Fantasy Football Week 16 Running Backs to Start in Deep Leagues: Jerome Ford, Patrick Taylor, Kendre Miller and Tyjae Spears

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Jerome Ford, Cleveland Browns

After fading into fantasy irrelevancy over the past few months, Ford is back and you can plug him right back into your starting lineup. Nick Chubb suffered a foot injury in Week 15 and his season is over, which forces Ford back into a lead-back role.

There is always a chance another back mixes in more than we'd like to see, but we don't expect another back to see enough work to have a significant impact on Ford. While he was a bit up and down early in the season, this game sets up perfectly for him. 

The combination of the Browns having to start Dorian Thompson-Robinson and the Cincinnati Bengals defense being incapable of stopping anybody sets up for a big fantasy week for Ford. The team will look to hide DTR which will lead to them handing the ball off a ton.

The numbers show that Cincy is much worse against the pass, however, that's because they score a ton and can't stop the pass at all. So why not score in bunches to keep up? We aren't so sure that DTR is capable of that even against this horrid defense. It would be a surprise if Ford doesn't see up around 18 opportunities in this one both on the ground and on short dump-off passes.  

Patrick Taylor, San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers have lost yet another running back with Isaac Guerendo going down with a hamstring injury. He is not expected to play in Week 16 against the Miami Dolphins. This leaves Taylor as the projected next man up.

There is a chance Isreal Abanikanda or Ke'Shawn Vaughn steal a lot more touches than expected, but it's not likely and we're willing to roll the dice on that here. We already know how valuable this position is in San Fran for fantasy and we love the matchup this week. 

Not only did Miami just cut their best run-stopper Calais Campbell to give him a shot to land with a contender, but they also struggle to cover pass-catching backs - that just so happens to be what Taylor is best at. That is key because even if he doesn't get all the carries we are hoping for, he will have a safe PPR floor thanks to targets he is locked in for. The wheels are falling off in Miami and he's going to take full advantage in a game that the 49ers are favored to win on the road.  

Kendre Miller, New Orleans Saints

This is a risky start as far as efficiency goes, but an incredible start as far as volume goes. It's extremely unlikely Alvin Kamara plays on Monday Night Football, and with him out, Miller will slide into a bell-cow role.

This is a running back who we ranked as the RB2 in his draft class last year behind only Bijan Robinson. The Saints' offense as a whole is going to struggle mightily to move the ball, however, they will lean heavily on Miller as they try to.

The Green Bay Packers are in the bottom half of the league when it comes to slowing down fantasy running backs and the Saints simply have no other option. Don't overlook Miller's talent though. This could be a breakout game for him under a new regime, much like what we saw from him at the end of last season. 

Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans

Tony Pollard injured his ankle last week and wasn't able to return to the game. He's looking like he's not going to be able to suit up this week. However, if he does end up active, then don't start Spears. We're banking on him missing Week 16 though.

With an increased role in Week 15, Spears went off in the passing attack. He caught six of his seven targets for 87 yards and a touchdown. With Mason Rudolph starting this week, there will be plenty of passes coming his way. They won't have the downfield attack with Will Levis on the bench and will rely on short and quick passes.

If he can get 10 carries to go along with his targets, it should be a good day for Spears. The matchup is also very favorable against the Indianapolis Colts, who have allowed the sixt-most fantasy points to running backs this season.