Fantasy Football Week 12 Rankings: Top 40 Running Backs

Will Darren McFadden rebound?  Is Mike Goodson for real?  How will Maurice Jones-Drew perform against a tough Giants defense?  Let’s try and answer these questions and all the rest in this week’s running back rankings (there will be updates later in the week, if necessary):

1. Adrian Peterson – Minnesota Vikings – at Washington
2. Frank Gore – San Francisco 49ers – at Arizona
3. Peyton Hillis – Cleveland Browns – vs. Carolina
4. Ray Rice – Baltimore Ravens – vs. Tampa Bay
5. Arian Foster – Houston Texans – vs. Tennessee
6. Chris Johnson – Tennessee Titans – at Houston
7. Maurice Jones-Drew – Jacksonville Jaguars – at New York Giants
8. Rashard Mendenhall – Pittsburgh Steelers – at Buffalo
9. Darren McFadden – Oakland Raiders – vs. Miami
10. Steven Jackson – St. Louis Rams – at Denver
11. Ahmad Bradshaw – New York Giants – vs. Jacksonville
12. Michael Turner – Atlanta Falcons – vs. Green Bay
13. LeSean McCoy – Philadelphia Eagles – at Chicago
14. Jamaal Charles – Kansas City Chiefs – at Seattle
15. BenJarvus Green-Ellis – New England Patriots – at Detroit
16. Mike Goodson – Carolina Panthers – at Cleveland
17. Matt Forte – Chicago Bears – vs. Philadelphia
18. LaDainian Tomlinson – New York Jets – vs. Cincinnati
19. Cedric Benson – Cincinnati Bengals – at New York Jets
20. LeGarrette Blount – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – at Baltimore
21. Knowshon Moreno – Denver Broncos – vs. St. Louis
22. Felix Jones – Dallas Cowboys – vs. New Orleans
23. Thomas Jones – Kansas City Chiefs – at Seattle
24. Brandon Jackson – Green Bay Packers – at Atlanta
25. Chris Ivory – New Orleans Saints – at Dallas
26. Ryan Mathews – San Diego Chargers – at Indianapolis
27. Danny Woodhead – New England Patriots – at Detroit
28. Shonn Greene – New York Jets – vs. Cincinnati
29. Keiland Williams – Washington Redskins – vs. Minnesota
30. Ronnie Brown – Miami Dolphins – at Oakland
31. Beanie Wells – Arizona Cardinals – vs. San Francisco
32. Donald Brown – Indianapolis Colts – vs. San Diego
33. Fred Jackson – Buffalo Bills – vs. Pittsburgh
34. Marshawn Lynch – Seattle Seahawks – vs. Kansas City
35. Tim Hightower – Arizona Cardinals – vs. San Francisco
36. Mike Tolbert – San Diego Chargers – at Indianapolis
37. Maurice Morris – Detroit Lions – vs. New England
38. Ricky Williams – Miami Dolphins – at Oakland
39. Brandon Jacobs – New York Giants – vs. Jacksonville
40. Willis McGahee – Baltimore Ravens – vs. Tampa Bay

Thoughts:

• The Houston Texans passing defense has not been good this season, but they catch a break with the Titans likely being forced to go with rookie Rusty Smith in Week 12.  Will that allow them to focus more on Chris Johnson and hopefully shut him down?  That philosophy has never worked in the past and you have to expect Johnson to remain the focal point of the offense.
• Peyton Hillis did not run the ball well in Week 11 (48 yards on 21 carries), but he supplemented it with six receptions for 95 yards.  With a matchup against Carolina, he’s an easy top three option this week.
• If Rashard Mendenhall had a less accomplished quarterback at the helm, he’d be a top five option against the Bills.  With Ben Roethlisberger hot, it’s easy to see the team getting away from the run a little bit.  Still, with his ability and a positive matchup, he’s an easy top 10.
• Darren McFadden may have had a less then stellar game against the Steelers (14 yards on 10 carries), but it’s hard to find fault in him.  He’s certainly not the first back that they’ve stymied this season and he certainly won’t be the last.  Look for McFadden to rebound against the Dolphins and consider him a RB1 option.
• Maurice Jones-Drew is starting to really turn things up.  He rushed for 133 yards and a touchdown, while adding three receptions for 87 yards.  It marks his third consecutive 100-yard rushing game and his fourth consecutive 100 plus total yard game.  Yes, he gets a difficult Giants defense, but with the way he’s playing it is impossible to consider him anything less then a RB1.
• The problem in Kansas City is you just never know who is going to get the bulk of the carries.  In Week 11 Jamaal Charles had 12 carries for 88 yards while Thomas Jones had 15 carries for 71 yards and two touchdowns.  Of course, Charles adds value in the passing game (four receptions for 38 yards), making him the more valuable option.  Still, neither can be considered more than a RB2.
• Mike Goodson rushed for over 100 yards for the second straight game, with 120 yards on the ground as well as five receptions for 31 yards.  With DeAngelo Williams out and Jonathan Stewart not performing even when healthy, you have to think that the lead back role is now his to lose.  Against the Browns, he’s a viable RB2.
• Will Shonn Greene’s fumble help LaDainian Tomlinson regain the bulk of the carries?  His performance actually came more in the passing game (seven receptions for 71 yards) than the running game (36 yards on 12 carries), which helps him hold more value then Greene.  Still, he clearly has to drop down our weekly board.
• BenJarvus Green-Ellis followed up his strong performance against the Steelers with 96 yards and a touchdown against the Colts.  He’s a strong play this week against the Lions.
• If Ryan Mathews plays, he should be worth using.  However, at this point it’s anyone’s guess.  Consider him a low-end RB2 at this point, but have a backup plan just in case.  If he’s unable to go, Mike Tolbert becomes a strong play in his absence.
• Jahvid Best missed significant time in Week 11 as his turf toe problems caused him to miss time.  At this point, you have to think he’s going to get extra rest and not play in Week 12.  We’ll leave him off the rankings for now, but monitor the news just in case.
• Until we hear otherwise, I have to go with Donald Brown as the Colts running back.  Time will tell if Joseph Addai or Mike Hart is able to play, but at this point it’s hard to count on them.  Monitor the news and see what happens.
• Reggie Bush may return for New Orleans in Week 12, but Pierre Thomas appears unlikely to.  Regardless, after rushing for 99 yard and a touchdown, Chris Ivory is likely to get the bulk of the carries for another week.

Make sure to check out Rotoprofessor’s Week 12 Rankings:

• Waiver Worthy
• Top 25 Quarterbacks
• Top 60 Wide Receivers (coming soon)
• Top 20 Tight Ends (coming soon)
• Top 15 Kickers (coming soon)
• Top 15 Defenses (coming soon)
• Start ‘Em or Sit ‘Em (coming soon)
• Sunday Sleepers (coming soon)

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