Fantasy Football Playoffs Running Back Preview: Waiver adds, Week 16 stashes, starts, sits, and more

The running back preview will look a little bit different this week. The vast majority of Fantasy Football leagues are heading into the Fantasy playoffs, so I will try to give you an overview of the position for the next three weeks. There will still be Week 15 waiver wire adds below, but there will also be Week 16 stashes. 

We went through most of the season with limited running back injuries, but that has started to change over the past few weeks. That's a good reminder that you should ensure the top backups at the position are rostered if you have extra bench spots. This is an excellent time to try to optimize those end-of-bench spots for potential upside in the later rounds.

Blake Corum, Sean Tucker, and Kendre Miller are three of my favorite injury-contingent backs available in at least 67% of leagues. These guys didn't make the waiver wire section below because that's focused on guys I might want to start the next two weeks. 

Tucker is far more appealing if we find out Bucky Irving's absence is going to be a multi-week absence, he'd then be just one injury away from being a top-12 back in Week 17 against the Carolina Panthers. It's a very small sample size, but Tucker's 8.3 yards per touch this season shows you just how much upside he has. The one time this season that he received double-digit touches he scored 34.2 PPR Fantasy points.

Miller emerged from Injured Reserve (and the dog house) to carry the ball 10 times in Week 14. He still needs an injury to Alvin Kamara to be a starter, but Kamara is a 29-year-old running back on a team that is all but eliminated from the playoffs. It may not take much for him to be shut down. If Miller gets a chance, he'll face the Raiders in the Fantasy championships.

Of course, before we get to Week 17, we have to win one-to-two more games. Let's get started on that.

Now, let's get to the rest of the Playoff RB Preview:

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Playoff RB Preview

The following players are not being projected to play in Week 15 at this time. Here's what it means:

Isaac Guerendo RB SF San Francisco • #49 Age: 24 • Experience: Rookie Guerendo hasn't been ruled out yet, but Patrick Taylor is a must-add in case he can't go.

Bucky Irving RB TB Tampa Bay • #7 Age: 22 • Experience: Rookie Rachaad White is a must-start running back if Irving is out.

• 28.1 -- The Panthers are giving up 28.1 PPR FPPG to opposing running backs. They face the Cowboys, Cardinals, and Buccaneers in the Fantasy playoffs. Start any starting running back you get against them.
• 7.31 -- Opposing running backs see 7.31 targets per game against the Bills. They play the Lions, Patriots, and Jets in the Fantasy playoffs. Those backs are likely to be even more valuable in PPR leagues.
• 11 -- Patrick Taylor's career-high in rush attempts is 11. I am not as certain about starting him if Isaac Guerendo is out.
• 76% -- rachaad White's 76% snap share in Week 14 was a season-high. He's in my top 12 if Bucky Irving is out.
• 0 -- Najee Harris saw zero targets last week, a week after seeing six. With his unpredictable pass game usage and an awful Week 15 matchup, he's a better flex than an RB2.
• 6 -- Kareem Hunt had six touches in Week 14. I don't want to cut him, but I would rather cut him than flex him.
• 32 -- Kimani Vidal led Chargers running backs with 32 offensive snaps played against the Chiefs.
• 43.8% -- Jaleel McLaughlin led the Broncos with a 43.8% rush share in the Broncos' last two games.

Matchups that Matter

Projections powered by Sportsline

Rico Dowdle RB DAL Dallas • #23 Age: 26 • Experience: 5 yrs. Weekly Breakdown MATCHUP @ CAR CAR -2.5 O/U 43 OPP VS RB 32nd PROJ PTS 14.2 RB RNK 18th YTD Stats RUYDS 731 REC 33 REYDS 205 TD 4 FPTS/G 12.4

Brian Robinson Jr. RB WAS Washington • #8 Age: 25 • Experience: 3 yrs. Weekly Breakdown MATCHUP @ NO WAS -7 O/U 43 OPP VS RB 25th PROJ PTS 12.2 RB RNK 21st YTD Stats RUYDS 640 REC 12 REYDS 105 TD 8 FPTS/G 13.5

Tyrone Tracy Jr. RB NYG N.Y. Giants • #29 Age: 25 • Experience: Rookie Weekly Breakdown MATCHUP vs BAL BAL -15 O/U 43 OPP VS RB 9th PROJ PTS 9.7 RB RNK 20th YTD Stats RUYDS 664 REC 29 REYDS 216 TD 5 FPTS/G 11

Jonathan Taylor RB IND Indianapolis • #28 Age: 25 • Experience: 5 yrs. Weekly Breakdown MATCHUP @ DEN DEN -4 O/U 44 OPP VS RB 14th PROJ PTS 12.8 RB RNK 22nd YTD Stats RUYDS 804 REC 14 REYDS 118 TD 6 FPTS/G 14.2

James Cook RB BUF Buffalo • #4 Age: 25 • Experience: 3 yrs. Weekly Breakdown MATCHUP @ DET DET -1.5 O/U 55 OPP VS RB 2nd PROJ PTS 12.7 RB RNK 19th YTD Stats RUYDS 723 REC 28 REYDS 204 TD 12 FPTS/G 16.1

Najee Harris RB PIT Pittsburgh • #22 Age: 26 • Experience: 4 yrs. Weekly Breakdown MATCHUP @ PHI PHI -4.5 O/U 42.5 OPP VS RB 5th PROJ PTS 10.8 RB RNK 23rd YTD Stats RUYDS 877 REC 29 REYDS 249 TD 5 FPTS/G 13.2

Week 15 Adds (RB Preview)

Sincere McCormick RB LV Las Vegas • #28 Age: 24 • Experience: 2 yrs. Weekly Breakdown MATCHUP vs ATL ATL -4.5 O/U 44 OPP VS RB 8th RB RNK 32nd ROSTERED 45% YTD Stats RUYDS 175 REC 4 REYDS 12 TD 0 FPTS/G 5.7 If you need a Week 15 starter, Sincere McCormick is my favorite running back to add off the waiver wire. He had a 60% rush share (94% of running back rushes) and an 8.6% target share in Week 14. This isn't a great matchup against the Falcons but I do expect it to be a competitive game, so McCormick could approach 20 touches. As of Tuesday morning, I would start him over both Chiefs running backs, both Jaguars running backs, all Broncos running backs, Rhamondre Stevenson, and Nick Chubb.

Isaiah Davis RB NYJ N.Y. Jets • #32 Age: 22 • Experience: Rookie Weekly Breakdown MATCHUP @ JAC NYJ -3.5 O/U 40.5 OPP VS RB 31st RB RNK 29th ROSTERED 6% YTD Stats RUYDS 62 REC 7 REYDS 65 TD 2 FPTS/G 2.4 If Breece Hall misses Week 15 then both Isaiah Davis and Braelon Allen are must-roster and good flexes. It was a near-even split in Week 14 with the two backs chopping up both rushes and targets down the middle. Against the Jacksonville Jaguars, they could both be starters if they see similar volume. They've surrendered at least 100 yards rushing to running backs in six straight games and eight total running back touchdowns in that span.

Patrick Taylor RB SF San Francisco • #32 Age: 26 • Experience: 4 yrs. Weekly Breakdown MATCHUP vs LAR SF -2.5 O/U 48.5 OPP VS RB 20th RB RNK 25th ROSTERED 5% YTD Stats RUYDS 50 REC 1 REYDS 12 TD 1 FPTS/G 1.5 The short week means Isaac Guerendo may not be able to go this week, even though he said he felt good after the 49ers Week 14 win. That makes Taylor a must-add, I just don't feel great about starting him. The upside is obvious, Jordan Mason, Christian McCaffrey, and Isaac Guerendo have all been must-starts this year. But Taylor isn't as explosive as those backs, doesn't have a great pass-catching profile, and hasn't ever been close to a workhorse back. If your waivers run Wednesday night and Guerendo is ruled out, then Taylor moves up to the number two waiver priority.

Week 16 Stashes (RB Preview)

Jaleel McLaughlin RB DEN Denver • #38 Age: 24 • Experience: 2 yrs. Weekly Breakdown MATCHUP vs IND DEN -4 O/U 44 OPP VS RB 29th RB RNK 34th ROSTERED 30% YTD Stats RUYDS 367 REC 17 REYDS 47 TD 3 FPTS/G 5.7 You could start McLaughlin in Week 15 against the Colts. I wouldn't mind flexing him. But that does require that you trust Sean Payton to do the same thing with his running backs after the bye as he did before. I would rather see one more week. If McLaughlin is the clear lead back for the third week in a row then we'll feel much better about starting him in Week 16 against the Chargers and even moreso in Week 17 against the Bengals.

Kimani Vidal RB LAC L.A. Chargers • #30 Age: 23 • Experience: Rookie Weekly Breakdown MATCHUP vs TB LAC -3 O/U 46.5 OPP VS RB 17th RB RNK NR ROSTERED 32% YTD Stats RUYDS 98 REC 3 REYDS 49 TD 1 FPTS/G 4 Vidal played more than Gus Edwards in Week 14 and certainly looks like the more explosive player at this stage of their careers. I am hopeful that in Week 15 we see Vidal functioning as the lead back of a committe, which will make him a potential starter in the final two weeks of the playoffs.

Tyler Allgeier RB ATL Atlanta • #25 Age: 24 • Experience: 3 yrs. Weekly Breakdown MATCHUP @ LV ATL -4.5 O/U 44 OPP VS RB 19th RB RNK 45th ROSTERED 58% YTD Stats RUYDS 508 REC 10 REYDS 62 TD 3 FPTS/G 6.7 IN Week 16 the Falcons are at home against the hapless Giants. The combination of the Giants poor run defense and Kirk Cousins' poor play could mean that both Bijan Robinson and Allgeier are starting running backs in the Fantasy semifinals.

Top DFS Play

Projections powered by Sportsline

Derrick Henry RB BAL Baltimore • #22 Age: 31 • Experience: 9 yrs. Weekly Breakdown MATCHUP @ NYG BAL -15 O/U 43 OPP VS RB 27th PROJ PTS 19.7 RB RNK 3rd YTD Stats RUYDS 1407 REC 13 REYDS 125 TD 15 FPTS/G 19.6 The safest play on the slate may be Derrick Henry against the New York Giants. Henry should have fresh legs coming off the bye and has historically been his best the final month of the season. That would be something if he does that this year because he's already averaging 108.2 yards per game and a career-high 5.9 yards per carry. Oh yeah, he's tied for the league lead in rushing touchdowns. He faces a Giants defense that has surrendered 4.8 YPC to running backs and seven touchdowns to the position in their last five games.

Contrarian DFS Play

Projections powered by Sportsline

David Montgomery RB DET Detroit • #5 Age: 27 • Experience: 6 yrs. Weekly Breakdown MATCHUP vs BUF DET -1.5 O/U 54.5 OPP VS RB 30th PROJ PTS 13.9 RB RNK 16th YTD Stats RUYDS 771 REC 32 REYDS 310 TD 13 FPTS/G 16.6 Montgomery is never as popular as Jahmyr Gibbs. That's evidenced by the fact that he's still cheaper than Gibbs despite the fact that he has more catches, touchdowns, and Fantasy points over the past month. This Bills defense is a great matchup for running backs, the Lions are at home and favorites in the game with the highest over/under on the slate. Montgomery should be chalk, but I don't expect he will be.

My full set of Week 15 Fantasy football projections for every position are now available on SportsLine. You'll find them here. Find out which of my favorite plays are projected to score higher than consensus rankings and which don't live up to their draft hype, at least in Week 15. Projected stats for all starting running backs are available, so be sure to check out the full set of projections at SportsLine.