The bye weeks are over now, but most teams have not made it to this point in the season with their top running back options intact. If you count yourself among the teams that have been hit by injuries, be sure to give the waiver wire picks a read. If not, then you are likely a playoff team and good for you. Whichever position you find yourself in read on and see which backs to play this week if you want to come away with a win.
Injury Concerns:
Devonta Freeman ATL Questionable, Matt Forte CHI Questionable, Darren McFadden DAL Questionable, Frank Gore IND Questionable, Charcandrick West KC Questionable, Ryan Mathews PHI Questionable, Carlos Hyde SF Questionable, Marshawn Lynch Out, Alfred Morris WAS Questionable
Week 12 Waiver Wire Picks: Quarterback And Tight End / Running Back / Wide Receiver / IDP
Elite Tier - Must Starts
1. Jonathan Stewart CAR @DAL
2. Adrian Peterson MIN @ATL
3. Todd Gurley STL @CIN
4. DeMarco Murray PHI @DET
5. LeSean McCoy BUF @KC
Stewart has a cushy matchup and his team is on a roll. The only way that Peterson falters this week is if the Falcons jump out to a big lead. Gurley should be a strong play as always. Murray will probably not lose touches to Mathews this week. McCoy is back to being an elite back regardless of matchup.
Strong Plays - Reliable, But A Notch Below
6. Devonta Freeman ATL vs. MIN Questionable
7. Doug Martin TB @IND
8. Chris Johnson ARI @SF
9. Mark Ingram NO @HOU
10. Chris Ivory NYJ vs. MIA
Freeman suffered a concussion last week so he drops out of the elite tier for the moment. Martin should have little trouble with the Indy run defense. I see no reason that Chris Johnson will not shred the Niners after seeing the way that Rawls handled them last week. Houston’s defense has been improving, but Ingram is a weekly play nonetheless. The Dolphins cannot stop anyone so Ivory should have a nice day.
Risk/Reward - Potentially Shaky
11. Thomas Rawls SEA vs. PIT
12. T.J. Yeldon JAC vs. SD
13. Javorius Allen BAL @CLE
14. Alfred Blue HOU vs. NO
15. Darren McFadden DAL vs. CAR Questionable
16. Latavius Murray OAK @TEN
Rawls will not have things as easy this week against the Steelers, but he’ll have a hefty workload. Yeldon should find some room to run when the Chargers come to town. Allen has the starting job and he wants to prove that he is a feature back. Blue gets a nice matchup with the Saints defense and he should finally put up some points. McFadden is hurting and the Panthers defense is no joke but I like DMC as a RB2 if he plays. Murray and the Raiders will look to get back on track in Tennessee this week.
Question Marks - RB2 Upside
17. Lamar Miller MIA @NYJ
18. Matt Forte CHI @GB Questionable
19. DeAngelo Williams PIT @SEA
20. Eddie Lacy GB vs. CHI
21. LeGarrette Blount NE @DEN
22. Ronnie Hillman DEN vs. NE
23. Duke Johnson Jr. CLE vs. BAL
Miller does not have an easy matchup, but he will still get some catches and may score. Forte should return this week but may not get the full workload. Williams faces a stout defense and his ranking reflects that. I hate recommending Lacy, but the Packers really want him to succeed so he will get chances. Blount will likely see a decent workload in this one as the Pats try to wear out the Broncos defense. Hillman may have a tough time, but he should see enough chances to do something. Duke Johnson is back to being worth a start with McCown at the helm.
Flex Appeal - Usable In A Pinch
24. Giovani Bernard CIN vs. STL
25. Antonio Andrews TEN vs. OAK
26. Frank Gore IND vs. TB Questionable
27. Charcandrick West KC vs. BUF Questionable
28. Matt Jones WAS vs. NYG
29. Jeremy Langford CHI @GB
30. Danny Woodhead SD @JAC
31. Darren Sproles PHI @DET
Bernard may struggle against the St. Louis defense. Andrews should see more touches as McCluster is on the shelf for a couple of weeks. Gore gets a weaker defense this week but they are more vulnerable through the air. West will probably not be at full strength this week and he gets a stout Bills run defense. Jones may not have Morris taking touches from him this week but the Giants are no cupcake. Langford should see some of the workload even if Forte makes it back from injury. Woodhead is usually a decent bet to put up points but the Chargers are running out of playmakers. Sproles may see a few extra touches against a weak defense with Mathews in the concussion protocol.
Tough Sledding - Let Them Be Someone Else’s Problem
32. Shaun Draughn SF vs. ARI
33. Karlos Williams BUF @KC
34. Ahmad Bradshaw IND vs. TB
35. Jay Ajayi MIA @NYJ
36. Jeremy Hill CIN vs. STL
37. Spencer Ware KC vs. BUF
38. Melvin Gordon SD @JAC
39. James Starks GB vs. CHI
40. Rashad Jennings NYG @WAS
41. C.J. Anderson DEN vs. NE
42. Charles Sims TB @IND
43. James White NE @DEN
44. Ameer Abdullah DET vs. PHI
45. Jonathan Grimes HOU vs. NO
46. Andre Ellington ARI @SF
47. Robert Turbin DAL @CAR
48. Mike Tolbert CAR vs. DAL
49. Tevin Coleman ATL vs. MIN
50. Ryan Mathews PHI @DET Questionable
