Fantasy Football: Week 15 RB matchups to exploit

Dominate your Week 15 fantasy football matchups with these favorable RB matchups. You can check out WR matchups to exploit here.

Brian Robinson Jr. vs. NO

Robinson Jr. returns from his much-needed bye week. He’s dealt with knee and hamstring injuries this season, so resting an extra week before the fantasy playoffs begin was ideal. The last time we saw Robinson was in Week 13, when he entered the game banged up against the Titans. Despite being injured, Robinson had 17 touches for over 100 yards and a touchdown. He made his first carry for a 40-yard touchdown and Washington never looked back. The Commanders defeated the Titans in Week 13 and Robinson was pulled in the fourth quarter. This would explain their instant low turnout of 45%.

This week, Robinson has been well rested after his layoff and enters an ideal matchup. They will travel to New Orleans to face the Saints as a seven-point favorite. In six games completed as a favorite this season, Robinson is averaging 14.7 fantasy points on 16 touches per game. Saints rank 32nd against the run according to PFF and they allow five yards per rushing attempt, which is the highest mark in the league. Robinson is a must-start this week in what could be the best matchup a fantasy running back can find.

Chuba Hubbard vs. DAL

Hubbard continued his strong 2024 campaign in Week 14 against the Eagles. Despite the difficult matchup against the Eagles’ top-ranked defense, Hubbard was able to find a lot of success. He earned a whopping 30 touches and turned this elite volume into 107 total yards and a score. Hubbard finished in the week’s top 10 for the sixth time this year; He has quietly put together an outstanding season. Hubbard surpassed 100 total yards or scored a touchdown in nine of his last 11 games. He is one of four riders to have done this in the last three months.

Hubbard’s outlook for the remainder of the season improved in Week 14, unfortunately due to another season-ending knee injury to teammate Jonathon Brooks. This benefits Hubbard, who was losing some touches and snaps to Brooks in Week 13. Hubbard will continue to be the workhorse in an improving Panthers offense as it enters a strong matchup in Week 15. The Panthers They will face the Cowboys who rank 30th in run defense. according to PFF and allowing the second-most rushing yards per game this year. Hubbard remains a must-start and his schedule for the remainder of the season gives him a chance to be a league winner as we enter the fantasy playoffs.

Subscribe to Yahoo Fantasy Forecast in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube either wherever you listen.

Isiah Pacheco vs. CLE

Pacheco returned in Week 13 to a limited role. On Black Friday against the Raiders, he played 33% of the snaps and got eight touches. He turned this usage into a solid 49 yards, averaging over six yards per touch in this small sample. In this game, Pacheco had a 34-yard run that was double Kareem Hunt’s biggest run of the year. This was a glimpse of what the Chiefs have been missing in their running game: explosive plays. It was likely that after this showing Pacheco’s role would increase in Week 14, and it did.

In Week 14 against the Chargers, Pacheco saw his snaps increase from 33% to 48%. But more importantly, he commanded 70% of the RB carries in this game, which was 20% more than what he saw in Week 13 when he split the carries evenly with Hunt. Pacheco turned this increased usage into 61 yards on 16 touches.

Expect his usage to remain strong this week when the Chiefs take on the Browns. Kansas City enters this game as a seven-point favorite, which sets up Pacheco nicely for a positive game script. This means there’s a good chance he’s playing with an advantage in the second half and getting more carries. The Browns are quietly allowing the 10th most rushing yards per game this season, and just gave up 100 yards and a touchdown to the Steelers RB. Pacheco starts this week; He is set to score his first touchdown since Week 1.

Rico Dowdle vs. CAR

Dowdle enters Week 15 with a strong matchup against the Panthers. The Cowboys are underdogs by one point on the road this week, meaning the game should be close. This sets up nicely for Dowdle to gain a lot of carries. We saw a similar scenario in Week 14 in a close game against the Bengals. Dowdle had 19 touches and 141 total yards against New York. This was the best performance of his career in terms of total yards and was the second consecutive game in which Dowdle finished in the top 15.

Dowdle found this success against a poor Bengals run defense in Week 14, and will have another strong matchup this week. Carolina allows the most rushing yards per game and the second-most rushing touchdowns this season. The Panthers just gave up 209 rushing yards last week to the Eagles, including 6.5 yards per carry to Saquon Barkley and Kenneth Gainwell. It’s another big spot for Dowdle, who over the last three games has won more than 65% of the Cowboys’ snaps and rushing attempts. His role is improving as he enters another advantageous matchup. Make sure Dowdle is in your lineups this week.

Isaiah Davis vs. JAX

The Jets’ fifth-round rookie landed a surprisingly large role in Week 14 with Breece Hall out. The expectation was that Braelon Allen would lead the Jets backfield and Davis would operate as the clear RB2, but this was not the case. In Week 14, Allen played 56% of the snaps and got 16 snaps, while Davis played 52% of the snaps and also got 16 snaps. Both running backs were efficient, but Davis was the one who found the end zone and finished with the best fantasy day. He turned 13 touches into 67 yards and a score.

If you’re not familiar with Davis, he was one of the most productive running backs in college football over the past two seasons. During his final two years at South Dakota State, he totaled 3,056 rushing yards, the most of any D1 running back. When including his receiving production, Davis averaged 1,714 total yards over his final two seasons at South Dakota State.

Hall risks losing more time due to a reported MCL injury on his surgically repaired knee. This opens the door for both Allen and Davis once again in Week 15. They have a strong matchup against the Jaguars, one of the few times this season that the Jets have entered a game as favorites. Jacksonville allows the ninth-most rushing yards per game and just gave up 124 total yards to Tony Pollard last week. Assuming Hall is out, you can FLEX both Davis and Allen in Week 15.