I am not going to lie to you, finding sleeper running backs has been a massive hassle and a huge chore all season long. This year has been extremely weird, so you see guys popping off seemingly out of nowhere, or guys in cake matchups just faceplanting. Hopefully, this article will help you in finding some sleeper running backs for week fourteen. To qualify for this article, the running backs must be on rosters in fewer than 50% of leagues, with one of the sleeper running backs available in at least 90% of leagues.
D’Onta Foreman versus Jacksonville (46% rostered)
Foreman slipped through waivers last week because of his bye week, and then people just sort of forgot about him. Foreman led the Titans’ backfield in touches in week twelve and ripped off a pretty good 30 yard-run to put him over 100 for the day in their last game against a strong Patriots run defense. I’m not particularly worried about a looming Jeremy McNichols return, as that bodes poorly for Dontrell Hilliard, not Foreman. Foreman isn’t nearly as talented as Derrick Henry, but the Titans built their gameplan around bashing Henry into the line 30 times; maybe bashing Foreman into the line 20 times is in the cards?
This week, they get the Jaguars, who allow the tenth-most fantasy points to running backs this season. Sony Michel, Cordarrelle Patterson, and Jonathan Taylor have crushed them in consecutive weeks. Their streak gets stopped by the running back vomitoria, Seattle and Buffalo. It should be an easy day for Foreman as he continues to get at least 15 touches for the Titans.
Adrian Peterson at Houston (13% rostered)
Look, I tried and tried and tried to not recommend a Seahawks running back, but here we are. AP scored a touchdown last week that broke a tie with Walter Payton to move him into tenth place in the all-time touchdown leaderboard. Pete Carroll was seen giving him a massive hug on the sideline over it. Well, AP has another chance at history against the moribund Houston Texans franchise. If he scores again, he will leap Jim Brown into sole possession of tenth place. He’s also just two touchdowns behind Marvin Harrison’s 128 career scores. Pete Carroll is a weird dude and the Seahawks aren’t going anywhere, so he will probably focus on this around the goal line.
Speaking of franchises that aren’t going anywhere, Seattle gets Houston this week, who has given up the fourth-most fantasy points to running backs, including four touchdowns to RBs in their last two games. They also just released Zach Cunningham for disciplinary reasons, who played 100% of snaps over their last three games. So, the defense will be on its back foot without the eminently talented Cunningham.
12/10 UPDATE: Adrian Peterson will miss week fourteen. This is a juicy matchup so if you are desperate, you can pivot to Alex Collins (29% rostered)
JaMycal Hasty at Cincinnati (10% rostered)
It’s come to this for the San Francisco 49ers. With Elijah Mitchell and Trenton Cannon in the concussion protocol, Trey Sermon is on IR, and Jeff Wilson Jr getting pulled from their week thirteen game with a recurrence of his knee problems, it likely comes down to JaMycal Hasty as… well, the only healthy running back on the roster. That’s not hyperbole; the run-first Niners have four running backs on the roster, and Hasty is the only functional one for Sunday’s tilt (though they probably call up Josh Hokit… their lone RB on their practice squad).
They get the Bengals this week, who aren’t the best matchup, but they aren’t the worst, either. They’re okay against the run, but this has more to do with Hasty getting 15+ touches this week as the sole healthy running back on the roster.
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