Optimize your Week 16 fantasy football lineups with these favorable RB matchups.
James Conner vs. CAR
Conner started the fantasy playoffs with a massive performance in Week 15. He finished as the RB1 overall on the week, totaling 138 yards and two touchdowns across 21 touches. Conner earned 70% of the backfield opportunities in this game — a slightly larger role than he’s seen this year. This was due to the Cardinals backups being banged up right now. Emari Demercado was placed on IR before Week 15, and rookie Trey Benson injured his ankle late in the game on Sunday. Conner already had a strong role in this Arizona offense, but it looks like it could be even stronger moving forward.
This week, Conner enters what may be the best matchup a running back can find, taking on the Panthers as a four-point favorite. Carolina allows the most rushing yards per game and the second-most rushing touchdowns this season. Last week the Panthers allowed Rico Dowdle to run for a career-high 149 yards on 25 carries. Conner is a top-10 RB this week and an obvious must-start RB in all fantasy formats.
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Rico Dowdle vs. TB
Speaking of Dowdle, he’s red-hot right now. In Week 15, Dowdle once again set a career-high in yardage for the third straight game. He earned 149 rushing yards on a career-high 25 carries and, if you watched this game, you know it was just good run after good run for Dowdle. He posted 149 yards with his long run being just 12 yards. It was a day of consistently strong runs for him against the Panthers.
According to Ryan Heath of Fantasy Points, over the past four games Dowdle has averaged 85% of the Cowboys’ backfield carries and 120 rushing yards per game. He ranks second in rushing yards during this span and 14th in fantasy points per game.
Dowdle now has three straight games of at least 120 total yards and quietly has five games of 100+ yards this season. He’s taken advantage of some great matchups against the Giants, Bengals and Panthers the past three weeks. But the strong spots continue this week against a Bucs team that allows the 10th-most rushing yards per play this season. Dowdle continues to be a starter down the stretch and he’s shaping up to be a true league winner.
Bucky Irving vs. DAL
There were a lot of questions surrounding Irving’s Week 15 availability for the Bucs after re-injuring his back in Week 14 and didn’t return for the second half of that game. The early week reports heading into Week 15 were concerning as Irving missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday, but he was able to participate in limited fashion on Friday and, ultimately, suited up on Sunday against the Chargers.
We were told that Irving would see close to a normal role and that’s exactly what happened. He earned 17 opportunities in Week 15 and totaled 113 total yards while topping 100 rushing yards for the second time this season. Irving looked healthy and like his usual explosive self as he forced four broken tackles and had two explosive runs of 10+ yards. He’s trending in the right direction as he enters a beneficial Week 16 matchup against the Cowboys.
The Bucs are four-point road favorites against a Dallas defense that continues to battle injuries to key players. The Cowboys allow the fifth-most rushing yards per play and the most rushing touchdowns this season. Track Irving’s practice reports this week but if he suits up again, he becomes a must-start in Week 16.
Jaguars RBs vs. LV
Tank Bigsby has had an up-and-down season. He started the year off strong and was one of the most explosive backs in the league over the first seven weeks of the season, but Bigsby picked up an ankle injury in Week 8 and struggled with efficiency and production in the weeks following. But in Week 14 we got to see Bigsby healthy and in a neutral game script against the Titans. This game stayed within seven points the entire time, and this allowed Bigsby to command 19 touches for 62 yards and a score. This was great to see, but in Week 15 his usage regressed a bit.
The Jaguars played in another close game against the Jets that was back and forth the entire contest. It was a close game, and this allowed Bigsby to earn double-digit carries for the second straight week. But he was only able to turn his 12 opportunities into 42 scoreless yards. It was Travis Etienne Jr. who produced the better fantasy day by turning 18 touches into 85 yards. Etienne looked good as both a runner and receiver by catching four of his five targets for 20 yards.
This week, the Jaguars RBs will take on a weaker Raiders run defense. Las Vegas allows the ninth-most fantasy points per game to RBs this year. This week’s game has just a one-point spread. It should be a close game throughout, and this favors both Jaguars running backs getting involved. Both Etienne and Bigsby set up to be viable FLEX options in Week 16.
James Cook vs. NE
Cook is set up to smash this week coming off a strong outing in Week 15 against the Lions. This game had the highest projected point total on the season at 55 points, and it delivered. Both teams combined for 90 total points, and the Bills alone put up over 550 yards of total offense. 197 of these yards came on the ground and this is where Cook shined. He took advantage of a banged-up Lions defense and turned 14 carries into 105 yards and two touchdowns. He also added 28 yards on his lone reception in this game.
Cook finished as a top-three back on the week against the Lions and he’s now finished in the top 10 at his position in three of his past four games. Cook continues to be extremely efficient this season, averaging 5.3 yards per touch which ranks 11th in the NFL according to Player Profiler. I mentioned earlier that he’s set up to smash this week and that’s because Cook and the Bills are 14-point home favorites against the Patriots. New England ranks 26th in run defense according to PFF and the Bills should have a commanding lead throughout this game. This sets up nicely for Cook to see plenty of second-half carries; he’s a top-10 RB in this matchup for Week 16.