NFL running back rankings Week 14 edition. We’ve seen a ton of players at this position perform at a high clip over the past several weeks.
Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs put up a Week 12 outing in which he registered north of 300 total yards. He ascends this list in a big way. Meanwhile, Christian McCaffrey continues to make a name for himself after a brilliant Week 13 outing.
It’s in this that we provide you our NFL running back rankings heading into Week 14 of the 2022 season.
Related: Sportsnaut’s NFL wide receiver rankings for Week 14
10. Dameon Pierce, Houston Texans
- Dameon Pierce stats: 198 attempts, 861 rushing yards, 4.3 average, 30 receptions,165 yards, 1,026 total yards, 4 TD
This rookie fourth-round pick just continues to make an impact. Pierce put up 95 total yards on 21 touches in a Week 13 loss to the Cleveland Browns. This came after two consecutive ho-hum performances as he continues to exist on a bad Texans team.
As one of the few building blocks in Houston, Pierce now finds himself on pace for nearly 1,500 total yards. He’s also averaging a solid 2.3 yards after contact. This has Pierce in our NFL running back rankings for the first time during his rookie campaign.
9. Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers
- Aaron Jones stats: 164 attempts, 847 rushing yards, 5.2 average, 48 receptions, 328 yards, 1,175 total yards, 6 TD
Jones has been able to play in all 13 games this season despite dealing with nagging injuries. That paid off big time back in Week 10 with the Pro Bowler putting up 138 yards and a touchdown in Green Bay’s surprising win over the Cowboys.
Jones does take a dip in our most-recent rankings after having tallied 109 total rushing yards over the past three games. But his dual-threat ability can’t go unnoticed. The former UTEP star is on pace for what would be a career-high 63 receptions to go with 1,536 total yards.
Related: Sportsnaut’s Week 14 NFL offense rankings
8. Tony Pollard, Dallas Cowboys
- Tony Pollard stats: 148 attempts, 852 rushing yards, 5.8 average, 25 receptions, 259 yards, 1,111 total yards, 10 TD
What Tony Pollard has done for the high-flying Cowboys offensive attack this season can’t go unnoticed. The impending free agent is now on pace for nearly 1,600 total yards and 14 touchdowns. He’s also averaging a resounding 3.0 yards after contact.
Most recently, the former Memphis star has tallied 631 total yards and eight touchdowns over his past five games alone. Forget about being RB1 in Dallas, Pollard has proven himself to be one of the best NFL running backs this season. It will help him get paid once March comes calling.
Related: Sportsnaut’s Week 14 NFL QB rankings
7. Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts
- Jonathan Taylor stats: 192 attempts, 861 rushing yards, 4.5 average, 27 receptions, 130 yards, 991 total yards, 4 TD
Despite missing three games to injury and being limited in another, Taylor continues to prove that he’s one of the top running backs in the league. That includes the 2021 rushing champion putting up 475 rushing yards and three touchdowns at a clip of 4.7 yards per rush over the past five games.
The interesting dynamic here is that Taylor is doing this without much of a passing game from quarterback Matt Ryan. A lack of balance would normally impact a running back. We’re just not seeing that with Taylor when he’s been healthy this season.
6. Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings
- Dalvin Cook stats: 198 attempts, 927 rushing yards, 4.7 average, 28 receptions, 157 yards, 1,084 total yards, 8 TD
Consistently good. That’s been the name of the game for Cook since Minnesota made him a second-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. The Florida State product has tallied north of 1,300 total yards in each of the past three seasons. He’s now on pace to do just that again in 2022 despite dealing with nagging injuries.
Despite his Vikings being blown out by Dallas in Week 11, Cook still averaged 6.6 yards on 11 attempts. He just didn’t get the touches with Minnesota playing from behind the starters all but pulled from this game in the second half. Cook then struggled to the tune of 42 yards on 22 attempts in a win over the New England Patriots on Thanksgiving before putting up 86 yards on 20 attempts this past week.
Related: Week 14 NFL power rankings
NFL running back rankings: The elite five
5. Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns
- Nick Chubb stats: 217 attempts, 1,119 rushing yards, 5.2 average, 17 receptions, 152 yards, 1,271 total yards, 12 TD
Speaking of our NFL running back rankings, Chubb could very well be higher if it weren’t for the others listed below. After all, we’re talking about a dude who has put up north of 100 rushing yards six times in 12 games this season. That’s no small thing.
After averaging nearly 1,400 total yards in each of his first four seasons, Chubb is in the midst of a career-best performance. He’s among the leaders in rushing touchdowns with 12 and is averaging 2.5 yards after contact. That’s some elite-level stuff.
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4. Saquon Barkley, New York Giants
- Saquon Barkley stats: 242 attempts, 1,055 rushing yards, 4.4 average, 40 receptions, 241 yards, 1,296 total yards, 8 TD
Sensing a theme here? Multiple players in our Week 14 NFL running back rankings have returned to form after recent injuries. Barkley, 25, has put up triple-digit yardage six times in 12 games. He’s catching 87% of his targets in the passing game and has only put the ball on the turf one time this season.
A dual-threat if there ever was one, Barkley’s performance is one of the reasons New York finds itself at a surprising 7-4. His absurd 35-rush, 152-yard outing in a Week 10 win over the Houston Texans adds another layer to this. Unfortunately, he has struggled to the tune of 144 rushing yards at a clip of 2.8 yards since that Week 10 outing.
3. Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers
- Christian McCaffrey stats: 160 attempts, 700 rushing yards, 4.4 average, 66 receptions, 559 yards, 1,259 total yards, 7 TD
After playing in all of 10 games over the past two seasons, McCaffrey has returned to form as one of the top NFL running backs in the game. That’s now on the verge of being taken to a whole new level since he was acquired by San Francisco in a blockbuster trade with the Carolina Panthers.
CMC made his initial impact with the 49ers in a Week 8 outing in which he threw a touchdown, ran for another score and caught a touchdown from Jimmy Garoppolo. In six games with the 49ers, McCaffrey has tallied 589 yards with three touchdowns at a clip of 5.5 yards per touch. He’s also coming off a Week 13 outing against Miami in which the All-Pro tallied 146 total yards.
2. Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans
- Derrick Henry stats: 258 attempts, 1,078 rushing yards, 4.2 average, 23 receptions, 286 yards, 1,364 total yards, 10 TD
The NFL rushing champ in 2019 and 2020 before an injury-plagued 2021 campaign, Henry has more than returned to earlier-career form. He leads the league in rush attempts, rushing yards, rushing yards per game and total touches. That’s just insane.
More to the point. Henry put up a seven-game span that saw him tally 818 rushing yards at a clip of 4.7 yards per while scoring eight touchdowns before struggling to the tune of 68 rushing yards over the past two games. It’s in this that he drops one spot in our most-recent NFL running back rankings heading into Week 14.
1. Josh Jacobs, Las Vegas Raiders
- Josh Jacobs stats: 242 attempts, 1,303 rushing yards, 5.4 average, 42 receptions, 331 yards, 1,634 total yards, 10 TD
Yet another impending free agent, Jacobs also couldn’t have picked a better time to enjoy a career-best performance. He’s also one of the only feel-good stories for a disappointing Raiders team this season. That includes six 100-yard rushing performances through 12 games.
Jacobs, 24, is averaging a resounding 3.1 yards after contact, up from 2.0 a season ago. He’s also coming off an absolutely insane 303 total-yard outing in a Week 12 overtime win over the Seattle Seahawks that included a walk-off touchdown. Over the course of his past four games, Jacobs has tallied an absurd 719 total yards and four touchdowns.