After seeing their ground game slowed by one of the league’s best defenses in the Cleveland Browns, the Chicago Bears face one of the league’s worst defenses this week with the Arizona Cardinals.
Which Bears running back should fantasy football managers consider starting in Week 16 out of D’Onta Foreman, Khalil Herbert, and Roschon Johnson?
Should You Start D’Onta Foreman in Fantasy This Week?
Editor’s note: Foreman is inactive for Week 16.
Foreman, who has not practiced this week for personal reasons, was about as non-existent as a player could be in last week’s loss to the Browns. He carried the ball six times for -6 rushing yards, a career low.
Coming off a decent effort the previous week vs. the Detroit Lions — 50 rushing yards on 11 carries — last week’s performance was quite surprising. And even though the Cardinals are possessors of the league’s second-worst rush defense — 139.6 rush yards per game allowed — it’s difficult to turn to Foreman after the week he just had.
Should You Start Khalil Herbert in Fantasy This Week?
Herbert’s performance last week was better than Foreman’s, but not by much. Like Foreman, Herbert finished the game with just six carries — for eight yards! Over the last two weeks, Herbert has gained a total of 16 yards on the ground on nine carries.
MORE: PFN’s FREE NFL Playoff Predictor
Over the last three games, the former Virginia Tech RB has been on the field for a combined total of 44 offensive snaps. While the Cardinals’ defense has been weak against the run, there doesn’t seem to be much belief in Herbert from the Bears, making him a difficult choice to start in any fantasy lineups.
Should You Start Roschon Johnson in Fantasy This Week?
Over his last seven games, Johnson has been on the field for at least 20 offensive snaps in each game, which isn’t bad for a rookie in a crowded backfield. And he’s arguably been the most productive of the three Bears RBs recently.
Johnson had 36 rushing yards on just five carries last week. For the season, he’s averaging 4.6 yards per carry, despite only 60 total rush attempts.
Johnson’s ability as a receiver as well — 28 receptions on the season — is an added element that neither Foreman nor Herbert has been able to display with any consistency.
With the Bears’ season essentially over — they are not officially eliminated from playoff contention, but still cannot finish with a winning record — it should be time for the team to see just what it has in young players like Johnson.
Using Pro Football Network’s Start/Sit Optimizer, our Consensus Rankings say that Foreman is the player to start. His projected 7.5 points include 51 rushing yards and one reception for two yards. Still, his projected stat line outperforms that of Herbert (4.5 points) and Johnson (5.6 points).
Herbert is projected to finish with 27 rushing yards and one reception for three yards. Johnson, meanwhile, is projected to have 29 rushing yards and one reception for six yards.
When you isolate my rankings, I see Johnson outperforming both Foreman and Herbert. He’s been the most consistent of the three Chicago RBs in recent weeks, and I believe he’ll receive the bulk of the work this weekend.
Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!