Fantasy Football Week 13 Running Back Rankings

Week 12 was probably the anti-Boardwalk Empire week by having the least amount of carnage of all the weeks of the season (a lot of carnage on that show; by the way I'd suggest watching it). There was a big blow on Thanksgiving as everyone's favorite waiver-wire darling, Kevin Smith, sprained his ankle. Despite the lack of understudies on the upswing, there are still a nice chunk of guys that could have a questionable tag and some tough matchups will not make it easy on fantasy owners on deciding who starts.

If you're on the hunt for some new options at running back, definitely check out my Waiver Wire Scoops with all sorts of info an YPC, carries, snaps and targets out of the backfield. You can also ask me anything you want on Twitter @MikeSGallagher.

Injury News and Notes

Adrian Peterson- If you were one of those people that thought Adrian Peterson was going to play after he said he expects to go, I must warn you, there's a gullible on the wall behind you! Corny jokes aside, All Day might be out for another week with his high ankle sprain. There's really no reason for the Vikings to trot him out there and this also allows them to get a better measuring stick on Toby Gerhart. Gerhart got 17 carries against the second-ranked run D in Atlanta. This week they get a much better matchup against the Denver Tebows. Gerhart is a low-end RB2 this week.

Kevin Smith- Smith has not practiced yet in the week and chances are that he will be questionable at best. Smith owners should retain him as a bench guy (assuming you're not in a do-or-die scenario) since he could be valuable in a couple weeks. Maurice Morris should be a big part of the Lions' plans on Sunday against the Saints. He is a decent pass blocker and his nine catches on Thanksgiving are a bold statement. Morris should be owned and started as a flex for most fantasy leagues.

LeSean McCoy- Shady is dealing with sprained toe and has been limited in practice all week. If you've ever sprained your toe, it's really not a big deal. The only reason why it's even worth mentioning is that he's on a short week and Ronnie Brown could see a few carries to help very, very deep leagues. Although NFL team docs have been misdiagnosing running backs left and right this year (see Jackson, Fred and Bradshaw, Ahmad). McCoy owners should really not be worried at all though.

Roy Helu- Mike Shanahan said that Roy Helu is his "for sure" starter. First and foremost, what took so long? Secondly, can we really trust Mike Shanahan? I think we kind of have to because he is outplaying the other backs on the roster in Evan Royster and Ryan Torain. Royster did pass Torain on the depth chart, so plan accordingly in deep leagues. Helu has a tough matchup vs. the Jets this week and is more of a RB2/flex for most leagues.

Darren McFadden- Multiple reports have Run DMC out for Sunday's game against the Dolphins. Michael Bush is a must-start guy for the fifth week in a row.

Beanie Wells- Wells does have a little swelling in his knee following the 28-carry gem against the Rams. He gets a rough game this week against Dallas (ranked 10th per the run), which puts him just outside of no-brainer starts.

LaDainian Tomlinson- Tomlinson was back at practice on Wednesday and should play against the Redskins. Shonn Greene should still see the overwhelming majority of the snaps at tailback, but don't expect him to get many third-down snaps. The NYJ O was one of the first teams in quite some time to struggle moving the ball against the Bills. They did show some flashes and Greene owners should still have some form of confidence.

Felix Jones- The word on the street is that Jones will eventually gain a role in the Dallas offense. In other news, the Jaguars will eventually have a good offense. DeMarco owners should have no worries and he's an elite option.

DET

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