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Week 12 Running Back Rankings - PPR Leagues

Examining the best matchups for week twelve running backs from a point per reception-league standpoint.

By Matias Wodner
Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Two more weeks until the fantasy playoffs. Make those final waiver moves to bolster your bench depth. Make the right decisions in your weekly lineups. Get the popcorn ready. It should be a fun final two weeks before the sweats start to kick in.

Rank Player Team Opponent Analysis
1 Le'Veon Bell PIT @IND Take one: uber-efficient usage monster goes up against one of the league's worst run defenses. BOOM.
2 Ezekiel Elliott DAL WAS Take two: uber-efficient usage monster goes up against one of the league's worst run defenses. BOOM.
3 Jay Ajayi MIA SF Take three: uber-efficient usage monster goes up against THE league's worst run defense. BOOM.
4 David Johnson ARI @ATL He's absolutely ridiculous and the definition of matchup proof. So, naturally he gets a Falcons defense giving up the third most fantasy points to the RB position.
5 DeMarco Murray TEN @CHI A toe injury has sapped some of his effectiveness, but he continues to get 20+ touches weekly. The Titans could have the ball all game against a Matt Barkley-led Bears team.
6 Melvin Gordon SD @HOU Fresh off a bye week, Gordon will be ready for a massive workload against a Texans run defense that struggled for most of the year but has stiffened up lately.
7 Lamar Miller HOU SD The Chargers have been stout against the run in real football, but have given up the fourth most points to the position in fantasy football.
8 Rashad Jennings NYG @CLE Where has this come from? After being brutal or injured for the whole year, Jennings has come on strong over the past two weeks and now gets the second worst run defense by fantasy football standards.
9 LeSean McCoy BUF JAX Even after leaving last week's game and needing surgery, McCoy is expected to play this week somehow. If he does, he's an RB1 in an unimposing matchup.
10 Thomas Rawls SEA @TB With literally no other RB on the roster healthy, Rawls is set up for a lucrative amount of work in a good matchup.
11 Todd Gurley LA @NO His offensive line sucks and Jeff Fisher won't let his QB throw, but Gurley is in a great spot to score for the second week in a row.
12 Matt Forte NYJ NE The Patriots have been very kind to opposing RBs and Forte is on a string of four consecutive double digit performances. Coming off a bye helps, too.
13 Rob Kelley WAS @DAL Coming off a monster three touchdown performance, Kelley now faces a Dallas defense that's vulnerable on the ground but limits opposing possessions.
14 Spencer Ware KC @DEN Didn't exactly perform as expected in a prime matchup last week, but will keep getting plenty of chances in a run-centric offense. Denver gives up the seventh most fantasy points to the RB position.
15 Carlos Hyde SF @MIA The main component of the 49ers offense, Hyde should have a good game against a Dolphins defense that let Gurley get his first 20+ yard run of the season last week.
16 Jonathan Stewart CAR @OAK He's been pretty bad over the past few weeks, but he gets a lot of goal-line looks and the Raiders have been horrible on defense, especially in the run game.
17 Jeremy Hill CIN @BAL The Bengals need to morph into a running team with A.J. Green and Giovani Bernard out, and Hill will be the main beneficiary.
18 James Starks GB @PHI Didn't get as many carries as we would've liked in a good matchup, but he scored through the air for the second week in a row. He should continue to find success in an unimposing matchup.
19 Terrance West BAL CIN The Ravens could have the ball for a lot of the game with the Bengals losing Green and Bernard, leading to a lot of West touches.
20 LeGarrette Blount NE @NYJ The matchup is tough, but it doesn't matter if Blount continues to see looks from the one yard line like he has so often this season.
21 Devonta Freeman ATL ARI With Coleman back, Freeman will head back to a timeshare in a really tough matchup.
22 Devontae Booker DEN KC Being at home helps a bit and so does being the starter in a run-first offense, but the Chiefs have played great run defense over the past two weeks.
23 Doug Martin TB SEA Brutal matchup, but Martin has come away from two bad matchups in a row with back-to-back double digit performances.
24 Bilal Powell NYJ NE The Patriots haven't been that good against the run, and Powell could see a lot of work with the Jets likely to fall behind early.
25 Wendell Smallwood PHI GB Ryan Mathews probably won't play and Darren Sproles could be limited with a fractured rib, paving the way for a solid workload for Smallwood, who has shown he's talented.
26 Mark Ingram NO LA Expecting him to get cleared from a concussion, but the matchup is tough with the Rams playing lights out run defense as of late. He buoys his fantasy outlook with receiving production.
27 Jordan Howard CHI TEN He's looked great, but will now have to operate in an offense ran by Matt Barkley. It will have a highly negative effect on his production.
28 Frank Gore IND PIT With the Colts possibly going into this one without Andrew Luck, the entire offense will have trouble doing anything with Scott Tolzien behind center. Even Gore will struggle.
29 Theo Riddick DET MIN He's been dealing with a nagging ankle injury and now gets the Vikings, whom he had an eight point game against just a few weeks back.
30 Isaiah Crowell CLE NYG Remember after week two when we thought Crowell was an RB1? Good times. He's been horrible the past three weeks.
31 Latavius Murray OAK CAR Gets one of the toughest run defenses in the league and continues to lose carries to his backups.
32 Matt Asiata MIN @DET Just like every week, if he doesn't score a touchdown your lineup is probably nuked.
33 Tevin Coleman ATL ARI Returning from a long injury layoff, he'd be tough to trust in a tough matchup.
34 Kenneth Dixon BAL CIN Was great with his touches once again, but wasn't even looked at in the passing game for some reason. Tough to trust his usage.
35 Chris Ivory JAX @BUF Yeldon might or might not miss this game, but regardless the offensive line hasn't opened any holes for him this year. Not expecting that to begin in this matchup.
36 James White NE @NYJ Him and Dion Lewis are going to start sapping each other's fantasy relevance and make both unplayable.
37 Jerick McKinnon MIN @DET Continues to operate as the lead back and continues to show nothing.
38 Tim Hightower NO LA Should get a decent amount of touches, but I question how effective he can be with them in such a tough matchup.
39 Dion Lewis NE @NYJ Him and James White are going to start sapping each other's fantasy relevance and make both unplayable.
40 Darren Sproles PHI GB Dealing with a fractured rib, but should be able to play through it and play good enough as the passing down back.
41 Derrick Henry TEN @CHI I'm expecting the Titans to throttle the Bears, leaving Henry with plenty of melt-the-clock touches towards the end of the game.
42 T.J. Yeldon JAX @BUF Not sure if he'll play or not, but even if he does I wouldn't expect much in this matchup.
43 Duke Johnson Jr. CLE NYG He's become a decent floor player with zero upside in this train wreck of an offense.
44 Jalen Richard OAK CAR Has clearly surpassed DeAndre Washington as Murray's backup
45 Ty Montgomery GB @PHI Hasn't been getting much usage with Starks back and he doesn't score touchdowns.
46 Paul Perkins NYG @CLE We've seen backup RBs have success against the Browns defense. Perkins could be a sneaky flex play.
47 Mike Gillislee BUF JAX Would shoot up dramatically in the ranks if McCoy misses the game, but is only a dart throw if he plays.
48 Peyton Barber TB SEA He's Doug Martin's backup. That's all the analysis I have for his fantasy outlook.
49 Chris Thompson WAS @DAL Is barely even being used in the passing game after Kelley's emergence.
50 Shaun Draughn SF @MIA Appears to have surpassed DuJuan Harris as the main passing down back.