Fantasy football start/sit advice, Week 16: Rashard Mendenhall and Andre Ellington
The Cardinals have become one of the biggest surprises in the NFL and their offense has something to do with that. Should either running back be trusted in fantasy this week?
Wesley Hitt
Running back timeshares are never fun and that's what the Arizona Cardinals have been firmly utilizing that plan throughout the year. In Week 15, their offense really clicked with 37 points against the Tennessee Titans. They ran the ball 34 times with their running backs, accounting for 146 yards on the ground to go with a whopping five receptions for 96 yards.
Running back Andre Ellington continued his role as the big-play guy with four catches fro 87 yards and 10 carries for 71 yards. Rashard Mendenhall did the scoring and hit pay dirt twice while rushing the ball a team-high 21 times. They have scored at least 21 points in every game since Week 7 and have really been consistent as an offense.
This week, they'll have their hands full against the Seattle Seahawks on the road. Seattle has snuffed out almost every team on their home turf and it's almost impossible to tout either Cardinal back as a guy that will produce.
Fantasy impact: There really is no upside here. The Seahawks are just too good at home and both backs are not top-30 plays this week. Ellington should be viewed as the better play since he can break a big play and how the Cardinals won’t have many goal-line opportunities for Rashard Mendenhall.
• Week 15 fantasy football position rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | D/ST
