Welcome to a special Thanksgiving edition of the Running Back Roundup! We’ve got all the fixings this week, including elite RBs stuffing the stat sheet and of course a few turkeys. The Gus Edwards breakout is just gravy.
Every fantasy-relevant running back who played last week will be covered below, but if you’re interested in one of the six teams that were on bye, check out last week’s Roundup or give me a shout on Twitter.
Import your team to My Playbook for instant Lineup advice 
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals’ decision to hand the keys to the offense over to Byron Leftwich is paying huge dividends for David Johnson. In the two games since the Cardinals’ bye week — when Leftwich had a chance to implement his game plan — DJ is averaging 27 touches for 168.5 yards, and has also scored twice. Those numbers came in highly favorable matchups with the Chiefs and Raiders, mind you, but Arizona doesn’t have any elite run defenses left on the schedule. It took half a season, but Johnson appears poised to delivered high-end RB1 numbers for the stretch run. Chase Edmonds remains locked in as Johnson’s direct backup and handcuff.
Atlanta Falcons
Tevin Coleman had a second-straight middling fantasy performance in Week 11 and is in the midst of a tough stretch of games against the Cowboys, Saints, and Ravens. Coleman’s workload has also become something of a concern, as he’s topped 15 touches just once in his last six games after doing it three times in the first four. Coleman owners who were hoping for bell-cow usage when Devonta Freeman went down are probably disappointed, but the Falcons have never utilized their RBs that way. Coleman is still the clear lead back on a high-scoring offense, and that gives him solid RB2 value for the stretch run.
Despite Coleman’s slow couple games, not much has changed on the Ito Smith front. He’s seeing 8-10 touches per game and is a low-end, touchdown-dependent flex option with some handcuff appeal.
Baltimore Ravens
Raise your hand if you saw this coming. Rookie Gus Edwards grabbed hold of the Ravens’ lead running back job in fellow rookie Lamar Jackson’s first start under center, carrying the ball 17 times for 115 yards, a touchdown, and a two-point conversion against Cincinnati. I broke down what this means for Edwards and Alex Collins going forward in “10 Things We Learned,” so click through for details.
Carolina Panthers
Christian McCaffrey had a relatively disappointing game by his standards against the Lions, but it still resulted in 110 yards from scrimmage. He remains a legit RB1 for the stretch run, with Cameron Artis-Payne serving as his direct backup and handcuff.
Chicago Bears
Jordan Howard had 18 carries on Sunday, his third-most of the season, but turned it into just 63 scoreless yards. With no role in the passing game, he’s a touchdown-dependent flex option even in seemingly-favorable matchups.
Tarik Cohen hasn’t topped 50 yards from scrimmage in any of the last three games and has proven to be just as dependent on big plays as Howard is on touchdowns. Cohen is still a slightly preferable play to Howard, even in non-PPR formats, but he’s also more of an RB3/flex than an RB2 right now.
Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Mixon was completely shut down on the ground against a tough Ravens defensive front, but he did find the end zone and added 38 receiving yards to salvage his fantasy day. The Bengals’ offensive struggles are holding Mixon back a bit — particularly while A.J. Green is out — but he’s still a volume-based RB2 with RB1 upside who should fare better as his schedule improves, beginning this week against Cleveland.
Gio Bernard looks to have virtually no role in the running game with Mixon healthy, and the 20-30 receiving yards he’s been providing isn’t enough for standalone flex value. He is an appealing handcuff for Mixon owners, though, because he’s proven he can be a high-end RB2 if given lead back duties.
Dallas Cowboys
Ezekiel Elliott has been carrying fantasy owners on his back of late, averaging nearly 200 yards from scrimmage over the last two games. His schedule is about to get a bit tougher, but he’s every bit the high-end RB1 that fantasy owners expected him to be. Rod Smith is Elliott’s direct backup and one of the better handcuffs out there.
Denver Broncos
Phillip Lindsay is making a case for waiver wire pickup of the year. He piled up 106 yards and two touchdowns against the Chargers on Sunday and has at least 79 yards from scrimmage in eight-of-10 games this year. He’s an every-week RB2 regardless of matchup.
Royce Freeman returned to the lineup for the first time in a month and was largely ineffective in limited touches but did find the end zone from three yards out. He’ll be a touchdown-dependent RB3/flex option going forward.
Detroit Lions
Kerryon Johnson was well on his way to a huge game when he sprained his knee in the third quarter on Sunday and is now considered “week to week.” I explored this situation in “10 Things We Learned,” so check the link if you’re interested in how to view Johnson, LeGarrette Blount, and Theo Riddick moving forward.
Green Bay Packers
Fresh off a breakout performance in Week 10, Aaron Jones managed just 3.6 yards per carry in Week 11 — but he still topped 100 yards from scrimmage and scored twice while Jamaal Williams touched the ball once. Jones is a bonafide RB1 as we approach the fantasy playoffs, while Williams is merely a handcuff.
Houston Texans
Lamar Miller had yet another productive game in Week 11, putting up 108 yards on 23 touches against Washington. That’s now three 100+ yard performances for Miller in his last four games. I honestly didn’t know he had it in him. The Texans continue to go with a decidedly run-heavy approach — Deshaun Watson hasn’t attempted more than 25 passes in a game since Week 5 — and that has meant more work for Miller, who is shaping up as a surprisingly reliable RB2 for the stretch run.
Alfred Blue actually had one of his best rushing performances of the season on Sunday, averaging 5.8 yards per carry, but it was easy to miss because he handled just eight carries after getting 15 in each of the previous two games. He’s still yet to top 50 rushing yards in any game this season and would need an injury to Miller to be a confident flex play.
Meanwhile, Texans coach Bill O’Brien has been noncommittal about activating sophomore back D’Onta Foreman from the PUP list, and time is running out for Foreman to make an impact in fantasy leagues in 2018. With the way that Miller is playing, there is little need to roster Foreman right now.
Indianapolis Colts
Marlon Mack hardly had a big game on Sunday, but fantasy owners shouldn’t really complain about 69 yards and a touchdown against a Titans defense that has given up the fourth-fewest fantasy points to RBs. Nyheim Hines and Jordan Wilkins were mixed in, but Mack is still the back to own in Indy and should be able to maintain RB2 value over the rest of the season in one of the league’s highest-scoring offenses.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Leonard Fournette got a second straight ginormous workload on Sunday, handling 30 touches for 141 yards and a touchdown against Pittsburgh. If last week’s game erased any concerns that Doug Marrone would ease Fournette back into action, this game confirmed that Jacksonville plans to ride Fournette until the wheels come off. It took two-and-a-half months, but Fournette is back to being the every-week RB1 that fantasy owners drafted.
The Jaguars clearly don’t want Blake Bortles throwing the ball right now, so that meant there were some carries left over for Carlos Hyde (eight) and T.J. Yeldon (five). Still, neither Hyde nor Yeldon project to get enough work for reliable flex value with Fournette healthy, and they would likely form a committee if Fournette suffers another injury, limiting their upside as handcuffs.
Kansas City Chiefs
Kareem Hunt’s status as a high-end RB1 was only assured when he began to assume a major role in the Chiefs’ passing game, and Monday night’s game was an illustration of why. Hunt ran the ball well against the Rams (5.0 YPC), but he was never likely to get a huge workload on the ground in a back-and-forth shootout of epic proportions. What ultimately made Hunt’s fantasy day is that he chipped in three catches for 41 yards, including a 21-yard touchdown.
While Hunt’s passing game role has been a major boost to his fantasy value, Spencer Ware is still getting a fair amount of run in the Chiefs’ hurry-up/two-minute offensive package. It’s not enough to give Ware standalone flex value, but his value would skyrocket if Hunt were to get hurt, so he’s one of the highest-upside lottery tickets to stash.
Los Angeles Rams
The Rams scored 54 points in the game of the year against Kansas City, but Todd Gurley didn’t get in on the fun, failing to reach the end zone for the first time in 2018 after scoring 17 touchdowns in his first 10 games. Gurley still produced 94 yards from scrimmage, but the reason he didn’t have a much bigger game was that he rolled his ankle and lost snaps to Malcolm Brown. Fortunately, Gurley should be fine following the Rams’ Week 12 bye and ready to regain his status as fantasy football’s top running back.
Gurley’s injury, albeit minor, is a good reminder that Brown should be rostered by Gurley owners and non-Gurley owners alike. Brown would likely produce RB1 value if Gurley were to miss time.
Los Angeles Chargers
Melvin Gordon didn’t score in Week 11, but he did produce 156 yards from scrimmage on 24 touches. He remains an easy top-five fantasy RB for the stretch run, while Austin Ekeler is still a terrific handcuff with only marginal standalone flex value.
Minnesota Vikings
Sunday night’s contest with the Bears was a game to forget for both Dalvin Cook and Latavius Murray. The Vikings duo combined for 15 yards and a fumble on 16 touches. Not. Good.
But there’s no reason to panic based on one bad game, and if there’s anything to be gleaned from this disaster, it’s that Cook’s usage was encouraging. He played 59 snaps, compared to just six for Murray. If Cook dominates the snaps like that going forward, he’ll have a much better chance of sniffing RB1 value. Murray is a hold regardless because of his handcuff value, but his standalone flex value would take a major hit if he’s seeing the field so rarely.
New Orleans Saints
The Saints put a 48-7 beatdown on the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles, and as you’d expect from a scoreline like that, it translated to good things for the Saints’ backfield duo. Both Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram topped 100 yards from scrimmage and reached the end zone, with Ingram scoring twice.
Ingram actually out-touched Kamara 16-to-14, something that is more likely to happen in games where New Orleans plays with a huge lead. Kamara should still have more week-to-week consistency because of his integral passing-game role, but Ingram has proven that he has just as much upside as Kamara playing in this powerhouse offense. It was already clear that Kamara is an RB1 every week, but it’s now also looking like Ingram is a high-end RB2 who could even have RB1 value in favorable matchups like the upcoming Thanksgiving game against Atlanta.
New York Giants
After three straight solid-but-unspectacular fantasy performances, Saquon Barkley showed off his elite upside in Week 11, piling up 152 total yards and three touchdowns against the Bucs. Barkley sadly won’t get to play Tampa Bay every week — his schedule is about to get a lot tougher — but the game highlights the kind of mind-blowing fantasy numbers we can expect from Barkley next year if the Giants can figure out how to upgrade the rest of their offense.
Wayne Gallman is still the Barkley handcuff here if you’re into that sort of thing.
Oakland Raiders
Jon Gruden sent mixed messages about the Raiders’ backfield following their victory over the Cardinals, stating that the ankle injury that forced Doug Martin out of the game is minor, but that he loves what he’s seeing from Jalen Richard and also wants to find more playing time for DeAndre Washington.
Martin has played well since he took over lead back duties from Marshawn Lynch, averaging over 4.0 yards per carry in four straight games while also playing a role in the passing game. It’s been enough for Martin to carve out borderline RB2/3 value despite the fact that he’s yet to score this season. But if Martin begins to lose touches to Washington — we’ll know more after Week 12 — he’ll no longer be a reliable flex option or must-hold player in fantasy leagues.
With Martin’s role suddenly uncertain, Washington is unlikely to become fantasy viable, but it could present an opportunity for Richard to gain more traction as a weekly fantasy play. Richard handled a season-high 11 carries on Sunday (he hadn’t had more than five before that), and he could push for low-end RB2 value even in non-PPR formats if he can continue to see double-digit carries while maintaining his passing game role. But until this situation sorts itself out, he’s still best viewed as an RB3/flex option.
Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles embarrassed themselves in the Superdome on Sunday, but undrafted rookie Josh Adams continued to acquit himself well, averaging over 6.5 yards per carry for the third straight game.
Adams only had seven carries, but neither Corey Clement nor Wendell Smallwood had more than two, so Adams certainly looks like the lead back at the moment. The problem is that Adams still doesn’t have double-digit rushing attempts in a game this season, and the Eagles have been committed to a messy three-man backfield all season long.
The most promising part of Adams’ performance was that he saw six targets in the passing game, after seeing just one for the entire season up to that point. Nothing in Doug Pederson’s track record suggests that he is about to give Adams 15-20 carries a game, so he’ll need to play a significant role in the passing game to emerge as a trustworthy RB3/flex, let alone RB2.
Pittsburgh Steelers
James Conner had a frustrating day at the office against a tough Jaguars defense, but he still could have come away with a good fantasy line if he hadn’t dropped what should have been a 28-yard touchdown catch. The rough game doesn’t change Conner’s rest-of-season outlook — he’s still an elite RB1 for the stretch run.
Rookie Jaylen Samuels did not touch the football on Sunday despite coach Mike Tomlin’s mid-week comment that Samuels’ arrow is “pointing up.” If Conner were ever to miss time, the most likely scenario is that Samuels would form a committee with Stevan Ridley, and Pittsburgh would then go with the hot hand. Samuels is a decently intriguing stash — especially in leagues where he has tight end eligibility — but I’d personally prefer to stash backups who have a less muddled path to bell-cow duties.
Seattle Seahawks
Chris Carson returned from a one-game absence in Week 11 and proceeded to dominate the backfield touches, as I expected. Carson is a tried-and-tested RB2 as long as he can stay healthy.
Meanwhile, Rashaad Penny is looking like fools’ gold for those who burned through their FAAB to acquire his services after Week 10. Penny did run well in limited work against Green Bay and appears to have inherited a change-of-pace role behind Carson, but it probably won’t be enough to provide reliable flex value unless Carson suffers another injury. Mike Davis seems to now be the Seahawks’ designated passing down back, but he’s also a dicey flex play at the moment. It’s near-impossible to tell whether Penny or Davis would be the bigger beneficiary if Carson were to miss more time.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Peyton Barber produced his first 100-yard rushing performance of the season against the Giants, cementing his status as a high-end RB3/flex option with RB2 potential in favorable matchups. The only risk for Barber owners is that he eventually loses carries to rookie Ronald Jones once coach Dirk Koetter is fired and/or the Bucs are formally eliminated from playoff contention. Jones should be nearing a return from a hamstring injury that has cost him the last three games.
Tennessee Titans
Derrick Henry outplayed Dion Lewis in the Titans’ blowout loss to the Colts, but Henry’s stat line was hardly amazing and much of his production came in garbage time. Lewis dominated backfield duties while the game was still in doubt, and he is still the better fantasy bet in this backfield going forward.
The bigger issue for Lewis’ fantasy viability is the health of QB Marcus Mariota, who re-injured his elbow against Indianapolis. Mariota’s injury could spell doom for the entire Titans’ offense, as I explained in this week’s “10 Things We Learned” column.
Washington
Adrian Peterson more than salvaged his fantasy day with two touchdowns against the Texans on Sunday, but he failed to top 70 rushing yards for the third straight game after going over 95 rushing yards in five of his first seven games. With the interior of Washington’s offensive line in shambles and QB Alex Smith now lost for the season, Peterson is going to continue to struggle to find running room. His schedule is also fairly daunting, so Peterson is best approached as a volume-based, low-end RB2.
Washington’s injury issues also reduce the upside of stashing Chris Thompson, who already seemed like a poor fit for the conservative, grind-it-out offense that Jay Gruden has employed this season. There is no telling when Thompson (ribs) will finally make it back onto the field, but it is exceedingly unlikely to be on a short week for Washington’s Thanksgiving game in Dallas. Meanwhile, Kapri Bibbs isn’t a viable fantasy play, even in PPR formats.
View your league’s top available players with My Playbook
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Play | Spotify | Stitcher | SoundCloud | TuneIn | RSS
Andrew Seifter is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Andrew, check out his archive and follow him @andrew_seifter.
