Fantasy Football Week 11 Running Back Rankings

"I don't want hope. Hope is killing me. My dream is to become hopeless. When you're hopeless you don't care. And when you don't care, that indifference makes you attractive."

George Costanza was not a wise man. In fact, he is not even a real man, but if he was, chances are he'd be one of those tools on your fantasy league that doesn't set his lineup once he's eliminated. If this sounds like you or someone in your league, it is something that needs to be rectified immediately. There is more than one way to skin the pussy cat here, but no matter how you handle the inactivity it should be a league decision and not just the commissioner's. If you're a new commissioner, it's tough to figure out potential issues since there can be so many unforeseen things. It's better to have a league constitution that you can abide by for the season (here's an example of one of mine from a baseball league. Check it out for ideas or you can copy it and adjust it for football). You can also just use the way I enforce inactivity since I'm unbiased, even though I appreciate you reading.

As per usual, we've got a lot of RB injury news to tackle, so let's get to it:

Injury News and Notes

Before you read these, you might want to check out my weekly Waiver Wire Scoops that gives you all sorts of stats, angles, analysis and the occasional joke in one of the more thorough articles you'll come across in your search for a leg up on the competition.

Felix Jones and Demarco Murray- Felix Jones is on the comeback trail for the Cowboys and he could be returning as soon as Sunday against the Redskins. To the surprise of nobody, Felix will not get his job back due to DeMarco Murray busting out for 170 YPG from scrimmage in his absense. This begs the question: how does one evaluate these two guys? It's pretty simple for me. Murray is a top-25 player at worst and Felix Jones is a player that should be kept on rosters in case of an injury. Don't sell high on Murray and don't give up anything of value for Felix.

Darren McFadden- It is becoming increasingly likely that Run DMC will need to take a seat like a Chris Hansen guest this week against the Vikings. Michael Bush needs to be owned and started as an low-end RB1 this week. Taiwan Jones is also an interesting asset since the Raiders utilized him on sweep and stretch plays on Thursday Night Football. As for DMC, There's a good chance he can return for Week 12 against da Bears.

Ladainian Tomlinson- L.T. reportedly had a setback on his sprained MCL and is out for Thursday Night Football. Since the Jets won't be seeing any T.G.I.T (Thank God It's Teardrops) from Tomlinson, Joe McKnight is expected to get the third-down work. One other thing that I'm projecting is that McKnight should get some snaps in the slot based on how the Jets are so depleted at receiver with Jeremy Kerney and Patrick Turner both likely out for that game, too. While this news is for deeper leagues, all leagues should be able to see the wrath of Shonn Greene. Greene has been running a lot better and has a golden opportunity to be the bell cow. I got a fever! and the only prescription is to consider Greene as a must-start in competitive formats against the 16th-ranked run D of Denver.

Tashard Choice- Mike Shanahan basically said he doesn't know whether or not Choice will suit up against his former team. Translation: Choice will have 45 carries for 38 yards and a score. In all seriousness, you can go ahead and grab Choice if you like. After Helu CLEARLY (oh yeah, caps, bold and italics) outplayed Ryan Torain with his 6.8 YPC on six totes compared to Torain's poultry 1.8 on 11.

Willis McGahee- I covered the Bronco backfield at great length in Waiver Wire Scoops, so be sure to check that out here. The update today is that Willis is now "iffy" for Thursday's game against the Jets. This shouldn't be a surprise at all on the short week and there's a decent chance that Lance Ball draws the start. Jeremiah Johnson could get in the mix should Willis not play or suffer an in-game injury as well. Willis is ranked as if he will play (I'll be updating).

Frank Gore- Coach Harbaugh stated that his workhorse Frank Gore could see his load take a hit on Sunday. Gore is dealing with a bum ankle and some knee swelling. The U product suffered torn ACLs to both knees in college and that ankle injury has been nagging him all year. Kendall Hunter needs to be owned in all leagues and he's a low-level flex this week (unless Gore sits).

Jahvid Best- Best is apparently still dealing with his concussion symptoms. The Lions made it abundantly clear that he will not hit the field until he is symptom free. Based on how he is still dealing with symptoms and doesn't even need a CT scan to determine anything, he's likely at least a couple weeks away from contributing. There's a decent chance he's out for the year. Plan accordingly. Kevin Smith was added to the roster last week and picked up 14 yards on four carries with two receptions. The Lions are getting the very, very fantasy-friendly Panthers this week. Carolina is ranked dead last in points allowed to backs, so if you're feeling saucy in your deep league, Smith might be a diamond in the rough.

Peyton Hillis- The Madden Cover struck again and Hillis was already ruled out for the game against the Jaguars. The fact that he was ruled out so quickly means he is probably about a 50-50 shot for Week 12 at best. The Browns did not rule out Montario Hardesty and he is someone worth consideration to own in most leagues. As far as value goes, Chris Ogbonnaya gets the nod for most valuable Brown back since at least he's healthy. He got 21 touches and put to rest any chance of Thomas Clayton being a factor.

I'll be updating throughout the week and providing instant analysis on Sunday. You can also ask me about anything about your fantasy team for those of you in PPR or looking to make a trade. Follow below.

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Thanks for reading, and as always, feel free to post your questions and comments below or send them to me on Twitter.