Throw a tough defensive matchup a good running back’s way and watch Chris Johnson held to 13 carries for 40 yards against the Cardinals. On the other hand, throw a favorable matchup to two fringe backs and watch Rashard Mendenhall and Andre Ellington combine for over 35 fantasy points against the Titans.
Sometimes the averages aren’t the most important thing, however. Marshawn Lynch put up 94 yards and a touchdown the last time he faced the Cards and the Hawks are liable to run plenty in this one so I still trust him. I wouldn’t start anyone in Cleveland or New Orleans, though.
I liked Shane Vereen last week and I still do. The absence of any real tight end should give him plenty of targets. I don’t trust their other backs, though.
Adrian Peterson, if he does play, could be limited by both the foot injury and the tough matchup. The same goes for Zac Stacy who is nursing a hip injury. The backs in Arizona seem unstartable against a vicious Seahawks defense, as do the backs in Atlanta and Indy. I’d still roll with Andre Brown, Reggie Bush, and Rashad Jennings in their unfavorable matchups, though.
On the favorable side, Alfred Morris and DeMarco Murray have great matchups, facing each other. The ‘Boys and the ‘Skins have been brutal on run defense and both are very good backs. LeSean McCoy, Bobby Rainey, Frank Gore, C.J. Spiller (if Fred Jackson is out), Le’Veon Bell, and Chris Johnson all look real good this week. I would start whichever Jaguars back starts against a weak Titans run defense that has given up 30+ points to opposing running backs in back-to-back weeks. Dennis Johnson looks good against Denver but I worry that gameflow will put 50 pass attempts into Matt Schaub’s hands. I also like both Gio Bernard and the Lawfirm in their matchup against a Vikings defense that has given up double-digit fantasy points to opposing running backs in 13 of 15 weeks.
Let’s take a look at all of this week’s fantasy football running back matchups.
Browse Matchups by Position: QB – RB – WR – TE
Highly Unfavorable, Unfavorable, Neutral, Slightly Favorable, Favorable
|
Rank |
AVG |
Defense |
Week 16 Opponents |
|
1 |
11.9 | Cardinals | Marshawn Lynch |
|
2 |
12.95 | Jets | Chris Ogbonnaya, Willis McGahee, Edwin Baker |
|
3 |
13.12 | Panthers | Pierre Thomas, Darren Sproles, Mark Ingram |
|
4 |
13.38 | Ravens | Shane Vereen, Stevan Ridley, LeGarrette Blount |
|
5 |
13.43 | Bengals | Adrian Peterson (Q), Toby Gerhart (Q), Matt Asiata |
|
6 |
14.48 | Buccaneers | Zac Stacy (Q), Benny Cunningham |
|
7 |
14.66 | Seahawks | Rashard Mendenhall, Andre Ellington (Q) |
|
8 |
16.72 | Lions | Andre Brown |
|
9 |
16.72 | 49ers | Steven Jackson, Jacquizz Rodgers |
|
10 |
16.75 | Chargers | Rashad Jennings, Darren McFadden (Q), Marcel Reece |
|
11 |
16.81 | Chiefs | Donald Brown, Trent Richardson |
|
12 |
16.92 | Giants | Reggie Bush, Joique Bell |
|
13 |
16.96 | Saints | DeAngelo Williams, Mike Tolbert |
|
14 |
17.02 | Bills | Lamar Miller, Daniel Thomas |
|
15 |
17.38 | Colts | Jamaal Charles |
|
16 |
17.48 | Eagles | Matt Forte |
|
17 |
17.53 | Raiders | Ryan Mathews, Danny Woodhead |
|
18 |
18.22 | Browns | Chris Ivory, Bilal Powell |
|
19 |
18.4 | Steelers | Eddie Lacy, James Starks |
|
20 |
18.62 | Patriots | Ray Rice, Bernard Pierce |
|
21 |
18.94 | Jaguars | Chris Johnson, Shonn Greene |
|
22 |
19.01 | Texans | Knowshon Moreno, Montee Ball |
|
23 |
19.13 | Packers | Le’Veon Bell |
|
24 |
20.12 | Dolphins | C.J. Spiller, Fred Jackson (Q) |
|
25 |
20.2 | Broncos | Dennis Johnson |
|
26 |
21.26 | Vikings | Giovani Bernard, BenJarvus Green-Ellis |
|
27 |
21.52 | Falcons | Frank Gore |
|
28 |
22.11 | Rams | Bobby Rainey |
|
29 |
22.63 | Titans | Maurice Jones-Drew (Q), Jordan Todman |
|
30 |
22.67 | Bears | LeSean McCoy |
|
31 |
23.02 | Redskins | DeMarco Murray |
|
32 |
24.36 | Cowboys | Alfred Morris, Roy Helu |
*Values based on Yahoo standard scoring.
Browse Matchups by Position: QB – RB – WR – TE
