Few things in fantasy football are better than a Week 14 sweat, waiting to see whether you make or miss the playoffs, get a first-round bye, or lead your league in points scored. Your view of the league changes.
By this point in the season, every roster, every matchup, and every waiver decision matters as you map your path to a championship. You start watching other people's rosters. You're invested in every matchup. The player pool opens up to more than the guys on your own team.
You search for every edge you can find. Here's an easy one.
Let's look ahead at Team Defense and Special Teams. Using our Strength of Schedule tool, we can identify players with the easiest path through the next three weeks and take it week by week.
The Giants have favorable matchups every week of the fantasy playoffs against the Commanders, Vikings, and Raiders. The Cowboys also have three plus matchups against the Vikings, Chargers, and Commanders. If they are available, these teams can make for plug-and-play defenses with immense upside each week.
Here are some other readily available defenses to target:
Week 15
- 49ers vs Titans
Week 16
- Bills vs Browns
- Saints vs Jets
- 49ers @ Colts
Week 17
- Saints @ Titans
Drop that end-of-your-bench stash for extra defenses to get you through Week 17. Save your remaining FAAB for unexpected opportunities. Even good defenses will face challenging matchups. Rather than waiting and getting into a bidding war for those defenses the week of, plan ahead.
As the season winds down, every matchup, current and future, can be analyzed at a more granular level. We are beyond the discovery stage. Every team has found its identity for better or worse, and your fantasy league has done the same.
As this series comes to an end, matchups become more important. We have run out of time waiting for players to break out or get healthy. These changes in these rankings will become more aggressive over the next couple of weeks.
Be sure to check out Bob Henry's Rest-of-Season Projections, which are fully customizable to your league's roster and scoring settings. Below, I'll rank every player based on their rest-of-season value. Risers and fallers will be noted with a "+" or "-" next to their name, indicating the change from last week's rankings. Significant movers will have added thoughts.
Let's dive in with the most volatile of all positions, running backs.
Running Backs
As the season shortens, chase short-term usage. Devin Neal and Woody Marks are garnering workhorse treatment at the moment. Rookies getting late-season usage like this have a history of paying off. While there hasn't been much production so far this season, they could be plug-and-play options down the stretch. Jaylen Wright took over as Miami's backup. Trey Benson is trending toward a shutdown, and Emari Demercado is back at practice, shaking up the Cardinals' backfield. Little changes that might go ignored are incredibly important to track this time of year.
- RB1 - Jahmyr Gibbs (+2) - He is the RB3 on the season, averaging 23.7 PPR points per game, and he's only improved as the year has progressed. Since Week 7, he has averaged 29.3 points per game, and that number has climbed to 32.4 since Week 10. We are splitting hairs at the top of the rankings, as all of these running backs are great. Given his current pace, Gibbs is looking like the best.
- RB2 - Christian McCaffrey
- RB3 - Jonathan Taylor (-2) - With Daniel Jones out for the season, the entire Colts offense will take a slight hit. Taylor remains a no-brainer weekly RB1, but he could lose some of the touchdown upside that made him so valuable if the offense continues to struggle overall.
- RB4 - Bijan Robinson
- RB5 - James Cook (+1)
- RB6 - De'Von Achane (-1)
- RB7 - Josh Jacobs
- RB8 - Javonte Williams
- RB9 - Chase Brown
- RB10 - Derrick Henry
- RB11 - Bucky Irving
- RB12 - Kyren Williams
- RB13 - Saquon Barkley
- RB14 - Travis Etienne Jr. (+7) - A fumble by rookie Bhayshul Tuten may allow Etienne to regain a larger share of the running back work. Etienne dominated the backfield in Week 14, handling 84% of the team's backfield opportunities. He scored two touchdowns in the game, pushing his season total to eight. Etienne is the RB11 on the year, providing solid value relative to his preseason expectations. Continue to rely on him as a high-end RB2.
- RB15 - Breece Hall (-1)
- RB16 - Omarion Hampton (-1)
- RB17 - Ashton Jeanty (-1)
- RB18 - TreVeyon Henderson (-1)
- RB19 - Rico Dowdle
- RB20 - D'Andre Swift
- RB21 - RJ Harvey (+3) - Harvey is ceding some work to Jaleel McLaughlin, Tyler Badie, and Adam Prentice, but he remains the clear top option. In Week 14, he handled 62% of the backfield touches and finished with more targets and fantasy points than the rest of the backfield combined, scoring the group's lone touchdown as well. Harvey has now posted back-to-back games with 20-plus fantasy points and is starting to feel like one of those late-season rookie league winners.
- RB22 - Quinshon Judkins (-4) - His talent is undeniable, but Judkins cedes a frustrating amount of passing-down work to his backfield mates. Over the last nine games, he has caught just 10 passes, while Dylan Sampson and Jerome Ford have combined for 33. The lack of pass-catching places Judkins in a role that makes him reliant on big plays and touchdowns. He is the RB26 on a per-game basis since Week 5. Judkins has proven himself worthy of being the Browns' long-term lead back, but his current usage would require a high-scoring offense to be truly lucrative for fantasy.
- RB23 - Jaylen Warren (-1)
- RB24 - Woody Marks (+1)
- RB25 - Devin Neal (+4) - Neal is getting workhorse treatment while Kamara is out. He handled 80% of the Saints' backfield opportunities in Week 14. The Saints have started to find some rhythm with rookie Tyler Shough at quarterback over the last couple of weeks, and Neal's mammoth workload could lead to big outings through the fantasy playoffs. Another week with similar usage could push him into the steady RB2 tier.
- RB26 - Ken Walker III (-3)
- RB27 - Zach Charbonnet (-1)
- RB28 - Kyle Monangai
- RB29 - David Montgomery (-2)
- RB30 - Tyrone Tracy Jr.
- RB31 - Tony Pollard (+6) - Tyjae Spears has looked like the more explosive running back for most of the season, but Pollard flipped the script in Week 14. He totaled a season-high 161 yards, averaging 6.4 yards per touch compared to Spears' 4.7. There is no certainty where the work will go next week, making this a frustrating committee in an offense with limited firepower. Pollard moves up from "droppable in shallow leagues" to "I don't want to drop this guy in case he becomes a league-winner."
- RB32 - Blake Corum (+6) - Corum's 128 rushing yards in Week 14 were a career high and the second-most in the league that week. Since the Rams drafted Corum last year, he has been stuck behind Kyren Williams on the depth chart. There is reason to believe he can be an above-average NFL back, though. He possesses off-the-charts strength and agility and was the engine behind Michigan's National Championship run in 2023. Corum is a very good prospect who is finally finding his footing in the NFL. While his recent workload merits weekly flex consideration, his upside in the event of an injury to Williams could be league-winning.
- RB33 - Aaron Jones Sr. (+10) - Jones was docked significantly last week after a shoulder injury ended his day early. He was able to suit up in Week 14, which puts him back in the RB3 tier. His rise in this week's rankings is largely a correction after an unnecessary drop last week.
- RB34 - Rhamondre Stevenson (-1)
- RB35 - Bhayshul Tuten (-4)
- RB36 - Tyjae Spears (-4)
- RB37 - Chris Rodriguez Jr. (-2)
- RB38 - Bam Knight (+14) - It does not appear that Trey Benson will return this year, setting Knight up as the lead back for the next few weeks. Knight cedes most of his passing-down work to Michael Carter, and Emari Demercado is expected back soon, which will further cap his upside. The Cardinals have also not run the ball much since switching to Jacoby Brissett, opting instead to pick defenses apart through the air. Knight profiles as a decent RB3 or flex option down the stretch, but the offensive philosophy and backfield split will likely keep him from producing on par with other lead backs.
- RB39 - Kareem Hunt (+6)
- RB40 - Chuba Hubbard (-1)
- RB41 - Devin Singletary (-5)
- RB42 - Jordan Mason (-8) - With Aaron Jones Sr. avoiding a serious injury, Mason drops back down the rankings after last week's adjustment. He scored a touchdown in Week 14, which is typically the main way he produces fantasy points. Mason is a touchdown-or-bust RB4 when Jones is active and can be used as a back-end RB3 if Jones ever misses a game.
- RB43 - Kimani Vidal (+4)
- RB44 - Kenneth Gainwell (-4)
- RB45 - Isiah Pacheco (-3)
- RB46 - Rachaad White (-5)
- RB47 - Tyler Allgeier (-1)
- RB48 - Emanuel Wilson
- RB49 - Brian Robinson Jr. (+1)
- RB50 - Sean Tucker (+4)
- RB51 - Samaje Perine (+7)
- RB52 - Jaleel McLaughlin (-1)
- RB53 - Nick Chubb
- RB54 - Michael Carter (+15) - Like Bam Knight, Carter is moving up the rankings with the expectation that Trey Benson's season is over. He has served as a change-of-pace option alongside Emari Demercado and has enough pass-catching involvement to put him on the flex radar in deep leagues.
- RB55 - Malik Davis (+2)
- RB56 - Jeremy McNichols (-1)
- RB57 - Dylan Sampson (+4)
- RB58 - Jaylen Wright (+13) - De'Von Achane left Week 14's game against the Jets early with a rib injury, opening opportunities for Wright and Ollie Gordon II. Wright finished with 27 opportunities for 107 yards, while Gordon had just five for 17 yards. The Dolphins were up by multiple scores for most of the game, so it is difficult to draw too many conclusions from the usage. At a minimum, Wright should be a priority pickup in all fantasy leagues, as he looked comfortable handling the majority of the workload. Mike McDaniel downplayed the severity of Achane's injury, but if he misses any time, Wright would be a plug-and-play RB2 throughout the playoffs. The Dolphins have one of the most fantasy-friendly schedules for running backs over the next three weeks.
- RB59 - Isaiah Davis (-3)
- RB60 - Tank Bigsby (-1)
- RB61 - Jacory Croskey-Merritt (-1)
- RB62 - Tyler Badie (+8)
- RB63 - Ray Davis (-1)
- RB64 - Jerome Ford
- RB65 - Emari Demercado (+9)
- RB66 - Brashard Smith (-1)
- RB67 - Ollie Gordon II (-4)
- RB68 - Alvin Kamara (-2)
- RB69 - LeQuint Allen Jr. (-2)
- RB70 - MarShawn Lloyd (+9)
- RB71 - Ty Johnson (+2)
- RB72 - Ameer Abdullah
- RB73 - Rasheen Ali (New)
- RB74 - Terrell Jennings (-6)
- RB75 - Trey Benson (-31) - It has been an incredibly disappointing sophomore season for Benson, who managed just one full game as the starter before injuring his knee. If the Cardinals do not activate him by Wednesday, December 10th, his season will be over. Benson aggravated his knee injury in practice leading into Week 13, and his chances of returning this year appear slim.
- RB76 - Keaton Mitchell (-27) - Mitchell had started to string together some strong performances over the last few weeks. In Week 14, he carried the ball six times for 76 yards, including a 55-yard run that set up a score. However, he left the game early with a knee injury and was promptly declared out. Mitchell suffered a season-ending knee injury in 2023, so any issues with his knee raise significant concern for fantasy managers. Ailments this late in the season can have a major impact on a player's rest-of-season value.
- RB77 - Kaleb Johnson (-2)
- RB78 - Audric Estime (New)
- RB79 - Will Shipley (-3)
- RB80 - Evan Hull
- RB81 - Tahj Brooks (-4)
- RB82 - Dare Ogunbowale (-1)
- RB83 - Raheem Mostert (-5)
- RB84 - Hunter Luepke (-1)
- RB85 - Kyle Juszczyk (-1)
- RB86 - Chris Brooks (-1)
- RB87 - Zavier Scott
- RB88 - Adam Prentice (+8)
- RB89 - D'Ernest Johnson (-7)
- RB90 - George Holani (-2)
- RB91 - Hassan Haskins (+14)
- RB92 - Braelon Allen (-6)
- RB93 - Clyde Edwards-Helaire (-3)
- RB94 - Trayveon Williams (-3)
- RB95 - Kalel Mullings (-3)
- RB96 - Kendall Milton (-3)
- RB97 - Jaret Patterson (-8)
- RB98 - Roschon Johnson (-4)
- RB99 - Tyler Goodson (-4)
- RB100 - Phil Mafah (-3)
- RB101 - Dameon Pierce (-2)
- RB102 - Trevor Etienne (-2)
- RB103 - Dylan Laube (-2)
- RB104 - Sione Vaki (-2)
- RB105 - DJ Giddens (-2)
- RB106 - Jaydon Blue (-2)
- RB107 - Brittain Brown (-1)
- RB108 - Zamir White (-1)
- RB109 - Eric Gray (-1)
- RB110 - Isaac Guerendo (-1)
- RB111 - Chase Edmonds (-1)
- RB112 - A.J. Dillon (-1)
- RB113 - Jarquez Hunter (-1)
- RB114 - Justice Hill (-16)
- RB115 - Joe Mixon (-2)