• Kyle Monangai and D’Andre Swift are both RB2 fantasy plays:  Last Sunday in Philadelphia, Kyle Monangai and D’Andre Swift put up 125-plus rushing yards and a touchdown apiece. Monangai took over as the lead with 22 carries in Week 13 and has now scored a touchdown in four straight games.
• Mike Vrabel doesn’t care about our fantasy teams: Rhamondre Stevenson is officially healthy and went back to out-snapping and seeing a larger workload on the ground over TreVeyon Henderson. Despite Henderson being the much more electric player, Vrabel and the Patriots’ coaching staff cannot and will not quit on Stevenson. 
• Get PFF+ for 30% off: Use promo code HOLIDAY30 to unlock the PFF Player Prop Tool, Premium Stats, fantasy dashboards, the PFF Mock Draft Simulator, industry-leading fantasy rankings and much more — everything you need to win your season.

Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes

Below are the top running back takeaways from Week 13 that could have a significant impact on fantasy points in Week 14 and beyond.

Devin Neal plays 81.4% of the offensive snaps with Alvin Kamara out 

Despite a lackluster fantasy performance of just 9.9 points, Devin Neal’s usage in Week 13 was promising for his potential success in Week 14 if Alvin Kamara continues to miss time. The sixth-round rookie out of Kansas got his first career NFL start last Sunday and played on 81.4% of the New Orleans offensive snaps in the game. Neal was one of six running backs to see 80% or higher playing time in Week 13, joining Jonathan Taylor, Ashton Jeanty, Saquon Barkley, Breece Hall and Bijan Robinson. Neal led the Saints with 14 carries for 47 yards and caught three balls for 22 yards. He and Evan Hull (five touches) were the only Saints’ running backs to see the field in Week 13.

His efficiency was underwhelming, and the Saints’ struggling offense rarely offers goal-line opportunities, but a running back getting 17 touches is hard to ignore for fantasy. If Kamara remains sidelined, Neal is headed for a juicy upcoming schedule. The Saints face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Carolina Panthers and New York Jets over the next three weeks — the seventh, sixth and fifth-most favorable matchups, respectively, for fantasy running backs this season. 

Upcoming matchups: at Buccaneers, vs. Panthers, vs. Jets

Kyle Monangai and the Chicago Bears‘ rushing attack continue to thrive under Ben Johnson

In this first season under Ben Johnson, the Chicago Bears have the NFL’s No. 2 rushing offense, averaging 153.8 rushing yards per game behind only the Buffalo Bills (155.7). The Bears have hit 170-plus rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in three of their last five games played while leaning on both D’Andre Swift and Kyle Monangai as of late. Last Sunday, both Kyle Monangai and D’Andre Swift put up 125-plus yards and one touchdown on the ground in Philadelphia. Monangai has officially emerged as a key component of the Bears’ offense. He has found the end zone in four straight games and led the team with 22 carries in Week 13. 

This week’s matchup against the Green Bay Packers looks tough on paper as they have allowed the eighth fewest rushing yards per game on the season. However, their run defense has started to show some leaks over the last month, allowing 125.6 rushing yards per game since Week 9 after allowing just 78.9 yards on the ground per game from Weeks 1-8. Both Swift and Monangai are good fantasy plays this week as the Bears look to lean on the run game to stay atop the NFC standings. 

Upcoming matchups: at Packers, vs. Browns, vs. Packers

Bucky Irving instantly gets back big role after his six-game absence 

Sorry, Sean Tucker managers. It’s back to Bucky Land. Despite earning an increased workload while Bucky Irving was out due to an injury, Tucker has resumed his role as RB3 in the offense, playing his lowest offensive snap share (14.8%) since Week 7. He handled just two carries on the day, netting zero yards. 

Irving managers, however, are rejoicing to see his usage coming off a prolonged absence due to injury, with 19 total touches on the day, amounting to 81 yards and his first rushing touchdown of the season. Despite playing just 52.5% of the offensive snaps, he handled 63% of the team’s rush attempts for the day, which is exactly what you’d hope to see. 

Irving has overall seen a decrease in efficiency this season, as he’s seen a drop in rushing grade (90.0 to 60.4), yards per attempt (5.4 to 3.4), yards after contact per attempt (3.9 to 2.5) and elusive rating (106.6 to 75.3). However, as long as he continues to handle such a significant workload in a high-upside offense, he’s a lock for your lineup every single week.

Upcoming matchups: vs. Saints, vs. Falcons, at Panthers

Rhamondre Stevenson is back to outsnapping TreVeyon Henderson

Well, the TreVeyon Henderson breakout was fun while it lasted. In Rhamondre Stevenson’s second game returning from a foot injury, he saw an increased workload, out-snapping Henderson 58.5% to 49.2%. He received one more carry (12) than Henderson (11), even though Henderson was far more efficient on the day (6.1 yards per carry, 4.7 yards after contact per attempt, 36% missed forced tackle rate). 

For the time being, it seems likely that as long as Stevenson is healthy, his abilities in pass protection are going to keep him heavily involved in the offense. He’s allowed just two pressures in 62 pass-blocking opportunities this year, compared to Henderson’s nine pressures allowed (including two sacks) in just 30 pass-blocking opportunities. Fantasy managers should expect this to maintain plenty of favor with head coach Mike Vrabel, keeping him on the field far more often than fantasy football managers would like.

Upcoming matchups: bye, vs. Bills at Ravens, at Jets

Chuba Hubbard has earned back his role in Carolina Panthers‘ backfield 

Rico Dowdle has been the king of the Carolina Panthers’ backfield since breaking out during a two-game absence from Chuba Hubbard in Weeks 5 and 6. He totaled 473 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns on 60 touches over those two games, finishing as the overall RB2 in each of those outings. 

Hubbard, in turn, had seen his role reduced as of late, with seven or fewer touches in each of the last four games leading into Week 13… that is, until they met with the Los Angeles Rams. Hubbard came out of nowhere to post a season-high 19 touches, playing 59.4% of the offensive snaps – his highest offensive snap share since Week 3. Dowdle saw plenty of touches, too, carrying the ball 18 times, but the sudden near-halfway split in terms of offensive snaps and touches is concerning for the upside of either of these backs. 

Coming out of the bye, fantasy managers will have to roll the dice, inserting either of these backs into their lineups, given it will be in the middle of the fantasy football playoffs. 

Upcoming matchups: bye, at Saints, vs. Buccaneers