The Buffalo Bills have one of the best offenses in the NFL and look set for playoff football for a third consecutive year. The rushing attack has disappointed, though, and the running backs have been a fantasy football afterthought. Heading into a Week 14 clash with Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, should you start Devin Singletary, Zack Moss, Matt Breida, or any other Bills RB in fantasy?
Devin Singletary and Zack Moss are locked in a battle for touches
The Bills have relied on a backfield committee for much of this season. The offense runs through QB Josh Allen, their MVP candidate. Allen hasn’t been scoring touchdowns at the rate of previous seasons, but his presence and rushing ability limits the potential of running backs.
Singletary leads the team with 108 rushing attempts for 495 yards and 2 touchdowns. He’s also fifth in targets and receptions, catching 26 of 33 targets for 118 yards. He’s behind Stefon Diggs, Cole Beasley, Emmanuel Sanders, and Dawson Knox. The lack of volume makes him difficult to trust, though, especially when compared to some of the workhorse backs in the league. Singletary is averaging just 9 carries and 2.2 receptions per game. He’s the RB39 in standard-scoring leagues.
Moss has been the secondary option at running back for most of the season. He has 83 rushing attempts for 286 yards and 4 touchdowns and has caught 20 of 29 targets for 178 yards and a touchdown. Moss was a healthy scratch in Week 12, which may indicate his standing with the coaching staff. He returned last week but finished with just 10 touches and 33 total yards.
Working in Moss’ favor is his position as the running back of choice in the red zone. Moss has 24 carries compared to just 14 for Singletary. He also has a team-leading 5 carries from inside the 5-yard line. Moss is currently the fantasy RB37 in standard-scoring leagues, just ahead of Singletary.
Matt Breida is an option in deep fantasy leagues
The third player who has emerged as an option for the Bills is Matt Breida. The former San Francisco 49ers and Miami Dolphins running back had 11 touches for 55 yards and a touchdown when Moss was inactive.
Breida’s role looks to have decreased again, though, and his fantasy viability will likely be tied to Moss’ status. The third option in the committee won’t appeal to many fantasy managers.
Should I start a Bills running back in Week 14?
The Bills face a Buccaneers defense that has frustrated running backs all season long. The Bucs allow the fifth-fewest fantasy points per game to running backs in standard-scoring formats. Nonetheless, they have been conceding receptions to RBs. Only the Cincinnati Bengals have allowed more completions to the position. This is good news for those fantasy managers playing in points per reception (PPR) leagues. The Buccaneers are giving up the 15th-most fantasy points to RBs in that format.
Singletary is the fantasy RB33 in our Week 14 running back rankings. Moss is currently ranked as RB46, while Breida is RB54. You’ll likely have better options, but Singletary’s share of the workload makes him the best choice.