Ryan Mathews, Branden Oliver, Donald Brown's Post-Week 12 Fantasy Reaction

Ryan Mathews is a top-12 fantasy running back for the rest of the season. That is, of course, contingent on him staying healthy.   

The San Diego Chargers talented 27-year-old ran all over the St. Louis Rams in Week 12, capping off a seriously efficient performance with a 32-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.

Backups Branden Oliver and Donald Brown, meanwhile, were a very small part of the game plan:

Player	Car	Rus Yds	Rec	Rec Yds	TD	Fan Pts
Ryan Mathews	12	105	2	8	1	17.3
Branden Oliver	6	17	4	23	0	4.0
Donald Brown	1	7	2	20	0	2.7

You'll notice that Mathews, despite racking up 8.8 yards per carry, only received 14 touches. That's because—surprise!—he suffered a shoulder injury after his touchdown run and was forced to the locker room.

Fortunately, as the U-T San Diego's Michael Gehlken confirmed, he eventually returned to the game:

When healthy, Mathews is a fantastic talent capable of consistently producing at this kind of level. ESPN's Eric Williams put it simply:

Moreover, the Chargers proved during the second half of last season that they are more than willing to turn the former first-round pick into a workhorse as a means to control time of possession. As long as Mathews is on the field, he's a fringe RB1/RB2 option.

However, the injury concerns are real and not so spectacular. As such, diminutive, multi-threat rookie Branden Oliver should be owned in all leagues as a very valuable handcuff.

Donald Brown isn't on the fantasy radar.