X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Join the Best Live Fantasy Chat Community!

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Player Comparisons
News and Alerts

Week 16 Running Backs: Waiver Wire Pickups & Adds for Playoffs

If you're reading this article, then many of your fantasy football teams are heading into the fantasy football championships. Or maybe you are fighting for that 3rd place finish, or just not to come in last place. Either way, it's never too late to improve your fantasy teams, especially with the running back injuries out there.

I'm here to break down some waiver wire running backs who might be sleepers or viable starts for your fantasy football teams, players that can help you win your fantasy playoffs and get you to the promised land. The list isn't as long as most weeks, but this is it folks. If you've gotten this far, then there probably isn't much left for you to do with your teams. Let's get started.

Special Treat: We've heard your requests for more position-specific live advice, so at the bottom of this post you'll find our week 16 running backs waiver wire chat room, where you can discuss the players in this article and other possible running back waiver wire additions. 

 

Fantasy Football Running Backs (RB) - Week 16 Playoffs

Joseph RandleLance Dunbar (RB, DAL) - 10% / 27% owned on Fleaflicker

Well, this couldn’t have come at a worse time for DeMarco Murray fantasy owners.  Even with a broken bone in his hand and a mild surgery today, I’m still expecting him to play.  However, he’s not the quickest healer, as his injury history has shown, so Joseph Randle becomes the top priority add for any fantasy owner this week, regardless of whether you own Murray.

The Cowboys play the Colts this week, who have struggled mightily at times against the run, and Joseph Randle has played very well in his limited time at running back this year.  He becomes an instant RB1 if Murray were to miss this game.  I still expect the Cowboys to lean heavily on the run this game, and Randle should eclipse 20 carries and see some red-zone looks along with some targets.

Lance Dunbar is also worth mentioning. He’s struggled with injuries himself throughout his career, and is far too small to run between the tackles, but he possesses game breaking ability and should find his way to 8-9 touches if Murray were to sit in Week 16, making him a high risk FLEX play in PPR leagues.

 

Toby Gerhart (RB, JAX) - 42% owned on Fleaflicker

It’s Week 16, and the waiver wire has been plucked thin to this point.  Are you still in desperate need of a running back or a flex?  Toby Gerhart may be able to help you out.

After what looked to be a lost season where Gerhart struggled with injuries, ineffectiveness, and a lost job to Denard Robinson, Gerhart is back in the drivers seat for the Jaguars.  He started this past week ahead of Storm Johnson and Jordan Todman and ran pretty well against an elite Ravens run defense (who were without their star Haloti Ngata might I add).  Next up is the Titans, who are an absolute mess at this point, giving up the most yards out of any team on the ground.

While the Jaguras have been stagnant almost this entire year, Gerhart is in great position to post a solid FLEX/RB2 game and possibly find the end zone. He gets an added plus in PPR formats as well, and makes for a great high-floor flex play if you’re desperate in the fantasy finals week.  He’s virtually guaranteed to dominate touches in this backfield for the second straight week.

 

Kerwynn Williams (RB, ARI) - 16% owned on Fleaflicker

Arizona is absolutely decimated at the quarterback and running back position, losing top starters and backups Carson Palmer, Drew Stanton, Andre Ellington and Jonathan Dwyer.  Enter Kerwynn Williams, a rookie that couldn’t stick on the Colts or Chargers practice squads the past two years.

After 13 mostly ineffective games from Andre Ellington, both Williams and Stepfan Taylor have lit a slight spark into the Cardinals run game, with Williams running for 175 yards on 34 carries the past 2 game (good for over 5 yards per carry).  Those numbers have also impressively come in large chunks, while one game was against the brutal Rams front seven that has been on an absolute tear. While he does have a smaller build with below average speed, he still showed some nice acceleration and was able to escape the line of scrimmage more than once on his runs for a few yards.

While I’d tamper expectations in the future, especially against the Seahawks, he looks to be at least a decent FLEX play and someone to keep an eye on for next year (if the Cardinals avoid running backs in the draft and free agency), as Andre Ellington clearly couldn’t handle his workload this season. Taylor should handle a majority of the passing work, as Williams looked a bit slow on his routes, but is way too big a stretch to recommend here.

 

More Widely Owned Running Back Options

If any of these players are still available on your league's waiver wire, go add them to your rosters:

  • Daniel Boom Herron - 61% owned - playing in a potent Colts offense
  • Andre Williams - 59% owned - Rashad Jennings aggravated his injury again
  • Jonathan Stewart - 59% owned - getting a ton of work with DeAngelo Williams injured
  • Latavius Murray - 56% owned - plays on a bad team, but getting plenty of touches

 
 

Week 16 Running Backs Live Chat

 
 




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Player Comparisons
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Kyle Bradish28 mins ago

Set To Rejoin Baltimore Rotation
Ricky Stenhouse Jr33 mins ago

. A Tournament DFS Play At Dover
Corey Lajoie34 mins ago

Slow In Practice, But Upside Is Still There At Dover
Joey Gallo38 mins ago

Headed To 10-Day Injured List With Shoulder Sprain
Daniel Suarez43 mins ago

Surprisingly Slow At Dover This Weekend
Pete Fairbanks56 mins ago

Tests Have Come Back Clean On Pete Fairbanks
Justin Haley1 hour ago

Has No Speed At Dover This Weekend
Corey Heim2 hours ago

Qualifies 32nd For Cup Series Debut At Dover
Troy Franklin2 hours ago

Broncos Trade Up To Select Oregon Receiver Troy Franklin
Zac Gallen2 hours ago

Diamondbacks Optimistic About Zac Gallen's Injury
Rafael Devers2 hours ago

Back At Third Base, Masataka Yoshida Starting
George Springer2 hours ago

Resting Against Dodgers
Max Muncy2 hours ago

Gavin Lux Sitting Saturday
Bradley Beal5 hours ago

Leads Suns With 28 Points In Game 3
Anthony Edwards5 hours ago

Ties Franchise Mark With Another 30-Point Effort
Tyrese Haliburton5 hours ago

Completes Big Effort With Overtime Game-Winner
Khris Middleton5 hours ago

Goes Off For 42 Points Friday
Anthony Davis5 hours ago

Questionable With Wrist Injury
Reggie Jackson5 hours ago

Questionable For Game 4
Damian Lillard6 hours ago

Aggravates Achilles Injury In Game 3
Yandy Díaz13 hours ago

X-Rays Negative On Yandy Diaz's Hand
Jhoan Duran13 hours ago

Making Another Rehab Appearance Saturday
John Means13 hours ago

Needs One More Rehab Start
Jake Burger14 hours ago

Completes Full Workout Friday
Zac Gallen14 hours ago

Dealing With Hamstring Tightness
Paul Sewald14 hours ago

Likely Needs Another Rehab Game
Blake Snell14 hours ago

Resumes Playing Catch Friday
Deebo Samuel14 hours ago

49ers Set To Keep Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk?
J.P. Crawford15 hours ago

Not Expected To Return When Eligible
Luke McCaffrey15 hours ago

Selected By Commanders 100th Overall
Kawhi Leonard15 hours ago

Struggles In Game 3
Jalen McMillan15 hours ago

Heads To Tampa Bay
Tip Reiman16 hours ago

Cardinals Take Tip Reiman At No. 82
Roman Wilson16 hours ago

Selected 84th Overall By Steelers
Blake Corum16 hours ago

Rams Select Blake Corum With 83rd Pick
Jermaine Burton16 hours ago

Taken At No. 80 By Cincinnati
Yandy Díaz16 hours ago

Yandy Diaz Hit By Pitch, Leaves Game Early
Jasson Domínguez16 hours ago

Jasson Dominguez A Few Weeks Away From Rehab Games
Alex Cobb16 hours ago

Still Feeling Soreness In Shoulder, Will See Doctor
Trey Benson17 hours ago

Cardinals Select Trey Benson With The 66th Pick
Malachi Corley17 hours ago

Jets Trade Up To Select Malachi Corley
Bobby Witt Jr.17 hours ago

Hits Triple, Has Three-RBI Day
Ben Sinnott18 hours ago

Taken At No. 53 On Friday Night
Adonai Mitchell18 hours ago

Colts Snag Adonai Mitchell At No. 52
Jonathon Brooks18 hours ago

Panthers Trade Up To Select Jonathon Brooks
New Orleans Saints18 hours ago

Saints Take Kool-Aid McKinstry At No. 41
Delon Wright19 hours ago

Questionable For Game 3
Daniel Gafford19 hours ago

Will Play In Game 3
Keon Coleman19 hours ago

Bills Select Keon Coleman At Pick 33
Vaughn Grissom19 hours ago

Could Be Activated On Tuesday
Kawhi Leonard19 hours ago

Available On Friday Evening
Anthony Rendon19 hours ago

Dealing With Partial Hamstring Tear
Terry Rozier19 hours ago

Out Again For Game 3
Deebo Samuel20 hours ago

Bills, Patriots Unlikely To Trade For Deebo Samuel
Nicolas Hague20 hours ago

Not Ready To Return On Saturday
Justus Annunen21 hours ago

Available On Friday
Rasmus Sandin21 hours ago

A Game-Time Call Friday
Nick Jensen21 hours ago

Could Be Back In Action Friday
Ivan Miroshnichenko21 hours ago

Makes Stanley Cup Playoffs Debut
Sonny Milano21 hours ago

Ready For Action
Khris Middleton21 hours ago

Upgraded To Active For Game 3
NYR21 hours ago

Alex Wennberg Good To Go Friday
Grayson Allen21 hours ago

Remains Questionable For Game 3
Kyle Anderson21 hours ago

Tagged As Questionable For Game 3
Tennessee Titans21 hours ago

JC Latham To Play Left Tackle For Tennessee
Giannis Antetokounmpo22 hours ago

Ruled Out For Game 3
Matthew Stafford22 hours ago

Seeking Reworked Contract
Deebo Samuel24 hours ago

Bills Have Interest In Trading For Deebo Samuel
Jacoby Brissett24 hours ago

Drake Maye To Compete With Jacoby Brissett
Jonathon Brooks1 day ago

Cowboys High On Jonathon Brooks
Alex Perez1 day ago

In Dire Need Of Victory
Matheus Nicolau1 day ago

Returns To Action At UFC Vegas 91
Ariane da Silva1 day ago

Ariane Lipski Looks To Extend Her Win Streak
Karine Silva1 day ago

Looks For Ninth Victory In A Row
David Onama1 day ago

An Underdog At UFC Vegas 91
Jonathan Pearce1 day ago

Looks To Get Back In Win Column
Donovan Mitchell1 day ago

Struggles In Game 3
Paolo Banchero1 day ago

Dominates In Game 3
Anthony Davis1 day ago

Leads All Scorers In Game 3 Loss
Nikola Jokic1 day ago

Just One Assist Shy Of Triple-Double In Game 3
Aaron Gordon1 day ago

Posts Big Double-Double
Tyler Myers1 day ago

On Track To Return Friday
Jesper Fast1 day ago

Unlikely To Feature In The Playoffs
Matthew Tkachuk1 day ago

Bags Two Goals In Game 3 Victory
Steven Stamkos1 day ago

Scores Third Postseason Goal
Ilya Sorokin1 day ago

Lasts 27 Minutes In Game 3
Frederik Andersen1 day ago

Stops 29 Pucks In Another Win
Sonny Milano2 days ago

Misses Practice On Thursday
Filip Chytil2 days ago

Joins Rangers For Trip To Washington
Jesper Fast2 days ago

Remains Out On Thursday
Matt Martin2 days ago

A Game-Time Call Thursday
Anton Lundell2 days ago

Takes Over As Second-Line Center Thursday
Ryan Lomberg2 days ago

Ruled Out For Game 3
Alex Vlasic2 days ago

Inks Six-Year Extension With Blackhawks
Kyle Okposo2 days ago

To Suit Up In Game 3
Uros Medic2 days ago

A Massive Favorite At UFC Vegas 91
Tim Means2 days ago

An Underdog At UFC Vegas 91
Austen Lane2 days ago

Searching For First UFC Win
Jhonata Diniz2 days ago

Making UFC Debut
Bogdan Guskov2 days ago

Gets Ranked Opponent At UFC Vegas 91
Ryan Spann2 days ago

Looks To Snap Losing Skid At UFC Vegas 91
Tyler Reddick5 days ago

Survives At Talladega For First Win Of 2024
Brad Keselowski5 days ago

Finishes Second At Talladega After Last-Lap Wreck
Anthony Alfredo5 days ago

Gets Best Finish For Beard Motorsports Since 2022
Todd Gilliland5 days ago

One Of The Strongest At Talladega
NASCAR5 days ago

Bubba Wallace Finishes 36th At Talladega Superspeedway
Kyle Larson5 days ago

Fails To Deliver Value In DFS At Talladega
NASCAR5 days ago

Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Finishes Fourth At Talladega
Noah Gragson5 days ago

Surprisingly The Most Consistent Driver At Talladega
Shane Van Gisbergen5 days ago

Shane van Gisbergen Acquits Himself Nicely In Drafting Debut
Michael McDowell6 days ago

Ends Talladega Wrecked From The Lead
Alex Bowman6 days ago

Quietly Captures Top-Five Finish At Talladega
Daniel Hemric6 days ago

Surges To Ninth-Place Result At Talladega
Harrison Burton6 days ago

Squeezes Into Top 10 At Talladega
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF