{"id":259626,"date":"2025-12-19T09:30:31","date_gmt":"2025-12-19T14:30:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=259626"},"modified":"2025-12-18T20:24:31","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T01:24:31","slug":"fantasy-football-rankings-top-running-backs-for-week-16","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2025\/12\/19\/fantasy-football-rankings-top-running-backs-for-week-16\/","title":{"rendered":"Fantasy Football Rankings: Top Running Backs for Week 16"},"content":{"rendered":"

It’s a must-win week (again) in most of our fantasy leagues as we’ve now reached the illustrious “money rounds” of the playoffs. Tough start and sit decisions will haunt us for the entire offseason if we choose incorrectly, and it costs us the win. While we can’t help you in this brief article on whether you should start the likes of Audric Estime or Jawhar Jordan this weekend (I would wait to see Nick Chubb’s status before answering that), we can lay out the top 10 running back rankings for Week 16. If you have these players, you’re starting them, and you don’t need me to tell you that, but it is nice to know which players should rank amongst the league’s best when this week is played to help you when making your other roster decisions.<\/p>\n

If you have one or more of these backs, and you need to make a tough decision for your third running back or flex spot, you can stay conservative and play somebody like Jordan Mason, Blake Corum, or Tyler Allgeier, who have solid roles in their respective offenses but have limited upside. If your best running back or two are the likes of Ashton Jeanty, Omarian Hampton, and Jaylen Warren, then you should go ahead and play that unproven guy like Michael Carter that you just plucked off waivers. Whichever way you decide to go, just remember this is supposed to be fun. So, let’s all have some fun admiring a list of the top 10 running backs for Week 16.<\/p>\n

Week 16 Running Back Rankings<\/h2>\n

1) De’Von Achane vs. Bengals<\/h3>\n
\"Fanduel
Photo Credit: Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

While the top spot has changed here and there over the course of the season, Achane has been a weekly fixture on this list. He has not had a single week this season where he has finished lower than the overall RB16, and currently sits at the 5th-highest scoring back in the league. Now he gets a rookie QB under center and a matchup against the worst run defense in the league. The Dolphins<\/a> are going to make sure he touches the ball on about half of their snaps, so let’s all pray Achane can stay healthy. The only way he doesn’t finish the week as a top 3 scorer is if he only plays half the game, as he did two weeks ago against the Jets<\/a> (where he still scored 17 points).<\/p>\n

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For more help with your fantasy football playoff lineups, check out our Week 16 Start’Em Sit’Em<\/a>!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

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2) Bijan Robinson vs. Cardinals<\/h3>\n
\"Bijan
Photo Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Bijan has had a great year, despite the fact that it feels a bit underwhelming. It really only feels that way because Tyler Allgeier has scored the same 8 touchdowns that Bijan has. It’s sort of like the inverse of “It’s a Wonderful Life,” because every time Tyler Allgeier scores a touchdown, a Bijan Robinson owner loses his wings. Robinson has more than made up for the lack of touchdowns by piling up over 1,700 combined yards and 64 receptions to go with those 8 touchdowns, so let’s not shed a tear for the Bijan owners. This week, he should cruise to a 20+ point day against an Arizona<\/a> defense that is ranked 28th against the running back position in fantasy points allowed.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

3) Jahmyr Gibbs vs. Steelers<\/h3>\n
\"\"
Photo Credit: David Reginek-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If you’re a Gibbs owner and you had to play last week, you managed to survive despite your top back, not because of him. Gibbs picked a bad week to have his second-worst week of the season, as he was bottled up by the Rams<\/a> to the tune of just 58 combined yards without a touchdown. Gibbs has actually been on a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde run over the last four weeks, so let’s hope this week he gives us a Hyde week because we need the monster version of this guy to show up. He is going to put up a big number this week against Pittsburgh<\/a>‘s slow defense that will be missing T.J. Watt.<\/p>\n

4) Christian McCaffrey vs. Colts<\/h3>\n
\"What
Photo Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

They say, “Fortune favors the bold,” and that statement couldn’t be more true as it pertains to those brave owners who pulled the trigger on CMC in the first round of their fantasy drafts. Many of us passed on him in favor of a steady receiver like Justin Jefferson, and as it so happens, many of us will be Christmas shopping this Sunday rather than watching the Red Zone channel, hoping to hear our fantasy players’ names get called. CMC fans will actually have to wait until Monday, but it will be worth the wait. The Colts<\/a> are tough against the run, but it doesn’t matter as McCaffrey is going to get 20+ touches and 4+ receptions. Last week, the 49ers<\/a> were leading the Titans<\/a> 31-10 after 3 quarters, and Brian Robinson got most of the carries in the 4th quarter. Let’s just hope that Jonathan Taylor can keep the Colts competitive for enough of the game to keep CMC going.<\/p>\n

5) Saquon Barkley vs. Commanders<\/h3>\n
\"Saquon
Photo Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Saquon has been getting fed the ball over the last two weeks, and that trend should continue this week in a game I expect the Eagles<\/a> to win handily. The Commanders<\/a> defense is ranked #28 in the league against the run, and they just allowed the Giants to rush for almost 150 yards while averaging 5 yards per carry. Barkley is a lock to get 20+ touches, 100+ total yards, and a score this weekend.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

6) Jonathan Taylor vs. 49ers<\/h3>\n
\"\"
Photo Credit: Christine Tannous-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The 49ers have struggled against the run since losing Fred Warner for the season. The Colts are going to feed JT early and often as they try to mask the fact that they are starting a quarterback drafted during the Bush administration. Last week, Taylor had his number called on 28 of the Colts ‘ 57 plays, and we should see at least the same ratio this Monday night. It’s going to be a grind, but if the Colts are going to get anything done, it’s going to be on JT’s shoulders. He has sort of spoiled his owners by his early-season heroics, so when he doesn’t score 3 touchdowns, we all wonder what’s wrong. There’s nothing wrong. He’s still great, fire him up.<\/p>\n

7) Chase Brown vs. Dolphins<\/h3>\n

\"Chase<\/p>\n

Brown has been very active in the passing game since the Bengals<\/a>‘ Week 9 game against the Bears<\/a>. Prior to that game, Brown was averaging just 3.75 targets per game over the first 8 games of the season. Since then, he has been targeted 44 times over 6 games for an average of 7.3 per game. It’s no shock that he has also consistently been a top 20 option in fantasy over that same span. This week, he gets a Miami defense that ranks just 27th in the league against the run, and I expect him to stay active in the passing game, especially if Tee Higgins misses another game.<\/p>\n

8) Bucky Irving vs. Panthers<\/h3>\n
\"Bucky
Photo Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Bucky seems to be fully healthy now after missing a good chunk of the season. The Buccaneers<\/a> need to win this game, and the Panthers<\/a> defense can be run on. I think Bucky has a big game in him, reminiscent of the day James Cook had against these same Panthers earlier in the season. It’s been a down year for Irving, but I feel like he’s ready to have a breakout game. Unfortunately, for most of his owners, it’s probably too late. If you’ve made it this far with Bucky on your roster, this is a great week to use him.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

9) Treveyon Henderson vs. Ravens<\/h3>\n
\"TreVeyon
Photo Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The volume isn’t quite what we would like, but his home run hitting ability gives him more upside than almost any other back in the league. We saw it last week when he ripped off a pair of touchdown runs of 52 and 65 yards. What we also continue to see is a back that struggles with pass protection and who isn’t super-efficient when he doesn’t break loose. As long as he can hit a long run, he’s going to be a top 12 option. The Raven defense has been able to keep the top on explosive backs like Jahmyr Gibbs and De’Von Achane this year, but they did allow David Montgomery to break loose for a 70+ yard run earlier in the year. Henderson currently leads the league in runs over 50 yards with 4 on the season, and I like his odds to add to that total this week.<\/p>\n

10) James Cook vs. Browns<\/h3>\n
\"\"
Photo Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Browns<\/a> defense is still really good, but they’ve been run on now in two straight weeks. Two weeks ago, it was Tony Pollard who sliced and diced his way through Cleveland in the snow, and last week it was the Bears’ backfield that piled up 142 yards in the frigid conditions of Chicago. It’s possible that they don’t like the cold. It’s also possible that they’re just tired from being on the field for most of the season. Either way, they will be in a similar situation this week, as they will be freezing and they will be losing, and James Cook is going to be there to capitalize. Lock him in for 100 combined yards and a score.<\/p>\n

For more great fantasy football analysis, check out DrRoto.com<\/a>!<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It’s a must-win week (again) in most of our fantasy leagues as we’ve now reached the illustrious “money rounds” of the playoffs. Tough start and sit decisions will haunt us for the entire offseason if we choose incorrectly, and it costs us the win. While we can’t help you in this brief article on whether […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5637,"featured_media":257313,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[59,33912],"tags":[2320,33805],"class_list":["post-259626","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fantasy","category-fantasy-rankings","tag-nfl-schedule","tag-running-back-rankings"],"modified_by":"Doug Henderson","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259626","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5637"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=259626"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259626\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":259632,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/259626\/revisions\/259632"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/257313"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=259626"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=259626"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=259626"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}