Week 16 RB Fantasy Football Rankings
Like I always say, if you’re reading the Week 16 RB Fantasy Football Rankings, then you’re rolling into your championship. A few top-tiered running backs were huge fantasy football duds last week, but two of them pissed me off more than any other.
What The Hell Happened To Doug Martin And Jamaal Charles?
I can easily lump Stevan Ridley in this bunch. But going up against a top rushing defense in the 49ers, he gets a pass. Not a big one, but a pass nonetheless. Now Martin and Charles? No excuses. Both players ranked in the top 10 of my fantasy rankings last week. Both players went up against defenses that were. and still are. in the bottom 5 against fantasy running backs (Saints – 32nd) (Raiders – 28th). If you had Martin and Charles going in Week 15, you thought you had it made. No way these 2 could bomb, but that’s exactly what both did. BIG TIME! Against the Saints, Martin ran 9 times for 16 yards. 16 yards!!!! The Saints are definitely not known for their defense. But for the Bucs to not even score a point against the worst-overall defense in the league is 
beyond ridiculous. Charles, on the other hand, is now playing on one of the worst offenses in the NFL after the team lost Dwayne Bowe to broken ribs. But this is Jamaal Charles. He’s Superman. But all we saw was Kryptonite against the Raiders. Like the Bucs, the Chiefs failed to put digits on the board. And Charles? Well, no Superman-like performance here after 9 rushes for 10 yards. Between Martin and Charles, the yards-per-carry average was a whopping 1.4. In the end, I hope you managed to make it another week with one or both of these guys on your roster. If not, I know even reading this is going to sting a lot.
Now that I have been able to vent, lets take a look at the Week 16 RB Fantasy Football Rankings. Like every week, make sure to check out the rest of our rankings in our RANKINGS SECTION (Including IDP).
Also, make sure to check the rankings again between now and Friday to see if anyone has moved up or down due to latest news and injuries.
RANK PLAYER TEAM OPPONENT NOTES
1. Adrian Peterson Minnesota @ Houston Not a Vikings fan, but seeing AD break Eric DIckerson's single-season rushing record would be pretty sweet.
2. Arian Foster Houston vs. Texans
3. Ray Rice Baltimore vs. New York Giants
4. Doug Martin Tampa Bay vs. St. Louis
5. DeMarco Murray Dallas vs. New Orleans Has tremendous value this week if you have him as an RB2. Can't see the Saints holding opponents down in back-to-back weeks.
6. Alfred Morris Washington @ Philadelphia
7. Jamaal Charles Kansas City vs. Indianapolis What the hell happened to JC last week? Jeez. He single handedly wiped out a lot of owners.
8. Knowshon Moreno Denver vs. Cleveland
9. Marshawn Lynch Seattle vs. San Francisco Matchup is tough, but Lynch is still an every-week RB1.
10. C.J. Spiller Buffalo @ Miami
11. Matt Forte Chicago @ Arizona
12. Stevan Ridley New England @ Jacksonville Really killed owners Sunday night, but should bounce back just in time for league championships.
13. Darren McFadden Oakland @ Carolina
14. Chris Johnson Tennessee @ Green Bay
15. Reggie Bush Miami vs. Buffalo
16. Trent Richardson Cleveland @ Denver
17. Frank Gore San Francisco @ Seattle
18. Vick Ballard Indianapolis @ Kansas City
19. Mikel Leshoure Detroit vs. Atlanta
20. BenJarvus Green-Ellis Cincinnati @ Pittsburgh Cincy controls their own fate. Win out and they make the playoffs.
21. LeSean McCoy Philadelphia vs. Washington Will play this weekend. Bryce Brown is doing return duties, so that could be a sign McCoy gets a big workload. However, it might not be enough to make him nothing more than an RB2.
22. DeAngelo Williams Carolina vs. Oakland
23. Ahmad Bradshaw New York Giants @ Baltimore Bradshaw was limited in Friday practice, but could be rushed back with David Wilson's problems on passing plays. Neither Bradshaw or Wilson should be counted on a more than flex option if Bradshaw suits up.
24. Steven Jackson St. Louis @ Tampa Bay As tough a matchup as it's going to get for S-Jax.
25. Darren Sproles New Orleans @ Dallas Still a PPR option only.
26. Michael Turner Atlanta @ Detroit Once you think Burner is done, he comes right back.
27. Jonathan Dwyer Pittsburgh vs. Cincinnati
28. Shonn Greene New York Jets vs. San Diego
29. Alex Green Green Bay vs. Tennessee Committee back only. Avoid if possible.
30. Beanie Wells Arizona vs. Chicago I had Beanie and his 3 touchdowns on my bench to.
31. Montell Owens Jacksonville vs. New England Even if MJD is out again, the Jags could have to abandon the run early.
32. Mark Ingram New Orleans @ Dallas Had a big Week 15, but counting on any Saint running back on a weekly basis is a bad decision.
33. David Wilson New York Giants @ Baltimore Value obviously skyrockets if Ahmad Bradshaw is out. But if Bradshaw plays, Wilson could be a flex option only.
34. Joique Bell Detroit vs. Atlanta Wasn't as big a part of the offense like he had been. But that was primarily due to Arizona's surprise attack.
35. Jacquizz Rodgers Atlanta @ Detroit
36. Jackie Battle San Diego @ New York Jets Ranked low because we don't know if Battle or Ronnie Brown will get the nod. If Brown (hamstring) is out, Battle will move up. But he is still a desperation flex option this week.
37. Bilal Powell New York Jets vs. San Diego
38. Danny Woodhead New England @ Jacksonville Put on a show last week. But his value hinges on Stevan Ridley putting the ball on the ground or the Patriots putting the game away early.
39. Isaac Redman Pittsburgh vs. Cincinnati
40. Ronnie Brown San Diego @ New York Jets Dealing with a hamstring injury. If he turns out to be doubtful, he'll get tossed from the rankings.
Dereck
December 19, 2012 at 3:20 pm
Had rice, charles, and martin last week cause me to lose in first round of playoffs! I have moreno and mcfadden also , who should replace for moreno this week? I was thinking rice, because he has been inconsistent the past couple of weeks. You opinion would be appreciated thanks.
Greg Brosh
December 20, 2012 at 10:28 am
I wouldn’t replace Moreno if you didn’t have to. He’s been too hot to sit.
Adam McElwain
December 23, 2012 at 9:17 am
Lynch or Ridley?
Greg Brosh
December 23, 2012 at 9:23 am
Lynch all the way.