Bruno Boys Fantasy Football

Congratulations to all of you who are still playing meaningful fantasy football games in Week 16 of the NFL season. You are either in your fantasy football championship game or deep into your league’s playoffs. It remains extremely important to put together the best possible lineup, a task that gets more difficult as the season continues to progress as there seems to be more injuries to deal with each and every passing week, especially at the running back position.

So, as you put together what just might be your most important fantasy football lineup of the season, please enjoy the Bruno Boy Fantasy Football Week 16 Running Back Rankings. Good luck to all of you as you continue to strive for the ultimate fantasy football glory. 

1. Frank Gore (San Francisco 49ers) vs. Detroit

During many fantasy drafts this past summer, those owners who drafted Frank Gore were eying this Week 16 match-up with the Detroit Lions. Detroit heads into the game allowing more than 127 rushing yards per game, while giving up 16 rushing touchdowns this season. In two career games against the Lions, Gore is averaging 144.5 yards per game with two touchdowns. In the 49ers Week 15 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, he had 16 carries for 107 yards and three catches for 19 yards, numbers he should greatly improve upon against Detroit.
Point Projection: 23 points

2. Cedric Benson (Cincinnati Bengals) vs. Kansas City

Following the death of wide receiver Chris Henry earlier in the week, emotions had to be real high for the Cincinnati Bengals in their Week 15 loss to the San Diego Chargers. As a team, they played very well, losing the game on a last second field goal by Chargers kicker Nate Kaeding. Cedric Benson, however, didn’t have his best performance of the season. He finished the game with 15 carries for 53 yards and two receptions for 19 yards. He has not scored a touchdown in any of his last four games played after scoring six in his first eight games. Benson should post much better totals this week against a Kansas City defense that allowed Cleveland’s Jerome Harrison to rush for 286 yards and three touchdowns last week. 
Point Projection: 21 points

3. Adrian Peterson (Minnesota Vikings) @ Chicago

The Chicago Bears’ defense is no longer the Monsters of the Midway, nor are they even as good as they were a couple of seasons ago. This is good news for Adrian Peterson, owners who will likely need a big game from their top running back this week if they are going to continue toward a fantasy football championship. Peterson is coming off a game in which he struggled to get anything going on the ground in a Week 15 loss to the Carolina Panthers. He finished the game with just 12 carries for 35 yards, but he did score a touchdown. His biggest contribution in this game came in the form of three receptions for 73 yards. Look for better rushing totals this week from Peterson against the Bears who rank No. 25 in the NFL against the rush.
Point Projection: 21 points

4. Chris Johnson (Tennessee Titans) vs. San Diego

Chris Johnson’s hopes of breaking Eric Dickerson’s single season rushing yardage record have diminished over the last two games. He rushed for 104 yards in the Titans’ Week 15 victory over the Miami Dolphins as he now has 1,730 rushing yards through 14 games. He is 375 yards short of Dickerson’s record of 2,105 yards set in 1984, and even Johnson will have a hard time averaging 188 yards per game over his final two games. A 2,000 yard season is well within his reach, though, as he will need to average just 135 yards per game to become the NFL’s sixth running back to achieve the mark. This week, he will face a San Diego Chargers’ defense that allows more than 115 yards per game on the ground. 
Point Projection: 20 points

5. Steven Jackson (St. Louis Rams) @ Arizona  **CHECK INJURY STATUS**

For the third straight week, Steven Jackson was not able to practice with the Rams all week, and for the third straight week, he was able to start on Sunday. In St. Louis’ Week 15 loss to the Houston Texans, he totaled 123 yards of offense, but was held without a touchdown for the third straight week. Not only has he been dealing with a bad back for the past three weeks, heading into the game against Houston, he had the swine flu. Jackson is proving to be one of the toughest backs in the NFL and the lone bright spot in the Rams’ offense this season. As long as is able to play, he should once again be in your starting lineup against an Arizona run defense that allowed 126 rushing yards and a touchdown to Maurice Morris of the Detroit Lions last week.
Point Projection: 19 points

6. Ricky Williams (Miami Dolphins) vs. Houston

After facing New England, Jacksonville and Tennessee respectively the last three weeks, all of whom have above average rush defenses, Ricky Williams should be happy to see the Houston Texans coming to town. The Texans rank in the bottom half of rush defenses in the NFL and are giving up more than 112 rushing yards per game and have yielded 14 rushing touchdowns this season. Williams is having an excellent season as he has topped 1,000 yards rushing for the first time since 2003 and has added 13 total touchdowns. Not bad for a guy who started the season as the No. 2 rushing option in Miami. Williams has scored double digit fantasy points in five of his last six games, a feat he should be able to reach once again this week. 
Point Projection: 18 points

7. Ray Rice (Baltimore Ravens) @ Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh Steelers continue to be stellar against the run this season. They have the league’s No. 1 ranked rush defense, and they are allowing less than 84 rushing yards per game, while yielding just five rushing touchdowns on the year. In a Week 14 meeting, though, Baltimore’s Ray Rice had 19 carries for 88 yards and added five receptions for 67 yards. In his sophomore season in the NFL, Rice is having a breakout year with 1,797 total yards and eight touchdowns. He is a dual threat option who can break a big play every time he touches the ball. Continue to use Rice as a must-start fantasy option in all formats this week against the Steelers. 
Point Projection: 18 points

8. Thomas Jones (New York Jets) @ Indianapolis

If the Jets are going to beat the undefeated Indianapolis Colts this week, they will likely need more than the 50 yards rushing they got from Thomas Jones in a Week 15 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. It was his lowest rushing total since Week 5 and the five fantasy points he scored were his lowest output since Week 3. Jones is still having one heck of a season with 1,217 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns through 14 games. Continue to use him as a starting fantasy running back this week when he faces a Colts defense that has an average run defense without safety Bob Sanders in the line-up. 
Point Projection: 16 points

9. Maurice Jones-Drew (Jacksonville Jaguars) @ New England

The New England Patriots’ defense has allowed just three rushing touchdowns thus far this season, but this week they will face Maurice Jones-Drew, who has scored 15 rushing touchdowns in 14 games. MJD was drafted as a top-five fantasy pick in most leagues this past summer, and he has not disappointed in his first season as the Jaguars’ starting running back. He is coming off a game in which he had 27 carries for 110 yards with a touchdown and five receptions for 30 yards with another touchdown. This will be a big game for both teams this week. A victory by the Patriots will secure an AFC East division title and a victory for the Jaguars will keep their slim Wild Card hopes alive. Even with a tough a tough match-up this week, MJD remains a must-start fantasy option. 
Point Projection: 16 points

10. Ryan Grant (Green Bay Packers) vs. Seattle

Surprisingly, the Week 15 contest between the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers turned into a shootout. There were a total of 94 passes thrown in the game as the running backs struggled to get touches. Ryan Grant had a season-low eight carries for 37 yards, but he did score a touchdown on a 24-yard run in the fourth quarter. He may have been underutilized in this game, but he continues to be underestimated by fantasy owners. He has 255 carries for 1,105 yards with eight touchdowns this year and has scored nine or more fantasy point in 11 of 14 games this season. Grant continues to be a very good fantasy running back option this week when the Packers host the Seattle Seahawks. 
Point Projection: 15 points

11. Pierre Thomas (New Orleans Saints) vs. Tampa Bay

The New Orleans Saints’ undefeated streak came to an end with a Week 15 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Not only were Saints fans left disappointed after the game, so were fantasy owners who were counting on a big day from Pierre Thomas. While Thomas led the team in carries, his six carries for 20 yards were definitely less than spectacular. However, he managed to salvage a decent outing by adding five receptions for 50 yards in the game. The Saints might have lost their bid for an undefeated season, but home field advantage throughout the playoffs is still on the line, so they should continue to play all their starters. Thomas is worth starting this week against a Tampa Bay defense that is ranked No. 31 against the rush. 
Point Projection: 14 points

12. Chris “Beanie” Wells (Arizona Cardinals) vs. St. Louis

It doesn’t seem to matter much whether or not Beanie Wells is the starting running back in Arizona as long as he continues to get the bulk of the carries. In the Cardinals’ Week 15 victory over the Detroit Lions, Wells had 17 carries to Tim Hightower’s six. Wells turned those 17 carries into 110 rushing yards in the game and scored a touchdown for the second straight game. He has had 13 or more carries in six of his last seven games and has scored five touchdowns in his last six games. Wells can be used as a low-end RB1 or a RB2 this week against a St. Louis Rams’ defense that is allowing more than 140 rushing yards per game and has given up 19 rushing touchdowns this season.
Point Projection: 14 points

13 Jamaal Charles (Kansas City Chiefs) @ Cincinnati

Why were the Kansas City Chiefs so quick to release running back Larry Johnson this season? The answer to that question would be because they had second-year running back Jamaal Charles waiting in the wings. For the second straight week, Charles rushed for over 140 yards as he had 25 carries for 154 yards with a 47-yard touchdown run. It was the sixth straight game in which Charles has scored a rushing or receiving touchdown. This week he will face a Cincinnati defense that is allowing less than 86 rushing yards per game and has given up just eight rushing touchdowns through 14 games. Still, with Charles’ speed and pass catching ability, he should remain in your starting lineup this week  
Point Projection: 14 points

14. Jonathan Stewart (Carolina Panthers) @ New York Giants  **CHECK INJURY STATUS OF D. WILLIAMS**

With DeAngelo Williams leaving the Panther game last week in the first quarter with an ankle injury, Jonathan Stewart was able to take full advantage of his additional playing time. He finished the game with 25 carries for 109 yards and two catches for 13 yards. He also added two touchdowns, one rushing and one receiving. There was no update available on Williams injured ankle on Monday, but the fact that he never returned to the game leaves him questionable for this week. If Williams is out, Stewart is a very good starting option this week against the New York Giants, but if Williams is active Stewart is more of a low-end No. 2 or flex option. 
Point Projection: 14 points

15. Laurence Maroney (New England Patriots) vs. Jacksonville

Fantasy owners may have been expecting more than the 81 yards and a touchdown that Laurence Maroney gained against the Buffalo Bills in Week 15, as the Bills were ranked No. 32 against the run heading into the game. How can you really complain about his performance though? He scored a touchdown after being held scoreless in his previous two games, and it was the eighth time in his ten games as the starting running back in New England that he has scored double figure fantasy points. Jacksonville will pose a tough test for Maroney this week as they are allowing just 104.3 rushing yards per game and have given up just nine rushing touchdowns this season, but he remains a solid starting fantasy option as the Patriots’ have turned to a more balanced attack of late. 
Point Projection: 14 points