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Running Back Roundup: Week 15 (Fantasy Football)

Running Back Roundup: Week 15 (Fantasy Football)

With just three weeks left in the regular season — and two weeks left in most fantasy leagues — we’ll be emphasizing this week’s matchups above all else in this week’s Running Back Roundup. The time for collecting savvy long-term stashes is over. Outside of keeper/dynasty leagues, we only care about guys who can help us right now. Repeat after me: Survive and advance. Survive and advance. Survive and advance…

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Arizona Cardinals
David Johnson continues to handle the vast majority of touches in Arizona’s backfield, but his production has sagged along with the rest of the Cardinals’ offense. If you’re looking for a silver lining, Johnson handled the team’s sole red zone carry last week after backup Chase Edmonds vultured two touchdowns the previous week. DJ is looking more like an RB2 than an RB1 as we reach the pinnacle of the fantasy football season, but at least he’ll be a high-end RB2 this week thanks to an appealing matchup with Atlanta.

Atlanta Falcons
This backfield has devolved into a full-blown committee between Tevin Coleman and Ito Smith, and a low-upside one at that due to the Falcons’ offensive woes. Neither Atlanta back is anything more than an RB3/flex option, but Smith is probably the better play at this point. The Falcons have nothing left to play for, so they might as well get a closer look at the rookie with Coleman likely on his way out the door via free agency.

Baltimore Ravens
Gus Edwards was once again the lead back for Baltimore in Week 14, but he only out-touched Kenneth Dixon 16-to-nine and out-snapped him 31-to-23. Ty Montgomery was a distant third in touches with three.

Ravens coach John Harbaugh indicated on Monday that Dixon’s role would grow going forward, so it’s fair to expect a fairly even split between Dixon and Edwards this week. Both Ravens RBs can be approached as high-risk, high-reward RB3/flex options in a favorable matchup with Tampa Bay. Dixon is arguably the more appealing play of the two because Edwards is a complete non-factor in the receiving game.

Buffalo Bills
LeSean McCoy strained his hamstring last week and is considered “day-to-day” for now. Buffalo has little reason to rush McCoy back, so don’t be surprised if he sits out this week’s game against Detroit. Chris Ivory replaced McCoy as the Bills’ lead back, but he’s dealing with an injured shoulder and is no guarantee to play against the Lions either. If both McCoy and Ivory are out, Marcus Murphy would presumably be the next man up, although Bills coach Sean McDermott floated practice squad RB Keith Ford’s name, so your guess is as good as mine. The only player on Buffalo’s roster who has been putting up good rushing numbers of late is quarterback Josh Allen, so whoever starts at RB against Detroit will merely be an RB3/flex option.

Carolina Panthers
Christian McCaffrey has 12 touchdowns over his last seven games and at least 100 scrimmage yards in six straight. It’s well past time to regard him as a top-five fantasy RB. Cameron Artis-Payne is his lightly-used backup.

Chicago Bears
Jordan Howard posted his first 100-yard rushing game of the season last week, as the Bears opted for a run-heavy approach in a defensive battle with the Rams. Tarik Cohen wasn’t bad, either, accumulating 89 scrimmage yards himself.

Howard is trending up a bit lately, but Cohen is still the better fantasy option thanks to his weekly upside. Both will be reasonable plays in a decent matchup with Green Bay in Week 15.

Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Mixon had one of his best games of the season last week, piling up 137 scrimmage yards and a touchdown against the Chargers. Mixon out-touched backup Gio Bernard 31-to-five, and will be a bonafide RB1 in a beautiful home matchup with the Raiders this week.

Cleveland Browns
Nick Chubb’s touches and yardage totals have both dipped a bit over the last two games, but he’s continued to find the end zone with regularity. He’s now scored eight touchdowns in seven games since he became the Browns’ lead back. Duke Johnson is still a non-factor in this offense, even in the passing game, so Chubb owners can still expect around 20 touches most weeks. He should slot in as a borderline RB1 for a trip to Denver on Saturday.

Dallas Cowboys
Ezekiel Elliott handled an unfathomable 40 touches in last week’s battle with the Eagles, topping 130 yards from scrimmage for the fifth consecutive game. Zeke’s passing game role has grown substantially over the second half of the season, making him an even easier choice as a top-five RB week in and week out. Rod Smith remains his handcuff.

Denver Broncos
Phillip Lindsay was largely shut down last week in San Francisco, but salvaged his day with a rushing touchdown. It marked just the third time all season Lindsay has been held below 79 scrimmage yards, so his owners shouldn’t fret. He’ll be a borderline RB1 for the Broncos’ Week 15 matchup with the Browns.

Royce Freeman failed to crack double-digit touches for the third time in the last four games, and continues to be more of a Lindsay handcuff than a standalone flex option.

Detroit Lions
With LeGarrette Blount failing to do much of anything on the ground, the Lions turned to Zach Zenner to salt away a second-half lead against the Cardinals last week. Zenner finished with 12 carries for 54 yards and a touchdown, and would at least be on the RB3/flex radar for a friendly Week 15 matchup with Buffalo if Kerryon Johnson isn’t ready to return from his knee injury. If Kerryon does return, he’ll instantly be back on the RB2 map even in his first game back.

Green Bay Packers
Jamaal Williams mysteriously took the first offensive series on Sunday in Joe Philbin’s debut as Packers coach, but thankfully Philbin came to his senses and leaned on Aaron Jones the rest of the way. Jones ended up with 106 scrimmage yards and a touchdown on 20 touches, and now has seven touchdowns over the last five games. He’ll be a borderline RB1 this week, even in a tough matchup at Chicago.

Houston Texans
Lamar Miller couldn’t get it going against the Colts last week, but did at least manage to find the end zone. Miller has at least 100 scrimmage yards or a touchdown in six of his last seven games, and will be an above-average RB2 for a decent matchup with the Jets this week.

Alfred Blue also scored against Indianapolis but did little else. He is still the preferred handcuff for Miller since D’Onta Foreman was a healthy scratch in his first game off the PUP list.

Indianapolis Colts
Marlon Mack struggled to find any running room against Houston’s swarming defense last week, but did score. Mack has consistently produced good rushing totals against bad defenses, and bad rushing totals against good ones. In other words, whether he’s an RB2 or an RB3/flex really depends on the matchup — consider him the latter for a rough matchup with Dallas this week. Nyheim Hines remains second on the Colts’ backfield depth chart, but neither he nor Jordan Wilkins is a viable flex option — or a particularly appealing bench stash.

Jacksonville Jaguars
Leonard Fournette was completely shut down in the Jaguars’ embarrassing Thursday night loss to the Titans, but he’s primed for a big bounce back this week against a Washington defense that has collapsed (along with the rest of the team) in the season’s second half. Fournette’s season has been an exercise in frustration — he has just three good games all year — but he still merits strong RB1 consideration this week.

T.J. Yeldon and Carlos Hyde are complete non-factors when Fournette is healthy and available. Neither is a must-hold in the final two weeks of the fantasy season.

Kansas City Chiefs
Spencer Ware had two touchdowns vultured by Damien Williams last week, but Ware still produced 129 scrimmage yards on 20 touches against a very tough Ravens defense. Ware missed practice on Tuesday with a hamstring injury, but it was deemed a rest day and he is tentatively expected to play on Thursday night against the Chargers. If he suits up, Ware will be a high-end RB2 against an LA defense that was shredded by Joe Mixon last week. Were Ware to sit out, Damien Williams would merit some RB2 consideration himself, although he could end up ceding quite a few touches to rookie Darrel Williams and veteran Charcandrick West.

Los Angeles Rams
Hopefully, you earned a first-round bye if you’re a Todd Gurley owner because Gurley had his worst output of the season against a ferocious Bears defense in Week 14. Gurley should atone for the slow week in a big way this week against an Eagles defense that has given up at least 98 rushing yards to a running back for five weeks running.

The Rams’ backup RB job remains muddled now that Malcolm Brown is lost for the season. Justin Davis played just a single offensive snap against Chicago, but did turn it into a 19-yard run and appears to be the frontrunner for the number two job at the moment. Rookie John Kelly only played on special teams.

Los Angeles Chargers
With Melvin Gordon out last week, Austin Ekeler served as the clear lead back over rookie Justin Jackson, producing 94 yards and a touchdown on 17 touches against Cincinnati. But Ekeler suffered a stinger in the game and also entered the concussion protocol this week, making it unlikely he’s able to play on a short week.

The bigger question, of course, is whether Gordon will be able to return from his sprained knee for Thursday’s showdown with Kansas City. The Chargers were initially skeptical that Gordon would be able to play, but he returned to practice on Tuesday and is now considered a game-time decision. If Gordon plays, he obviously belongs in fantasy lineups against the Chiefs’ soft run defense. But if Gordon and Ekeler miss the game, Jackson is suddenly an upside RB2 option for the fantasy semifinals.

Miami Dolphins
Kenyan Drake did just about nothing last week against New England until he took a hook-and-ladder 55 yards for a game-winning touchdown on the final play. The game epitomized Drake’s boom-or-bust season to a tee, but he remains a very difficult player to trust in your fantasy lineup with your season on the line. Frank Gore was the far consistent performer, rushing 12 times for 92 yards, but he’s merely a low-end RB3 — and not an appealing one this week in a bad matchup with Minnesota.

The best fantasy performance by a Miami running back actually wasn’t by Drake or Gore — it came from former Patriot Brandon Bolden, who turned both of his carries into touchdowns. Bolden’s big game is a nice story, but he remains far off the fantasy radar.

Minnesota Vikings
It’s been an up-and-down year for Dalvin Cook, but his 18 touches in Week 14 were the most he’s had since Week 1, and he converted them into a solid 83 scrimmage yards and a touchdown in a fairly challenging matchup at Seattle. Cook is trending up just in the nick of time for his fantasy owners who are still alive, and he’ll be a high-end RB2 at worst in a plus matchup with Miami this week.

Latavius Murray has taken a major backseat to Cook over the last month, and can no longer be counted on as an RB3/flex option. Murray is simply a handcuff for the admittedly injury-prone Cook.

New England Patriots
Sony Michel was a major disappointment in Week 14, managing just 57 yards on 20 carries against a weak Miami defense and once again having a touchdown vultured by James Develin. The mammoth workload was promising, but the presence of Develin and Rex Burkhead is a lingering issue for Michel, who could continue to lose out on goal-line opportunities going forward. He’ll just be a low-end RB2 for a fairly challenging matchup with the Steelers this week.

The Miami game was even more concerning for James White owners, as White touched the ball just six times and is now averaging fewer than nine touches per game over the last month. White still has plenty of weekly upside, particularly in PPR formats, but he is becoming more of a Tarik Cohen-esque, boom-or-bust fantasy asset.

New Orleans Saints
Alvin Kamara had a fairly quiet day in Week 14, as the Saints offense didn’t fully click in what seemed like a cake matchup with Tampa Bay. Kamara and Mark Ingram split the carries nearly evenly, with Ingram scoring from 17 yards out, while Kamara was the much more active back in the receiving game. Kamara still has elite matchup-winning weekly upside, but there is no doubt that he’s seen his touch totals and scoring opportunities decline since Ingram returned to the game-day lineup. He’s settled in as a low-end RB1 regardless of matchup.

Ingram is not much of a factor in the passing game, so his floor is much lower than Kamara’s. The scoring opportunities the Saints provide keep Ingram in the RB2 conversation, but he’ll just be a low-end one in a tough matchup with Carolina this week.

New York Giants
Saquon Barkley has been an elite fantasy option all season long, but he’s taken his performance to another level of late, particularly as a rusher. Earlier in the year, Barkley’s fantasy value was largely dependent on receptions and touchdowns, but he now has over 100 rushing yards in four straight games, including 170 rushing yards last week. He’s an every-week top-five RB, even in tough matchups like this week’s game against Tennessee. Wayne Gallman saw a lot of work in garbage time as the Giants destroyed Washington, which isn’t a sign that he will begin to eat into Barkley’s workload, but is further proof that he is Barkley’s direct backup and handcuff.

New York Jets
Isaiah Crowell handled all of two touches before he departed Sunday’s contest with a foot injury, opening the door for Elijah McGuire to produce 83 yards and a touchdown on 20 touches. Trenton Cannon also got in on the action, converting a four-yard rushing touchdown.

All three Jets RBs missed practice on Tuesday, but Crowell’s malady sounds like the most significant. The Jets have a difficult matchup with Houston this week, so none of these guys are going to be terrific fantasy plays, but McGuire will certainly be a reasonable RB3/flex option if Crowell misses the game.

Oakland Raiders
Facing a tough matchup with Pittsburgh, Doug Martin had his least efficient rushing day since taking over as Oakland’s lead back, but he did score for the third consecutive week. Martin has been good for around 15 touches and 70 yards each week, and gets a fantastic matchup with Cincinnati in Week 15. He deserves strong consideration as a low-end RB2 for that particular contest. Jalen Richard had an even quieter game than Martin against the Steelers and remains a low-floor, low-ceiling RB3/flex option who is better suited to PPR leagues.

Philadelphia Eagles
Josh Adams‘ lack of involvement in the passing game caught up to him last week, as the Eagles failed to establish the run and Adams handled just seven touches (all rushing attempts) for 36 yards. Meanwhile, Darren Sproles made a little bit of an impact, catching three passes for 34 yards and a touchdown. With Corey Clement headed to IR with a sprained knee, Adams will be a risky, low-end RB2 and Sproles will be a dicey, PPR-specific flex option for a fairly tough matchup with the Rams this week.

Pittsburgh Steelers
Rookie Jaylen Samuels operated as the clear lead back in the absence of James Conner last week, finishing with 18 touches for 92 yards – and his day would have likely been even better if Ben Roethlisberger had not missed most of the second half with a rib injury. Samuels did have a touchdown vultured by Stevan Ridley, but will nonetheless be a solid RB2 (or high-end TE1) this week if Conner misses another game.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin has left open the possibility that Conner could return from his ankle injury to face the Patriots this week, and it wouldn’t be shocking to see Conner play at less than 100 percent since the Steelers are still fighting to lock up a playoff spot. If Conner does play, it will be worth looking out for reports that he could be limited or on a snap count, but he’ll ultimately belong in most fantasy lineups if active.

San Francisco 49ers
With Matt Breida out with an ankle injury, Jeff Wilson produced 96 yards on 24 touches against Denver last week. Breida’s Week 15 status is cloudy, and if he sits out again, Wilson will be a decent RB2 against a Seahawks defense that he ripped apart for 134 scrimmage yards just two games ago. If Breida does manage to play, this situation could end up being messy, and neither back would be more than an RB3/flex unless we get some clarity on who will get the majority of the work.

Seattle Seahawks
Chris Carson had another very good fantasy performance in Week 14, producing 90 rushing yards and a touchdown in a difficult matchup with Minnesota. Carson has established himself as an every-week RB2, and that’s what he’ll be this week in San Francisco.

Rashaad Penny has clearly jumped Mike Davis on the depth chart, but Penny isn’t seeing consistent enough touches to be a realistic flex option for the fantasy playoffs. He’s best viewed as a Carson handcuff.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Peyton Barber continues to receive sizable workloads and always has a decent shot to score a touchdown, but he hasn’t reached even 50 yards rushing in any of the last three games and will be more of an RB3/flex option than an RB2 for a brutal matchup with the Ravens this week. Jacquizz Rodgers continues to see more weekly touches that rookie Ronald Jones, which tells you all you need to know about Jones’ lack of value as a standalone flex option or even as a handcuff for Barber owners.

Tennessee Titans
Derrick Henry had a game for the ages last week, piling up an absurd 238 yards and four touchdowns against a shameful Jacksonville “defense.” Henry ran for almost half as many yards — and scored almost as many TDs — in the first three quarters of this game as he had in the previous 12 games, so to say this came out of nowhere would be an understatement. Henry ran with power and authority, but the Jaguars’ tackling was also atrocious, so Henry owners probably shouldn’t get carried away. He has a plus matchup with the Giants this week, but I still have trouble recommending him as an RB2 when you take his entire season into consideration.

One thing that is clear, though, is that Henry’s emergence has been bad news for Dion Lewis‘ fantasy value. Lewis is just a dicey RB3/flex option at this point, even in favorable matchups like he’ll have this week.

Washington
I addressed Adrian Peterson’s floundering fantasy value in this week’s “10 Things We Learned” column, so click through for details. Spoiler alert: it ain’t pretty.

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Andrew Seifter is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Andrew, check out his archive and follow him @andrew_seifter.

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