Week 15 Rankings (2016): Top 40 Running Backs

by Ray Kuhn

Without fail we were back to dealing with injury woes last week. In general it was a rough week all around (even more so since it was the first week of the playoffs) and the running position was not immune.  We saw Matt Forte and Melvin Gordon both go down with injury, and neither wasted much time doing so. Injuries are, unfortunately, a reality but it made matters worse that neither got a chance to put up many fantasy points before departing. While they certainly ruined the day of many fantasy owners, their injuries now present an exploitable opportunity for this week. Let’s take a look at how the running backs rank for Week 15:

1. David Johnson – Arizona Cardinals – vs. New Orleans
2. Le’Veon Bell – Pittsburgh Steelers – at Cincinnati
3. LeSean McCoy – Buffalo Bills – vs. Cleveland
4. Ezekiel Elliot – Dallas Cowboys – vs. Tampa Bay
5. Latavius Murray – Oakland Raiders – at San Diego
6. Devonta Freeman – Atlanta Falcons – vs. San Francisco
7. DeMarco Murray – Tennessee Titans – at Kansas City
8. Jay Ajayi – Miami Dolphins – at New York Jets
9. Lamar Miller – Houston Texans – vs. Jacksonville
10. Thomas Rawls – Seattle Seahawks – vs. Los Angeles
11. Jordan Howard – Chicago Bears – vs. Green Bay
12. Carlos Hyde – San Francisco 49ers – at Atlanta
13. Spencer Ware – Kansas City Chiefs – vs. Tennessee
14. Bilal Powell – New York Jets – vs. Miami
15. Jeremy Hill – Cincinnati Bengals – vs. Pittsburgh
16. Theo Riddick – Detroit Lions – at New York Giants
17. Jonathan Stewart – Carolina Panthers – at Washington
18. Robert Kelley – Washington Redskins – vs. Carolina
19. LeGarrette Blount – New England Patriots – at Denver
20. Doug Martin – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – at Dallas
21. Tevin Coleman – Atlanta Falcons – vs. San Francisco
22. Frank Gore – Indianapolis Colts – at Minnesota
23. Mark Ingram – New Orleans Saints – at Arizona
24. Todd Gurley – St. Louis Rams – at Seattle
25. Kenneth Dixon – Baltimore Ravens – vs. Philadelphia
26. Kenneth Farrow – San Diego Chargers – vs. Oakland
27. Ryan Mathews – Philadelphia Eagles – at Baltimore
28. Jerick McKinnon – Minnesota Vikings – vs. Indianapolis
29. Isaiah Crowell – Cleveland Browns – at Buffalo
30. Rashad Jennings – New York Giants – vs. Detroit
31. Matt Asiata – Minnesota Vikings – vs. Indianapolis
32. Dion Lewis – New England Patriots – at Denver
33. T.J. Yeldon – Jacksonville Jaguars – at Houston
34. Duke Johnson – Cleveland Browns – at Buffalo
35. Justin Forsett – Denver Broncos – vs. New England
36. Mike Gillislee – Buffalo Bills – vs. Cleveland
37. James White – New England Patriots – at Denver
38. Charles Sims – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – at Dallas
39. Rex Burkhead – Cincinnati Bengals – vs. Pittsburgh
40. Chris Thompson – Washington Redksins – vs. Carolina

Notes:

• Day to day. Is that really what we want to hear as we are setting waiver claims and planning our rosters? That is term Todd Bowles used to describe Matt Forte’s situation as the results of his MRI are still unclear. Things didn’t sound too good for Forte after departing, and I wouldn’t consider him a viable option for this week. The opposite should be said for Bilal Powell. A veteran is in his sixth year with the Jets, Powell is different from some of the other back-ups we have seen this season. He didn’t miss a beat last week as he touched the ball 34 times, 29 carries and five receptions, while gaining a combined 179 yards and scoring 2 TD. For his career he is averaging 4.3 yards on the ground along with 7.7 yards on his 154 receptions. Powell shouldn’t have too many problems adjusting to his increased workload and he is worth a legit look going against a middle of the road defense in Miami. With Bryce Petty still under center, the Jets will continue to rely on the run.
• Powell is a name that was likely already on your radar, but the same cannot be said for Kenneth Farrow. Melvin Gordon is dealing with both a knee and a hip sprain, and the majority of San Diego’s carries will likely go to Farrow. That was the case this past week after Gordon departed as Farrow carried the ball 16 times for 55 yards while also catching six passes for 23 yards. San Diego leaned pretty heavily on the undrafted rookie as he nearly doubled his workload for the season. He did struggle in pass protection, but having a full week of preparation as the starter should serve to benefit him. Ronnie Hillman will likely be a factor as well, but he has just 22 touches this season. I would try look for a better option than Farrow, but it’s also hard to argue with his expected opportunity against the Raiders, who are allowing the fifth most points to opposing running backs.
• After Powell torched the 49ers last week, and honestly who hasn’t this season, we should look to exploit them once again. However, that likely gives us two running backs who are fantasy worthy. That has been the case all season for the Falcons as both Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman have proved to valuable options when healthy. Last week it was mildly surprising that Freeman didn’t do a better job taking advantage of the Rams in a game that Atlanta had in hand all afternoon. Freeman managed six yards on six carries while catching two passes for another 12 yards. So far this season he has just one 100-yard game, but he does have a combined 9 TD and 1,121 yards. Coleman’s day only looked vastly better than his counterpart because he found the end zone twice while gaining 55 yards. Both backs could easily find their way into your starting lineup this week, but Freeman is the back to own.
• From four, we are likely down to two running backs in Philadelphia. It appears that Wendell Smallwood is out for the season and Darren Sproles is currently in the concussion protocol. That should make for a big day for Ryan Mathews, but we also should take into account that Kenjon Barner will play a role. It also needs to be noted that the Philadelphia offense has been reeling as of late as Carson Wentz has been looking like the rookie that he is. With just 24 carries this season, I both wouldn’t buy into Barner nor would I let it impact my thoughts on Mathews. The problem is that at 4.2 yards per carry, the enthusiasm surrounding Mathews does need to be tempered. He does have 7 TD, but Baltimore has a tough defense.
• Don’t let the fact that LeSean McCoy is not technically the goal line back for Buffalo hinder his value. The Bills offense never truly got on track last week, but McCoy still scored a touchdown on the ground and caught six passes for 81 yards. I wouldn’t be concerned about the 2.3 yards per carry he averaged against Pittsburgh as he is just 24 yards away from 1,000 mark for the season with an average of 5.2 yards per carry. Plus, this week it’s not going to get much easier than it does facing the Browns.

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