I can't remember when the Lions were last relevant to the point that their Thanksgiving Day game actually meant something. The NFL's former punching bags have turned into an offensive juggernaut, scoring over 40 points for the third time this season in the win over the Panthers last week. And still in the thick of things in terms of a playoff seed, the Lions have a lot on the line in, in my opinion, the game of the week against the Packers. One of the biggest questions owners have on their minds is will Kevin Smith be able to take that huge game he had last weekend and do it again? Or even come close? I doubt there is anyway he can match the 200+ yards he put up against the Panthers, but he could easily put in a strong RB2 performance. While the Packers still rank in the upper half against fantasy running backs, they did just give up 100+ to LeGarrette Blount. Anything is possible, especially in a divisional game.
Below are my running back rankings for Week 12. Because of time constraints, I didn't have time to put quick notes for each player. So if you have any questions, please feel free to post a comment below.
After practicing Friday, Ryan Mathews appears good to go. While he is an injury waiting to happen, he is still too good to bench in a good matchup.
[table id=135 /]