Running Back Roundup: Week 16 (2021 Fantasy Football ...

After playing less than 50 percent of the snaps for three straight weeks, Cordarrelle Patterson played his second-highest snap share of the season (62 percent) in Week 15. It hasn’t killed his fantasy value but has left open the possibility of the occasional dud against a strong run defense, which is precisely what we saw happen against San Francisco last week.Patterson’s declining snap share has served to put Mike Davis back on the fantasy radar, at least in an RB3/flex kind of way. Well, Moss returned in Week 2, and from that point on, we saw a reasonably even — and relatively ineffective — running back committee between the two, with Matt Breida eventually joining in as well.Singletary’s snaps finally jumped up to 82 percent in Week 14, but it only resulted in 10 touches in a game where the Bills became the first team in the 21st century to go the entire first half without a running back carry. Singletary played 93 percent of the snaps and carried the ball 22 times for 86 yards and a touchdown, sparking hope that he can be a legitimate RB2 the rest of the way. The Cowboys took Tony Pollard’s Week 15 status up to game time, but he was ultimately cleared to play through his foot injury and got his usual allotment of snaps. He ended up not only playing but leading the backfield in snaps.You probably know by now that you shouldn’t be starting Texans’ RBs in fantasy, but Burkhead does get a favorable matchup with the Chargers next. Robinson dominated backfield snaps, carries, and targets, finishing with 21 touches for 88 yards and a TD against Houston.Hyde was recently placed on season-ending IR, and now Robinson gets a date with the Jets and an even juicier matchup than the Texans. Clyde Edwards-Helaire played his highest snap share since Week 1 (71 percent), but it only translated to 11 touches, 50 yards, and a two-point conversion against a Chargers defense that has been gashed by the run most of the year. Michel ended up topping 100 yards from scrimmage for the second time in three weeks, while Henderson finished with a meager 27.It’s certainly possible that Henderson’s snap share increases as he becomes further removed from his quad injury and Covid diagnosis. That left Rhamondre Stevenson to serve as the Patriots’ base back, with Brandon Bolden handling passing situations.Unfortunately for those rostering Stevenson, the game script quickly went haywire, so he ended up playing less than half of the snaps and posting just 40 scoreless yards from scrimmage on 11 touches. If Harris should need to miss another game, fantasy managers should not be afraid to go back to the well with Stevenson against a run-funnel Bills defense in Week 16.New Orleans Saints Barkley remains the lead back, but he’s more likely to play 60 percent of the snaps than 85 percent like he was before.Barkley’s floor remains high enough to keep him in the every-week RB2 mix, but it’s virtually impossible to make a case for him as an RB1 when you consider Booker’s growing role and what the Giants have going at quarterback right now. He still hasn’t scored a touchdown yet this season but nearly did in this game and continues to get a decent number of red zone opportunities.Sanders can be confidently deployed as a high-end RB2 for favorable matchups with the Giants and Football Team over the next two weeks, while Howard will have some RB3/flex appeal in those contests.Pittsburgh Steelers GM John Lynch says Mitchell’s knee has “taken a positive turn,” but that he will be a game-time decision for San Francisco’s game on Thursday night against Tennessee.The Titans represent a very tough matchup, so Mitchell will be more of an RB2 than an RB1 if he’s able to go, especially considering the possibility he could play limited snaps. Dallas played more snaps than Penny and was more productive than Penny with his touches.Seattle will likely have more backfield options available next week against Chicago, meaning this backfield will remain difficult to gauge.