If this fantasy football season has taught us anything, it’s that you cannot have enough insurance.
Why not pick up some insurance right now for your fantasy playoffs?
If you’ve made it to the final weeks, you likely have a strong running back room. However, if an RB gets injured, you’ll want to have a handcuff ready with favorable matchups in Weeks 15-17. Or maybe you have enough room to roster your opponent’s handcuff to limit their options. Remember, defense wins championships. If your handcuff isn’t available, grab your opponent’s.
With that in mind, here are the five running back rooms with the easiest playoff schedule. Tyjae Spears, who makes the “others” list below, should also be a priority.
(Opponents for Weeks 15-17 in parentheses)
Austin Ekeler/Joshua Kelley (LV, BUF, DEN)
Ekeler is a must-start for the fantasy playoffs and these matchups are so good that Kelley could even be a flex start in deep leagues if you are dealing with injuries. The juiciest matchup of all comes in Week 17, as no team has allowed more PPR points to the position than the Broncos. That’s just what the doctor ordered for a fantasy championship.
Bijan Robinson/Tyler Allgeier (CAR, IND, CHI)
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Will it be Robinson or will it be Allgeier? We could ask Arthur Smith, but he won’t give us a straight answer. The good news is, there is enough to go around with these tasty matchups. No team has allowed more rushing touchdowns this season than the Panthers (14). Indianapolis has allowed the fourth-most and Chicago has allowed the seventh-most PPR points to running backs this season.
DeAndre Swift/Kenneth Gainwell/Boston Scott (SEA, NYG, ARI)
Gainwell is in a committee with Swift and he should be a priority add in case Swift gets injured. The Eagles average 130 rushing yards per game and the Cardinals, who are the Championship Week matchup, have allowed the third-most PPR points to running backs this year. At this point in the season, the Eagles should already be guaranteed the playoffs, and they may rotate their players a bit more, making Gainwell a good speculation.
Jaylen Warren/Najee Harris (IND, CIN, SEA)
Warren has been incredibly explosive, with the same amount of yards as Harris on 48 fewer attempts. His 6.16 yards per carry are among the best in the league. Pittsburgh has found a way to win games by relying on their runners, and that won’t change in very favorable matchups with the Colts, Bengals and Seahawks,
Jerome Ford/Kareem Hunt (CHI, HOU, NYJ)
Kareem Hunt and Jerome Ford split carries evenly last week and both have been effective in this Cleveland offense that leads with the run. The Browns’ 143 rushing yards per game ranks third in the league, and there’s no reason for that to change with the uncertainty at quarterback. Expect Cleveland to pound the ground vs. Chicago, Houston and New York, who are all bottom-half of the league defending the run.
Others: Derrick Henry/Tyjae Spears (HOU, SEA, HOU), Rhamondre Stevenson/Ezekiel Elliott (KC, DEN, BUF)
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