Week 14 NFL Advanced Analytics Superstars

Running Back: Le'Veon Bell

Le'Veon Bell, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers
38 Rushes, 236 Yards, 3 Touchdowns
4 Receptions, 62 Yards, 5 Targets
Performance: 100, NEP: +17.22

It shouldn't come as any surprise that Bell finished as the top running back of the week. 298-yard days from running backs aren't that common. In fact, there have only been two instances since 1999 where a running back eclipsed those numbers -- Adrian Peterson in 2007 (315 yards) and Priest Holmes in 2002 (307). Bell carried the ball a whopping 38 times against the Buffalo Bills, running for 236 yards on the ground and 3 touchdowns. He also picked up an additional 62 yards on 4 receptions off of 5 targets.

Entering the game, most people had fond memories of LeSean McCoy's triumphant "snow game" against the Lions a few years back, but it was Bell's turn to one-up the veteran on the road. Bell made big play after big play against Buffalo, routinely making defenders miss and picking up first downs in the process. He was tackled for a loss on just one of his 38 attempts. His biggest play of the game came on a 3rd-and-10 when he converted a checkdown pass from Ben Roethlisberger for a 32-yard gain. Bell added +3.17 to his NEP on that play alone, finishing the week with a total of +17.22 -- the largest weekly leader we've had this season. Bell ranks second among all running backs in Total NEP behind only David Johnson.

Bell finished the week as the top fantasy running back in PPR leagues with a whopping 51.8 fantasy points. Hopefully you weren't playing against him in your fantasy league's playoffs.

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