Many of you have found a way to keep your fantasy teams competitive even though some of your rosters have been decimated by injuries. If you selected running backs like Christian McCaffrey , Saquon Barkley , and Ezekiel Elliott in preseason drafts and your fantasy team is still standing in Week 16 you deserve to take a bow. The fact that those marquee players provided so little in overall production is evidence of just how volatile the fantasy RB position can be, and how important it is to load up your fantasy rosters with alternatives at the position.
Those who held on to Elliott’s handcuff all season long were justly rewarded when he scored 31 PPR fantasy points in Week 15. Unfortunately many fantasy managers will be forced to bob and weave and juggle their lineups with several backfields in flux due to potential Week 16 injuries. Running backs like Pollard, Le’Veon Bell and Jeff Wilson Jr. could be the final piece to the puzzle that helps you win your league’s fantasy championship.
Unanticipated injuries and having players unexpectedly placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list are always a possibility these days, and Fantasy Alarm will keep you up to date on all the latest breaking fantasy football related news as it happens. In the meantime, the following analysis provides a closer look at a few of the NFL backfields that deserve your attention. We hope that it helps you better manage your fantasy football team(s) and wish you luck on your quest for a fantasy football championship!
Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons announced what we fantasy players have known for a little while now: Ito Smith is the team’s lead back. Unfortunately when you’re the lead back of a Falcons team that runs a pass first offense you’re not going to get many carries. Over the past three weeks Smith has lead Falcons running backs in snaps played but he’s only averaged just over eight carries per game during that span. With Todd Gurley ’s chronic knee injuries continuously resurfacing and limiting him on the field, his days as a bell cow back are likely behind him. Gurley will be a free agent at the end of the season.
Houston Texans
While the Texans’ offensive line was better at protecting their quarterback last season, their run blocking wasn’t very good. Unfortunately the unit as a whole has taken a step backward this season and that has made it extremely difficult for any Texans running back to run the ball. As a team, they have the lowest total rushing yards (1,204) and rushing yards per game (86). It’s not surprising that David Johnson hasn’t had a 100-yard rushing game so far this season. However, Johnson has been a very good pass-catching back throughout his career and the Texans finally took advantage of his receiving skills in Week 15. After logging zero catches in his previous two games, he caught all 11 of his targets against the Colts. Johnson has a good matchup against the Bengals and he should have success on the ground against a team that is giving up 4.89 YPC to RB’s. However, if his offensive line doesn’t create enough holes for him to run through, the Texans know that they can use him in their passing game. If Duke Johnson and C.J. Prosise , who missed Week 15 due to injuries, are forced to miss Week 16 as well, Johnson could be a fantasy football hero this week.
Jacksonville Jaguars
James Robinson possibly being a no-go for Week 16 due to an ankle injury is a big deal for fantasy managers. The rookie running back, who absolutely deserves to have been selected for the Pro Bowl, is fantasy football’s RB4 based on total PPR fantasy points scored. He hasn’t scored less than ten PPR fantasy points in any game this season and he basically carried many fantasy teams on his back as he helped lead them to the fantasy playoffs. If Robinson is out this week Dare Ogunbowale and Devine Ozigbo might find themselves splitting carries. Some actually expected Ozigbo to be the Jaguars’ lead back this season after they released Leonard Fournette . A hamstring injury forced the Jags to place him on the IR and the rest is history. For Week 16, Ozigbo would probably be better suited to have the Jags’ early down role with Ogunbowale playing during passing downs.
Kansas City Chiefs
With Clyde Edwards-Helaire out of action due to a high ankle sprain, Le’Veon Bell will have the opportunity to grab the majority of the Chiefs’ early down carries. He's got a sweet matchup against the Falcons but the Chiefs are another team that runs a pass heavy offense. The best scenario for fantasy managers needing to start Bell would be for the Chiefs to get off to a big early first half lead. In that case the Chiefs might look to run the ball more in the second half, giving Bell the opportunity to provide fantasy managers with enough fantasy production to help them seal a Week 16 victory.
San Francisco 49ers
With the 49ers placing Raheem Mostert on injured reserve due to a left high ankle sprain, Jeff Wilson Jr. is likely to take over as the lead back in Week 16. After Mostert was forced from Week 15’s contest against the Cowboys in the third quarter Wilson received a majority of the early down carries the rest of the way. Tevin Coleman and Jerick McKinnon are healthy but based on their recent usage, likely won’t have a large role against the Cardinals in Week 16. Look for Coleman to have the change of pace role and McKinnon to be active on passing downs. Wilson has had a nose for the end zone this season and has scored all seven of his touchdowns in games where he’s had at least 12 carries. Look for him to have at least that many carries this week.
Player News
Browns GM Andrew Berry said Alabama QB Jalen Milroe has “rare physical talent.”
Berry continued with his praise of Milroe’s physical traits, saying he is maybe the only quarterback faster than Lamar Jackson. Milroe ran for 729 yards and a jaw-dropping 20 touchdowns in his final season at Alabama. Though the Browns don’t appear to be taking a quarterback with the No. 2 overall pick, they are up again at No. 33 and could even package that selection with another pick to get back into the first round. The Browns have held visits with all of the major quarterback prospects, including Milroe. They currently have Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett on the roster, neither of whom is a long-term option.
Browns GM Andrew Berry said Colorado CB/WR Travis Hunter’s skill set is best suited for wide receiver.
Berry still didn’t rule out Hunter playing both positions at the next level. He also noted that he doesn’t think Hunter needs to be a two-way player to be worth the No. 2 overall pick that Cleveland holds. Hunter is currently the favorite to be taken with the second pick ahead of Penn State EDGE Abdul Carter and Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders. Giants GM Joe Schoen talked about Hunter yesterday as well. He noted the risks of playing Hunter on both sides of the ball but sounded more than willing to give it a shot. Between Schoen, Berry, and other reports, all signs point to Hunter at least getting some run on both sides of the ball, though not as much as he did in college. The receiver-needy Browns would likely deploy him as a wide receiver first, much to the pleasure of the fantasy football community.
CBS Sports’ Aditi Kinkhabwala says free agent QB Aaron Rodgers “is not going to play just for the sake of playing.”
Kinkhabwala has had conversations with Rodgers and executives around the league trying to sign him. Based on those conversations, she says, “it’s extremely clear Rodgers is not going to play just for the sake of playing.” He remains unsigned with the 2025 NFL Draft on the horizon and multiple teams needing quarterback help. The Steelers are the most likely fit, but it seems Rodgers won’t force it if he does not find a good fit. This explains why Rodgers has been interested in the Vikings and has not yet signed. The 41-year-old may be headed for retirement if a situation he prefers, like the Vikings, does not want him back. His options remain limited and Rodgers may call it a career if he still does not like his options later in the offseason.
Bears signed LB T.J. Edwards to a two-year, $20 million extension.
Edwards’ extension includes $16.6 million guaranteed. The Bears originally signed him to a three-year, $19.5 million contract two seasons ago and he has outplayed that salary. Edwards has four interceptions, 6.5 sacks, and 20 tackles for loss in two seasons starting for Chicago in the middle of the field. He gets a raise as the Bears lock up another important part of their defense after extending CB Kyler Gordon earlier in the week.
Georgia EDGE Mykel Williams visited the Falcons on Wednesday.
Williams posted on his Instagram that he visited the Falcons facility on what was the last day of pre-draft visits. The 20-year-old is a Georgia native, played at the University of Georgia, and is expected to be selected in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. The Falcons have a need for an edge rusher and hold the No. 15 pick. They may look to keep Williams in-state and add his skillset to their pass-rushing group. Williams tallied five sacks last season and has explosive production for any team looking to add an edge rusher in the first round.
Fox Sports’ Jordan Schultz reports Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart “won’t fall out of the first round.”
Schultz reports his sources are indicating that Dart will not fall out of the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. He continues that the Giants are a candidate to trade up from pick No. 34 into the first round to take Dart if they do not take a quarterback at pick No. 3. The Saints are also an option with pick No. 9 or a trade up from pick No. 40. Dart is generally considered the third quarterback to come off the board after Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders, so a team in need of a franchise quarterback may take a chance on him after Ward and Sanders are selected. Teams could look to gain a fifth-year option on Dart and trade into the first round if he is not taken earlier.