TE
