We’ve reached Week 16. If your league has any sense this is your Championship week. May the football gods favor your fake team. Here are some RB situations to monitor if you’re lucky enough to still be making lineup decisions. 

 

Kenyan Drake , RB ARI - The Drake has taken over the Cardinals backfield. Even with David Johnson and Chase Edmunds getting healthier he dominated the snaps with 75% (46). That translated to four TDs. Four! Drake has always had big play ability. That seems like a perfect fit for uptempo Arizona.

Raheem Mostert , RB SF - Honey Mostert’s snaps backed off some with Matt Breida and Tevin Coleman taking 12 and 19, respectively. That isn’t unexpected. Neither Breida nor Coleman looked very good with their opportunities. Somehow Mostert is going to be the 49ers RB to own in 2020.

James Conner , RB PIT - The bruising back handled 34 snaps for the Steelers which was slightly more than half the RB work (58%). Benny Snell has been sent to the doghouse. Jaylen Samuels is a small one-trick pony. Conner is the only viable option for them.

Tony Pollard, RB DAL - The Cowboys blew the doors off the Rams early. That opened up 23 carries for Pollard, who turned in a 12-131-1 line. The kid’s talented. He’s the premier handcuff going into 2020. 

Chris Carson , RB SEA - Seattle is stuck with Carson, like it or not. Rashaad Penny ’s season is over and the other backs in the rotation are gimmicks. Carson handled 76% of the work for 51 snaps. He made the most of his new lease on the job and posted 24-133-2. Arizona is on tap for the Seahawks next week. The good times should continue to roll.

Nick Chubb , RB CLE - Chubb owners were happy to have a 17-127-1 day of production. It came on only 35 snaps, however. That’s a season-low for Chubb. It’s touchdown or bust for him in Championship week.

Phillip Lindsay , RB DEN - The coaching staff hasn’t gotten the production they hoped out of Lindsay despite committing to him a few games back. That’s led to a reduced role for him at 39% of snaps last week. Royce Freeman and Devontae Booker are picking up those scraps. This is an RB dead zone between that and a subpar offensive line.

Marlon Mack , RB IND - I had projected his snaps count to rise each week the rest of the way but the Colts are being cautious here. He actually played one less snap but the team ran fewer plays in a dismal MNF beatdown at Drew Brees hands. He gets a Panthers team that is exploitable on the ground this week. Maybe he can provide enough efficiency on fewer snaps.

Devonta Freeman , RB ATL - Freeman seems healthy and the Falcons were in a competitive game so he stayed on the field for 79% of the snaps. The efficiency was not very appealing with a 12-39/2-16 line. The 49ers have been a stout defense, especially at home, so it’s possible to give him a pass on that day. The Jaguars at home are next for Atlanta. That’s a really intriguing matchup if he stays on the field at this same rate.

Wes Hills, RB DET - The replacement to the replacement scored two TDs with 21 rushing yards. This was an anomaly. Kerryon Johnson ’s return is on the horizon as well.