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 Randle / Lance 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

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