Editor’s update: Adrian Peterson has been ruled out for Week 16.
Fantasy football rankings, Week 16: Consensus running backs for standard leagues
The SB Nation fantasy team reveals which running backs rank in the top 50 for standard leagues heading into Week 16.
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Championship Week has finally arrived. For the lucky few who have survived their 14-week regular season and the semifinal round, it’s the last chance to plug in their lineups for 2016 and hope Football Santa delivers a league title under their tree this weekend.
With the weather turning nasty in the final two weeks of December, teams with an effective ground game have a decided advantage. And fantasy football owners who have rostered running backs on those teams are the ones likely still playing this weekend.
No combination of talented back and offensive line has been more devastating this season than with the 12-2 Dallas Cowboys. And that makes Elliott our consensus pick for top standard league running back for Week 16.
Elliott owners have the Monday night hammer this week, as the Cowboys face the Lions in the final game of the fantasy season — not counting those insane 17-week leagues — looking to possibly lock up the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC.
Le’Veon Bell, LeSean McCoy, David Johnson, and DeMarco Murray, as they have all season, join Elliott in the top five of our rankings. Coming in just below the Fantasy Five is a back whose name has not appeared near the top of the rankings since Week 1, when it wasn’t yet known what a lost season this special second-year runner was about to endure.
But in the only week that matters, Todd Gurley is back on the radar as our No. 6 standard-league running back.
What has vaulted the disappointing Gurley back up the charts? It must be a date with the San Francisco 49ers, who got whacked yet again last week by Devonta Freeman, who remains a solid play himself as our No. 8 runner behind Jordan Howard.
But it is Gurley who is most interesting. Incredibly, after a sensational rookie season last year, Gurley has yet to even sniff 100 yards in a game this season, topping out at 85 yards in Week 3. But these are the 49ers we’re talking about, far and away the worst rushing defense in the league. On CBS Sportsline, Gurley was just 74 percent owned last week. If you’ve been stashing him on your bench, now is the time to unleash him and watch him get well just in time to win you a title.
Running backs (standard), Week 16
(SK: Scott Kaliska, JG: Jeff Goldberg, JM: Jason Marcum, DG: Derek Gordon KB: Kyle Bennett)
| Rk | Consensus | Tm | Opp. | SK | JG | JM | DG | KB |
| 1 | Ezekiel Elliott | DAL | vs. DET | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Le'Veon Bell | PIT | vs. BAL | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 3 | LeSean McCoy | BUF | vs. MIA | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
| 4 | David Johnson | ARI | @ SEA | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| 5 | DeMarco Murray | TEN | @ JAC | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| 6 | Todd Gurley | LA | vs. SF | 10 | 6 | 6 | 8 | 8 |
| 7 | Devonta Freeman | ATL | @ CAR | 7 | 8 | 9 | 7 | 9 |
| 8 | Jordan Howard | CHI | vs. WAS | 6 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 6 |
| 9 | Latavius Murray | OAK | vs. IND | 8 | 10 | 7 | 14 | 7 |
| 10 | Carlos Hyde | SF | @ LA | 9 | 9 | 10 | 18 | 10 |
| 11 | Lamar Miller | HOU | vs. CIN | 12 | 14 | 12 | 10 | 12 |
| 12 | Jay Ajayi | MIA | @ BUF | 13 | 12 | 14 | 9 | 14 |
| 13 | LeGarrette Blount | NE | vs. NYJ | 11 | 11 | 11 | 24 | 11 |
| 14 | Spencer Ware | KC | vs. DEN | 14 | 13 | 13 | 17 | 13 |
| 15 | Jonathan Stewart | CAR | vs. ATL | 19 | 16 | 16 | 6 | 20 |
| 16 | Robert Kelley | WAS | @ CHI | 15 | 20 | 21 | 13 | 17 |
| 17 | Jeremy Hill | CIN | @ HOU | 16 | 15 | 20 | 20 | 16 |
| 18 | Mark Ingram | NO | vs. TB | 20 | 19 | 19 | 11 | 19 |
| 19 | Bilal Powell | NYJ | @ NE | 17 | 17 | 15 | 26 | 15 |
| 20 | Frank Gore | IND | @ OAK | 18 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 18 |
| 21 | Thomas Rawls | SEA | vs. ARI | 21 | 21 | 17 | 16 | 21 |
| 22 | Doug Martin | TB | @ NO | 22 | 22 | 24 | 12 | 22 |
| 23 | Tevin Coleman | ATL | @ CAR | 25 | 26 | 26 | 21 | 26 |
| 24 | Ryan Mathews | PHI | vs. NYG | 23 | 23 | 23 | 37 | 23 |
| 25 | Kenneth Farrow | SD | @ CLE | 24 | 24 | 29 | 30 | 24 |
| 26 | Isaiah Crowell | CLE | vs. SD | 26 | 25 | 25 | 33 | 25 |
| 27 | Kenneth Dixon | BAL | @ PIT | 28 | 28 | 28 | 23 | 28 |
| 28 | Terrance West | BAL | @ PIT | 29 | 27 | 30 | 25 | 30 |
| 29 | Dion Lewis | NE | vs. NYJ | 27 | 29 | 27 | 31 | 27 |
| 30 | Tim Hightower | NO | vs. TB | 31 | 32 | 32 | 22 | 32 |
| 32 | Rashad Jennings | NYG | @ PHI | 30 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 31 |
| 33 | Derrick Henry | TEN | @ JAC | 33 | 33 | 35 | 28 | 35 |
| 34 | Justin Forsett | DEN | @ KC | 36 | 35 | 34 | 29 | 34 |
| 35 | T.J. Yeldon | JAC | vs. TEN | 35 | 34 | 33 | 40 | 33 |
| 36 | Mike Gillislee | BUF | vs. MIA | 34 | 37 | 36 | 41 | 36 |
| 37 | Dwayne Washington | DET | @ DAL | 37 | 36 | 37 | 44 | 37 |
| 38 | Chris Ivory | JAC | vs. TEN | 39 | 39 | 38 | 39 | 38 |
| 39 | Theo Riddick | DET | @ DAL | 45 | 38 | 39 | 27 | 45 |
| 40 | Jerick McKinnon | MIN | @ GB | 38 | 40 | 48 | 36 | 40 |
| 41 | Matt Forte | NYJ | @ NE | 42 | 41 | 42 | 38 | 42 |
| 42 | Charles Sims | TB | @ NO | 40 | 42 | 41 | 47 | 41 |
| 43 | Duke Johnson | CLE | vs. SD | 41 | 45 | 44 | 49 | 39 |
| 44 | Devontae Booker | DEN | @ KC | 43 | 44 | 45 | 42 | 44 |
| 45 | Paul Perkins | NYG | @ PHI | 46 | 49 | 46 | 34 | 46 |
| 46 | James White | NE | vs. NYJ | 44 | 43 | 43 | -- | 43 |
| 47 | Ronnie Hillman | SD | @ CLE | 48 | 48 | 40 | -- | 48 |
| 48 | Rex Burkhead | CIN | @ HOU | 47 | 46 | 50 | -- | 47 |
| 49 | Robert Turbin | IND | @ OAK | -- | 47 | 47 | 48 | -- |
| 50 | Darren Sproles | PHI | vs. NYG | 50 | -- | 49 | 45 | 49 |
| -- | Alfred Blue | HOU | vs. CIN | -- | -- | -- | 43 | -- |
| -- | Alfred Morris | DAL | vs. DET | -- | -- | -- | 46 | -- |
| -- | Christine Michael | GB | vs. MIN | 49 | 50 | -- | -- | 50 |
| -- | Damien Williams | MIA | @ BUF | -- | -- | -- | 50 | -- |
