Top 10 Running Backs For One-Week Fantasy Football

Selecting the Right Running Back for your 2014 Fantasy Football Rosters

When selecting a running back in one-week fantasy football there are a number of factors you should be considering. Obviously you want to have a player who will see a lot of the ball in touches or targets, that player having the ability to both make good yardage and perform well in the red zone. You also want the team the running back is playing for to be better than their opposition, meaning that if they get ahead they may well control the clock by using the running game more. Also consider how often the quarterback throws to the running back. In PPR leagues you’ll gain valuable receiving points for running backs who receive a lot of targets and can catch the football.

When selecting players for a roster you should consider the point scoring on the Daily Fantasy Sports site you are using. Looking at the scoring from both industry leaders in DraftKings and FanDuel, you’ll notice:

• FanDuel: 6 points for a TD, 0.1 points per yard, .5 points per catch, -2 points for a lost fumble
• DraftKings: 6 points for a TD, 0.1 points per yard, 1 point per catch, -1 point for a lost fumble

Top 10 Running Backs For 2014

1. Jamaal Charles – Kansas City Chiefs

Charles is a point scoring machine. 1287 yards rushing and 693 yards receiving last year are good. 12 rushing TD’s and 7 receiving TD?s are great. Under Andy Reid Charles runs the ball less and catches it more, however last year he scored more TD’s at both than ever before.

2. LeSean McCoy – Philadelphia Eagles

McCoy had more rushing yards than any other player in the NFL last year, the only player to average over 100 yards per game. McCoy ran in for nine touchdowns and also caught a couple of passes in the end zone and looks to be benefitting from the acquisition of Chip Kelly at Philadelphia.

3. Adrian Peterson – Minnesota Vikings

Peterson had a bit of a dip last year after the amazing performance of 2012, but did anyone really think he could do it again. From 14 games in 2013 however, he still managed ten touchdowns and averaged over 90 yards per game. With a full season, you can expect an improvement from Peterson this year.

4. Matt Forte – Chicago Bears

Matt Forte is a solid fantasy running back and is coming off the best year of his career after running in nine touchdowns last year with three receptions for a score. Had more receptions than any of the other top ranked running backs last year.

5. Eddie Lacy – Green Bay Packers

Lacy burst onto the scene last year averaging just under 80 yards per game and impressively running in eleven scores. Considering that he only played 14 games and was missing star QB Aaron Rodgers for much of the year, this offensive rookie of the year could be even more dangerous in season two.

6. Marshawn Lynch – Seattle Seahawks

The last three years, Lynch has scored twelve, eleven and twelve rushing touchdowns and is the go to guy for the Super Bowl Champions. Despite winning the championship, Lynch dipped slightly last year in terms of yards; however a similar season will see a good points return. Keep an eye on his salary though, you may not always receive value.

7. Montee Ball – Denver Broncos

Now Knowshon Moreno has left for the Dolphins, it?s time for Ball to fulfill his potential. Ball averaged 4.7 yards per carry last year on 120 carries with four touchdowns. Expect more than double that number of carries this year and as the number one running back on the team, he could go big this year.

8. LeVeon Bell – Pittsburgh Steelers

In his rookie season, Bell played just 13 games but made an impressive 860 yards rushing and eight touchdowns. Bell also had 400 receiving yards last year. You can expect an improvement this year with a year under his belt.

9. Alfred Morris – Washington Redskins

In his two years in the league, Morris has averaged 4.7 yards per carry and scored an impressive twenty touchdowns. His stats actually dipped a little last year, but you can expect an improvement this year, with Griffin being fully fit at QB, meaning the focus won?t be on stopping Morris.

10. Doug Martin – Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Martin made a storming start to his NFL career in 2012, averaging over 90 yards per game and scoring twelve touchdowns (eleven rushing). His 2013 season was cut short with a shoulder injury in October, but you can fully expect him to bounce back in 2014.