If you are scouring waiver wire targets right now, congratulations! You must still be in your fantasy championship hunt. This week offers perhaps the deepest running back market we have seen in months. Here are three backs you should strongly consider rostering if they are still available.
RB Kendre Miller, New Orleans Saints.
What a season it has been for Kendre Miller. He went on Injured Reserve and missed nearly half the season. He returned in Week 7, but just two weeks later, he was placed on IR again. Then, head coach Dennis Allen was fired, and it came out that Miller’s second IR stint might have been less about the severity of his hamstring injury and more about how he was simply in Allen’s doghouse. Now, with a seemingly much more supportive head coach in Darren Rizzi, Kendre Miller is poised to be the Saints' featured back after an injury to Alvin Kamara.
Kamara suffered a groin abductor injury in the fourth quarter of the Saints’ loss to the Washington Commanders. The RB2 overall in PPR format is listed as questionable for Week 16, but with the Saints eliminated from the playoffs, it seems unlikely that the team will be in too much of a hurry to rush their veteran star back to action. It will be worth monitoring Kamara’s status throughout the week, but if ruled out, Kendre Miller will instantly be elevated into a potential flex play.
If Kamara is out, the 22-year-old running back should see the type of volume that merits a spot on your fantasy roster. We haven’t seen a tremendous amount of production from Miller to this point in his NFL career, but he has not yet had much opportunity to showcase his skills. With a new, supportive head coach and the potential to serve as the Saints starting back, Kendre Miller is a risky but high-upside waiver addition.
RB Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans
In Week 15 against Cincinnati, Tyjae Spears erupted for 27.2 fantasy points in PPR formats, hauling in six receptions for 87 yards and a touchdown while adding five rushing yards and another touchdown on the ground when Spears crowd-surfed into the endzone with style. Fantasy owners and fans had been rooting for this kind of performance from Spears all year. The 23-year-old running back often looked explosive and gave the Titans a jolt out of the backfield at points throughout his young career. But until Week 15, it had not translated to any fantasy relevance. Spears got his break after starting running back Tony Pollard lost a fumble and then tweaked his ankle, forcing him to come out of the game.
The injury to Pollard does not appear to be serious, and Spears should be relegated back into a secondary role in Week 16. Still, his performance against the Bengals shows what Spears can bring to the table when he gets the ball in space. With favorable matchups remaining against the Colts and Jaguars, it could be worth taking a flier on Spears to see if his usage and production continue to trend upwards.
RB Jerome Ford, Cleveland Browns
Jerome Ford will reclaim the starting running back position for the Cleveland Browns after Nick Chubb suffered yet another major injury, breaking his foot in a loss to Kansas City. Ford stepped in for Chubb and finished with 104 total yards and a touchdown, a highlight-reel 62-yard score where Ford turned the corner and outsprinted everybody. Yes, the Browns’ offense is difficult to trust, and yes, quarterback Jameis Winston has been erratic at best. But now available in a majority of fantasy leagues is another starting running back with big play ability. In Week 16, Jerome Ford and the Browns will face the Cincinnati Bengals defense that Tyjae Spears just finished terrorizing. If needed, you could add Jerome Ford onto your roster and immediately slot him into your starting lineup in a flex spot in Week 16.
To see how Kendre Miller and the rest of these players stack up against other potential wire waiver additions, check out the full Waiver Wire Report from Footballguys.
