2024 Week 16 Fantasy Football Rankings: RB

James Conner readies for his best setup of the season, Jonathan Taylor hopes to atone for his awful mistake, and Jerome Ford takes over for Nick Chubb in Cleveland.

Other positions: Quarterback | Receiver | Tight End/Kickers/Defense

Week 16 Running Backs

RB Notes: Jahmyr Gibbs ranges into the RB1 overall mix with David Montgomery’s injury. Gibbs has averaged 21 carries for 128 yards in the six games D-Mont has missed or failed to finish since 2023. The high-value touches could be too many to count in Chicago. … Behind Gibbs, it’s uncertain if Craig Reynolds or fourth-round rookie Sione Vaki will take the lead after coach Dan Campbell said both will have “expanded roles.” Even with theoretical upside, fantasy managers can ignore a “hot hand” backup situation. … The Packers are guaranteed to go full road-paver mode as two-touchdown home favorites against the Saints. Emanuel Wilson and Chris Brooks could see closeout work, but it’s going to be difficult for Josh Jacobs to finish below 20 carries. … With Trey Benson ankle-hobbled and Emari Demercado (back) on I.R., a piping-hot James Conner has an every-down smash spot vs. a Panthers defense surrendering the most RB fantasy points. … Running as hot as anyone in the league, Rico Dowdle can hang in the top 12 even as a home underdog. He no longer has any touch competition, and the Cowboys may have to ramp up his receiving usage vs. the high-flying Bucs. The ‘Boys have a decent enough implied team total.

Almost without exaggerating, Jonathan Taylor made the biggest mistake a ball-carrier can commit in Week 15. His “celebration drop” short of the goal line flipped the game and more or less ended the Colts’ season. He’s unlikely to be in a great place mentally. He is in a great place for fantasy as a solid home favorite against an extremely bad Titans defense. … Joe Mixon seems like he’s playing at roughly 60 percent health, while the Texans’ offensive environment somehow got worse coming out of its Week 14 bye. With Houston a road ‘dog vs. a run-limiting Chiefs D, Mixon’s ceiling has disappeared at the worst time for fantasy managers. … Bucky Irving (back) escaped Week 15 without further back setbacks. His precarious health does seem to have returned Rachaad White to 1B status, however. 1A is still a great place to be with a top-five implied team total against a bottom-five Cowboys run defense. For his part, White is again handling enough touches to check in as a strong, touches-based FLEX play. … Two-touchdown road underdogs is the exact kind of game script Rhamondre Stevenson has flopped all season. He has too little pass-catching and touchdown upside to treat as a true RB2, though the position is so haggard right now he probably still slips in.

Isaac Guerendo survived Week 15 without further injury to his foot and has had 10 days to rest up. He will unfortunately be facing a solid Dolphins run defense in a game Vegas doesn’t expect to shoot out. That keeps him in the RB2 range instead of forcing his way into the top 12. No other 49ers running back saw a carry on Thursday Night Football. … Jerome Ford’s RB2 case got a lot more complicated with Jameis Winston’s benching. The Browns are now decisive road underdogs, and forecasted for the seventh fewest points of Week 16. Frankly, it’s surprising it’s that many. The good news for Ford is coach Kevin Stefanski never warmed to early-down complement D’Onta Foreman, and Ford projects for plenty of passing-game work and high-value touches. He probably still sneaks into the top 24. … Kenneth Walker’s (calf) return would render both he and Zach Charbonnet uncertain RB2/FLEXes. Charbonnet has undoubtedly earned more work during Walker’s absence, though he seems to be a “rhythm back” who isn’t effective at less than full workloads. He’s also now battling an oblique issue. For Walker’s part, he was struggling even before going down, and isn’t suddenly going to revert to clear-cut lead back status. I’ll probably give Charbonnet the rankings advantage while admitting it’s something of a guess. Walker didn’t practice Wednesday.

We are getting the worst of all worlds in the Jets’ backfield, with Breece Hall playing at less than 100 percent, Braelon Allen battling a back issue, and Isaiah Davis mixing in for critical snaps. Allen’s status probably shores up Hall’s RB2 standing, but Hall’s floor is now scarily low. It is at least a good matchup with a Rams defense that tends to bleed rushing production. … Isiah Pacheco has yet to reach 50 percent of the Chiefs’ snaps since returning three weeks ago, twice being held under 40 percent. Week 16 seems like a good time for that to change with the Chiefs attempting to grind out a home victory against a solid Texans defense with Patrick Mahomes playing on one leg. … The Titans suddenly seem a little more interested in managing Tony Pollard’s ankle issue, while Tyaje Spears projects as a nice check-down target for reinserted QB2 Mason Rudolph. With Titans/Colts likely to be a close affair, Pollard can remain in lineups vs. a soft Colts run defense. With Tennessee lacking weapons behind inadequate No. 1 Calvin Ridley, Spears comes close to the top 30.

It’s clear the Jags’ backfield has devolved into a “hot hand” free for all. It doesn’t help that Tank Bigsby’s Week 15 hand was cold to the touch with a fumble (nullified by penalty) and drop. Bigsby wasn’t “benched,” but Travis Etienne dominated work thereafter. Although Raiders/Jags projects as Tank-friendly game script, Etienne is less likely to conduct a FLEX rug pull. … Tyrone Tracy is an explosive player stuck in one of the worst offenses in recent memory. His fumbling issues combined with his quarterback play make him a volatile FLEX, but in the true sense of the word. There is still upside despite the pervasive downside. … It obviously can’t be good that not even a Sincere McCormick ankle injury could get Alexander Mattison out there for the most important snaps of the Raiders’ Monday night loss to the Falcons. Ameer Abdullah handled the closing-time work, and his pass catching is the only (weak) bet worth placing in this backfield. … If Alvin Kamara (groin) sits, as is looking likely, you’re hoping and praying the Saints somehow get to the Packers’ one-yard line to enable Kendre Miller to fall into the end zone.