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Matt's running back (RB) fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em picks for Week 13 of 2025. His RB lineups advice for Week 13 fantasy football start/sit decisions.
Gobble, gobble, fantasy managers, Thanksgiving is here, and we at RotoBaller are here to fill your plate with plenty of fantasy points, so please remember to leave room for dessert.
Last week, Jahmyr Gibbs was a full-course meal. He was the turkey, glazed ham, and apple pie, dropping 55.4 fantasy points and single-handedly winning fantasy matchups.
With that said, here are your RotoBaller starts and sits at the running back position for Week 13 of the fantasy football season.
Week 13 - Fantasy Football Booms
TreVeyon Henderson - RB, New England Patriots vs New York Giants
Over TreVeyon Henderson's previous four contests, the rookie Patriots running back has assumed the mantle of a top-12 fantasy option at the running back position, averaging 21 fantasy points per game, including 11.1 last week with Rhamondre Stevenson returning to the lineup.
In each of the last four games, Henderson has had at least 15 touches and produced at least 75 yards of total offense, proving to be more of a viable threat than Stevenson had shown to be at any point this season. In nine games this season, the veteran Stevenson had topped 11 points on three occasions, whereas Henderson has accomplished that feat in each of the previous four contests heading into Week 13.
If you feed him, Henderson is going to produce, especially this week against a New York Giants defense that has been ripe for the picking all season long. No team has allowed more rushing yards to running backs than the Giants have this season, as they have surrendered 1,522 yards on the ground. They have also fallen victim to 395 receiving yards on 61 receptions and 16 total touchdowns. Only the Bengals are allowing more fantasy points to the position this season than the 29.06 that the Giants are currently allowing.
RJ Harvey - RB, Denver Broncos at Washington Commanders
RJ Harvey is a tough back to get a read on heading into Week 13's showdown with the Washington Commanders. Before the Broncos went on their bye, Harvey had posted back-to-back top 12 finishes only to follow that up with two fantasy performances outside the top 35.
Luckily for Harvey and his lack of consistency, the Washington Commanders have been a very dependable option when deciding which backs to start each week. This season, the Commanders have surrendered 1,245 yards on the ground, along with eight rushing touchdowns, as well as yielding 39 receptions for 408 receiving yards and three touchdowns in the passing game.
Harvey is at his best when he becomes a fixture in the Broncos' passing attack, having been targeted 32 times this season, hauling in all but four of those targets for 195 yards. With J.K. Dobbins sidelined in Week 11, Harvey earned a 65% snap share, and if Harvey can get that and maybe a little more, he should be in a lovely spot against a Commanders team that has been even more generous over the last weeks, allowing 24.75 fantasy points per game.
If my math serves me correctly, 65% of 24.75 fantasy points is a respectable 16.09, which is a number Harvey managers could live with.
Breece Hall - RB, New York Jets vs Atlanta Falcons
Another back that has a matchup to be thankful for this holiday season is Breece Hall of the New York Jets. For Hall, much of this season has resembled yams covered in cranberry sauce, but the Falcons have the appearance of a 25-pound turkey worthy of salivating over.
Over the Falcons' previous four games, Atlanta has been carved up by opposing backs to the tune of 547 yards on the ground on 119 carries, averaging 4.58 yards per attempt, while adding four rushing scores. Pass-catching backs, such as Hall, have been given a little extra gravy in the form of 23 receptions, 197 yards, and two touchdowns over that period, which has added 13.6 additional fantasy points weekly.
New York's offense has put the word fun in dysfunctional all season long, but since Week 8, Hall has been pretty good, averaging 18.7 fantasy points per game, good enough to be the RB7 over that period. In Hall's last four games, the Jets back has accounted for 181 rushing yards and 137 receiving yards on nine receptions.
spin cycle ➡️ 40 yards
📺: #NYJvsBAL on CBS | @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/Lz0zxDZkEa
— New York Jets (@nyjets) November 23, 2025
Last week, while Hall managed just 44 yards on the ground on 16 attempts, he made his presence felt, recording 75 receiving yards on four receptions, pushing his fantasy total to 13.9 (RB14 before Monday Night).
Week 13 - Fantasy Football Busts
Chase Brown - RB, Cincinnati Bengals at Baltimore Ravens
With no Ja'Marr Chase in the Bengals offense, it was up to Chase Brown to carry the load, and the Bengals back exceeded expectations in producing 15 fantasy points thanks to 107 rushing yards and a 5.6 yards per carry average against a good Patriots run defense.
After a slow start to his 2025 season, Brown has been on a heater as of late, averaging 18.1 fantasy points per game over his previous five contests, and with the potential return of Joe Burrow, it'll be hard for fantasy managers to stand by and leave Brown on their benches this week. So heed my warning once more, and temper those expectations against another inevitably brutal fantasy showdown against the Baltimore Ravens.
While Chase and Burrow are set to return, Tee Higgins will be out this week. With the short week and him navigating the league's concussion protocol, he won't be available. Higgins' omission this week allows Baltimore to remain true in the box without redirecting resources to both Chase and Higgins. Over the last four weeks, the Ravens rank 22nd in fantasy points allowed to wide receivers (31.48) and fourth against opposing running backs (16.0), making it more plausible for the Bengals to attack the Ravens through the air rather than on the ground, limiting Brown's opportunities.
Javonte Williams - RB, Dallas Cowboys vs Kansas City Chiefs
In 11 contests this season, Javonte Williams has produced double-digit fantasy points in nine of those contests, averaging 16.2 fantasy points per game. Williams has certainly played himself into the 2025 fantasy football Comeback Player of the Year conversation after many had mocked Jerry Jones for the signing of the former Denver Bronco in the offseason.
Williams enters this week's contest with 104 yards shy of 1,000 on the season and fifth in the NFL in rushing, averaging a healthy 4.95 yards per carry. Williams also sits sixth in rushing touchdowns with eight.
As good a feel story as that may be, the Kansas City Chiefs' run defense has been a nightmare for opposing backs much of the season. The Chiefs currently sit eighth in rushing yards allowed this season, allowing 97.6 yards per game on the ground with opposing running backs accounting for 73.3 of those weekly rushing totals, while limiting the running back position to 17.87 fantasy points per game, the fifth-fewest in the NFL.
Travis Etienne Jr. - RB, Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans
Few backs have been more productive for fantasy over the last four weeks than Jacksonville's Travis Etienne Jr., who has averaged 18 fantasy points per game, finishing with 15-plus fantasy points in each of those four games.
Travis Etienne gets loose for 45 yards!
JAXvsAZ on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/3ETI4uE6WA
— NFL (@NFL) November 23, 2025
In last week's contest against the Cardinals, Etienne established a healthy 65.2% rush share and a 69.2% running back touch share. In that game, Etienne would also go on to total 116 yards from scrimmage and average 6.1 yards per touch. The Bhayshul Tuten takeover talk was premature.
A matchup that looks better on paper than it projects on the field is Etienne and the Jaguars' run game against the Tennessee Titans. On the season, the Titans have allowed 24.19 fantasy points per game, the seventh-most. However, over the last four weeks, Tennessee has held opposing backs to 295 rushing yards, 40 receiving yards, and 18.83 fantasy points per game, the 10th-fewest.
Last week, Kenneth Walker III had 71 rushing yards on 11 carries, and Zach Charbonnet added 35 yards and a touchdown on his six rushing attempts. If Etienne can keep Tuten off the field, there is a path for fantasy success; if not, we could see Tuten carve out a much larger role than we would like due to a flip of the game script.
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