Fantasy Football Week 15 running back rankings and injury report

There are few sure things headed into playoff Week 15.

By Chris Towers

Dec 19, 2021 at 11:46 am ET • 4 min read

Running back is probably the deepest position in Fantasy at this point, but there are also a lot of moving pieces at this point. There are real questions about how the running back situations in Los Angeles, Miami, Buffalo, Houston, Philadelphia, Detroit, and San Francisco will play out as of Wednesday. Plus, Leonard Fournette (ankle), Saquon Barkley (ankle), James Conner (ankle) and Aaron Jones (knee) have all missed practice this week, and while are expected to play, it's fair to wonder if they'll have their usual roles.

You're probably not going to be able to just set it and forget it this week. There are too many moving parts. Here are my RB rankings for Week 15. To see the rankings of Jamey Eisenberg, Dave Richard, and Heath Cummings, make sure you head here.

Injury Report

Out: Elijah Mitchell (concussion/knee), D'Andre Swift (shoulder), Jamaal Williams (COVID), Kareem Hunt (COVID/ankle), Adrian Peterson (back), Carlos Hyde (concussion), Alexander Mattison (COVID), Phillip Lindsay (COVID)

The list of players ruled out this week is actually shorter at running back than it was last week, and there aren't really any surprises. Jeff Wilson will be the lead back in Mitchell's absence yet again, and I'm expecting more than 13 carries this time around -- Jimmy Garoppolo probably won't be throwing it 41 times. He's in the RB2/3 discussion.

For the Lions, we saw Craig Reynolds unexpectedly step up as the lead rusher last week, as he had 11 carries for 83 yards and added two catches for 16. Godwin Igwebuike had eight carries and no targets, a disappointing showing after he was the clear passing down's option alongside Williams the previous week. Neither is a recommended starter against the Cardinals, but if you are desperate, Reynolds is probably the better option based on what we saw last week?

Legitimately questionable: Tony Pollard (foot), J.D. McKissic (concussion), Alex Collins (COVID), Rex Burkhead (hip)

Pollard is going to try to give a go, and if he can make it through pre-game warmups, he is expected to be active. He's playing through a torn plantar fascia and was able to practice on a limited basis Thursday and Friday, so he should be out there. I would expect he'll get a handful of snaps, but any hopes of him overtaking Ezekiel Elliott as the lead back at this point seem pretty slim thanks to the injury.

Likely in: James Conner (ankle), Chase Edmonds (ankle), Javonte Williams (knee), Melvin Gordon (thumb), Leonard Fournette (ankle), Darrell Henderson (COVID)

It sounds like for both the Cardinals and Broncos, both players are going to play. For the Broncos that should mean we continue to see close to a 50-50 split, and both are in the RB2 discussion against the Bengals, who do represent a somewhat tough matchup. For the Cardinals, their backfield split is a bit less clear. Edmonds was the clear passing downs back before their injury, but Conner has been quite impressive in the passing game himself. If he can hold on to even some of that role while continue to dominate in the red zone, he could remain a must-start Fantasy RB. For now, I'm viewing Conner as more of a mid-range RB2, while Edmonds is in the RB3 range.

Fournette is expected to play, but it'll be interesting to see if Ronald Jones spells him a bit more than normal. However, with Giovani Bernard out, Fournette should continue to see the passing game work, which makes him a must-start option in a Tom Brady offense.

And Henderson's role is one of the big questions for this week. He was activated from the COVID list, so he should be good to go this week. However, after dominating touches and snaps for much of the season, Sean McVay has talked about the need to mix Henderson and Sony Michel up. What that will look like is pretty hard to know right now, so I'm going to assume Michel will be the lead back this week, with Henderson more like an RB3. It could go the other way, or one of them could dominate snaps -- that's how McVay has historically operated, FWIW -- so it's not the worst idea to avoid them both if you have options with more clarity. Especially since things can change between now and Tursday evening.

Week 15 RB Rankings

Dalvin Cook @CHI
Alvin Kamara @TB
Najee Harris vs. TEN
Joe Mixon @DEN
Nick Chubb vs. LV
Leonard Fournette vs. NO
Cordarrelle Patterson @SF
Josh Jacobs @CLE
Saquon Barkley vs. DAL
Ezekiel Elliott @NYG
James Robinson vs. HOU
Antonio Gibson @PHI
David Montgomery vs. MIN
Devonta Freeman vs. GB
Myles Gaskin vs. NYJ
Michael Carter @MIA
James Conner @DET
Javonte Williams vs. CIN
Miles Sanders vs. WAS
AJ Dillon @BAL
Aaron Jones @BAL
Melvin Gordon vs. CIN
Jeff Wilson vs. ATL
Sony Michel vs. SEA
D'Onta Foreman @PIT
Chuba Hubbard @BUF
Rashaad Penny @LAR
Darrell Henderson vs. SEA
Chase Edmonds @DET
Devin Singletary vs. CAR
Ameer Abdullah @BUF
Craig Reynolds vs. ARI
Godwin Igwebuike vs. ARI
Mike Davis @SF
Jeremy McNichols @PIT
David Johnson @JAX
Corey Clement @NYG
Ty Johnson @MIA
Rex Burkhead @JAX
JaMycal Hasty vs. ATL
Dontrell Hilliard @PIT
Kenneth Gainwell vs. WAS
Devontae Booker vs. DAL

2021 NFL jerseys now available

The new NFL season is here! Win or lose, you can shop jerseys, shirts, hats, and much more to support your favorite team. Shop here and show your colors.

We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.