Fantasy Football Week 12 Rankings: Top 35 Running Backs

With so many running backs injured or having lost their starting job, the grouping after the Top 12 has some surprising names on it.  LeSean McCoy?  Jamaal Charles?  Ryan Snelling?  Let’s take a look at how everyone shakes out for Week 12:

1. Adrian Peterson - Minnesota Vikings - vs. Chicago
2. Chris Johnson - Tennessee Titans - vs. Arizona
3. Ricky Williams - Miami Dolphins - at Buffalo
4. DeAngelo Williams - Carolina Panthers - at New York Jets
5. Ray Rice - Baltimore Ravens - vs. Pittsburgh
6. Maurice Jones-Drew - Jacksonville Jaguars - at San Francisco
7. Frank Gore - San Francisco 49ers - vs. Jacksonville
8. Steven Jackson - St. Louis Rams - vs. Seattle
9. LaDanian Tomlinson - San Diego Chargers - vs. Kansas City
10. Thomas Jones - New York Jets - vs. Carolina
11. Marion Barber - Dallas Cowboys - vs. Oakland
12. Cedric Benson - Cincinnati Bengals - vs. Cleveland
13. LeSean McCoy - Philadelphia Eagles - vs. Washington
14. Steve Slaton - Houston Texans - vs. Indianapolis
15. Joseph Addai - Indianapolis Colts - at Houston
16. Matt Forte - Chicago Bears - at Minnesota
17. Jamaal Charles - Kansas City Chiefs - at San Diego
18. Knowshon Moreno - Denver Broncos - vs. New York Giants
19. Brandon Jacobs - New York Giants - at Denver
20. Ryan Grant - Green Bay Packers - at Detroit
21. Pierre Thomas - New Orleans Saints - vs. New England
22. Rashard Mendenhall - Pittsburgh Steelers - at Baltimore
23. Laurence Maroney - New England Patriots - at New Orleans
24. Jason Snelling - Atlanta Falcons - vs. Tampa Bay
25. Kevin Smith - Detroit Lions - vs. Green Bay
26. Marshawn Lynch - Buffalo Bills - vs. Miami
27. Justin Forsett - Seattle Seahawks - at St. Louis
28. Mike Bell - New Orleans Saints - vs. New England
29. Rock Cartwright - Washington Redskins - at Philadelphia
30. Jamal Lewis - Cleveland Browns - at Cincinnati
31. Tim Hightower - Arizona Cardinals - at Tennessee
32. Carnell Williams - Tampa Bay Buccaneers - at Atlanta
33. Correll Buckhalter - Denver Broncos - vs. New York Giants
34. Beanie Wells - Arizona Cardinals - at Tennessee
35. Jonathan Stewart - Carolina Panthers - at New York Jets

Does Adrian Peterson belong in the top spot?  With the way Brett Favre is playing right now, I don’t know that it’s a guarantee the team just hands the ball to Peterson and let him do his thing.  That’s exactly what makes them such a dangerous offense, but it does knock Peterson down a small notch.  Still, he’s the best back in the game and it’s tough not to go with him at No. 1.

I know seeing Ricky Williams so high makes us think this list is outdated by a few years.  Just look at his performance in Week 11 and the fact that he gets to take on the Bills, one of the worst ground defenses in the league.  He easily could be in store for another big week.

No matter what defense he’s facing, Ray Rice needs to be ranked among the best RB in the league due to his ability in the passing game.  He’s going to get his yards one way or another.

There was an outside chance Cedric Benson played in Week 11, so for now I’m going to include him on this list (unlike Michael Turner, who could be out several weeks).  Monitor the news all week, however.  Bernard Scott, who fell just outside the top 35, would move up significantly should Benson be out of action.

Has Jamaal Charles silenced his doubters yet?

After Rashard Mendenhall put up just 80 yards without scoring against the lowly Chiefs, he gets dropped a few notches, especially taking on the Ravens this week.  He’s still usable, of course, so don’t do anything hasty and move him to your bench.

The early word on Brandon Jacobs and Marshawn Lynch is that they will both be fine to play in Week 12.  Keep an eye on the news, just in case, but we did not drop them in the rankings.

Clinton Portis is still out and now Ladell Betts may be sidelined for the season.  That gives Rock Cartwright a chance to be the main back and should be usable in FLEX formats.

What are your thoughts?  Who was left off the list?  Who should be higher?  Who should be lower?

Other Week 12 Rankings:

Quarterbacks

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