The Las Vegas Raiders will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 14. Here’s the latest fantasy football news and advice to help you with your lineups this week and moving forward, especially regarding RB Ameer Abdullah.
Is Ameer Abdullah Playing in Week 14?
Abdullah appeared on Thursday’s injury report after not being listed on Wednesday. It doesn’t look like anything to be alarmed about, though, as he was a full participant with a foot injury.
Abdullah was fully practiced again on Friday and was removed from the Raiders’ injury report. He’s a full-go for Week 14.
Abdullah led the Raiders backfield in snaps the last two weeks with Alexander Mattison out but saw Sincere McCormick take a larger share of the carries in Week 13. With Mattison on the verge of a return, Abdullah could go back to his passing back role, but he’ll have to keep fighting McCormick for touches.
We’ll continue to monitor the Raiders’ injury report. You can also visit and bookmark our NFL Injury Tracker and Fantasy News Tracker for the latest updates.
Should You Start or Sit Ameer Abdullah in Week 14?
Only time will tell if reinforcements are on the way when it comes to Vegas’ backfield, but should it matter? I was impressed with the Raiders’ rushing success in Kansas City on Friday (25 attempts for 116 yards, 4.6 yards per carry) — I don’t think that’s a hot take.
That said, with their top two backs out, they still opted for a committee structure, giving Sincere McCormick 12 carries (two targets) and Abdullah 10 carries (two targets). With this season lost, why wouldn’t the Raiders continue to see what they have from McCormick, a second-year back out of UTSA who had five career carries before last week?
Abdullah remains my highest-ranked RB in Las Vegas’ backfield, and I think his versatility gives him some ceiling potential should the Raiders fall behind. But if Alexander Mattison and/or Zamir White are active, we are splitting a very small pie in a few directions.
I don’t mind rostering all involved parties, but I don’t envision a situation in which we have great clarity when it comes to touch distribution this weekend. That has me ranking all of them below my Flex tier, even with six byes to navigate.
Abdullah would shift up to the very low end of the playable range in 12-team formats if we get word that both Mattison and White will again be shelved.
Are you looking for start/sit advice for other players in your lineup? Read our Week 14 Fantasy Start-Sit Advice Cheat Sheet for every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Ameer Abdullah’s Fantasy Points Projection in Week 14
As of Sunday morning, Abdullah is projected to score 11.9 fantasy points in PPR formats. This includes 4.8 rushing attempts for 20.4 yards and 0.1 touchdowns. It also includes 5.2 receptions for 35.4 yards and 0.1 touchdowns.
Check out the free PFN Fantasy Start-Sit Optimizer for the latest projections and advice for your lineups this week.
Ameer Abdullah’s Fantasy Ranking
Our Weekly Consensus PPR Rankings are below — both positional and overall. They were last updated at 11:45 PM ET on Saturday, January 25.
Conference Championship RB PPR Rankings
1) Saquon Barkley | PHI (vs. WAS)
2) James Cook | BUF (at KC)
3) Brian Robinson Jr. | WAS (at PHI)
4) Isiah Pacheco | KC (vs. BUF)
5) Kareem Hunt | KC (vs. BUF)
6) Austin Ekeler | WAS (at PHI)
7) Ray Davis | BUF (at KC)
8) Ty Johnson | BUF (at KC)
9) Samaje Perine | KC (vs. BUF)
10) Kenneth Gainwell | PHI (vs. WAS)
11) Jeremy McNichols | WAS (at PHI)
12) Will Shipley | PHI (vs. WAS)
13) Carson Steele | KC (vs. BUF)
14) Reggie Gilliam | BUF (at KC)
15) Chris Rodriguez Jr. | WAS (at PHI)
