2015 Fantasy Football: Week 16 DFS Running Backs
Welcome to Week 16 of the fantasy football season. As always, these player selections are for DraftKings – the best daily fantasy site out there. Stats for fantasy points allowed come from NFL.com.
Adrian Peterson ($7,300) or Jerick McKinnon ($3,500) – vs. New York Giants – Peterson was seen Monday walking without a limp, so if he’s able to play Sunday he’s your guy. But if he sits out, McKinnon is also playable against the seventh-worst defense against running backs over the last four weeks.
Doug Martin – $6,600 vs. Chicago – Martin has scored in double-digits in six straight games, totaling at least 86 yards in each game. His upside is capped a little bit due to his lack of breakaway speed, but Martin is a great cash-game play almost every week. Chicago is giving up well over four yards a carry in the last four weeks, as well as 156 total yards to running backs each week. This should be one of those defense optional games, so Martin should have a lot of chances to score.
Darren McFadden – $4,900 at Buffalo – The Cowboys have had to rely on McFadden with their recent quarterback play, and he’s done his best to carry them. He’s averaging over 13 points a game, which ranks him 13th at the position, yet he’s priced only 16th among running backs. He’s scored in double-digits in five straight and nine of his last 10 games. He has 14 and 16 points, respectively, in his last two, both against top-half defenses against running backs. Buffalo ranks in the bottom eight against running backs in the last four weeks, ceding five total touchdowns to them.
James White – $4,700 at New York Jets – White is averaging over 16 points a game in his last five, including three 18-point-or-more outings. Just being a part of the Pats’ offense has helped him a ton as he’s scored five times in that span while rushing the ball only nine times. He’s got a low floor but a huge ceiling, so he’s more of a tournament play against a tough Jets’ defense. However, the Jets have given up 24 catches and 215 receiving yards to running backs, which are the sixth-worst and fourth-worst marks, respectively, over the last four weeks. The Pats don’t have a running game, so they should continue to lean on White’s receiving skills.
Karlos Williams – ($4,500 vs. Dallas) – It’s most likely LeSean McCoy is done for the season, so that means Williams should again see the majority of touches out of the Buffalo backfield. He’s scored in double-digits six times in nine games, despite only starting one or two of them, and has totaled seven scores. He’s most likely a boom-or-bust play, so you’ll want to start him in tournaments and hope he can hit paydirt a couple times.
Theo Riddick – $4,100 vs. San Francisco – Prior to Monday night’s game, Riddick only has three scores on the year, but San Francisco has allowed seven scores to running backs in the last four weeks so this could be his best chance to add to that total. Riddick has at least five catches and at least five targets in each of his last four games, so his receiving floor is pretty steady and we’ve seen some upside here throughout the season. He can be a cheap option to help you load up elsewhere.