Fantasy Football: Week 16 RB matchups to exploit

Optimize your Week 16 fantasy football lineups with these favorable RB matchups.

James Conner vs. CAR

Conner started the fantasy playoffs with a stellar performance in Week 15. He finished as the RB1 overall of the week, totaling 138 yards and two touchdowns on 21 touches. Conner earned 70% of the opportunities in the backfield in this game, a slightly larger role than he has seen this year. This was because the Cardinals' backups are currently in disarray. Emari Demercado was placed on IR before Week 15, and rookie Trey Benson his ankle is injured late in Sunday's game. Conner has already played a strong role in this Arizona offense, but it appears he could become even stronger in the future.

This week, Conner enters what may be the best matchup a running back can find, taking on the Panthers as a four-point favorite. Carolina is allowing the most rushing yards per game and the second-most rushing touchdowns this season. Last week, the Panthers had Rico Dowdle rush for a career-high 149 yards on 25 carries. Conner is a top-10 RB this week and a clear must-start RB in all fantasy formats.

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Rico Dowdle vs. TB

Speaking of Dowdle, he's red hot right now. In week 15, Dowdle again set a career-high in distance for the third straight game. He earned 149 rushing yards on a career-high 25 carries and if you watched this game, you know it was just good run after good run for Dowdle. He posted 149 yards and his long run was only 12 yards. It was a day of consistently strong runs for him against the Panthers.

According to Ryan Heath from Fantasy Points, Dowdle has averaged 85% of the Cowboys' backfield carries and 120 rushing yards per game over the past four games. He ranks second in rushing yards during this span and 14th in fantasy points per game.

Dowdle now has three straight games of at least 120 yards and quietly has five games of 100+ yards this season. He has benefited from some great games against the Giants, Bengals and Panthers over the past three weeks. But the strengths continue this week against a Bucs team that is allowing the 10th most rushing yards per game this season. Dowdle remains a starter and he is gearing up to be a real league winner.

Bucky Irving vs. DAL

There were many questions about Irving's availability in Week 15 for the Bucs after he re-injured his back in Week 14 and did not return for the second half of that game. The reports in the first week leading up to Week 15 were concerning, as Irving missed practice on Wednesday and Thursday, but was able to participate in a limited capacity on Friday and ultimately saw action on Sunday against the Chargers.

We were told Irving would see a near-normal role and that's exactly what happened. He earned 17 opportunities in Week 15 and totaled 113 yards while topping 100 rushing yards for the second time this season. Irving looked healthy and his usual explosive self as he forced four broken tackles and had two explosive runs of more than 10 yards. He's headed in the right direction as he enters a favorable Week 16 matchup against the Cowboys.

The Bucs are four-point road favorites against a Dallas defense that continues to battle injuries to key players. The Cowboys are allowing the fifth-most rushing yards per game and most rushing touchdowns this season. Stay tuned for Irvings practice reports this week, but if he performs well again, he will be a must-start in Week 16.

Jaguars RBs vs. LV

Tank Bigsby has had an up and down season. He started the year strong and was one of the most explosive backs in the league through the first seven weeks of the season, but Bigsby suffered an ankle injury in Week 8 and struggled with efficiency and production in the following weeks. But in Week 14, we got to see Bigsby healthy and in a neutral game script against the Titans. This game stayed within seven points throughout, and this allowed Bigsby to force 19 touches for 62 yards and a score. This was great to see, but in week 15 his usage dropped off a bit.

The Jaguars played another close game against the Jets, going back and forth throughout the game. It was a close game and it allowed Bigsby to earn double-digit carries for the second week in a row. But he could only convert his twelve chances into 42 scoreless yards. It was Travis Etienne Jr. who produced the better fantasy day by converting 18 touches into 85 yards. Etienne looked good as a runner and receiver, catching four of his five targets for 20 yards.

This week the Jaguars RBs will face a weaker Raiders defense. Las Vegas is allowing the ninth most fantasy points per game to RBs this year. This week's game only has a one-point spread. It should be a close game throughout, and this will benefit the involvement of both Jaguars running backs. Both Etienne and Bigsby were viable FLEX options in week 16.

James Cook vs. NE

Cook is ready to hit the ground running this week after a strong performance in Week 15 against the Lions. This game had the highest expected point total of the season at 55 points, and it delivered. Both teams combined to score 90 total points, with the Bills alone putting up over 550 yards of total offense. 197 of these yards came on the ground and this is where Cook excelled. He took advantage of a banged-up Lions defense, converting 14 carries into 105 yards and two touchdowns. He also added 28 yards on his only reception in this game.

Cook finished top three against the Lions this week and has now finished in the top 10 at his position in three of his past four games. Cook remains extremely efficient this season, averaging 5.3 yards per touch, which ranks 11th in the NFL according to Player Profiler. I said earlier that he plans to break this week and that's because Cook and the Bills are 14-point home favorites against the Patriots. New England ranks 26th in run defense according to PFF and the Bills should have a commanding lead going into this game. This causes Cook to see a lot of carries in the second half; he's a top-10 RB in this Week 16 matchup.