With the better half of the league's running backs watching football from wheelchairs and hospital beds, there were not many stellar RB performances in Week 13. Only one man eclipsed 20 standard fantasy points and nobody scored more than one touchdown. At this point in the season, most backfield situations have been sured up, leaving little room for maneuvering. Well, the 2015 season is a different breed, as there are still plenty of moves to be made and inconsistencies to be taken advantage of.

There are benchings in Green Bay and Philadelphia, major injuries in New Orleans and Arizona and absolute chaos in New York and Houston. Plenty of previously backup running backs are just now reaching their potential and finding relevancy for the final push of the season. Meanwhile, many more guys are descending into uselessness and a handful of teams should just be dropped from this column altogether. Still, even those teams are entertaining and should be lambasted for their ineffectiveness. Let's take a look at everyone, for the sake of sport.

AFC EAST: Fantasy Football Running Backs (RB)

James White finally realized how the Patriots offense worked on Sunday in a shocking loss to the Eagles, as the rookie back exploded for 115 yards and a touchdown on 10 receptions. White ended up as the team's leading receiver, but had no impact on the ground, reaching a total of four yards on two attempts. LeGarrette Blount continued his role as the early down back, carrying the ball 13 times for a mediocre 54 yards. Blount has not eclipsed 70 yards since Week 9 and seems all but lost on the field, even though he did average a tolerable 4.2 YPA against the Eagles. That figure becomes less acceptable considering the Eagles run defense numbers over the past few weeks. White appears to be the more productive guy in the Pats backfield moving forward. He should be added in all leagues, especially PPR formats, as he attempts his best Dion Lewis impression over the final few weeks of the season.

The Jets run game is beginning to mirror the exact situation described above in New England. Chris Ivory is the Blount of the Jets backfield crew, as for this particular example. He is a big bruising RB who had success earlier in the season, but can only be counted on for production when the team is playing with a lead. Unfortunately for Ivory owners, that is not a luxury the Jets have had very often this season. On the other hand, Bilal Powell benefitted from the team leaning on its passing attack for most of the second half, as the backup RB posted a stellar 8-91-1 receiving line on 13 targets. Powell looked dangerous every time he got the ball in his hands and exploded for a handful of big gains. Still, the touchdown was his first of the year and he can hardly be counted on for consistent production moving forward. It will be a gamble, but Powell is worth a long, hard look on the waiver wire for owners in need of a high-ceiling FLEX option for the final playoff push of 2015.

Who the hell is Mike Gillislee? Many spectators of Sunday's Bills game found themselves asking this very question as the third-year back and former Florida Gator busted out a big 30-yard gain early in the game. Gillislee filled in for the injured Karlos Williams (shoulder) as LeSean McCoy's primary handcuff and was ineffective for most of the game, aside from the aforementioned big play. There seems to be a decent chance Williams will return for a Week 14 matchup against the Eagles, paving the way for Gillislee's journey back to irrelevancy. The real story here is McCoy, who has a number of reports revolving around him. First, he played well against a tough Texans defense, rushing for 112 yards on 21 carries. Also, the Bills RB coach detailed Shady's significant weight loss, which has led to the veteran RB's continued production even in his advanced age. Mainly, Week 14 will be a revenge game for McCoy, who will look to stick it to his former team and a reeling run defense. Look for Shady to put up big numbers on Sunday.

What a thriller! In one of the most irrelevant games of the 2015 season, the Dolphins took on the Ravens at home on Sunday afternoon and Lamar Miller looked sharp against a ravaged Baltimore defense. The starting back accounted for 113 yards on 20 carries and was, disturbingly, the Dolphins second-leading receiver with just one five-yard reception. Things are looking bleak in Miami, despite the victory, but Miller should be just fine. Jay Ajayi added 12 yards on four carries.

AFC WEST: Fantasy Football Running Backs (RB)

The Broncos defense dominated the Chargers in San Diego on Sunday, opening the door for the running game to flourish in clock-killing mode. Well, that's not what happened, as a combination of Ronnie Hillman, C.J. Anderson and Juwan Thompson managed just 3.6 YPA on 34 total carries. Hillman led the trio with 19 carries for a meager 56 yards after two consecutive impressive performances from Anderson in the Broncos previous contests. The reason for the carry imbalance is an ankle injury suffered by Anderson in the second quarter that ended his afternoon prematurely. Head coach Gary Kubiak said that he does not believe the injury to be too serious, though some missed time is definitely on the table as of now. If Anderson is not ready by Sunday, Hillman will be in for a big workload against the Raiders (and a defense that stifled the Chiefs potent run game in Week 13) next week. Also, Juwan Thompson served as a significant handcuff to Hillman in the second half. He could be worth a look on the waiver wire in deeper leagues if Anderson's injury lingers.

In accordance with the fears of fantasy owners everywhere, the Chiefs have moved to a committee backfield in the presence of a healthy Charcandrick West and Spencer Ware. Though West led with nine carries for 35 yards, it seems as if Ware will be the back with the most value moving forward, as the prior backup appears to be the preferred red zone guy. Ware finished the day with a 7-26-1 line. Of course, Ware will have to produce a bit more yardage in the future to justify starting. Still, he will be a major TD threat week-to-week in a run-happy Kansas City offense.

Latavius Murray was good enough for a top-10 fantasy RB performance in Week 13 with a 20-86-1 line against a tough Chiefs defense. He also caught four balls for another 11 yards and looked strong from the opening whistle. It was good to see this kind of a game from Murray, as the powerful back has struggled as of late. Unfortunately, he'll be faced with the Broncos top run defense in Week 14, which didn't turn out too well for him in his first matchup (just 5.70 standard fantasy points). Fullback Jamize Olawale signed a shiny new three-year, $6 million deal this week. Good for him.

The Chargers backfield is in complete disarray. I just don't know what to say about Melvin Gordon anymore this year. It seems like the Chargers are going to continue to ride out Gordon as their starting back, despite his failure to produce in every single game this year. He still doesn't have a touchdown for Chrissake. In all fairness, the backfield was overmatched by a strong Broncos unit. Still, even Danny Woodhead couldn't get much going in the contest, tacking on a mere 34 yards on six carries. After a strong start to the season that placed Woodhead in the top-5 running backs through Week 8, the versatile half back has cooled off considerably. San Diego now boasts a bottom-3 rushing attack to go along with a bottom-7 run defense. Anyone remember a guy named LaDainian Tomlinson?

AFC NORTH: Fantasy Football Running Backs (RB)

Woah, who saw this one coming? With Matt Schaub playing QB and the Ravens offense scoring just one touchdown, Javorius 'Buck' Allen led all running backs in fantasy scoring with 170 yards from scrimmage and a receiving TD. Allen did most of his damage in the passing attack by reeling in 12-of-13 targets for 107 yards and the score, but also led the backfield in rushing with 63 yards on 17 attempts. Terrence West received eight carries from the backfield, going for 31 yards and adding a five-yard reception. West promises to be an ever-present handcuff in the last few weeks of Baltimore's miserable season, but poses no real threat to Allen's status as starter. If by some miracle he hasn't been scooped up yet, Allen must be owned and started in all leagues.

DeAngelo Williams went to work against the Colts bottom-10 run defense on Sunday night, bouncing off tackles for 134 yards on 26 carries. He added 31 yards on five receptions but fumbled twice, uncharacteristically, losing just one of them. The fumbles and lack of scores kept Williams out of the top fantasy ranks of the week, but the performance was impressive nonetheless. Newcomer Fitzgerald Toussaint served as the primary backup for the contest, running four times for 12 yards. At the end of the day, this backfield is all Williams.

Jeremy Hill took full advantage of the league's worst run defense in a Sunday matchup with the Cleveland Browns, posting an impressive 22-98-1 line, placing him in the top-10 for the week. Giovani Bernard was the clear backup RB in this one and for the first time since Week 1 there is an established hierarchy in the Bengals backfield. Bernard was given just five carries for 26 yards and a nine-yard reception. Hill has been impressive for three straight weeks and is locked in as the main man. The duo will truly be tested against a resurgent Steelers squad in Week 14.

Strangely enough, Cleveland actually put forth one of their most palatable rushing performances in weeks in one of the team's worst losses of the season against the Bengals on Sunday. Unfortunately, that impressive performance was just 62 yards from Isaiah Crowell on 11 carries, his highest total since Week 4 and more than his past five games combined. 62 yards is all it takes for a noteworthy Browns rushing performance. Duke Johnson tacked on 32 yards on nine touches. The Browns have the league's worst rushing offense and second worst rushing defense and I think I will skip them in this column from now on because there is no reason to continue the conversation, other than pure entertainment value.

AFC SOUTH: Fantasy Football Running Backs (RB)

Less than a week after being described as "beat to crap" by head coach Chuck Pagano, Frank Gore led the Colts in both rushing and receiving against the Steelers. The veteran bruiser ran for just 45 yards on 13 carries, but tacked on another 49 yards and a touchdown on three receptions. Gore was the every-down back in the absence of Ahmad Bradshaw, who is done for the year. Near the end of the game, after it was well out of control, Gore ceded carries to Boom Herron and space alien Zurlon Tipton. That tandem combined for eight yards on three carries. As long as Gore can keep all of his body parts attached for a few more games, he should be a reliable starting RB in the coming weeks.

The Texans demonstrated why they employ the most frustrating fantasy backfield in the league on Sunday against the Bills, as Alfred Blue inexplicably became the third-string running back after leading the crew over the past three weeks. Blue received just four carries for 14 yards. Chris Polk was the top guy in this one, sporting a 12-61-0 line with an 11-yard touchdown reception. Jonathan Grimes played the understudy with five carries for 28 yards, while Blue managed just 14 yards on his four carries. There is no fantasy value in this backfield, unless you are a psychic who can magically determine which of these three guys will be favored by the coaching staff any given week. The trio is in for a tough matchup against the Patriots next week.

Sunday's contest between the Jaguars and Titans in Tennessee was home to the Marcus Mariota show, as the QB led the backfield with 112 yards and a score on nine scampers, not to mention his stellar passing numbers. Even in Mariota's shadow, Antonio Andrews managed to put up some nice numbers with a 13-58-1 line of his own and a 10-yard reception. The Titans coaching staff wanted to get David Cobb some more carries and they delivered on that promise. The rookie handled 13 handoffs, but gathered just 40 yards. Unfortunately, that may have been his big opportunity to prove himself as Dexter McCluster (knee) is expected to be back in action for a Week 14 matchup against the Jets and a defensive unit that leads the league in YPG. In fact, all of these guys should be off limits for the meeting.

T.J. Yeldon had the best game of his young career on Sunday against the Titans (technically, it was exactly as good as his performance against the Bills in Week 6). The rookie posted a 15-57-1 rushing line and was the second-leading receiver with 79 yards on four receptions. The Jaguars gave Yeldon his fair share of red zone carries, something that hasn't happened since Week 6, and he capitalized. If this becomes the new normal for Yeldon moving forward, he should have plenty of value considering his heavy weekly workload. On a separate note, Bernard Pierce ended his season with a calf injury. Also, Toby Gerhart is done for the year due to sports hernia surgery. Basically, Yeldon is the only viable option moving forward and should fare well from a fantasy perspective.

NFC EAST: Fantasy Football Running Backs (RB)

The Giants backfield cast continued its descent into the pits of mediocrity in the battle of New York on Sunday afternoon. What's left to say here? It's initially interesting to see Orleans Darkwa leading the backfield in carries and yardage after starting the season as the fourth-string back, but less interesting when you find out that he went just 23 yards on eight carries. Nobody can be counted on for consistent production in this four-headed attack, even against the Dolphins abysmal rush defense in Week 14.

There's a few important t storylines going on in Philadelphia these days. First and foremost, they just beat the freakin' Patriots in New England a week after being destroyed by the Lions on Thanksgiving. That's important. DeMarco Murray received less carries than both Darren Sproles and Kenjon Barner, taking the rock just eight times for 24 yards. Subsequently, there were a slew of reports that murray had complained to owner Jeff Lurie about his role in the offense. That report is disputed, but Murray really has no right to complain as his 3.5 YPA rank 84th among all running backs in 2015 while his $42 million contract is the highest for an NFL half back. For argument's sake, Ryan Mathews leads all qualified rushers in YPC and both Sproles and Barner rank above Murray in that category. On that note, Mathews is set to return from the league's concussion protocol for a Week 14 matchup against the Bills, though he was limited in practice on Wednesday. With Barner garnering more work each week and Mathews returning, this backfield is beginning to feel crowded. Murray will likely return to a more prominent role after this week's reports, while Mathews will factor in quite a bit as well. Look for Sproles and Barner to take a step back next week.

Darren McFadden and the rest of the Cowboys offense was completely useless against the Reskins on Monday night for the first 59 minutes of the game. McFadden saved his day with a six-yard TD late in the game, finishing with a 14-53-1 line on the night. Robert Turbin mixed in a bit, tacking on 24 yards on eight touches. McFadden's potential will be tenuous in the absence of Tony Rom o, but he is locked in as starter nonetheless. He will try to post some better numbers against Green Bay's hit-or-miss run defense in Week 14.

On the other side of the ball, the Washington Football Club's offense was just as futile as that of the Cowboys, averaging just 2.8 YPA from the backfield. Unfortunately, Washington did not have a stupid punt return fumble to set them up right in front of the end zone. Matt Jones led the crew with 18-of-25 carries from the backfield, but traveled just 49 yards. Alfred Morris was even worse, going just 12 yards on six carries. Chris Thompson's season appears to be in doubt due to a sprained shoulder. there's no word yet on the severity, but suiting up for Week 14 seems unlikely. Head coach Jay Gruden insists that Alfred Morris remains the team's starting RB, despite being benched on Monday night. Do we believe him? Do we really even care? No, not really.

NFC WEST: Fantasy Football Running Backs (RB)

Who knew that Blaine Gabbert had wheels? The QB led the team in rushing with an impressive 6-75-1 line on the ground and a game-winning TD pass in the air. Pretty cool stuff. Shaun Draughn was pretty ineffective on the ground despite a rushing touchdown, accounting for just 36 yards on his 13 carries. He found some success in the passing attack with 50 yards on five receptions. Head coach Jay Tomsula confessed that there is a good chance Carlos Hyde (foot) might not play again this season. Why should he? The 49ers season was over ten weeks ago and Hyde seems to be one of the few worthwhile assets left on the offense. That means Draughn will be in line for a bunch of carries moving forward. If there's any chance he's still floating on some waiver wire in some abandoned league, it's now or never.

Over the past four weeks, Thomas Rawls is averaging 102 yards rushing and a TD per game, making him the second leading fantasy RB scorer over that span, close behind Adrian Peterson. Rawls, an undrafted rookie, is a legitimate rookie of the year candidate and has been one of the top running g backs in the league when he's on the field. That was no different on Sunday as the Seahawks absolutely trounced the Vikings in Minnesota. Rawls casually posted a 19-101-1 line, though he did lose a fumble. He's a top guy, if not the top guy, against Baltimore's porous defense in Week 14.

The Cardinals backfield thrived in the absence of Chris Johnson and Andre Ellington on Sunday. Rookie David Johnson (who I can finally just refer to as Johnson, rather that D. Johnson) took the reigns, rushing 22 times for 99 yards and catching two passes for 21 yards and a score, good for the fourth-best fantasy performance of the week. The other backups saw their chances as well, as Kerwynn Williams rushed six times for 59 yards, including a 35-yard touchdown dash. Stefan taylor added another 20 yards on five carries. The Cardinals backfield averaged over 5.0 YPA and seems to be effective regardless of who the ball carrier is. Maybe the Cardinals just have five amazing running backs. It's all possible in Arizona's high-octane offense.

With the Rams season in shambles, Todd Gurley's value is going down, down, down. Gurley's fantasy output has dropped lower and lower each week since a breakout performance five weeks ago (28.30 points against the Browns in Week 7). Actually, 41 yards rushing against the Cardinals was a slight improvement on his 30-yard performance last week against the Bengals. Much of this can be attributed to the woeful production from the quarterback in St. Louis, where Nick Foles continues to run the team into the ground. Also, the offensive line gave Gurley no chance to get things going as the rookie was repeatedly swallowed up in the backfield before taking two steps. The Rams playoff hopes are over, but there's still hope for Gurley. We've all seen what he's capable of, even behind this despondent offensive line. Give Gurley another chance against Detroit in Week 14.

NFC NORTH: Fantasy Football Running Backs (RB)

Just like that, the Packers rushing game has disappeared again. Eddie Lacy seems to be forever dipping in and out of the coaches good graces and on Thursday he was clearly out. The portly tail back carried the ball five times, traveled four yards and proceeded to enjoy a nice, warm seat on the bench for the remainder of the contest. Fourth-string RB John Crockett led the crew in yardage with 22 yards on five carries. Third-string back Alonzo Harris is tied to Lacy's debauchery in some way and is also under the scrutiny of the coaches. James Starks received the most carries (9) but went only 15 yards. This week started with all of the familiar rhetoric from head coach Mike McCarthy about how Lacy looks "rejuvenated" and that the two had talked things out. Don't believe it until you see it, though there is the potential for a big Lacy game against a banged up Cowboys squad in Lambeau next week.

By God, the Lions eclipsed 100 yards rushing on Thursday against the Packers! It truly was a Ford Field miracle. Forget the Hail Mary. Sure, 22 of those yards came from scrambles by Matthew Stafford. But, 67 of them came from Ameer Abdullah on just 13 carries. The 5.2 YPA are easily the best total from Abdullah in his young career. In the meantime, Joique Bell managed just five yards on his eight carries while Theo Roddick rushed once for four yards. Roddick and Bell added 27 and 25 yards in the passing game, respectively. It looks like the Lions coaching staff is ready to give Abdullah another crack at legitimate starting duties. Let's see if he can deliver this time.

Finally, Matt Forte is back in action as shown by his 21-84-1 line and five receptions for 39 more yards against the 49ers on Sunday. Forte is back in the top-3 fantasy RB performers of the week where he belongs. Jeremy Langford still got some meaningful work in, taking 12 carries for 59 yards and adding nine yards on two catches. Even Ka'Deem Carey saw the light of day with a 5-17-1 line of his own. Forte's time recovering from a knee injury opened the door for the backups to prove their worth and it has clearly lingered among John Fox and the coaching staff in Chicago. Still, Forte remains the man to own in this backfield and should be a top option moving forward.

Adrian Peterson rushed for 18 yards on eight carries as the Vikings were embarrassed by the Seahawks in front of their home crowd on Sunday. Games like this hurt the pride of a guy like Peterson, who complained about not getting enough carries as star running backs tend to do after big losses. News flash - it's difficult to hand the ball off when your team is down 35 points, AP. Although Peterson and the Vikings have another tough matchup against the Cardinals next week, there are plenty of reasons to think that the generation's best running back will bounce back. Who cares? Peterson could be facing a defense full of Pro Bowlers and you would still have to be crazy not to start him every week.

NFC SOUTH: Fantasy Football Running Backs (RB)

Mark Ingram is done for the season after undergoing surgery to repair a torn rotator cuff in his shoulder, opening the door for C.J. Spiller and Tim Hightower to see some quality work. The Saints have Spiller listed as their top RB heading into a Week 14 trip to Tampa Bay, but some reports have suggested otherwise. Many believe Hightower to be the featured, early-down running back of preference in the Saints backfield due to his prevalence as a pass protector, a skill which Spiller apparently lacks. Obviously, Spiller is the more accomplished and proven of the two. The most likely scenario is that the two will split work so the coaching staff can get a better read on who might be more successful. Either way, both should be scooped up immediately. Still, don't expect either to replace the production of Ingram this season.

Devonta Freeman was a PPR monster in Tampa Bay in Week 13, hauling in 10-of-11 targets for 56 yards, adding 47 yards on 14 carries. Freeman isn't keeping up with his production from earlier in the season, but nobody really expected him to. Still, it was a great bounce back game after being sidelined with a concussion last week. Freeman remains the league's leading fantasy RB scorer with 1,287 yards from scrimmage and 11 touchdowns on the season. He will face the toughest possible matchup in Carolina next week.

Despite reports of "dialing back" Jonathan Stewart's workload down the stretch, the bruising back rushed 21 times for 82 yards and score against the Saints on Sunday, adding three receptions for 31 yards. The Panthers will surely be looking to keep the undefeated streak going and Stewart's role is a big part of their offensive success. Rookie running back Cameron Artis-Payne is reportedly next in line to receive carries if Tolbert is injured or rested in the coming weeks, but is not worth any attention until that day comes.

Make way for the Dougernaut. The artist previously known as Muscle Hamster reached 100 yards on 26 touches, adding a rushing touchdown in the process. Doug Martin is a top-5 back over the past four weeks, a top-3 fantasy back on the season and has been one of the most consistent options in the league through 13 weeks of play. Charles Sims continued to threaten relevancy with 77 yards on nine touches, but the ceiling remains low with the presence of Martin constantly looming over his head. The Bucs rushing game should be let loose against the Saints league-worst run defense in Week 14.

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