Running Back Roundup: Week 14 (2021 Fantasy Football ...

This week, there are plenty of injuries to discuss, from Elijah Mitchell‘s concussion to Miles Sanders‘ and Kenyan Drake‘s ankle injuries and Damien Harris‘s hamstring tweak.Still, let’s try to focus on a bit of good news for once: the Javonte Williams breakout game finally happened! James Conner played a season-high 91 percent of the snaps in Week 13, delivering top-10 fantasy stats again. So it’s a little surprising that his two highest rushing totals of the year have come in the two games since he returned from an ankle injury, but fantasy managers will gladly take the fantasy numbers however they may come.It’s a little less surprising that his snaps are down following the injury, a sign the team could be trying to keep the 30-year old fresh and healthy. With Gordon trending towards a return this week, a return of the backfield committee is also likely.Williams did overtake Gordon in snaps in the two weeks surrounding Denver’s Week 11 bye, so it’s fair to expect roughly a 60-40 split in Williams’s favor going forward, especially after his eye-opening performance. Taylor “only” finished second among RBs in fantasy points last week (behind Javonte Williams) and heads into his Week 14 bye as far and away the top-scoring RB in fantasy football.Jacksonville Jaguars Meanwhile, Alexander Mattison delivered top-5 fantasy numbers in Cook’s absence last week and remains a plug-and-play RB1 for Thursday’s matchup with Pittsburgh.New England Patriots Perhaps this will be the week he returns to action, but there’s been no indication of that yet.Mark Ingram put up some nice fantasy numbers in the first two games that Kamara missed, but then Ingram missed Week 12 with a knee issue of his own. He returned in Week 13 against Dallas but played fewer snaps than Ty Montgomery, who appeared to be the Saints’ back of choice in passing situations. Barkley is playing the lion’s share of the snaps, has been active on passing downs (he had nine targets last week), and seems to break off at least one long run every week. For the second week in a row, Tevin Coleman played less than half of the Jets’ offensive snaps but was the clear running back of choice when Gang Green attempted to run the ball. Coleman is a decent bet to get around 15 touches again this week, but he’ll still be a dicey RB3/flex option against a Saints defense that has been unforgiving to opposing running backs.Rookie Michael Carter will be eligible to return in Week 15, so it will be worth tracking any reports on his progress that emerge over the next week. With Jordan Howard out since Week 11 with a knee injury and Boston Scott active but barely playing after missing practice time with an illness, Miles Sanders reminded the world of what he can do as a feature back, gashing the Jets for 142 scrimmage yards.