Fantasy Football Week 16 running back rankings: Alexander Mattison could win you your title

Josh Jacobs is my No. 5 RB this week. Ezekiel Elliott is still top 12 for me. Maybe my rankings are just wildly off base this week, or maybe the running back position is just a total mess. That doesn’t mean there aren’t good options – there actually are plenty of really intriguing players out there. The problem is, it’s hard to know who you can trust, as of Wednesday afternoon, at least. 

For instance, I could see ranking the likes of Justin Jackson or Jeff Wilson ahead of Elliott, but we don’t know what Jackson’s role is, and Wilson’s got a tough matchup on Thursday night that could trip him up. 

It’s similarly hard to make that call with guys in split backfields, most notably Aaron Jones and Javonte Williams. There’s obviously big upside with both, but both seem to be stuck in near 50-50 splits in their own backfields. Cordarrelle Patterson has an incredible matchup against Detroit, but he’s also seen his role in the passing game decrease significantly of late, leaving him much more touchdown-dependent than he was earlier in the season for his value. 

And then there’s Elliott, who just hasn’t been good for a long time – he’s averaging 3.3 yards per carry and 3.7 yards per target over his past six games. That’s brutal. But he’s also getting five targets per game and 12.2 carries, and the Cowboys are 10.5-point favorites against Washington. I’d expect he’s going to continue to have a healthy workload and a good chance for a touchdown. Maybe his upside isn’t as high as some other backs, but his role just remains too valuable for me to get away from. 

One player I know for a fact will be ranked ahead of Elliott is Alexander Mattison. He’s going to be ranked ahead of pretty much everyone after Dalvin Cook was placed on the COVID list Thursday. Mattison is my No. 2 RB for Week 16, and with Cook reportedly unvaccinated, he may just be my No. 2 RB for Week 17, too. 

You’re probably not going to be able to just set it and forget it this week. There are too many moving parts. Here are my RB rankings for Week 15. To see the rankings of Jamey Eisenberg, Dave Richard, and Heath Cummings, make sure you head here. 

Week 16 RB Rankings

1. Jonathan Taylor @ARI
2. Alexander Mattison vs. LAR
3. James Robinson @NYJ
4. Joe Mixon vs. BAL
5. Alvin Kamara vs. MIA
6. Josh Jacobs vs. DEN
7. David Montgomery @SEA
8. Najee Harris @KC
9. Nick Chubb @GB
10. Ronald Jones @CAR
11. Ezekiel Elliott vs. WAS
12. Javonte Williams @LV
13. Cordarrelle Patterson vs. DET
14. Aaron Jones vs. CLE
15. Justin Jackson @HOU
16. Chase Edmonds vs. IND
17. Saquon Barkley @PHI
18. Clyde Edwards-Helaire vs. PIT
19. Jeff Wilson @TEN
20. Antonio Gibson @DAL
21. Sony Michel @MIN
22. Devin Singletary @NE
23. Myles Gaskin @NO
24. Miles Sanders vs. NYG
25. AJ Dillon vs. CLE
26. D’Onta Foreman vs. SF
27. Michael Carter vs. JAX
28. Melvin Gordon @LV
29. Rhamondre Stevenson vs. BUF
30. Ameer Abdullah vs. TB
31. Chuba Hubbard vs. TB
32. Rashaad Penny vs. CHI
33. Craig Reynolds @ATL
34. Devonta Freeman @CIN
35. James Conner vs. IND
36. DeeJay Dallas vs. CHI
37. Darrell Henderson @MIN
38. Godwin Igwebuike @ATL
39. Darrel Williams vs. PIT
40. Brandon Bolden vs. BUF
41. Le’Veon Bell @CAR
42. Mike Davis vs. DET
43. Joshua Kelley @HOU
44. David Johnson vs. LAC
45. Nyheim Hines @ARI
46. Corey Clement vs. WAS
47. Jordan Howard vs. NYG
48. Tevin Coleman vs. JAX

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