Fantasy Football Week 11: Who's Hot, Who's Not at the RB Position?

Heading into Week 11 of the NFL season, many fantasy football owners are looking for a running back to carry the load down the home stretch of the season.

It's important to identify the backs who are on the rise, have been executing well and are facing weak defenses. Which rushers will get a lot of carries this weekend? Which ones have big-play potential?

Knowing which running backs are slipping is equally critical.

Let's take a look at who's poised for a fantastic week and who's not.

Hot: Maurice Jones-Drew

Maurice Jones-Drew continues to be the lone bright spot for the Jacksonville Jaguars offense, and he's probably not going to slow down anytime soon.

Jones-Drew is the type of back that can wear down defenses throughout the course of a game, and that's exactly what he did Sunday. The Colts defense was on the field the majority of the game, and the Jaguars took advantage with Jones-Drew.

Start him with confidence this week against an awful Browns rushing defense.

Week 11 projection: Jones-Drew will down the Browns with 160 all-purpose yards and a touchdown.

Hot: DeMarco Murray

DeMarco Murray is coming off a Pro Bowl-caliber week, as he ran all over the Buffalo Bills for 135 yards and a touchdown. In Week 11, he should have another solid game as he lines up against a beleaguered Washington run defense.

Murray hit all the right running lanes against the Bills and scampered for 6.8 yards per carry. While we can't hope for monstrous numbers like that every week, we can expect a quality outing from him against the Redskins.

Week 11 projection: Murray will run 22 times for 115 yards and a touchdown.

Hot: LeSean McCoy

LeSean McCoy has been hot all season, and he is one of only two backs averaging more than 100 yards per game.

In another episode of curious play-calling, the Eagles only handed the ball off to McCoy 14 times against Arizona. He still made the most of each touch, averaging 5.8 yards per carry.

On any given week, McCoy can rush for 150 yards while catching a few passes for 50 yards. This week, the Giants will get exposed by his athleticism and versatility.

Week 11 projection: McCoy will run for 100 yards, catch five passes for 40 yards and score twice.

Hot: Matt Forte

Matt Forte isn't even the Chicago Bears' primary goal-line back, but he can hurt defenses a lot of ways and is facing a poor run defense this week.

Forte can run successfully in any formation, and is versatile enough to run up the middle and find the seams or bounce to the outside and break free for a home run gain. Although his yardage numbers weren't phenomenal last week, he still managed to get to the end zone again.

Lovie Smith will rely on Forte to carry the load this week. The Bears are at home against the San Diego Chargers' underachieving defense, so Forte should put up great stats.

Week 11 projection: Forte will have 90 yards rushing, 35 receiving and score at least once against the Chargers.

Hot: Marshawn Lynch

Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch toted the rock 32 times last week, and he will probably get it just as many times this week. Why? The Seahawks are playing the Rams.

St. Louis has the absolute worst run defense in the league, and it will take a small miracle for them to stop Lynch.

Lynch's stock is still not sky-high, so he is probably available in many fantasy leagues. If you're having trouble at running back, Lynch could be the solution this week.

Week 11 projection: Lynch will rush for 105 and score twice at St. Louis.

Not Hot: Beanie Wells

Beanie Wells is coming off one of the worst games of his career, and this week he faces the top-ranked run defense in the NFL. Keep him on the bench.

Wells got plenty of touches against the Eagles, but he was held to just 2.7 yards per carry. That's 1.3 yards lower than his already-pedestrian 4.1 career average. Now he squares off against the San Francisco 49ers, who hold opponents to 73 yards per game on the ground.

Week 11 projection: Wells will rush 18 times for 65 yards at San Francisco.

Not Hot: Roy Helu

There's not really anything promising about the Washington Redskins offense, and that includes the fantasy impact of Roy Helu.

Even though Helu does well when called upon, fantasy owners can't depend on him because the Washington offense is not conducive to fantasy production. They constantly fall behind in games and are forced to pass the ball.

The Cowboys are coming to FedEx Field and are on a roll, so Helu is not a hot commodity.

Week 11 projection: Helu rushes 12 times for 67 yards.

Not Hot: LeGarrette Blount

Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back LeGarrette Blount has been an underwhelming fantasy performer all season, and lately his production has gotten even worse.

Josh Freeman and the rest of the offensive unit have underperformed this season, which hasn't helped Blount. But he hasn't picked up the slack himself.

Last week, he rushed 10 times for 34 yards against Houston. I don't care how good Houston's front is, 34 yards from a primary back is ghastly.

Don't rely on him for fantasy points Sunday at Lambeau against the Packers' solid run defense.

Week 11 projection: Blount rushes 13 times for 58 yards against Green Bay.

Not Hot: Cedric Benson

Cedric Benson's sub-par fantasy season continued last week, as the Bengals running back rushed 15 times for 57 yards against the Steelers.

His carries might increase Sunday, but don't hope for a major production improvement on the road against Baltimore. The Ravens defense is ticked off after their loss to Seattle, and will be back to their nasty ways this week.

The game won't be a shootout, which means Benson will get more opportunities. Nevertheless, the Ravens defense will keep Benson in check for most of the game.

Week 11 projection: Benson will rush 22 times for 75 yards.

Not Hot: Jackie Battle

Jackie Battle has proven to be a decent running back, but Kansas City doesn't deem him good enough to handle dozens of carries per game.

I thought Battle would see significantly more touches Sunday, but he only ran the ball nine times against Denver.

His role in the offense is simply not hefty enough for fantasy owners to rely on him. Treat Battle with caution.

Week 11 projection: Battle will run for 55 yards in Foxboro.