The 2023-24 NFL season has been outstanding so far. Already there have been a ton of breakout players and fantasy duds that have made the game so entertaining. It is officially the last week of the regular season. It is vital for fantasy managers this week to pay attention to the standings to see if their stars will play the entirety of their games or at all. During the playoffs Fantasy Managers will have full utilization of their roster and need to make sure they have backup options on their roster incase their stars get hurt. There have plenty of injuries this season to crucial players that make the pool of players to choose from on waivers that much thinner. It’s always a great idea to evaluate backup options so that way fantasy managers are prepared if star players miss time. Here are the fantasy football week 18 running back rankings.

[Ratings are subject to change due to injury reports or possible move to Injured Reserve List]

[Check out the section below for details on players already rumored to possibly miss this week and how their replacement options rank for the week]

Key:

Must Start- a player who is in your lineup regardless of the matchup or most circumstances. They Will likely finish near the top of the league in points that week and in most weeks.

Starting RB1- a player who makes fantasy owners comfortable starting week after week. Regardless of the matchup, this player has a high floor.

High-End RB2- a player who may not be likely to carry a lineup that week, but has the ability to have a breakout game and is teetering between RB1 and RB2 territory.

Starting RB2- a player who should be started in most lineups and should reach their point projection. This player is started because of their consistency and moderately high floor

Low RB2- a player who may not be a lock to start for a team every week, but will start more times than not. Their production may not be pretty or win a person their lineup but the production is consistent enough to make a fantasy owner comfortable starting them.

Flex- a player who could float around the territory of being benched, but is started due to the potential to play better than their point projection. However, this player has the potential to flop and cause a fantasy team to lose if he has a bad game.

Deep League Flex- a player who is more of a Hail Mary throw at the position. There are enough reasons to leave this player on the bench, but their upside makes them an attractive option. Desperate times may call for a player like this to be inserted into starting lineups.

Leave on the Bench- a player who should be avoided in all lineups that week. Many times this player could even be left on waivers.

Will likely not play Entire Game- a player who should be avoided in lineups that week only because they may not play the entirety of the game. Due to locked in playoff positions teams could choose to rest their stars for a majority or entirely of the game.

Rankings

Players that are could miss this week’s game

RB1 Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints

Alvin Kamara suffered a sprained ankle last week against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It is unclear if Kamara’s injury could hold him out this week. If Kamara misses Week 18 against the Atlanta Falcons Jamaal Williams becomes the RB24 between Raheem Mostert and D’Andre Swift.

RB3 Josh Jacobs, Las Vegas Raiders

Josh Jacobs the past three games with a quad injury. It is unclear if Jacobs will play in this week’s game. If Jacobs misses Week 18 against the Denver Broncos Zamir White becomes the RB7 between James Conner and Saquon Barkley.

RB9 Kenneth Walker III, Seattle Seahawks

Kenneth Walker III is dealing with a shoulder injury. After reinjuring his shoulder last week Walker did not return to the game against the Steelers. If Walker III misses Week 18 against the Arizona Cardinals Zach Charbonnet becomes the RB16 between David Montgomery and Chuba Hubbard.

RB24 Raheem Mostert, Miami Dolphins

Raheem Mostert missed last week’s game with a knee and ankle injury. He has been injured for the past few weeks but missed his first game of the season this past week. If Mostert misses Week 18 against the Buffalo Bills De’Von Achane moves up to RB5 between Jonathan Taylor and Rachaad White. Jeff Wilson Jr. becomes RB43 between Chase Edmonds and Antonio Gibson.

RB30 Najee Harris, Pittsburgh Steelers

Najee Harris was limited in practice on Tuesday with a knee injury. He has been dealing with this injury for a few weeks. If Harris misses Week 18 against the Baltimore Ravens Jaylen Warren moves up to RB19 between Derrick Henry and James Cook.

RB46 Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Kansas City Chiefs

Clyde Edwards-Helaire missed last week’s game against the Cincinnati Bengals with an illness. Last week the Chiefs were extremely thin at running back with Edwards-Helaire and Jerick McKinnon out. If Edwards-Helaire misses Week 18 against the Los Angeles Chargers La’Mical Perine becomes the RB46 between Jerome Ford and Kenneth Gainwell.

RB48 Zack Moss, Indianapolis Colts

Zack Moss missed the past two games with a forearm injury. He was limited in practice on Tuesday. If Moss misses Week 17 against the Las Vegas Raiders Trey Sermon becomes the RB48 between Kenneth Gainwell and Isiah Pacheco.

RB53 A.J. Dillon, Green Bay Packers

A.J. Dillon suffered a stinger last week against the Minnesota Vikings. It is unclear if Dillon will miss this week’s game because of the injury. If Dillon misses Week 18 against the Chicago Bears Patrick Taylor becomes the RB54 between Kareem Hunt and Alexander Mattison.

Players that are currently not expected to play

Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers

Christian McCaffrey has been ruled out for Week 18 against the Los Angeles Rams. McCaffrey is dealing with a mild calf strain. The San Francisco 49ers have also clinched the first seed in the NFC. So they’ll likely rest their starter for a majority of the game. So there’s no reason for McCaffrey to even dress for this week’s game.

Dalvin Cook, Free Agent

The New York Jets have decided to release Dalvin Cook. This season was extremely disappointing for Cook. There was a ton of speculation coming into the year that Cook would take a huge chunk of the workload for the Jets backfield with Breece Hall recovering from a torn ACL. Instead Cook was extremely ineffective for the Jets offense and was just a change of pace back. Cook will likely look to sign with a playoff team for the opportunity to win a Super Bowl. It is extremely unlikely that Cook has a role for the offense he joins barring injury or extremely poor play.

Chris Rodriguez, Washington Commanders

Chris Rodriguez was placed on Injured Reserve ending his season. He was a non-factor for most of the season. But when Brian Robinson Jr. missed time with injury Washington decided to give Rodriguez run over Antonio Gibson. Rodriguez had some solid games including Week 16 where he scored two touchdowns against the New York Jets. Since Gibson will be hitting the free agent market this offseason Rodriguez could have the opportunity to be Robinson Jr.’s backup or the change of pace back in Washington next season.

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• Source: https://thegamehaus.com/sports/fantasy-football-week-18-running-back-rankings-3/2024/01/03/