Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

16. Laurence Maroney (New England Patriots) vs. Carolina

In a Week 13 loss to the Miami Dolphins, Laurence Maroney was held to 41 yards on 13 carries. He added just one catch for eight yards and was held without a touchdown after scoring at least one touchdown in six straight games. Maroney was slowed down by a tough Miami defense and the return of Sammy Morris, who had nine carries for 40 yards in the game. Even with the return of Morris, Maroney should remain the Patriots’ starting running back and should be used as a low-end RB2 this week against a Panthers’ defense that is giving up over 20 fantasy points per game to the running back position.
Point Projection: 14 points

17. DeAngelo Williams (Carolina Panthers) @ New England  **CHECK INJURY STATUS**

DeAngelo Williams was inactive for the Panthers’ win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 13 due to an ankle injury. His status for this week’s match-up with the Patriots is still unknown. He has been a solid No. 1 fantasy running back this season with 197 carries for 1,022 yards with seven touchdowns and has added 26 receptions for 234 yards in 11 games. If on the field, Williams should be in your starting lineup, but if he plays this week, he should be considered nothing more than an injury risk RB2 as he will have tough match-up against the Patriots who have allowed just three rushing touchdowns this season, while likely split carries with Jonathan Stewart.
Point Projection: 14 points

18. LaDainian Tomlinson (San Diego Chargers) @ Dallas

In the Chargers’ Week 13 victory over the Cleveland Browns, LaDainian Tomlinson had 20 carries for 64 yards with a touchdown. He now has eight touchdowns over his past six games, and it was the sixth time in eight weeks that he has scored double digit fantasy points. He is worth starting on a weekly basis once again, but not as the RB1 he was in the past. Even with a tough match-up this week against a Cowboy’s defense that is allowing just over 100 rushing yards per game and has given up just five rushing touchdowns this season, LT can be used in his new role as a RB2 play.
Point Projection: 13 points

19. Pierre Thomas (New Orleans Saints) @ Atlanta

With the Saints playing from behind during most of their Week 13 overtime win over the Washington Redskins, Pierre Thomas had just six carries for 18 yards. Luckily, for his owners, Thomas was involved in the passing game, catching six balls for 64 yards. He may be the team’s primary ball carrier in name, but for the third game in a row, Mike Bell led the team in carries and Reggie Bush got the start. This is turning into a true running back by committee situation in New Orleans, and it is hard to count on any of the three backs for consistent fantasy output. Thomas still appears to be the team’s best running back, and he could be used as a low-end No. 2 fantasy running back this week against a Falcons’ rush defense that is allowing nearly 120 rushing yards per game and has allowed 10 rushing touchdowns this season. Owners of Thomas should also note that the Falcons were the victims of Thomas’ second best fantasy day this season, a 19-point performance back in week 8.
Point Projection: 13 points

20. Knowshon Moreno (Denver Broncos) @ Indianapolis

Rookie, Knowshon Moreno, had 21 carries for 86 yards and two touchdowns in a lopsided victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 13. He once again led the Broncos in carries, but Correll Buckhalter edged him in yardage with 113 yards. It was the fourth straight game in which Moreno had 80 or more rushing yards, and he has now scored three touchdowns in the last two weeks. Use Moreno as a low-end RB2 this week against an Indianapolis defense that has allowed 111 rushing yards per game and has given up eight rushing touchdowns this season.
Point Projection: 13 points

21. Fred Jackson (Buffalo Bills) @ Kansas City

After gaining 73 rushing yards with two touchdowns in Week 12, Fred Jackson regained the starting running back role in Buffalo. He did not fair as well in the Bills’ Week 13 victory over the New York Jets as he had 13 carries for 31 yards and added two catches for 24 yards, while being out done in the game by Marshawn Lynch who had six carries for 60 yards with a touchdown. This is becoming yet another running back by committee situation that gets continually harder to read. It still appears that Jackson will remain the starter, but the two will once again likely share carries. Even in a good match-up against a poor Kansas City rush defense, Jackson should be used as nothing more than a low-end No. 2 fantasy running back.
Point Projection: 12 points

22. LeSean McCoy (Philadelphia Eagles) @ New York Giants

After posting double digit fantasy points in four of five games played in November, LeSean McCoy started out December with a dud. He had six carries for two yards in the game and added three receptions for 24 yards. He has been very effective filling in for an injured Brian Westbrook this season, but he needs to receive more than nine touches in a game to make an impact. Don’t use McCoy as anything more than borderline RB2 or a flex option against a Giants rush defense that is allowing just 102.5 yards per game, but has allowed 15 rushing touchdowns this season.
Point Projection: 12 points

23. Brandon Jacobs (New York Giants) vs. Philadelphia

In the Giants’ Week 13 win over the Dallas Cowboys, Brandon Jacobs had his best fantasy output of the season. He finished the game with 13 carries for 39 yards with a touchdown and added one reception for a 74-yard touchdown. The 22 fantasy points were the most he has scored in one game this season and were more than the 21 points he had racked up combined over his three previous games. Jacobs has been a bit of a disappointment for fantasy owners this season, as he had just three touchdowns heading into the Cowboys game. Consider him a low-end No. 2 fantasy running back or flex option this week against an Eagles defense that is allowing less than 100 yards rushing per game.
Point Projection: 11 points

24. Matt Forte (Chicago Bears) vs. Green Bay

With 24 carries for 91 yards and a touchdown in Week 13 against the St. Louis Rams, Matt Forte had his highest rushing output since Week 4. He has been a bit of a disappointment this season as he has only rushed for more than 100 yards once this season and has scored just four touchdowns through 12 games. Forte should be used as a low-end RB2 or flex option this week when the Bears face the Packers in a NFC North battle. He had 55 rushing yards in Week 1 against a Green Bay, and we expect a similar yardage total here in week 14. The only difference is this time we think Forte gets into the endzone.
Point Projection: 11 points

25. Kevin Smith (Detroit Lions) @ Baltimore

In the Lions’ Week 13 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, Kevin Smith had 16 carries for 75 yards with a touchdown and added two receptions for 29 yards. His two-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter ended a stretch of seven games without a rushing touchdown for the Lions’ back. He is the primary running back in Detroit and has totaled 1,068 yards this season with five total touchdowns, but has only scored in double figure fantasy points five times in 12 games. Smith should not be used as anything more than a flex option this week against a Baltimore defense that has been very good against the run this season, limiting opposing RBs to just 13.4 points per game.
Point Projection: 10 points

26. Jonathan Stewart (Carolina Panthers) @ New England **CHECK DEANGELO WILLIAMS’ INJURY STATUS**

With starting running back DeAngelo Williams inactive for the game, Jonathan Stewart had season-highs in carries (26) and yardage (120) and added a touchdown in a Week 13 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He has proved to be a very effective running back when he gets the opportunities, and when Williams is out of the lineup, he is a capable No. 1 fantasy running back, but his value drops drastically with Williams in the lineup. There is no word at this time if Williams will be available for Week 14; however, assuming Williams is healthy enough to play, consider Stewart a RB3 or flex option against a tough Patriots rush defense. If Williams is ruled inactive, Stewart could be used as a high-end RB2.
Point Projection: 10 points

27. Chris Brown (Houston Texans) vs. Seattle

Even with increased playing time due to Steve Slaton being out with a neck injury, Chris Brown had just six carries for 15 yards in a Week 13 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. He did add a touchdown run, but he also threw a pass that was intercepted at the goal line. His owners received good news when the Texans’ announced that Steve Slaton will miss the remainder of the season but expect Brown to lose a significant amount of touches to Ryan Moats moving forward. However, with Brown once again projected to get the start and with him being the goalline back in Houston the value is still there.
Point Projection: 10 points

28. Quinton Ganther (Washington Redskins) @ Oakland

After being productive with a limited workload over the last two weeks the Washington Redskins have decided to hand Ganther the job moving forward. Ganther will replace Rock Cartwright as the starter and should see a significant increase in touches moving forward. Over the last two games, Ganther has made the most of limited opportunities.  He has just 13 carries for 78 rushing yards but it’s his impressive 6 yard per carry (YPC) average that won him the job. A match-up against an Oakland Raiders run defense that allows 158 yards per game and ranks 32nd in rushing touchdowns allowed is tempting, but it’s difficult to recommend Ganther as anything more than a low-end RB2 or flex play until we know what his exact workload will look like.
Point Projection: 9 points

29. Cadillac Williams (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) vs. New York Jets

After gaining less than 50 rushing yards in each of his last five games, Cadillac Williams had 17 carries for 92 yards in a Week 13 loss to the Carolina Panthers. He has 143 carries for 567 yards with five total touchdowns this season. Consider Williams nothing more than a flex option as you head into the fantasy playoffs when he faces a New York Jets’ defense that is allowing less than 110 rushing yards per game.
Point Projection: 9 points

30. Tim Hightower (Arizona Cardinals) @ San Francisco

Tim Hightower had six carries for 50 yards and added just one reception for eight yards in the Cardinals’ Week 13 victory over the Minnesota Vikings. He has totaled 105 rushing yards over the past two games , but also lost a fumble for the third time this season. He continues to lose carries to rookie Beanie Wells, who had 13 carries in the team’s week 13 game. Hightower has a tough match-up this week against a San Francisco defense that he had eight carries for 15 yards against in a Week 1 contest, but fantasy owners should remember he added 121 receiving yards in that game, meaning he does hold some value here. Still, use him as a RB3 or flex option this week against the 49ers as he is averaging less than 2.0 yards per carry against in his career.
Point Projection: 8 points