The fantasy football playoffs are just one week away in most standard leagues. If you are in contention, now is the time to really dial in. It's time to continue our fantasy start 'em sit 'em series with a breakdown of the running back position.

Fantasy running backs are an interesting position to pay attention to this week. With the fantasy playoffs about to start, it's important you focus on the right matchups. It's too risky starting someone who is going up against a difficult defense. Let's take a look at the six players you should consider starting or sitting for fantasy football Week 14 at the running back position.

Fantasy Football Week 14 Start ‘Em

Javonte Williams – Denver Broncos

Williams is quickly becoming the lead back for the Broncos. He's coming off the two best games of his short career and just dominated the Kansas City Chiefs. He rushed for over 100 yards and scored a reception touchdown off six catches for 76 yards. He's starting to earn more carries than Melvin Gordon and they are paying off. He should continue to get more carries than Gordon going forward. The Broncos face the Detroit Lions, who rank 28th against the run. Williams should be starting in your lineup with how well he's playing.

Saquon Barkley – New York Giants

Barkley is facing a very favorable matchup this week. The Chargers rank 27th against the run and have given up a ton of yardage throughout the year. This should be the game where he bounces back. With Jake Fromm likely to be the QB, he should get a ton of carries. He'll likely find holes in the defense and maybe even score a couple of rushing touchdowns. Barkley hasn't been very reliable lately, but this week could be a turning point for him.

Elijah Mitchell – San Francisco 49ers

Mitchell is playing very well as a rookie this season. He's getting over 20 carries a game now, and it's enough for him to have good fantasy value. He faces the 25th-ranked Cinncinati Bengals defense against the run this year. This should be another solid matchup for him to contribute. Mitchell entered concussion protocol on Monday but has a chance to play Sunday. If he does, you should seriously consider it in an important week.

Fantasy Football Running Backs Sit ‘Em

Ezekiel Elliott – Dallas Cowboys

Elliott isn't playing well as of late. He's not getting the carries he used to get, and a lot of that is because of the rise of Tony Pollard. Pollard is playing very well in his role, which is causing a lack of carries to Elliott, as are his injury woes. With that being said, I would seriously consider benching Elliot this week. He faces the 11th-ranked Washington Football Team against the run. That defensive line is very good and causes a bad matchup for Elliott.

James Robinson – Jacksonville Jaguars

Robinson is fresh off his worst game of the season. He ran it just eight times for 24 yards. He also caught one pass for 11 yards. Robinson has been average this year, and a lot of that has to do with the poor Jags offense as a whole. They face the Titans, who rank fourth against the run. This should be an easy decision to bench as he didn't perform at all last week and even got benched for a bit. There are many better options than this one.

Melvin Gordon – Denver Broncos

Gordon is going in the opposite direction of Williams. Because of that, he isn't a reliable fantasy football option right now. They face a favorable matchup against the Lions, but it's expected that Williams gets a majority of the reps. Gordon is also dealing with a hip and shoulder injury. That should be enough to avoid him in a crucial fantasy football week.