What to do with J.D. McKissic, Peyton Barber in Week 14 fantasy football

Game day update: With Antonio Gibson out for Sunday’s game, the Washington Football Team will lean on the running back combination of Peyton Barber and J.D. McKissic. Last week against the Steelers, the duo did an admirable job to give WFT a presence on the ground.

Barber had 23 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown, while McKissic had a season-high 10 receptions (10 targets) for 70 yards. Despite not scoring a touchdown, McKissic scored 7.8 fantasy points, which is a solid performance for a FLEX option.

This week, they are facing a Niners’ defense that has allowed three receiving and six rushing touchdowns, along with 15.3 fantasy points per game to opposing running backs. ESPN projects Barber and McKissic to score 9.9 and 8.2 fantasy points.

With Antonio Gibson doubtful to play in Week 14, J.D. McKissic becomes a top play this week after becoming one of the top pass-catching running backs this year.

Fantasy Football analysis: Washington RBs J.D. McKissic, Peyton Barber

McKissic has established himself as a top pass-catching back this season. He’s become a favorite of quarterback Alex Smith out of the backfield. In Week 13’s win against the Pittsburgh Steelers, McKissic caught all 10 of his targets for 70 yards and 17.80 points after Antonio Gibson left with a toe injury. Now, with it looking like Gibson will miss this week’s matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, McKissic should be considered a top play. Though he won’t do much damage in the running game (just six attempts in the past two games), McKissic has seen eight or more targets in three of his last five games.

Barber was given the bulk of the carries (14) in last week’s game compared to McKissic’s five. He cashed in from the one yard out, scoring 8.30 fantasy points in the process, but was unable to get anything else going against the Steelers’ tough run defense, rushing for just 23 yards and the score. San Francisco poses just as difficult of a matchup on the ground. They’ve given up more than 65 rushing yards to opposing running backs just twice this season, both coming against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 6 (Darrell Henderson had 88, Cam Akers had 84).

Fantasy Start/Sit Recommendation

Start J.D. McKissic. Sit Peyton Barber.