We’re on to the second week of the fantasy football playoffs, and our Week 15 fantasy RB rankings are looking strong. There are very few injuries to top-tier running backs, and the committees that plagued the position at the beginning of the year are becoming less of an issue. As such, the RB2/flex tier range is chock full of worthwhile starters, and with so many sleepers available, some fantasy owners will face tough start ’em, sit ’em decisions because of the newfound depth at the position.
Of course, there are still a few key injuries to keep an eye on. Christian McCaffrey missed yet another week of action in Week 14 with a new injury (quad), and while he has played just once since Week 2, he may have a chance to play against the Packers after logging some limited practices last week. Antonio Gibson (toe) will also be questionable in the lead-up to Washington’s game against the Seahawks. His status is very much up in the air, but he didn’t practice last week, so he’ll need to be watched closely.
WEEK 15 PPR RANKINGS: Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
Elsewhere, David Johnson and Myles Gaskin are both on the COVID list. While Johnson is currently included in our Week 15 rankings, Gaskin is not, as he’s expected to miss Week 15. As a result, DeAndre Washington will be a fringe-RB2/flex play pending the status of Miami’s other injured/ill RBs.
WEEK 15 STANDARD RANKINGS: Quarterback | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
Joe Mixon (foot) is another player that fantasy owners will be focused on. He hasn’t played since Week 6, but since he is eligible to return from IR, there will be questions about him this week. That said, Mixon is no lock to return this season, and even if he is somehow able to play in Week 15, he would be merely a low-level flex play against a tough Steelers defense. If Mixon is out, fantasy owners should avoid the three-headed “monster” of Giovani Bernard, Trayveon Williams, and Samaje Perine.
There are plenty of RBs worth starting as flexes this week. Players like Ezekiel Elliott (vs. 49ers) and Miles Sanders (@ Cardinals) don’t have the best matchups, but they still get volume and have TD upside. Guys like Nyheim Hines (vs. Texans), Jeff Wilson Jr. (@ Cowboys), Gus Edwards (vs. Jaguars), and Phillip Lindsay (vs. Bills) all have good matchups, and even though they are part of committees, they can be started as flexes if you’re in a bind since they get regular touches.
There are a couple of risky RBs that should probably be avoided in standard leagues if you can help it. Clyde Edwards-Helaire (@ Saints) and Todd Gurley (vs. Buccaneers) are playing two of the toughest run defenses in the NFL. Gurley is getting noticeably less volume, and he’s very TD-dependent. Meanwhile, Edwards-Helaire isn’t getting enough volume in a pass-dominant offense, and he is also losing a few touches each week to Le’Veon Bell. Both have some upside, but the risk may outweigh the reward this week.
Reminder: As always, we expect to make plenty of changes to these RB rankings throughout the week, so check back for updates.
These rankings are for standard, non-PPR leagues.
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#1
Derrick Henry, Titans
Titans vs. Lions
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#2
Christian McCaffrey, Panthers
Panthers @ Packers
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#3
Aaron Jones, Packers
Packers vs. Panthers
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#4
Alvin Kamara, Saints
Saints vs. Chiefs
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#5
Jonathan Taylor, Colts
Colts vs. Texans
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#6
Austin Ekeler, Chargers
Chargers @ Raiders
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#7
Dalvin Cook, Vikings
Vikings vs. Bears
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#8
David Montgomery, Bears
Bears @ Vikings
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#9
D’Andre Swift, Lions
Lions @ Titans
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#10
Melvin Gordon, Broncos
Broncos vs. Bills
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#11
Josh Jacobs, Raiders
Raiders vs. Chargers
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#12
Ronald Jones, Buccaneers
Buccaneers @ Falcons
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#13
Cam Akers, Rams
Rams vs. Jets
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#14
James Robinson, Jaguars
Jaguars @ Ravens
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#15
Raheem Mostert, 49ers
49ers @ Cowboys
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#16
Chris Carson, Seahawks
Seahawks @ Washington
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#17
Nick Chubb, Browns
Browns @ Giants
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#18
Kenyan Drake, Cardinals
Cardinals vs. Eagles
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#19
James Conner, Steelers
Steelers @ Bengals
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#20
JK Dobbins, Ravens
Ravens vs. Jaguars
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#21
Wayne Gallman, Giants
Giants vs. Browns
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#22
Nyheim Hines, Colts
Colts vs. Texans
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#23
Jeff Wilson Jr., 49ers
49ers @ Cowboys
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#24
Damien Harris, Patriots
Patriots @ Dolphins
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#25
Miles Sanders, Eagles
Eagles @ Cardinals
#26
Best of the rest
26 Ezekiel Elliott, DAL vs. SF 27 David Johnson, HOU @ IND 28 Clyde Edwards-Helaire, KC @ NO 29 J.D. McKissic, WAS vs. SEA 30 DeAndre Washington, MIA vs. NE 31 Jamaal Williams, GB vs. CAR 32 Kareem Hunt, CLE @ NYG 33 Phillip Lindsay, DEN vs. BUF 34 Gus Edwards, BAL vs. JAX 35 Todd Gurley, ATL vs. TB 36 Zack Moss, BUF @ DEN 37 Lynn Bowden, MIA vs. NE 38 Adrian Peterson, DET @ TEN 39 Devin Singletary, BUF @ DEN 40 Latavius Murray, NO vs. KC 41 Ito Smith, ATL vs. TB 42 Darrell Henderson, LAR vs. NYJ 43 Peyton Barber, WAS vs. SEA 44 Frank Gore, NYJ @ LAR 45 Ty Johnson, NYJ @ LAR 46 Giovani Bernard, CIN vs. PIT 47 Mark Ingram, BAL vs. JAX 48 Duke Johnson, HOU @ IND 49 Tony Pollard, DAL vs. SF 50 Justin Jackson, LAC @ LV 51 Chase Edmonds, ARI vs. PHI 52 Carlos Hyde, SEA @ WAS 53 Trayveon Wiliams, CIN vs. PIT 54 Samaje Perine, CIN vs. PIT 55 LeSean McCoy, TB @ ATL 56 James White, NE @ MIA 57 Kalen Ballage, LAC @ LV 58 Mike Davis, CAR @ GB 59 Le’Veon Bell, KC @ NO 60 Benny Snell, PIT @ CIN 61 Devontae Booker, LV vs. LAC 62 Malcolm Brown, LAR vs. NYJ 63 Boston Scott, PHI @ ARI 64 Jalen Richard, LV vs. LAC 65 Jordan Wilkins, IND vs. HOU 66 Sony Michel, NE @ MIA 67 Jeremy McNichols, TEN vs. DET 68 Dion Lewis, NYG vs. CLE 69 Brian Hill, ATL vs. TB 70 Kerryon Johnson, DET @ TEN 71 Darrel Williams, KC @ NO 72 Royce Freeman, DEN vs. BUF 73 Ameer Abdullah, MIN vs. CHI 74 Josh Adams, NYJ @ LAR