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2020 Fantasy Football Rankings: Running backs for Week 16

Tiered RB rankings for Week 16.

By NHB
Chicago Bears v Minnesota Vikings Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images

With NFL Week 16 — Championship Week — is upon us, here are my running back fantasy football rankings.

Dalvin Cook takes this week’s overall RB1 spot. David Montgomery raises further in the top 12. Injuries in the Houston and Dallas backfields have massive implications.

Week 16’s Tiered Running Back Rankings - .5PPR

Rank High-Floor/High-Ceiling RB1s Team Opponent Breakdown
Rank High-Floor/High-Ceiling RB1s Team Opponent Breakdown
1 Dalvin Cook MIN at NO Very tough match-up but Cook's weekly volume of touches is breathtaking.
2 Aaron Jones GB TEN Jamaal Williams is banged up, it's a great match-up, and this game is a must-win for GB.
3 Derrick Henry TEN at GB Green Bay is allowing the 5th-most .5PPR PPG to opposing RBs*, but there is potential for Henry to be game-scripted into a smaller than normal workload. Even so, Henry's floor remains that of a Top 12 running back.
4 Alvin Kamara NO MIN Has a shot to find his real ceiling here but those true King Kong performances may not come until Michael Thomas is back in action.
5 Nick Chubb CLE at NYJ Great match-up for the Browns' No. 1 back.
6 Austin Ekeler LAC DEN Great bounce-back spot.
7 Miles Sanders PHI at DAL Oustanding match-up and the installation of Jalen Hurts has led to clear-cut lead back work for Sanders.
8 Jonathan Taylor IND at PIT With Jordan Wilkins out of the picture, match-ups no longer matter for Indy's lead back.
9 David Montgomery CHI at JAX The Jags are allowing 25.8 .5PPR PPG to opposing backfields, 3rd-most in the NFL*, and Montgomery is gobbling up snaps and touches, right and left.
10 Melvin Gordon DEN at LAC Phillip Lindsay's lower body injuries have piled up at this point.
11 Chris Carson SEA LAR Tough match-up but Carroll is committed to the run game after signing his mid-season contract extension on the heels of Russell Wilson's stellar early-season performance.
12 Le'Veon Bell KC ATL After Clyde Edwards-Helaire's devastating hip and ankle injuries forced him from Week 15's contest, Bell took over as the team's clear-cut touch-leader. Although Darrel Williams will be a factor, Bell should retain solid lead back status. ATL's front-seven doesn't know what to do with pass catching backs. Both backs will be a factor in that regard but Bell should see north of 15 touches.
Rank High-Floor/High-Ceiling RB2s Team Opponent Breakdown
13 Jeff Wilson Jr. SF at ARI With Raheem Mostert, Wilson should take over as the clear lead back.
14 Leonard Fournette TB at DET Outstanding match-up. Ronald Jones is expected to remain on the COVID-19/Reserve List this week.
15 Josh Jacobs LV MIA Miami's run-funnel defense bodes well for Jacobs' Week 16 prospects.
16 David Johnson HOU CIN If we get confirmation that Duke Johnson Jr. won't play this week (neck), Johnson will rise in the rankings, along with his increased passing game volume.
17 D'Andre Swift DET TB TB has done a great job slowing enemy rushing attacks. They are allowing 6.4 RB receptions per game though*, the most in the NFL. That fits very well with bellcow Swift's skillset.
18 Tony Pollard DAL PHI Should Zeke sit (calf), Pollard would immediately become a Top 12 option.
19 Antonio Gibson WAS CAR Blow-up spot on tap here, if Gibson is able to return.
20 Mike Davis CAR at WAS Davis's value is more due to his role than his abilities, which puts him more at the mercy of game flow than anything else.
21 Darrell Henderson Jr. LAR at SEA Moderate match-up but Henderson should see 18+ touches with Cam Akers (ankle) out this week.
22 Kenyan Drake ARI SF Decent match-up.
23 J.K. Dobbins BAL NYG Dobbins is the lead back here but Gus Edwards has a very solid No. 2 role. Decent match-up.
24 Chase Edmonds ARI SF On this week's free NFC Team-by-Team Week 15 Recaps episode of the Establish The Run podcast*, Adam Levitan menitoned seeing Kenyan Drake limp off the field at some point. Should Drake only be able to play in a limited capacity, Edmonds would have access to 18+ touches in an albeit tough match-up.
Rank J.K. Dobbins BAL NYG Dobbins is the lead back here but Gus Edwards has a very solid No. 2 role. Decent match-up.
25 Myles Gaskin MIA at LV Great match-up but Salvon Ahmed has likely played himself into a 10+ touch role.
26 Gio Bernard CIN at HOU Bernard's back as the team's lead back.
27 Benny Snell Jr. PIT IND James Conner's availability is a big factor here.
28 Kareem Hunt CLE at NYJ A clock-killing game should get both backs involved.
29 Nyheim Hines IND at PIT Hines's number should be called quite a bit this week, in a potentially high-scoring affair.
30 Gus Edwards BAL NYG Very high floor.
31 Salvon Ahmed MIA at LV Mid-tier flex option in a good match-up.
32 Zack Moss BUF NE This backfield just doesn't have high-scoring potential.
33 Kalen Ballage LAC DEN Really just a prominent change of pace player.
34 Malcolm Brown LAR at SEA Outside chance that the veteran sees more work than expected in relief of Henderson.
35 Ezekiel Elliott DAL PHI Elliott's calf injury has destroyed his quicks. Even if active, he's tough to trust.
36 J.D. McKissic WAS CAR JDM would rise in the rankings if Antonio Gibson is unable to play.
Rank Low-Floor/Low-Ceiling RB4s Team Opponent Breakdown
37 Darrel Williams KC ATL Nonexistant floor, low ceiling.
38 Carlos Hyde SEA LAR Took one of two carries for a long score last week, likely fending off Rashaad Penny for another game.
39 Jeremy McNichols TEN at GB McNichols is a good DFS, contrarian option. He's unlikely to produce but there's a shot that Tennessee falls behind and McNichols is called upon.
40 Devin Singletary BUF NE Look elsewhere for an impact player.
41 Ty Johnson NYJ CLE Jets are far too risky to start this week but Johnson is the guy to use, if you HAVE to.
42 Boston Scott PHI at DAL Just a handcuff.
43 Sony Michel NE BUF Very low ceiling.
44 Phillip Lindsay DEN at LAC Cannot be trusted.
45 Ito Smith ATL at KC Even with "lead back" status, Smith is not a good play.
46 Alexander Mattison MIN at NO Mattison is not a significant factor for the Vikings at this time.
47 James White NE BUF Look elsewhere for flex help.
48 N/A
Source links: Adam Levitan’s comments on Kenyan Drake’s limp in Week 15 via this week’s free episode of the Establish The Run podcast, RB fantasy points allowed by both the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Green Bay Packers, as well as RB receptions per game allowed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.