Fantasy Football: Plenty of big performances from top running backs highlight bold Week 14 predictions

The Yahoo Fantasy Football crew reveals their boldest takes for Week 14. Check out what Scott Pianowski, Matt Harmon, Ray Garvin, Chris Allen, Justin Boone and Joel Smyth have to say.

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Bucky Irving posts top-12 fantasy numbers against the Saints

So I guess a controlled return" from injury means hoarding over three quarters of the carries nowadays. Well, at least it did for Bucky Irving. Despite Rachaad White getting the ceremonial start and Irving playing just 54% of the snaps, there was no question who the RB1 for the Bucs was as neither White nor Sean Tucker played more than 10 snaps in the second half.

Meanwhile, Irving notched season-high marks in forced missed tackle rate and adjusted yards after contact per carry on a part-time workload. Now, he faces a Saints' run defense that just surrendered 134 yards to De'Von Achane last Sunday and has given up the fourth-most PPR PPG to opposing RBs over their last six games. With more time on the field, Irving will be back in the top-12 ranks by the end of Week 14. - Chris Allen

James Cook has 200+ yards for the second time this season

It's December, it's cold and the Buffalo Bills are back home. Buffalo's offensive line has been a dream for running backs while the Bengals' defensive line has been the same. In yards before contact per carry this season, Buffalo ranks second to Chicago while the Bengals defense ranks 31st (also to Chicago) when Trey Hendrickson is not on the field. The Bengals' star DE will miss another game this weekend, not helping their last-ranked defense versus fantasy rushing production. The only other time in his career that Cook has put up 200+ yards prior to this year was a 2023 December home game versus the Dallas Cowboys. - Joel Smyth

Watching some of these Bills duo runs back. Sheesh. pic.twitter.com/tX76CrKzDk

- Mina Kimes (@minakimes) December 1, 2025

Darren Waller finishes as a top-5 fantasy TE

Waller returned to the lineup with an unremarkable two-catch, 47-yard performance against the Saints last week. Fortunately for him, he gets an easier opponent in the Jets this Sunday. This is the same defense that just allowed Kyle Pitts Sr. to erupt for seven grabs and 82 yards in Week 13. Prior to Waller's injury earlier this season, he scored four touchdowns in his first three games with the Dolphins, including a two-TD effort versus the Jets. If we look back further, last year's starter, Jonnu Smith, finished as a top-five fantasy tight end in both matchups with New York. The lack of a strong second receiver behind Jaylen Waddle makes Waller an enticing fantasy option whenever he's healthy, but his ceiling is even higher in this matchup. - Justin Boone

Quinshon Judkins top-5 running back in Week 14

The Browns' back will likely be without fellow rookie Dylan Sampson in this upcoming game, which may not seem like much, but it matters on the margins. Judkins has a 78% share of the backfield touches since Week 10. Taking Sampson out of the mix could conceivably push him up north of 80% and into truly elite territory. He could also garner a couple more targets per game, which boosts the floor.

Judkins is the lone back in the NFL who has a 100% share of his team's backfield touches when the team is inside the red zone since Week 8. The Browns don't score many points, but when they do, odds are it's Judkins pushing it over. He'll get to test this workload down the stretch with a great upcoming schedule that starts with a hapless Tennessee Titans' run defense. The Titans have ceded 5.2 yards per carry and a league-high 10 touchdowns on gap scheme runs. Judkins has 102 carries on gap runs, per Fantasy Points Data, the third-most among backs. - Matt Harmon

Derrick Henry finishes the week as RB1 overall

The Ravens and Steelers both have identical 6-6 records and, in a matchup with massive playoff implications, they will have to lean on the ground game. Lamar Jackson has been banged up this week, and the passing attack has been lackluster for some time now so Baltimore turns to The King.

Pittsburgh has allowed 453 rushing yards over the last three weeks, third most, while giving up 4.6 per carry. This isn't just missed tackles - they've allowed the ninth-most yards before contact and 29 rushing first downs in that span, tied for second worst. Their rushing defensive success rate sits at 57.3% over the last three, a mark that screams runway for a downhill hammer. Zay Flowers has been quiet, Mark Andrews is the steadiest chain-mover, which only funnels touches to Henry. Expect a 100-plus yard game with multiple touchdowns. The King closes it out - Derrick Henry is the RB1 overall for the week. - Ray Garvin

Brenton Strange finishes as the TE2

Sorry to put a slight cap on it, but Trey McBride lives in his own world these days. But Strange will try to crash the party, coming off back-to-back TE5 finishes and taking aim at an Indianapolis defense that funnels production to the middle of the field. Fantasy football is about numbers, not names. Forget what you thought of Strange in the preseason and steer into the current reality - he's a featured piece in the Jacksonville passing game. - Scott Pianowski