2012 Fantasy Football Week 15: Running Backs (RB) Rankings / Projections

Darren McFadden returned last Thursday night after missing four games with a lower leg injury. His performance brought mixed results as he carried the football 11 times for 52 yards and hauled in two receptions for 12 yards and a touchdown.

McFadden had one good run of the night as he had a nice block on the edge, turned the corner and picked up 37 yards on the run. On that play, it appeared McFadden was wincing in pain and he seemed to almost go into a jump when he had to cut back to his right throughout the night.

At the end of the game, McFadden tweaked his ankle, but it appears it was a minor injury. We should expect McFadden to play this week against the Chiefs, but don’t be surprised if Marcel Reece splits snaps with him again and works most of the time on third downs and in the hurry-up offense.

Reece is a good pass-blocker and a sound receiver out of the backfield, so not overworking McFadden would be a wise move for a veteran who is still working his way back from injury. Look to McFadden as a respectable RB2 over the next two weeks as the Raiders play the Chiefs and Panthers in their upcoming games.

What Did We Learn From Week 14?

- Knowshon Moreno had a career day against the Raiders last week as he touched the football 36 times. Don’t expect that kind of performance against the Ravens in Baltimore, but he should turn in a RB2 performance as he continues to be the Broncos' feature back.

- Alex Green had his second productive game in a row, but he could’ve had more if the Packers just trusted him with a feature role. Instead it was DeJuan Harris that capitalized on a 14-yard touchdown run that Green set up with terrific running later in the drive.

Don’t expect Harris or Ryan Grant to take over a red-zone role over Green, but the Packers don’t seem to mind using any running back inside the 20. Green remains a flex play option down the stretch, but don’t expect close to 20 plus touches in a game.

Sean’s Week 15 Watch List

- According to Jenny Vrentas of NJ.com, Ahmad Bradshaw will go through testing on his knee this week, but we should expect him to be in a full-blown committee if he suits up this week. As a big game for the Giants, I’m sure they want the veteran in the mix with rookie David Wilson, who’s struggled in pass protection and fumbling the football this year.

The rookie's upside is huge, which is the reason why he was a first-round pick. Wilson is the future at the running back position for the Giants and a future fantasy star, as long as he can stay healthy. For now, we should look to Wilson as a low-end RB2 or at least a flex with upside after his breakout game against the Saints.

- While LeSean McCoy was cleared for practice, he’s yet to be cleared by a neurologist for physical contact putting his availability for Thursday night's game in doubt. Until McCoy is cleared, we should consider the odds likely that Bryce Brown will be the feature back this week.

If Brown starts, expect a bounce-back game after running into a buzzsaw in Tampa Bay’s No.1-ranked run defense last week.

- With Fred Jackson likely done for the rest of the season, C.J. Spiller becomes a RB1 in fantasy leagues once again. Tashard Choice should see some snaps but expect Spiller to touch the football 20 times this week.

1	Adrian Peterson	@ Rams
2	Doug Martin	@ Saints
3	Jamaal Charles	@ Raiders
4	Marshawn Lynch	@ Bills
5	Arian Foster	Colts
6	Ray Rice (I)	Broncos
7	Matt Forte	Packers
8	Alfred Morris	@ Browns
9	Trent Richardson	Redskins
10	C.J. Spiller	Seahawks
11	Bryce Brown	Bengals
12	BenJarvus Green-Ellis	@ Eagles
13	Frank Gore	@ Patriots
14	Knowshon Moreno	@ Ravens
15	Darren McFadden (I)	@ Chiefs
16	Reggie Bush	Jaguars
17	Ryan Mathews	Panthers
18	David Wilson	@ Falcons
19	Joique Bell	@ Cardinals
20	DeMarco Murray	Steelers
21	Stevan Ridley	49ers
22	Chris Johnson	Jets
23	Steven Jackson	Vikings
24	Darren Sproles	Buccaneers
25	Shonn Greene	@ Titans
26	Bilal Powell	@ Titans
27	Mikel Leshoure	@ Cardinals
28	Alex Green	@ Bears
29	Jacquizz Rodgers	Giants
30	Ahmad Bradshaw (I)	@ Falcons
31	Jonathan Dwyer	@ Cowboys
32	Montell Owens	@ Dolphins
33	DeAngelo Williams	@ Chargers
34	Beanie Wells	Lions
35	Michael Turner	Giants
36	Vick Ballard	@ Texans
37	Mark Ingram	Buccaneers

Week 15 Standard Rankings – QB | WR | TE | K | D |