RADIO
The fantasy football playoffs are officially here! Here's to hoping that you had a solid performance in this week's contest and are on your way towards victory. The good news is the bye weeks are officially behind us and for the first time since Week 4, we had a full slate of games.
Christian McCaffrey is making a strong case for fantasy MVP of 2023 as well as the NFL league MVP based on his strong play. CMC and Bills RB James Cook both went over 30 fantasy points this week, which is considered elite territory for running back scoring in fantasy. Vikings RB Ty Chandler also made the most of his opportunity with Alexander Mattison sidelined and really shined.
Sadly, we are nearing the end of the 2023 fantasy season, so we must savor the football we have left and soak in every moment. Here are the top 10 RBs based on half-PPR fantasy scores in Week 15 (excluding Monday Night Football). If you need some real-time stats, bookmark our live fantasy scoreboard to your browser. You'll get live updates, top performances, and more -- because who doesn't want some nonstop live fantasy action?
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Top 10 Running Backs Of The Week
Here are the top 10 running backs from Week 15 of the 2023 NFL season in half-PPR scoring:
| Rank | Player | Team | Points |
| 1 | Christian McCaffrey | SF | 39.2 |
| 2 | James Cook | BUF | 35.1 |
| 3 | Jahmyr Gibbs | DET | 23.8 |
| 4 | Ty Chandler | MIN | 23.2 |
| 5 | Kyren Williams | LAR | 22.0 |
| 6 | Rachaad White | TB | 20.9 |
| 7 | Devin Singletary | HOU | 19.0 |
| 8 | Clyde Edwards-Helaire | KC | 18.1 |
| 9 | Raheem Mostert | MIA | 17.3 |
| 10 | James Conner | ARI | 16.4 |
1. Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers
CMC had his second-best performance of the season to kick off the fantasy playoffs where he put up 39.2 points in half PPR formats. In a big win over the Arizona Cardinals, McCaffrey rushed 18 times for 115 yards and one TD on top of having five receptions for 72 yards and two TDs! Sheesh. Not only is he such a dynamic runner, but he's such a natural receiver out of the backfield. The 49ers are in the driver's seat for the No. 1 seed in the NFC, but they have a tough matchup against the Ravens in Week 16. The good news is they get the Commanders' defense in Week 17, where McCaffrey will likely feast against such a bad defense. McCaffrey has been an RB10 or better in eight straight weeks.
2. James Cook, Buffalo Bills
Today, James Cook had the sort of bell-cow RB performance that the fantasy community had been waiting for since 2022. He had 25 carries for 179 yards and one TD to finish with two receptions for 42 yards and another TD. The Bills with their backs against the wall have beaten the Chiefs and Cowboys in back-to-back weeks and now stand at 8-6. Cook was often subbed out in the red zone and hasn't gotten many touches down there, but otherwise, he's been great for fantasy since Buffalo promoted Joe Brady to be their new offensive coordinator. If Cook had the goal line work, he'd be up there with every RB in the fantasy landscape except for McCaffrey.
3. Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions
After a slow start to the fantasy season that had yours truly ducking the anger of fantasy players who followed my advice, Gibbs has turned it around in a big way as the Lions have done a better job of integrating him into the offense. It's easy to see that Gibbs has elite speed and is a threat to go the distance every time he touches the ball. In his last eight games, Gibbs has been an RB1 (top-12 RB on the week) in five of them.
On Saturday in a resounding win over the Broncos, Gibbs had 11 rushes for exactly 100 yards and one TD, but also had two receptions for eight yards and another score. What's even more impressive is that Gibbs has weekly finishes as the RB2, RB7, and RB3 despite having just 17, 14, and 13 touches in those games. Coming up, Detroit will face the Vikings and Cowboys the rest of the way in the fantasy playoffs.
4. Ty Chandler, Minnesota Vikings
This was the week many who had been holding Chandler in fantasy land had been waiting for. With starting RB Alexander Mattison sidelined, Chandler got a full workload against the Bengals on Saturday, seeing 81 percent of the offensive snaps. He finished with 23 carries for 132 yards and one TD on top of having three receptions for 25 yards. There is a good chance that Mattison returns for Week 16 and the Vikings face off against the Lions, but Chandler needs to be rostered in all formats and started next week if Mattison were to miss another game. Chandler is a player who could have some major potential for 2024.
5. Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams
Williams has been so impressive this year despite the pundits saying he was too small and too slow to be a starting running back at the NFL level. Credit to Rams head coach Sean McVay for having this team at 7-7 and battling back after their 3-6 start. Williams has been a huge part of their offense and helps to make McVay's scheme more than functional again.
In a victory over the Commanders, Kyren had 27 rushes for 152 yards and one TD while seeing seven targets but finishing with just five receptions for three yards. He's been a fantasy league winner for a lot of teams. Coming up, the Rams will face the Saints on TNF in Week 16 and finish the fantasy playoffs against the Giants in Week 17, which could be a sizzling matchup if you've got Kyren in the championship.
6. Rachaad White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Despite the concerns that White could be an every-down back, he continues to shine. On Sunday in an impressive victory over the Packers in Green Bay in a game that the Buccaneers absolutely had to have, White saw 21 rushes for 89 yards and finished with two receptions for 50 yards and a TD.
While he's only had just two games of rushing over 100 yards this season, White has been valuable for fantasy because he continues to see high-value touches as a receiver and at the goal line. Tampa made it pretty clear heading into the season that they had every intention of making White the guy. For those of you who saw which way the wind was blowing, you have been rewarded handsomely for fantasy just about every week.
7. Devin Singletary, Houston Texans
After sputtering out of the gates the last three weeks, Singletary got going on Sunday in a win over the Tennessee Titans. Some had been questioning how the Texans backfield would look with Dameon Pierce back healthy, but Singletary shouldered the load, rushing 26 times for 121 yards and having four receptions for 49 yards.
There were a lot of questions on how Houston's offense would look this season with rookie QB C.J. Stroud under center, but this unit has been impressive. Coming up, the Texans have a tough matchup against the Browns defense in Week 16, but Singletary remains a must-start RB2 for the week purely based on projected volume alone.
8. Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Kansas City Chiefs
A player we really hadn't seen much of at all this year, CEH dusted off the cobwebs and made some plays on Sunday after starting RB Isiah Pacheco was ruled out. He only rushed 13 times for a paltry 37 yards, but shined as a receiver with four receptions for 64 yards and a receiving TD.
CEH has been a disappointment for a former first-round pick and it's inevitable he will be on a new team in 2024, but he is still a viable weapon out of the backfield as a receiver. Still just 24, he is playable for fantasy if Pacheco were to miss time; otherwise, he exists in the fantasy space solely as a high-value handcuff or minimum-priced dart throw in DFS if he is active on game day. Don't read too much into this one.
9. Raheem Mostert, Miami Dolphins
Mostert, despite being 31 years old, is defying a lot of the conventional wisdom when it comes to running backs. He's always had the talent, but has had some unfortunate injury luck over the years that has cut a lot of his seasons short early. This season, he's remained healthy and has been an incredible value for fantasy. Many have been expecting Mostert to be overtaken by rookie RB De'Von Achane, but so far that hasn't happened as Mostert has seen the majority of the carries as well as the majority of all the goal line work.
On Sunday, he had just 15 rushes for 42 yards but scored two TDs on top of just two receptions for one yard. The fantasy schedule won't be easy for Miami in Week 16 with an angry Cowboys team coming off a loss followed by the Ravens in Week 17, but this offense is simply just too high-powered to sit anyone from it.
10. James Conner, Arizona Cardinals
In what many had deemed an incredibly difficult matchup for fantasy, Conner produced enough on Sunday in a loss to the 49ers. Despite how outmanned they were all game, Arizona continued to play hard and they were able to move the ball enough to keep the contest somewhat competitive. Conner had 14 rushes for 86 yards and a TD with three receptions for just three yards. Coming up, the Cardinals get the Bears defense in Week 16, followed by a tough matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 17. Conner remains a must-start RB2 due to his large workload alone.
Looking Forward to the Rest of 2023
How did your teams fare in Week 15? If you have any potential questions involving waivers or start/sit, be sure to follow us here at RotoBaller with up-to-date fantasy news and team reports. Best of luck in the fantasy playoffs!
Are there any running backs not on this list who you expect to bounce back in Week 15? If you have any FAAB or waiver questions as well, feel free to get at me on Twitter/X.
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