Turkey. Mashed Potatoes. Stuffing. Cranberry sauce. Football.

Welcome to Week 12, aka Thanksgiving week. There’s really nothing better than quietly daydreaming about the fantasy football playoffs as you sit down for dinner with family members who wouldn’t know a flex option from Stretch Armstrong. (Dated 1980’s toy reference? Check.)

With three Turkey Day matchups on the slate, we’ll need to make sure to get our lineups set early this week. But it’s also time for those of us in pole position to start planning for the fantasy playoffs. With the bye weeks behind us, we no longer need those possession receivers or third-down backs who have no business in the starting lineup of a good fantasy team. It’s time to load up on handcuffs and lottery tickets who are one injury or benching away from making a huge impact, so next week this column will focus on identifying which RB stashes you should prioritize.

In the meantime, there’s plenty of RB happenings to get to. We’ll focus here on teams where the RB depth chart is in flux, but make sure to also check out my “10 Things We Learned” column for a breakdown of Leonard Fournette, Latavius Murray, Jerick McKinnon, Joe Mixon, Doug Martin, Alfred Morris, Lamar Miller, and more.

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Washington Redskins
I wasn’t that high on Samaje Perine as a waiver wire pickup last week, given Washington’s inability to run the ball and Perine’s lack of productivity up to that point. But for at least one week he proved me wrong, and with Chris Thompson joining Rob Kelley on IR, Perine suddenly has the opportunity to be a volume-based RB2 down the stretch.

Perine received 24 touches last week, and as of this moment he is looking at a similarly heavy workload going forward. But it will be interesting to see whether Washington brings another RB into the fold, because right now the only other option is undrafted second-year man Byron Marshall. There was some speculation that the Redskins would add Andre Ellington, who was released by the Cardinals, but he was claimed off waivers by the Texans. 

Last week was the first time all season that Washington’s early-down back had a big yardage day, so we’ll have to see if Perine can do it again. He may well get enough touches to be useful regardless, but he’ll need to run well to maintain his value if Thompson’s touches go to Marshall or the Redskins bring in another passing-down back.

Baltimore Ravens
Danny Woodhead finally returned to action in Week 11, so all (fantasy-obsessed) eyes were on the Ravens’ new three-man committee. The early returns bode well for Alex Collins.

Collins had his worst game of the year from an efficiency standpoint (2.5 YPC), and has now averaged 3.3 YPC or worse in three of his last four games. That’s the bad news. But Woodhead’s return did not have an impact on Collins’ workload — in fact, Collins received a career-high 20 carries and even added four catches. Terrance West, Collins’ other potential challenger for early-down work, was a healthy scratch. If the Ravens continue to give Collins the vast majority of the team’s rushing attempts, he will remain firmly entrenched on the RB2 radar.

Woodhead did not immediately squeeze Buck Allen out of the picture, as those that stashed him over the last few weeks might have hoped. Woodhead only out-touched Allen six-to-four, and only out-snapped him 13-to-10. Expect that discrepancy to increase as Woodhead gets acclimated to the offense, but he’ll need to also begin to steal some rushing work from Collins in order to be anything more than a PPR-specific flex option.

As this backfield’s third wheel, Allen looks like a drop candidate.

Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles’ backfield continues to be a mess, albeit a highly-productive one. LeGarrette Blount was the touch leader in Week 11, but Jay Ajayi, Corey Clement, and even Kenjon Barner had better fantasy production. Wendell Smallwood was inactive.

Ajayi is still the best fantasy bet in Philadelphia if you have to choose one, but he hasn’t topped eight touches in either of his first two games as an Eagle. He has been very productive in his limited opportunities, and playing in a fantastic offense certainly helps his outlook. But he will need to begin to get a larger workload to be a reliable, high-end RB2, let alone an RB1.

Blount has received between 12 and 16 carries in eight of Philadelphia’s 10 games this season, and it doesn’t look like that is going to change anytime soon. That volume keeps him in the RB3/flex conversation in non-PPR leagues, but with just one touchdown since Week 4, he’s not a particularly enticing option.

Clement is unlikely to receive as many touches as Blount, but he’s actually the slightly more appealing option in standard leagues nonetheless. Clement has at least 50 yards from scrimmage in three straight games, and has displayed a nose for the end zone with an impressive five touchdowns in his last four games. He’s also the more talented back, so he has upside for big performances if an injury should strike Ajayi or Blount. Consider Clement a high-upside stash with some flex appeal.  

Denver Broncos
Sitting at 24th in the league in points per game, the Broncos fired offensive coordinator Mike McCoy this week, replacing him with Bill Musgrave. That means changes in the backfield pecking order could be next.

Devontae Booker had been steadily gaining ground on C.J. Anderson prior to McCoy’s departure, and Booker led the backfield in snaps for the first time this season in Week 11. Jamaal Charles, meanwhile, has been almost entirely phased out of the offense in recent weeks. Now the question is whether this trend will continue under Musgrave.

Perhaps Musgrave will decide to go all-in on Booker. Or maybe he’ll choose to give Anderson another shot at lead back duties. Heck, he could even decide it’s time to dust off Charles and see if he can return to his Pro Bowl form. We simply don’t know.

Even though the Broncos’ offense has struggled mightily, this is still a team that can run the football reasonably well. Booker and Anderson both have a legitimate path to RB2 value if given 15-20 weekly touches. And Charles isn’t the worst stash in the world for one week — just in case Musgrave takes a liking to him.

New England Patriots
The Patriots and the Seahawks (up next) have backfields that seem to be in flux just about every week.

In New England, Dion Lewis looks to have established himself as a trustworthy RB2 in standard leagues, at least as much as any RB can under Bill Belichick. Lewis is getting 10-15 carries every week, typically resulting in 50-70 rushing yards and a decent chance at a score. Week 11 was a reminder that he’s also a capable pass-catcher when called upon; if he continues to add two-to-four catches each week, he’ll be an even more reliable RB2 play.

Rex Burkhead looked to be stepping up as the second option in the Patriots’ backfield, before a Week 11 fumble cost him some playing time. But Burkhead still out-touched James White in Mexico City, so he remains a flex consideration.

White has been surprisingly phased out of the offense over the last two weeks, and can probably be dropped in most standard leagues. I would ideally want to give him at least another week or two in PPR formats, though.

Seattle Seahawks
The Seahawks haven’t had a running game to speak of since Chris Carson went down, as they’ve cycled in one fantasy disappointment after another. In Week 11, Mike Davis was given his shot. He actually hauled in two long passes, but then departed with a groin injury that is likely to keep him out for Week 12. He is far from a must-add except for the most desperate fantasy owners.

Thomas Rawls was a healthy scratch on Monday night, and Pete Carroll turned to J.D. McKissic — not Eddie Lacy — after Davis went down. Whether Carroll realizes it or not, McKissic’s athletic skill set is the best match for this offense, which can’t run block and relies on Russell Wilson to improvise at the line of scrimmage and on scramble drills. The best care scenario for McKissic is that the Seahawks figure out how to use him the way the Packers used Ty Montgomery last year — as a high-volume receiver out of the backfield. That type of usage might be able to get him onto the RB3/flex radar, even in non-PPR formats.

Meanwhile, Rawls and Lacy should have been waiver wire fodder for at least a month, but now even their biggest apologists need to give up the ghost.

Atlanta Falcons
Tevin Coleman (20 carries for 43 yards) predictably struggled to find running room on Monday night against a Seattle defense that is top-10 against the run. But it’s nonetheless encouraging that Coleman was again trusted with a heavy workload in Devonta Freeman‘s absence.

With Coleman replacing Freeman, Terron Ward took on Coleman’s usual secondary role, as expected. Ward was quite productive on his limited opportunities, turning seven touches into 42 yards. He doesn’t need to be owned but is a name to file away as a handcuff for both Freeman and Coleman.

Freeman has a good shot to return from his concussion in Week 12, which will return this backfield to its season-long status quo. Freeman and Coleman have each been frustrating to own at times, but at the end of the day, both are top-20 RBs in non-PPR formats this season.

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Andrew Seifter is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Andrew, check out his archive and follow him @andrew_seifter.