Sport: Fantasy RB PPR Rankings Week 16: Who to start, sit at running back in fantasy football

Last week wasn't as disastrous as it could've been at the running back position. It wasn't great -- injuries and COVID issues still caused plenty of roster headaches -- but there weren't many stud backs unexpectedly affected. Chances are, more havoc will be wreaked in the second round of the fantasy football playoffs, so expect plenty of updates to our Week 16 fantasy RB PPR rankings throughout the week.

Ideally, matchups would be the biggest worry, and there are definitely a few that could cause some usual starters to wind up benches. The toughest calls in PPR leagues will be Chase Edmonds (vs. Colts) and Myles Gaskin (@ Saints). Both are facing brutal opponents, but their high-target ways usually keeps them in PPR lineups. However, both struggled last week, and while we can attribute some of that to both being "eased" back into their respective lineups, it still gives us pause this week. Plus, in win-or-go-home scenarios like most are faced with now, it's fair to question whether a high ceiling or a high floor is more valuable. Most of the time, it comes down to your specific matchup.

Who to start in fantasy football: Week 14 rankings, start-sit advice for PPR, standard, superflex scoring

It's Week 14, and your fantasy start 'em, sit 'em decisions are coming down to the wire. We've compiled all of our Week 14 rankings for PPR, standard, and superflex leagues in one place to help you decide who to start.If you're looking for more analysis, click the links located throughout the article, which include DFS advice and injury updates (directly below).

Running Back ( RB ) fantasy football rankings for PPR leagues in 2021. These fantasy football rankings are refreshed multiple times per day based on projections provided by RotoWire. Use the rankings and projections below to help figure out who to start / sit in your lineup this week .

Check out our Week 2 fantasy RB PPR rankings . Congratulations if you made it through the season's opening week with no busts at running back . Between surprise inactives, injuries, odd usage, and good ol' fashioned disappointing performances, it wasn't a great day for a lot of RBs who were either drafted as sure-fire starters or high-upside sleepers.

WEEK 16 PPR RANKINGS:

Quarterback | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

James Conner (vs. Colts), Myles Gaskin (@ Saints), Devonta Freeman (@ Bengals), Chuba Hubbard (vs. Buccaneers), D'Onta Foreman (vs. 49ers), and Devin Singletary (@ Patriots) are also in tough situations this week. Conner might be TD-or-bust in PPR since he doesn't figure to see as many targets with Edmonds back, but his TD upside is too high to ignore. Foreman is also tough to sit, as he gets the vast majority of Tennessee's carries, but he's no sure thing either. The rest are probably best suited for benches depending on your others options even though some of these opponents (Bengals, Bucs, Pats) give up a fair amount of receptions to RBs. The backs facing those teams simply aren't reliable enough to produce. That also might be true of Ronald Jones (@ Panthers) if he's starting in place of Leonard Fournette (hamstring), as he would profile simillar to Conner.

Fantasy Injury Updates: Latest news on Jalen Hurts, Damien Harris, Miles Sanders, more affecting Week 15 waiver pickups

Jalen Hurts, Damien Harris, Miles Sanders, Jordan Howard, and Myles Gaskin are coming off byes, but they were dealing with various ailments last week. Their availabilities will affect Week 15 fantasy waiver pickups, so you need the latest injury and COVID updates.For all the latest fantasy news, follow us on Twitter @SN_Fantasy.

Between injuries, byes, and "awkward" matchups, our Week 14 fantasy RB PPR rankings were not easy to put together -- and you can bet they'll see plenty of updates throughout the week ahead of your final start 'em, sit 'em decisions. They're actually not too bad, as the Eagles', Patriots', and Dolphins' RB situations can often be frustrating, but Jonathan Taylor being out during the last week of the fantasy regular season is a real killer. The biggest plus to those byes is that two of the best run defenses are off (Colts, Patriots).

Our Week 1 RB PPR rankings feature plenty of obvious starts , but there are also ground-and-pound runners who move down and high-target "receiving" backs who move up. See all the potential sleepers and busts on the start 'em- sit 'em bubble. That's especially true at running back , where committees are a mystery and matchups matter more than arguably any other offensive position. Our Week 1 fantasy RB PPR rankings have the added "bonus" of trying to account for how receptions can hurt or help a player's value, which can really affect potential sleepers and busts on the start 'em, sit

WEEK 16 STANDARD RANKINGS:

Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

If you're looking for sleepers, handcuffs Darrel Williams (vs. Steelers), Sony Michel (@ Vikings), Jordan Howard (@ Giants), and Rex Burkhead (vs. Chargers) all have more upside than usual. Michel and Howard won't catch many passes, so they're also TD-or-bust, which might make them too risky in PPR formats, but Williams and Burkhead usually get some catches. In their highly favorable matchups, they could easily come through.

The "borderline" backs with the best matchups are Darrell Henderson (@ Vikings), Michael Carter (vs. Jaguars), Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams (@ Raiders), Clyde Edwards-Helaire (vs. Steelers), Miles Sanders (@ Giants), and Detroit's starter (@ Falcons), which is likely to be Jamaal Williams. All should be played this week in 12-team leagues, as all are capable of catching at least a handful of passes to go along with what should be solid days on the ground.

Fantasy Injury Updates: Latest news on Jalen Hurts, Terry McLaurin, Tyler Lockett, more impacting Week 15 start 'em, sit 'em decisions

COVID and injuries have Jalen Hurts, Terry McLaurin, Tyler Lockett, and Tyler Higbee up in the air for Tuesday's Week 15 games. Get the latest updates ahead of your fantasy start 'em, sit 'em decisions.For all the latest fantasy news, follow us on Twitter @SN_Fantasy.

Fantasy . NFL. American Football . Last week saw a bit of normalcy for pass-catching running backs , as 14 RBs received at least five targets, and aside from Derrick Henry (huh?) and maybe JaMycal Hasty, they were players you'd expect. There were a few disappointments (Nyheim Hines chief Of course, each week brings a new set of ranking challenges, and matchups are the eternal variable. We're still learning about run defenses, but some of the seemingly "safer" matchups go to guys who inherently move down in PPR rankings , such as Ty'Son Williams and Latavius Murray (@ Lions)

Like we said before, there will be plenty of changes throughout the week to these rankings, so make sure to handcuff your top RBs. It wouldn't hurt to even handcuff your handcuffs if you have enough space on your roster. It's going to be a wacky final two weeks (Craig Reynolds and Duke Johnson, anyone?), so get ready if you're still alive for your fantasy title.

Note: We'll be updating these RB PPR rankings throughout the week, so check back for analysis and the latest player movement.

Fantasy RB PPR Rankings Week 16: Who to start at running back

Rankings are based on full-point PPR scoring