Week 16 Fantasy Football RB Rankings: Will Arian Foster Play Four Quarters?

It's Week 16, and if you are still consuming large quantities of fantasy analysis I either A) congratulate you for making it to your league's Super Bowl, or B) wish you luck in competing in one of the many week-to-week fantasy games for cash that have rightfully become so popular. 

Whichever category you fall under, you will want to pay close attention and heavily factor what the real playoff picture means to your player's prospects for Week 16. 

AP, Peyton Hillis, and Arian Foster are three of the top work-horses responsible for many-a-fantasy playoff contender in 2010.  They are also nursing a number of injuries, and more importantly their teams are all mathematically eliminated from the real playoff hunt.  Furthermore, MJD has been listed as doubtful, and it's not looking good on him going, either.  We break this and more down with Week 16 RB fantasy rankings here and in full at FFArmory.com!

1. Michael Turner home vs. New Orleans - MNF - The stakes are high in this one for a couple of reasons. 1) The Falcons need one more win to lock up home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. 2) A win pushes the Saints further away from locking up a one of the wild cards. I watched Ray Rice carve this rush defense up from many angles last Sunday, and Turner should do the same. In four career games as a Falcon facing this divisional rival, he has run for 422 yards and four TDs. The Saints have allowed the 12th most fantasy points to opposing RBs in 2010.
2. Rashard Mendenhall home vs. Carolina - 8 p.m. Thursday - Mendy faces a Panther secondary that has allowed 19 total TDs (17 rushing and two receiving) to RBs on the year. He should see a full workload at Heinz Field this Thursday evening, so start him at all costs.
3. Darren McFadden home vs. Indy - 4 p.m. Sunday - Unless you are overly annoyed by the fact that Michael Bush is robbing all of the goal-line love in Oakland, you should be all smiles with this matchup vs. the Colts' 25th ranked fantasy rush defense. McFadden's was tackled at the two yard line last Sunday after a 36 yard scamper before Cable called Bush's number to close the deal. What are ya gonna do?
4. Chris Johnson at KC - 1 p.m. Sunday - He's coming off his second 100+ yard one TD game, however both came against teams in the bottom tier in fantasy rush defense (Houston and Indy). The Chiefs are playing for all of the marbles (they are 9-5 and in first in their division) as they play host to the Titans this Sunday. They've only allowed eight rushing TDs on the year, so CJ2k will have his hands full trying to make it three (100+ yard one + TD games) in a row.
5. Arian Foster at Denver - 4 p.m. Sunday - Houston, we have a problem. Foster exited the game last week (ankle) and did not return because the Texans have nothing to play for having dropped their last three games. He said "I could have gone back in" if it was necessary. But what are you going to do, bench him? There will be some ankle grabbing going on this weekend in Denver, but the question is, is it Foster's owners or their adversaries that are doing the grabbing. Denver allows more fantasy points to RBs than the 31 other NFL franchises, but will it be another early exit for Foster if the ankle swells up on him a bit?
6. LeGarrette Blount home vs. Seattle - 4 p.m. Sunday - He delivered in his first juicy match up of the fantasy playoffs last week going for 110 yards and a TD, and figures to have about the same line in this one facing the Seahawks' fourth most porous fantasy run defense. Why Raheem Norris continues to work Earnest Graham in goal-line situations (got stuffed twice last week) and Cadillac Williams (hoovered seven of the carries last Sunday), I'll never know. Blount is the primary guy, though, so keep riding this tidal wave of fantasy love.
7. Peyton Hillis home vs. Baltimore - 1 p.m. Sunday - He had his coming out party against this defense in Week three going for 180 total yards and a TD, but the Ravens have come a long since then. They have only allowed two rushing scores since Week four (where they allowed Mendy to go for two) and Hillis has missed some time this week with an undisclosed injury. The Browns have nothing to play for, so there is always the risk that they run him for a half and then plug their scrubs in irrespective of the score.
8. Adrian Peterson at Philly - 8 p.m. Sunday - If he plays, it's a nice match up for AP owners as the Eagles have allowed 15 total TDs to RBs (10 rushing and five receiving). AP was a sudden scratch from this past Monday's game due to a ton of soreness from thigh and knee injuries. This is another situation where a team's playoff hopes could determine a long hard battle to get to your league's fantasy Super Bowl. No, I'm not advocating that you bench AP (unless you are sitting on two of the above references RBs), but I am telling you that you will need to ride FFArmory.com news-breakers up until the wire on this one to ensure that he's in the purple and gold come 8 p.m. EST Sunday. Hopefully, you are sitting on Gerhart and can make that swap at the last minute, otherwise, sucks to be you for not properly handcuffing.
9. Ray Rice at Denver - 4pm Sunday - Houston, we have a problem. Foster exited the game last week (ankle) and did not return because the Texans have nothing to play for having dropped their last three games. He said "I could have gone back in" if it was necessary. But what are you going to do, bench him? There will be some ankle grabbing going on this weekend in Denver, but the question is, is it Foster's owners or their adversaries that are doing the grabbing. Denver allows more fantasy points to RBs than the 31 other NFL franchises, but will it be another early exit for Foster if the ankle swells up on him a bit
10. Benjarvus Green-Ellis at Buffalo - 1pm Sunday - He still managed to stay fantasy relevant, even in a tough match up vs. the top ranked Packer rush D.  Holes should widen a bit this Sunday in Buffalo with the Bills having allowed 672 yards and six TDs over their last five contests.  BJGE is 16th among RBs through 15 weeks and should fare better than that this week.

Click here to read all of the Week 16 Fantasy rankings at FFArmory.com! We break MJD's prospects down further, along with his likely backups prospects if he doesn't go.