Heading into Week 16 of the 2025 NFL season, workloads, snap shares and more trends have been established across the league’s backfields. The fantasy RB landscape hasn’t played out as expected due to injuries, leaving fantasy managers with plenty of tough decisions to make. With that in mind, let’s break down my fantasy football RB start/sit Week 16 picks.
Check out my full Week 16 start/sit article with picks at each position here!
Start ‘Em: Kenneth Gainwell (Pittsburgh Steelers) at Detroit Lions
Jaylen Warren has been an impressively productive back for the Steelers this season, especially in goal-line situations given his size. That said, every time I see Kenneth Gainwell touch the ball, it raises the legitimate question of if he’s the more talented back.
Gainwell has been extremely efficient in limited rushing opportunities this season, averaging 4.8 yards per carry. However, where he really makes an impact is in the passing game. The fifth-year back has hauled in at least six receptions in four of his last five outings, amassing at least 16 fantasy points in each of those games.
At this point in the season, Gainwell is locked in as Aaron Rodgers’ No. 2 receiver, and at times he is top option. His recent production gives shades of prime James White, and like the Patriots’ legend, Gainwell holds massive PPR value moving forward. He’s a solid RB2 this weekend.
CLICK HERE FOR MY WIDE RECEIVER WEEK 16 START/SIT PICKS!
Sit’ Em: Ashton Jeanty (Las Vegas Raiders) at Houston Texans
The Raiders simply can’t score points.
Over the last three weeks, Vegas has averaged 10.3 points per game. On the season, that number only rises to 14.0, by far the lowest total in the league. As you may imagine, if your team doesn’t score points, it’s not exactly easy to produce fantasy value.
Jeanty has seen an RB1’s workload all season, but his subpar offensive line and supporting cast drastically limits his upside. The rookie has failed to score double-digit fantasy points in back-to-back games, and now is set to face the best defense in the league. Houston will almost certainly jump out to a big lead in this matchup, effectively removing Jeanty from the game script. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to trust him in a must-win week.
Start ‘Em: Michael Carter (Arizona Cardinals) vs. Atlanta Falcons
The Michael Carter fantasy experience has been quite the whirlwind this year. He emerged out of nowhere as an elite option, then was cut, then re-signed, benched, etc. Yet, throughout all the chaos, Carter has remained ready to contribute.
That’s why, when Bam Knight suffered a bad ankle sprain against Houston, Carter stepped in seamlessly. The 26-year-old played 80% of snaps, rushing 14 times for 56 yards and catching four balls for 38 yards. It was an impressive outing against an elite defense.
Now, with Knight sidelined this week and Trey Benson officially done for the year, opportunity will come knocking for Carter again. Emari Demercado could also see an expanded role, but it should be Carter who takes on a bellcow’s workload.
I wasn’t expecting two Arizona Cardinals to be my starts of the week at QB and RB, but here we are.
Sit ‘Em: Kenneth Walker III (Seattle Seahawks) vs. Los Angeles Rams
Just when it looked like Walker III was putting all the pieces together again, we get back-to-back dud weeks.
After a frustrating day against the Falcons, fantasy managers were eager to see how Walker III would bounce back in a huge matchup with Indy. The answer? A complete letdown, as the fourth-year back only managed 19 yards on 10 total touches. Meanwhile his backfield mate Zach Charbonnet couldn’t get anything going either, but did finish with 31 yards on eight touches.
This isn’t the type of momentum we wanted to see from the 25-year-old heading into a tough tilt with the Rams. L.A. is allowing the third-fewest fantasy points to RBs per game, setting the stage for a third straight disappointing outing for Walker III.
New RB start/sit picks drop weekly! Stay tuned for more RB start/sit Week 16 advice over the next few days.
Those are my RB start ’em, sit ’em Week 16 fantasy football picks! Stay tuned for more fantasy advice throughout the week.
All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.
