It’s Thanksgiving week which means plenty of my two favorite things: Food and football. Like most here at FantasyPros, I want to thank everyone who reads this column each week. It is something I put a lot of time into, but I hope you get something out of the information here and that it helps you along the way.

I also want to shout out our editors here, who make sure everything runs together smoothly within each article. I appreciate everyone who helps out and reads this piece, and hope you all have a safe and enjoyable Thanksgiving.

Now, onto Week 12:

Arizona

• Starter: James Conner
• Handcuff: Keaontay Ingram (Pickup if you have Conner)

James Conner got bell-cow usage despite the blowout, playing 77% of the snaps and getting 16 touches. He finished with just 54 scrimmage yards (two receptions) but scored a touchdown that gave him a solid finish. He was on the field for almost all of the passing-down work, so he is locked in here and should be good for between 15-20 touches every week. He may see spikes in weeks where the Cardinals can get a lead, but that will be a rare occasion. Keaontay Ingram should be stashed if you own Conner due to the latter’s considerable injury history.

Atlanta: Committee

• Cordarelle Patterson (Hold in 12+ Team Leagues)
• Tyler Allgeier (Hold in 12+ Team Leagues)
• Caleb Huntley/Avery Williams (Only if an injury occurs here)

This was basically a 50/50 split (Tyler Allgeier played one more snap than Cordarelle Patterson) of snaps. Both backs went over 50 yards rushing, but Patterson found the end zone on a kickoff return. Patterson may get more work as he gets healthy, but both of these players are more in the RB3/Flex range right now.

Baltimore: Committee

• J.K. Dobbins (Hold)
• Gus Edwards (Hold)
• Kenyan Drake (Hold in 12+ Team Leagues)
• Justice Hill

Gus Edwards missed another week with his hamstring injury, although I can’t help but think Baltimore played it safe, given the matchup with Carolina. KenyanDrake led the backfield with a 50% snap share (just 53 scoreless scrimmage yards) which was disappointing given his usage in Week 10. Baltimore looked like a team that practiced all week with one game plan in mind but played the game with personnel that was shoehorned into said plan. I’m guessing Edwards will be active in Week 12 and should lead the backfield. I still want no part of Justice Hill, either.

Buffalo

• Starter: Devin Singletary
• Handcuff: James Cook (Hold in 12+ Team Leagues)
• Handcuff: Nyheim Hines (PPR bench stash)

Devin Singletary saw another week where he played on 70%+ of the snaps and finished with 97 scrimmage yards and a touchdown. He’s entrenched as the RB1 here. James Cook only saw a 26% snap share but rushed for 86 yards on just 11 carries. He continues to be brought along and is looking like an early candidate for a 2023 breakout. He has massive appeal as a bench stash in the event of a Singletary injury.

Carolina

• Starter: D’Onta Foreman (Hold)
• Handcuff: Chuba Hubbard (Hold)

D’Onta Foreman crashed back to earth this week with 11 carries for just 24 yards. He only played on 41% of the snaps, but this was an objectively awful day for the entire Carolina offense. Chuba Hubbard was in for 37% of the snaps but only totaled 25 yards on eight touches. Carolina does have some winnable matchups coming up where they should be in positive game scripts at home. Foreman should have better days ahead, though that is a low bar to clear right now.

Chicago

• Starter: David Montgomery
• Handcuff: Khalil Herbert (On IR)
• Handcuff: Trestan Ebner

David Montgomery played 79% of the snaps and got all the passing game work Sunday. He finished with 121 scrimmage yards and a touchdown on 20 touches, putting him in the top eight of the position this week. With Khalil Herbert out, the Bears plan to utilize him the same way they did down the stretch in 2020 when Montgomery was a league-winner. As for Trestan Ebner, he did see 23% of the snaps but was used sparingly. He is a stash if you have Montgomery but nothing more.

Cincinnati

• Starter: Joe Mixon
• Handcuff: Samaje Perine (Hold if you roster Mixon)

Joe Mixon went out of the game with a concussion, leaving Samaje Perine with a 90% snap share in the aftermath. He responded with three receiving touchdowns, and while it probably came on your bench, there is simply no excuse to have Perine on your league’s waiver wire if you have Mixon. Cincinnati is past its bye week, which makes Perine all the more valuable. If Mixon misses Week 12, fire up Perine as an RB2 in PPR leagues.

Cleveland

• Starter: Nick Chubb
• Handcuff: Kareem Hunt (Hold in all formats)

It was another tough day for the Cleveland running game. Nick Chubb had just 19 yards on 14 carries and failed to find paint. He caught three passes for 48 yards as the Browns got him involved for the second week in a row. Kareem Hunt saw his typical pass-game usage and led the Browns with 32 rushing yards on just five carries. He still looks like he’d rather be anywhere but Cleveland, so his time there will surely come to an end this offseason. The Browns have a reasonable schedule coming up and get Deshaun Watson back, so hopefully, Chubb breaks out of his mini-slump.

Dallas: Committee

• Ezekiel Elliott
• Tony Pollard (Hold in all formats)

Dallas bounced back in a big way Sunday, eviscerating Minnesota. I am moving this to a committee backfield as Tony Pollard out-snapped (64% to 38%) and out-touched (21-15) Ezekiel Elliott. The latter managed two short touchdowns, where his fantasy bread is buttered. It wouldn’t shock me to see Zeke punch in at least one on Thanksgiving day. Pollard continues to be excellent, finishing with 36 PPR points bolstered by a 100-yard receiving day. He beat a Minnesota linebacker on a wheel route where I legitimately felt bad for the defender as he knew he was out-matched. I will be building DFS lineups with both Dallas backs for Thursday. Let’s eat.

Denver: Committee

• Latavius Murray (Pickup)
• Chase Edmonds (High Ankle Sprain)
• Marlon Mack (Nope)

Latavius Murray and Melvin Gordon split the workload Sunday, with Murray falling into the end zone on a one-yard touchdown. Not to be outdone, Gordon had a bad fumble late in the game that he showed no remorse for in the post-game comments. A lot of things led to him being cut, but the ball security issues and tone-deaf response to them are a big part of why. With Chase Edmonds now out with a high ankle sprain, you can rally around Murray being the feature back if you’re into 14 carries for 43 yards. Broncos Country, let’s cry.

Detroit: Committee

• D’Andre Swift
• Jamaal Williams

Jamaal Williams had a huge day, scoring three touchdowns as the Lions won their third in a row. He now leads the league with 12 rushing touchdowns this year. A more interesting storyline is a worrisome stat for D’Andre Swift managers here: Justin Jackson out-snapped (38% – 32%) and out-touched (10-eight) Swift. I’ve moved this to committee territory, something that is long overdue. I was hoping Swift was healthy and just waiting to explode, but something is up here.

Green Bay

• Starter: Aaron Jones
• Handcuff: A.J. Dillon (Hold in all formats)

Aaron Jones handled 18 touches (for 60 scoreless yards) on a 64% snap share on a short week. That is encouraging for a running back who the Packers can’t always seem to figure out how to use. A.J. Dillon played on 47% of the snaps but was held to 23 yards on seven touches. Green Bay is on the outside looking in of the NFC playoff race, so they will need both backs down the stretch if they want to make any type of run.

Houston

• Starter: Dameon Pierce
• Handcuff: Eno Benjamin (Hold if you roster Pierce)

The fragility of Dameon Pierce in the Houston offense was on full display here. Despite a 78% snap share and four carries inside the 10-yard line, Pierce finished with just 17 total yards on 12 touches. Houston will find itself in many negative game scripts in December, which gives me continued concerns about Pierce as an RB2. With Houston adding Eno Benjamin, he could also eat into some of Pierce’s workload down the stretch. I think trading him has been the right move for a few weeks now, and I will continue to bang that drum.

Indianapolis

• Starter: Jonathan Taylor (Buy)
• Handcuff: Deon Jackson (Hold if you roster Taylor)
• Handcuff: Jordan Wilkins (Not yet)

Jonathan Taylor rushed for 84 yards and a touchdown, adding a 3/10 receiving line on Sunday, so he ended up with a decent day. He’s getting 75% of the snaps and is the focal point of the offense, so I think there is a lot of meat on the bone here. If you bought in at any discount, you will be rewarded handsomely.

Jacksonville

• Starter: Travis Etienne
• Handcuff: JaMycal Hasty

The Jaguars’ bye week comes at a good time for Travis Etienne to get rested up for the stretch run. Hopefully, he continues his ascent and is a league-winner in the process.

Kansas City: Committee

• Isaih Pacheco (Hold)
• Jerick McKinnon (Hold 12+ team PPR leagues only)
• Clyde Edwards-Helaire (Drop)

Isaih Pacheco continues his breakout with 109 rushing yards on 15 carries. He is a borderline RB2 moving forward, although he doesn’t do much in the passing game, so know the pitfalls there. Jerick McKinnon didn’t do much with his seven touches, finishing with just 24 scrimmage yards. With Clyde Edwards-Helaire exiting the game with an apparent ankle injury, I don’t have many reservations about Pacheco in standard leagues. The lack of a pass game role lowers his floor in a PPR, but Andy Reid typically uses his running backs well.

Las Vegas Raiders

• Starter: Josh Jacobs
• Handcuff: Zamir White (Hold if you roster Jacobs)

Josh Jacobs played 82% of the snaps as the Raiders got a big win at Denver. He went over 100 yards rushing and also added a 3/51 receiving line, giving him another RB1 week. The Raiders have one of the most narrow distributions of touches in the league right now, so this is basically Jacobs and Davante Adams carrying the offense. Keep riding Jacobs, as I can see Las Vegas feeding him 20+ touches and letting him go in the offseason.

Los Angeles Chargers

• Starter: Austin Ekeler
• Handcuff: Isaiah Spiller (Roster if you have Ekeler)
• Handcuff: Joshua Kelley (On IR)

Austin Ekeler only caught two passes Sunday night, finishing with 83 yards rushing and a touchdown, giving him an RB1 finish on the week. The Chargers seem close to hitting their stride on offense, so I think there is plenty of meat on the bone here. Ekeler will be used often down the stretch as Los Angeles makes a move to get into the AFC playoff picture. The schedule down the stretch isn’t daunting either.

Los Angeles Rams: Committee

• Darrell Henderson, Jr.
• Cam Akers (Drop)
• Kyren Williams (Pickup this week)

Kyren Williams led the Rams with a 55% snap share as they were looking for a spark. Williams is terrific in pass protection, probably the best back on the roster right now, which makes it easy for the Rams to roll him out there. He played on most of the passing downs and had eight touches for 44 yards. I would pick him up this week if I needed a speculative bench stash. Akers had 14 carries for 61 listless yards, which relegated Henderson to a bench role as Sean McVay can’t figure out what to do with those two, as has been the case for two years.

Miami: Committee

• Raheem Mostert (Hold)
• Jeff Wilson (Should be 100% rostered)

Miami gets a well-deserved bye. This could be when Jeff Wilson completely takes over things here, so Week 12 will tell us a lot about where things stand moving forward.

Minnesota

• Starter: Dalvin Cook
• Handcuff: Alexander Mattison (Hold in all formats)

Dalvin Cook’s 11 carries for 72 yards are somewhat disappointing in a vacuum. Then you look at the box score and quickly realize this could have been much worse. Chalk it up to a horrific day for the Minnesota offense and take heart in the fact that Cook played 76% of the snaps through the third quarter and looked great. I am glad they didn’t overextend him with a Thursday night matchup against a stout New England defense on tap.

New England: Committee

• Rhamondre Stevenson
• Damien Harris

Rhamondre Stevenson got 76% of the snaps and handled 21 touches (82 scrimmage yards), including six receptions. In a PPR league, his pass-game role gets you there with that. Damien Harris looked healthy despite playing 26% of the snaps, rushing for 65 yards on just eight carries. Harris could start to eat into things as New England has to hide Mac Jones to win. On Thanksgiving night, they get a Minnesota team that has been gashed consistently on the ground, making Harris an interesting play in DFS and season-long leagues.

New Orleans

• Starter: Alvin Kamara
• Handcuff: David Johnson (Nope)

The Saints attacked primarily through the air on Sunday, with Andy Dalton firing three touchdown passes. Alvin Kamara wasn’t completely shut out, going for 89 scrimmage yards and adding four receptions. His PPR floor almost always hovers around the 10-point range, making him a bankable start there. If you can ride it out, Kamara has a strong playoff schedule (Falcons in Week 15, Browns in Week 16), but things might be choppy before that. The Saints added old friend David Johnson this past week, but I can’t recommend him in good conscience.

New York Giants

• Starter: Saquon Barkley
• Handcuff: Matt Breida (Find a way to get him if you have Barkley)

Saquon Barkley going for 35 scrimmage yards against the Lions is a bonkers stat line. Detroit came into the game ranked 30th in rush defense, so to see Barkley fail is a crusher. This wasn’t a snap share (78%) or usage (17 touches) issue as much as it was a game where the Giants looked like a team regressing to their mean. I’m not overly concerned about Saquon because talent and workload win out, but New York is about to hit the toughest stretch of their schedule.

New York Jets: Committee

• James Robinson (Hold)
• Michael Carter (Hold)
• Ty Johnson (Not yet)

The Jets couldn’t get anything going offensively, generating just 103 yards as a team. Michael Carter led the backfield with a 49% snap share and nine touches, but there is nothing to write home about here. New York does get Chicago in Week 12, so we can hope that brings us a useful fantasy day from Carter, but my optimism for James Robinson is low right now.

Philadelphia

• Starter: Miles Sanders
• Handcuff: Kenneth Gainwell (Hold if you roster Sanders)
• Handcuff: Boston Scott (Drop)

This story was strikingly similar to what happened in Week 10 for the Eagles. They couldn’t get much going offensively and were in danger of being upset for the second week in a row. This was a tough matchup for Philadelphia’s run games, rendering Sanders again ineffective. He had just 47 yards on 13 carries. Sanders has no pass-game role here, so he needs to hit the end zone to be viable as an RB2. The Eagles have some tasty matchups coming, so you’ve got to keep rolling Sanders out there. As for Kenneth Gainwell and Boston Scott, they’d probably split this backfield in the event of an injury, making them less than appealing.

Pittsburgh

• Starter: Najee Harris
• Handcuff: Jaylen Warren (Hold in 12+ team PPR leagues)

Jaylen Warren hurt his hamstring on a swing pass in the first half and left the game. Third-string back Benny Snell only played 3% of the snaps after that should tell you how highly the Steelers think of Warren. Hamstrings can be tricky, so this could be a multi-week absence. Harris should enjoy elite usage that may resemble his 2021 season if it is. Harris had another strong game, going to 116 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns, including one where he hurdled Jesse Bates. You’ve probably tried to sell him to half your league, so if you’ve held on this long, start him if you’ve got him.

Seattle

• Starter: Kenneth Walker
• Handcuff: Travis Homer (Only in a PPR league)

Seattle had a bye to get Kenneth Walker ready for a big seven-game stretch to end the year. The Seahawks will come into Week 12 no worse than in a tie for the NFC West lead. Saddle Walker up for the stretch run.

San Francisco

• Starter: Christian McCaffery
• Handcuff: Eli Mitchell (Should be 100% rostered)

Christian McCaffery played on 74% of the snaps and got 14 touches (seven receptions) for 106 yards. Elijah Mitchell once again looked good but operated in more of a backup role than he did in Week 11. I’d say both backs will see usage, but I feel better about CMC’s role here than I did a week ago. He is locked in as an RB1, and he will have plenty of weeks down the stretch where he has blowup games as he scores more touchdowns.

Tampa Bay

• Starter: Leonard Fournette
• Handcuff: Rachaad White (Should be 100% rostered)

Sounds like Leonard Fournette will be ready for Week 12. But will the Buccanneers use him as the starter? I’ve got White stashed in a few spots waiting for him to take over. Is now the time?

Tennessee

• Starter: Derrick Henry
• Handcuff: Dontrell Hilliard (Hold if you roster Henry)

Derrick Henry had 30 touches for 136 scrimmage yards and a touchdown on a 70% snap share last Thursday as the Titans rode him against the Packers. Henry even threw for a touchdown on a nifty play design that we’ve become accustomed to seeing before. The Colts aren’t completely out of the AFC South race, so Tennessee will need to keep racking up wins. Their December schedule sets up for Henry to be on a lot of championship rosters.

Washington: Committee

• Brian Robinson (Ask around if you have him)
• Antonio Gibson (Hold)

I said after Monday night that I am always into trying to peddle two-down backs with no pass-game role after moderately productive fantasy performances. I’m still on that train with Brian Robinson. The trouble is, this was a game Washington controlled from the kickoff, but Robinson was still a bust. He is even more fragile than someone like Dameon Pierce, who gets 75% of the snaps. I’d treat him as a low-floor Flex play moving forward. I do like Gibson quite a bit more due to his passing game involvement and explosiveness. With J.D. McKissic landing on season-ending IR, Gibson has appeal as a back-end RB2 in PPR leagues.

Handcuff Rankings

1. Tony Pollard (DAL) – The cream of the crop.
2. Eli Mitchell (SF) – No jive Turkey here.
3. Rachaad White (TB) – Could be the butter on the Buccanneers’ roll.
4. Alexander Mattison (MIN) – Like mashed potatoes: Steady and always there in a pinch.
5. AJ Dillon (GB) – Green Bay’s version of stuffing: He will get you there. It just takes some work.
6. Samaje Perine (CIN) – The cranberry sauce of this list. So underrated.
7. James Cook (BUF) – He’s the post-dinner coffee. Provides a spark and gives you a second wind.
8. Eno Benjamin (HOU) – Like a weird uncle you thought wasn’t coming to dinner, but he shows up out of nowhere with a new lady friend.
9. Kareem Hunt (CLE) – The ham to Chubb’s turkey. If you know me, that isn’t high praise.
10. Isaiah Spiller (LAC) – Like mac and cheese, he could be the sleeper of this group.
11. Dontrell Hilliard (TEN) – The gravy in Tennessee, providing a change of pace to the meal.
12. Matt Breida (NYG) – The pumpkin pie of the handcuffs. A staple that just can’t be replaced.
13. Jaylen Warren (PIT) – The dad who got injured despite a heroic effort in the morning Turkey Bowl.
14. Keaontay Ingram (ARZ) – Like your aunt’s potato salad: Not sure what you’re getting, but who doesn’t enjoy some potato salad?
15. DeeJay Dallas/Travis Homer (SEA) – The green beans of our handcuff list. They won’t wow you, but they are simple and effective.

Jason Kamlowsky is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Jason, check out his archive and follow him on Twitter @JasonKamlowsky.