Fantasy Football Week 12: Who's Hot, Who's Not at Running Back

As Week 11 draws to a close and the fantasy football world heads closer and closer to the playoffs, NFL running backs continue to pump out fantastic and often surprising performances.

And with the final weeks closing in on fantasy owners, it's now or never to put out the best backs, or your team might get lost in the dust.

But with Fred Jackson's injured leg and Adrian Peterson's ankle pains, the fantasy world may have to rely on some more surprising players come Week 12.

Which of the league's running backs are hot, and which are not, going into Week 12? Let's take a look.

Hot: Michael Bush, Oakland Raiders

Not one running back in the league can reach the scorching temperatures Michael Bush is hitting. 

Since getting the starting job in Week 7 with the injury to Darren McFadden, Bush has gained a combined 461 yards and scored two touchdowns and 75 total fantasy points. 

He ran for 109 yards and a touchdown in the Raiders 27-21 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, but will face perhaps his toughest challenge yet in Week 12 when Oakland hosts the Chicago Bears and their excellent defensive line.

Still, Bush has proven to be the most consistent running back in the league since he took over for McFadden, and fantasy owners can definitely put their trust in him. 

Not: Willis McGahee, Denver Broncos

After exploding for 168 yards and two scores against Oakland in Week 9, Willis McGahee has been utterly disappointing in his last two games with just 35 combined yards.

Certainly he's been dealing with some hamstring issues, but he had 12 carries and only 18 yards and a fumble against a Jets defense that was desperate to stop Denver's run game.

Hopefully for Denver, and for McGahee's fantasy owners, he can recover with a longer rest period for a Week 12 matchup against the Chargers. 

Hot: Ray Rice, Baltimore Ravens

After rushing for just 27 yards against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 10, Ray Rice bounced back with 104 yards and two scores in the Raven's 31-24 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 11.

Rice hadn't had a 100-yard game since Week 6 against Houston, but he remains the biggest weapon Baltimore has and had an excellent game against a very tough Cincinnati defense.

But it may get even tougher for him come Thursday, when he will face a 49ers defense that hasn't given up a rushing touchdown all season. 

Not: Ryan Mathews, San Diego Chargers

Ryan Matthews may still be dealing with his Week 9 groin injury, or else his disappointing performance over the past two weeks may be hard to explain.

He has 37 yards on 13 carries in the Chargers 31-20 loss in Chicago in Week 11 and added insult to injury with a fumble. 

If the Chargers have any hope of recovering and getting a playoff spot, they'll need him to be in top shape in Week 12 against the Denver Broncos.

Hot: Kevin Smith, Detroit Lions

Kevin Smith? Who? Oh, just the guy who will be the hottest fantasy free agent acquisition this week.

Where everyone expected Maurice Morris to get a majority of the carries for Detroit, Smith ran 140 yards on 16 carries in Sunday's barn-burning 49-35 victory over the Carolina Panthers. He had two rushing touchdowns and added 61 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown to boot. 

It'll be interesting to see how many fantasy owners snap up Smith this week, especially considering he is playing against Green Bay on Thanksgiving, but his 38 fantasy points are very hard to ignore.

Not: Chris Johnson, Tennessee Titans

After a Week 10 performance that looked like the CJ2K of old, Chris Johnson returned to normal in Week 11. That sad, dismal "normal" that continues to leave owners flustered and disappointed they ever used a top draft choice on him.

Johnson has just 13 yards on 12 carries in the Titans 23-17 loss in Atlanta, and while Tampa Bay's defense (which gives up 138.2 yards on the ground per game) is far less threatening than the Falcons', fantasy owners need to seriously consider giving up on Johnson for good.

Hot: Michael Turner, Atlanta Falcons

Michael Turner had his fifth game of 100-plus yards this season on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans, gaining exactly 100 yards and scoring a touchdown in Atlanta's 23-17 victory. 

Turner has been one of the most consistent runners all season and is currently ranked seventh of all running backs in combined points.

The Falcons will remain home in Week 12 to take on the Minnesota Vikings, who gave up 109 yards to Michael Bush in Week 11 but are currently ranked seventh in the league in fewest amount of rushing yards allowed per contest. 

Not: Roy Helu, Washington Redskins

Roy Helu was a hot Week 10 free-agent pick up after he notched 10 fantasy points against a dominant San Francisco rush defense, but two weeks later he's certainly not a worthy starter anymore.

With how inconsistent Mike Shanahan has been with his running backs all season, it shouldn't really be a surprise, but Helu has just 76 yards rushing and a combined 7 fantasy points in the last two games.

There are better options on the free-agent market (see: Kevin Smith) if you added Helu expecting some flex help.

Hot: Marshawn Lynch, Seattle Seahawks

Marshawn Lynch has scored a touchdown in each of his last four games and has an average of over 110 yards in his last three contests. Needless to say, Lynch's fantasy value just keeps going up and up.

He had 88 yards and a score in Seattle's 24-7 victory against the St. Louis Rams in Week 11, but a home contest against the Washington Redskins in Week 12 is a lot scarier for Lynch's fantasy prospects.

Still, with the rest of the Seahawks offense in shambles, if you can trust anyone, you can trust Lynch. 

Not: Beanie Wells, Arizona Cardinals

Beanie Wells is owned in 100 percent of ESPN's fantasy leagues, but he hasn't had a starter-worthy contest in three straight weeks.

Against San Francisco, he had just 33 yards and a fumble on eight carries. You could chalk some of that to the 49ers dominant run defense, but he had just 62 yards on 23 carries—only slightly above 2.5 yards a carry—against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 10 and only 20 yards against the St. Louis Rams in Week 9.

Wells has been a disappointment most of the season, but his performances over the past few weeks have been detrimental to an already-dismal Cardinals offense.