As fantasy football managers try to punch their ticket into their league championships, the Las Vegas Raiders’ backfield could deliver one final present on this holiday weekend as they take on the Denver Broncos. Given his recent surge in the receiving game, is Josh Jacobs an absolute must-start in Week 16 for fantasy, and is there any value in Peyton Barber for those needing a Christmas miracle?
Josh Jacobs’ receiving game continues to carry his fantasy value
Of all the things I have said this year, that might be the one I did not see coming the most, and wow, that is saying something. For the last two seasons, all we have heard about is this increased passing role Jacobs would see. Week after week, game after game, that was the narrative. Finally, people realized it wasn’t coming anytime soon. Well, I hope those of you who were “ride or die” for him are enjoying things right now as your dedication and patience have finally paid off.
Following the dismissal of head coach Jon Gruden, Jacobs has become one of the league’s busier backs in the passing game. His 55 targets are ninth-most amongst RBs on the season, and he is sixth in receptions with 47. Since Week 10, Jacobs has averaged 5.8 targets, 4.8 receptions, and 32.5 yards per game.
It’s also helping to mask some inefficiency Jacobs is having on the ground. Over this same stretch, he has rushed for over 60 yards just once and is averaging 12.5 carries and 44.7 yards per game while scoring 2 touchdowns. It’s not bad, just a far stretch from the usage we saw from him in his first two seasons.
While he is the RB17 on the season (12 games), he has been the RB9 since Week 10, averaging 14.2 PPR points per game. He has scored double-digit fantasy points in 11 of his 12 games while finishing as an RB2 or better in nine of his games. With Kenyan Drake on the injured reserve with an ankle injury, this is Jacobs’ backfield, and he should once again have a busy game in Week 16.
Peyton Barber continues to be an afterthought in the Raiders’ offense and for fantasy
Peyton Barber has put together one good game this season. In Week 3 with Jacobs out, Barber rushed 23 times for 111 yards with a touchdown while adding 31 yards on 3 receptions (5 targets). Barber had more touches in that one game than he has in the rest of the season combined.
In his other seven games, Barber has 21 carries for 76 yards and 4 receptions on 5 targets for 27 yards with zero touchdowns. That’s it. And remember, that one big game came with Gruden at the helm, not current head coach Rich Bisaccia. While he did see an uptick in Week 15 against Cleveland and saw 6 touches for 46 total yards, it’s hard to see Barber getting enough touches to become a fantasy-viable asset in Week 16.
Josh Jacobs is a must-start in Week 16 for fantasy
Despite his ho-hum rushing totals, Jacobs needs to be in all starting lineups this week. He is a low-end RB1/high-end RB2 who should see at least 16 touches and could push closer to 20. That volume is hard to find — more and more teams opt to use a committee approach with their backfields.
This season, the Broncos have been a tough defense to running backs, allowing the seventh-fewest points to the position (20.59) and are No. 8 over the last four weeks at 18.53. The last time these teams matched up in Week 6, Jacobs finished as the RB19 (15.2 PPR) with 82 total yards and a score on 17 touches. With Drew Lock under center this week for the Broncos, we could see him turn the ball over a bit more, leading to more opportunities for Jacobs. Fire him into your lineups this week.