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Fantasy Football: Top 15 Running Backs To Target In 2016

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Bust Fantasy Football running back Ryan Mathews
Bust Fantasy Football running back Ryan Mathews. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey G. Pittenger-USA TODAY Sports /

Buyer Beware!

As with any Fantasy Football Top 15 list, there are going to be some names missing that surprise some people.  Some simply don’t make the list, but there are also some who are false flags that can drag down your team.  This year I’m filing Latavius Murray, CJ Anderson, and Ryan Mathews in that category.

The Raiders thought they had found a superstar in 2014 when Latavius Murray burst out with some strong performances.  He followed that up in 2016 with a 1000 yard season, however this came largely on the number of carries as Murray only averaged four yards per carry.  He won’t likely get the same number of attempts this year as the Raiders have built up their passing game.

There has been a ton of hype around the Broncos going to more of a running attack.  That has some fantasy experts high on CJ Anderson.  They shouldn’t be.  Anderson is going to be running behind a shaky offensive line, have very little help from the passing game, and will possibly be splitting carries with Ronnie Hilman.  That spells disaster for his fantasy owner.

Ryan Mathews is that guy that fantasy owners too smart for their own good always buy in on every year…and then he proceeds to flame out.  Injuries, benchings, fumbles, and just a general lack of production.  Mathews will never be the guy that he was once projected to be as a draft prospect.

Next: Top 15 Fantasy Football Quarterbacks

Running backs are a limited Fantasy Football commodity, so you need to be sure to hit right.  Don’t go big on a guy who doesn’t bring you at least some guarantee of a quality return on your investment.  This is also a spot where the most talked about names are not necessarily the best options.  So do your due diligence!