If you’re reading this, then you’ve made it further than most have this fantasy football season. You’ll be dreaming of winning a fantasy championship, and now that you’re in the playoffs, the margins between victory and defeat are slimmer than ever. Our Week 15 fantasy RB rankings bring you the must starts, sleepers, and busts that you need to know to achieve victory.
Week 14 featured a handful of the top fantasy running backs missing out, and it’s important to check for their availability throughout the week. Christian McCaffrey lands at the top of our rankings, despite the injury concerns. If he’s unable to play, Mike Davis will see a huge boost in an enticing matchup. Joe Mixon, Antonio Gibson, and Myles Gaskin were also ruled out during the week. Their injuries look as if they could be more long-term, but then we will adjust our rankings if they are available to play.
Note: Please keep in mind that these are PPR RB rankings. PPR in fantasy means that a running back gets an additional full point for each reception. This can play a big factor when deciding which players to put into your lineups and makes volume all that much more important.
Christian McCaffrey tops the top 5 fantasy RB rankings
1) Christian McCaffrey at Packers
2) Derrick Henry vs. Lions
3) Alvin Kamara vs. Chiefs
4) Dalvin Cook vs. Bears
5) Aaron Jones vs. Panthers
If Christian McCaffrey is active in Week 15, he returns to one of the best possible matchups. The Packers have struggled against running backs all season, but they’re scoring points at will. With the Panthers likely to be playing from behind, the ball will be in Teddy Bridgewater’s hands, and McCaffrey is one of the top pass-catching RBs around. Expect him to have success on the ground and be targeted heavily. Mike Davis has played well in his absence and could see a bigger workload if McCaffrey isn’t 100%, but if CMC is out there, then he’ll be carrying the load.
Related | Week 15 WR Rankings: Terry McLaurin headlines fantasy sleepers, must starts, busts
It isn’t easy to know what to say about Derrick Henry now. Playing him in your fantasy lineup feels as if it should be cheating. Running backs aren’t supposed to have that combination of size and speed, and every time you look up, Henry seems to be scoring a touchdown. The Lions are an enticing matchup for anybody, and he should feast.
Outside of a tipped pass that led to an interception, Alvin Kamara and Taysom Hill finally appeared to be on the same page in Week 14. After three catches in Hill’s first three games, Kamara re-emerged as a pass-catcher with seven receptions for 44 yards. Despite his lack of involvement recently, he’s still the RB1 in PPR leagues and is in a good spot to build on last week’s performance.
Dalvin Cook and Aaron Jones are must-starts even in tough matchups
Dalvin Cook is coming off a big performance against a Buccaneers defense, which has performed very well against running backs. The Bears are another tough opponent and were among the more successful teams against him when the two teams met earlier in the season. It’s a reminder of how good Cook is that his 110 total yards are considered a disappointment, though. He is one of the top fantasy performers every week.
Aaron Jones is still heavily involved in the Packers’ offense, even if Jamaal Williams makes it more of a committee than fantasy managers would like. The Panthers have been better against running backs recently, but Jones should see scoring opportunities and fantasy points.
6) Austin Ekeler at Raiders
7) Jonathan Taylor vs. Texans
8) Cam Akers vs. New York Jets
9) David Montgomery at Vikings
10) Nick Chubb at Giants
Austin Ekeler looks to be involved in more of a rushing committee than fantasy managers would ideally like. Still, he’s the most talented RB on the team, and he’s going up against a Las Vegas Raiders team that has been torched by RBs all season. Ekeler led the team in receptions and receiving yards in Week 14 and should continue to be a big part of the passing game, especially if Mike Williams misses time.
It wasn’t long ago that Jonathan Taylor was considered a fantasy bust. He wasn’t breaking tackles and was being outplayed by Nyheim Hines, but a lot has changed in a few weeks. He’s finished as RB12, RB5, and RB2 in PPR scoring in his last three games. He has over 100 total yards in each game, including 165 and two touchdowns in his last outing against the Raiders.
Cam Akers has arrived. The rookie has 53 touches in the last two weeks and shows exactly why the Los Angeles Rams drafted him. The New York Jets defense can slow teams down, but the Rams should be playing from ahead, and fantasy managers can expect a heavy workload again.
David Montgomery and Nick Chubb are top 10 options
David Montgomery might have had the majority of his production on one 80-yard touchdown run, but he’s looking as impressive as he has for a long time. He gets the Vikings in Week 15, whose defense has improved over the course of the season, but he should see plenty of the ball in a competitive divisional game.
Nick Chubb continues to be involved in a committee. Luckily for fantasy managers, it’s the best committee in football. He’s still slightly ahead of Kareem Hunt, and the Giants have allowed far worse running backs to have productive days. With the Browns likely to be ahead and trying to keep the ball away from the Giants, he’s in a good position for another successful day.
Tier 2: Fantasy RB rankings for Week 15
11) D’Andre Swift at Titans
12) Josh Jacobs vs. Chargers
13) Ronald Jones at Falcons
14) Melvin Gordon vs. Bills
15) James Robinson at Ravens
16) Raheem Mostert at Cowboys
17) James Conner at Bengals
18) Chris Carson at Washington
19) Kenyan Drake vs. Eagles
20) Kareem Hunt at Giants
Tier 3: Fantasy RB rankings for Week 15
21) Miles Sanders at Cardinals
22) Nyheim Hines vs. Texans
23) JK Dobbins vs. Jaguars
24) J.D. McKissic vs. Seahawks
25) Ezekiel Elliott vs. 49ers
26) Wayne Gallman vs. Browns
27) David Johnson at Colts
28) Damien Harris at Dolphins
29) Clyde Edwards-Helaire at Saints
30) DeAndre Washington vs. Patriots
Tier 4: Fantasy RB rankings for Week 15
31) Jamaal Williams vs. Panthers
32) Gus Edwards vs. Jaguars
33) Frank Gore at Rams
34) Peyton Barber vs. Seahawks
35) Lynn Bowden Jr vs. Patriots
36) Zack Moss at Broncos
37) Todd Gurley vs. Buccaneers
38) Chase Edmonds vs. Eagles
39) Carlos Hyde at Washington
40) Jeff Wilson Jr at Cowboys
Tier 5: Fantasy RB rankings for Week 15
41) Devin Singletary at Broncos
42) Phillip Lindsay vs. Bills
43) Giovani Bernard vs. Steelers
44) Ty Johnson at Rams
45) Adrian Peterson at Titans
46) Duke Johnson at Colts
47) Ito Smith vs. Buccaneers
48) Darrell Henderson vs. Jets
49) Latavius Murray vs. Chiefs
50) James White at Dolphins
Tier 6: Fantasy RB rankings for Week 15
51) Tony Pollard vs. 49ers
52) Mike Davis at Packers
53) Justin Jackson at Raiders
54) LeSean McCoy at Falcons
55) Trayveon Williams vs. Steelers
56) Kalen Ballage vs. Raiders
57) Jaylen Samuels vs. Bengals
58) Josh Adams vs. Rams
59) Le’Veon Bell at Saints
60) Boston Scott at Cardinals
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