We are back to grading papers here at the Running Back Report Card. After taking a holiday week off, I’m back to highlighting the best RB matchups on the weekly slate. If you were paying attention last week, the winning GPP lineups mostly played three RB’s. In a passing league, that was one of the rarer weeks where runners ruled. Can that hold true again in Week 13? After assessing the slate, I believe it’s once again a viable option. So let’s get down to finding the best matchups to help turn your screens GREEN!

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I highlight my favorite ten RBs each week and break them into Tiers (Tier 1 = $7K above, Tier 2 = $6K to $7K, Tier 3 = below $6K). So, let’s get started with the top ten running backs of Week 3 in the NFL.

TIER 1 DFS RUNNING BACKS

CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY $9000 DraftKings $9800 FanDuel

It’s the best RB in football against the best rushing defense. So why even pay up here for CMAC? I’ll tell you why. Last week the Eagles allowed 16 fantasy points to Bills RB James Cook. That was due in part to him catching six balls. The game prior, Isaiah Pacheco ran for 90+ yards against the Eagles D. In fact, in the last 2 weeks, the Eagles an average of 171 yards rushing. While some of that was because of the mobility of the QB’s, there has been some glaring holes that weren’t there the first nine weeks of the season.

As for McCaffrey, he hasn’t has a game lower than 14.2 fantasy points. That’s his floor once again this week with a ceiling near 30. He plays almost every snap and in order for the 49ers to win against the Eagles, they’ll need to focus on the ground game and not get their QB in predictable passing situations again. I expect a big game once again out of CMac and am not shying away from the matchup.

AUSTIN EKELER $8300 DraftKings $8000 FanDuel

It’s been a brutal year for the Chargers and their star RB. Ekeler has only 2 games with 100 yards from scrimmage and just five TD’s. In 2022, Ekeler led the league in TDs (18) and had seven games of 100 yards or more from scrimmage.

But this could be the low point for Ekeler as he faces the Broncos (twice), Raiders and Bills following this week’s game in NE. All those teams are ranked in the bottom half of the league against RB’s. The Patriots, on the other hand, allow the 12th least fantasy points to RB’s. But they do allow ~5 receptions per game to backs. And with Keenan Allen questionable, and the Chargers just needing a few points to win, we should see a game scripted for Ekeler.

KYREN WILLIAMS $7200 DraftKings $8500 FanDuel

It’s hard to ignore what Kyren Williams has been doing this year. He has nine touchdowns scored in just seven games played. And he’s averaging 22.6 fantasy points per game which is 2nd best in the NFL. While the matchup this week is difficult on paper as Cleveland has the 3rd best rushing D according to DVOA. The Browns have allowed the 19th most fantasy points to RB’s including Denver to run for 169 yards last week. The week prior they allowed 172 yards rushing to the Steelers. Point being, there are yards to be had on the ground against Cleveland and at this point I trust the Kyren Williams will find the endzone at least once.

TIER 2 DFS RUNNING BACKS

DERRICK HENRY $6800 DraftKings $8200 FanDuel

Henry faces the Colts this week who are 24th in rushing defense DVOA. They also allow the 6th most points to RB’s and have surrendered 11 rushing TD’s to opponents this season. As for Henry, he’s a different player at home along with most of the Titans team. In his five home games (one in London) he’s averaged 95.2 yards rushing per game. He’s also scored five of his six rushing TD’s at home. Henry is a good play in both GPP and cash this week.

BIJAN ROBINSON $6700 DraftKings $8100 FanDuel

The good news for fantasy owners of Bijan Robinson is that he had his first multiple touchdown game of his career. In so, he received 63% of the snaps in Week 12. The bad news is that he received just 51% of the touches. Even with a 5.5 ypc, head coach Arthur Smith still decided to split touches. But Robinson’s 27.3 fantasy points, a season high, will be hard to ignore this week as the Falcons face the Jets who allow the 5th most fantasy points to RB’s. Additionally, the weather will be a challenge with rain throughout the game. This should be a concerted run game for Atlanta. But every time we say should, Smith finds a way to say no. So tread carefully but on paper this looks like a top 3 RB play based on salary and matchup.

RACHAAD WHITE $6300 DraftKings $7500 FanDuel

The Bucs RB has averaged 19.8 fantasy points per game in his last six outings. His lowest point output was 15.9 points in that stretch. He’s been a combination of running and receiving and that won’t stop this week against Carolina. The Panthers allow the 3rd most points to fantasy RB’s and have allowed a league high 16 rushing TD’s. This is a smash spot for a RB that sees an average of 79% of the snaps (4th in league) and 18.1 touches per game (8th in league).

RHAMONDRE STEVENSON $6100 DraftKings $7300 FanDuel

In what is a lost season in New England, Stevenson still has solid value on certain weeks. And facing the Chargers, this is definitely one of those weeks. Stevenson has 49 touches in his last two games and has averaged 21 fantasy points in those contests. The Chargers come in with a league worst defense as they allow the most yards per game at 390.6. They also allow the 2nd most receptions to RB’s, with 6.4 per game. And as we know Stevenson is a threat out of the backfield with 37 catches on the year.

TIER 3 DFS RUNNING BACKS (VALUE TIER)

DEVIN SINGLETARY $5900 DraftKings $7000 FanDuel

Damien Pierce returned to action last week for the Texans but Singletary still had 82% of the snaps and 67% of the touches. If Houston stays at that rate, Singletary will be a smash play this week as he faces the leagues worst rush defense in the Denver Broncos. The Broncos allow the most points to fantasy RB’s, as well as the most rushing yards per game at 155.2.

JAYLEN WARREN DraftKings $5400 FanDuel $6500

When the opportunity presents, you must attack the Arizona Cardinals rushing defense. We saw Kyren Williams put up 40+ fantasy points last week against the porous Arizona defense. And it’s been a common theme all year as Arizona has allowed 18 total TD’s to RB’s. Speaking of Warren, he has averaged 92.5 yards on the ground over the past four weeks. There are also weather concerns in Pittsburgh which will lead to a focused run game for the Black and Yellow. While Najee is also a good play, I lean Warren for the big play opportunities in the passing game as well as running game.

ZACK MOSS DraftKings $4600 FanDuel $5600

With Jonathan Taylor’s injury coming down late in the week, Moss’s salary is near the minimum and for that reason is a free square this week. Tennessee’s run defense has fallen in recent weeks and Moss should see 80+% of the touches and carries.

BONUS: ANTONIO GIBSON DraftKings $4500 FanDuel $5300

If you want to get really different, go with Antonio Gibson. With the potential for a blowout in Washington, Gibson could see valuable garbage time and pick up good stats.

RB PROP BETS

DERRICK HENRY over 67.5 Rushing Yards

D’ANDRE SWIFT Anytime TD (+150)

Now that you finished reading the NFL DFS RUNNING BACK REPORT article make sure to check out our YouTube Channel for constant content for every game and slate in the NFL this season and hop in our Discord Expert Chat.

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