Welcome to the fantasy football Week 16 running back rankings hub!

TB’s Ronald Jones is back to being a fantasy RB1 this week. 49er Elijah Mitchell (knee irritation) could play and would immediately resume borderline RB1/2 status if active. Detroit’s Craig Reynolds is locked in as the Lions’ lead back for however long D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams are out. Reynolds actually has a shot to keep lead back duties ever if Williams were to return.

Below are my top-60 running backs for Week 16. These rankings are geared toward .5PPR scoring formats for Week 16 of the 2021 NFL season but should aid those who play in both non-PPR and full-point PPR formats. I’ve also included my top RB streaming option this week and DFS play of the week (cost via FanDuel).

Check back throughout the week to see how expectations have changed as news continues to roll in, enhancing our prognostication abilities. Feel free to hit me up on twitter @Ginger__Nic for any fantasy related advice.

Stream of the Week: Ronald Jones II at Carolina Panthers

Both Leonard Fournette and Giovani Bernard are on Injured Reserve. It’s Ronald Jones time. Jones operated as Tampa Bay’s standalone lead back for a number of fruitful games last year, like Week 4’s bout with KC (20 carries, 111 yards, 9 targets, 6 carries, and 17 yards) and the Week 6 tilt vs. Green Bay ( 23 carries, 113 yards, 2 touchdowns, 2 targets, 2 receptions, and 8 yards). Carolina’s front-seven is great but he’s going to smash on a 20+ touch workload. Locked-in fantasy RB1.

DFS Play of the Week: Justin Jackson ($5,400) at Houston Texans

LAC lead back Austin Ekeler was nursing an ankle injury last week and the team made clear that Justin Jackson was his primary backup. Ekeler played on 34% of the snaps and was given 12 carries and 4 targets. Jackson, the most complete RB on the team behind Ekeler, played on 54% of the snaps while handling a team-high 13 carries along with 1 target. At the moment, there’s confusion as to whether or not Ekeler produced a positive COVID-19 test this week but let’s assume he plays. With the 3-11 Houston Texans up next and the Chargers vying for a AFC playoff spot, expect the Chargers to get up early before opting to kill the clock with Jackson. Jackson be a factor early on but Los Angeles will surely want to rest Ekeler where they can and the Texans’ front-seven is among the league’s worst. The unit is bottom-3 in run defense NEFF rating, total rushing yards allowed and total rushing touchdowns allowed. At worst, Jackson is a borderline RB3/4 this week. If Ekeler sits, Jackson would push for a top-12 ranking.

Week 16 Running Back Rankings