Week 12 Fantasy Football Rankings: RB

Jonathan Taylor preps for another big workload against the Bucs, Bijan Robinson comes off bye vs. the Saints, and Derrick Henry encounters a good matchup in the Panthers.

Other positions: Quarterback | Receiver | Tight End/Kickers/Defense

Updated 11/25 at 10:00 AM ET. Added Dameon Pierce. Removed Jerick McKinnon.

Week 12 Running Backs

RB Notes: The Raiders’ “feed Josh Jacobs” plan finally hit a snag against the Dolphins in Week 11, but we can safely project a prodigious home workload versus a Chiefs team that is soft against the run and struggling to put opponents away. … Travis Etienne has been tripped up by curious game scripts over the past two weeks. There is still no indication the Jags are planning to make this a committee. Projected shootout conditions with the Texans should help get Etienne out of the red. … Inefficient on the ground and not catching enough passes through the air, Austin Ekeler has appeared all too mortal this season. He is nevertheless the RB8 by average PPR points over the past three weeks. The Chargers aren’t going to have a better plan vs. the Ravens’ pass-erasing defense. … De’Von Achane (knee) appears likely to land back on the shelf just as soon as he returned. With Salvon Ahmed (foot) heading to injured reserve, that should equal a monster short-week workload for Raheem Mostert against a Jets run defense that gets smashed for volume since its passing attack doesn’t keep it in games.

Jahmyr Gibbs has finished as the PPR RB2, RB1, RB2 and RB3 in four games since returning from injury. So, uhh, good. Gobbling up targets and forcing a goal-line timeshare with David Montgomery, Gibbs is getting home in the fashion of an early-career Alvin Kamara. That formula has the occasional hiccup, but it is safe to say the young man has arrived. … Speaking of Kamara, the Saints have finally begun to dial back his carries a bit. It hasn’t really mattered since his receiving usage remains unchanged. The Saints are modest road ‘dogs for a Falcons tilt where we know the run will be established. … Saquon Barkley has been on something of a Gibbs and Kamara diet of late, only with a higher carries floor. Consider us skeptical that Tommy DeVito has suddenly stabilized the G-Men’s offense, but the in-chaos Patriots are no threat to blow out the Giants and nuke Barkley’s game script. … Jonathan Taylor handled 88 percent of the Colts’ Week 10 snaps heading into their bye week. The Bucs are a tough, tough ground matchup, but it is clear Indy has finally shed its committee and gotten serious about feeding Taylor as it makes a surprise playoff run.

Has coach Arthur Smith learned his lesson after giving Bijan Robinson 22 productive carries heading into the Falcons’ bye week? Don’t count on it. Everything points toward a Week 12 run-game commitment — an un-benched Desmond Ridder is terrible, the Saints are most vulnerable on the ground, the Falcons are narrow home favorites — but as know all too well, that could just equal Tyler Allgeier dollar signs in Smith’s eyes. Still, anything that has happened once can happen twice, and the Bijan commitment did happen in Week 10. … With Rico Dowdle (ankle) still ailing, Tony Pollard should be too big to fail at the end of at least 1-2 of the Cowboys’ drives vs. the Commanders’ nonexistent defense. … People are dusting off Mark Ingram/Alvin Kamara comparisons for Jahmyr Gibbs/David Montgomery because it’s the last time a team supported two fantasy RB1s. It’s also quite reasonable. Especially on a short week after Jared Goff did his best to throw 4-5 interceptions, expect enough volume and goal-line opportunities for both backs to get home. … Touchdowns are so hard to come by in the Jets’ offense that it is eliminating Breece Hall’s workload advantages. The Dolphins are bottom 10 in RB fantasy points allowed.

D’Andre Swift’s snap rate has skyrocketed while he still receives a decent amount of work inside the 10-yard line. Jalen Hurts' presence makes positive touchdown regression seem like a tall order, but perhaps it isn’t as unlikely as it appears on the surface. … It is looking bleaker and bleaker for Derrick Henry: Just not for Week 12. The Panthers limit big plays through the air but get destroyed on the ground. The Titans are solid home favorites. You can trust The Big Dog for Thanksgiving Week. … Joe Burrow’s injury isn’t “good” for Joe Mixon insofar as the Bengals’ entire offensive environment is now destroyed, though it does mean he will be the focal point when the Bengals can keep games close. They will do so against the scrambling, ground-soft Steelers. … Opposing Mixon will be Jaylen Warren/Najee Harris. Expect enough volume for both backs as the Steelers begin to muddle through Life After Canada. Cincinnati permits the second most RB fantasy points. … Not even the Seahawks are faking like Ken Walker (oblique) actually has a chance to suit up Thursday evening vs. San Francisco. Zach Charbonnet is an inefficient back whose team will be in danger of getting blown out, but he will prop up his RB2 prospects with pass-catching.

Dameon Pierce (ankle) finally resumed practicing last week. Even a small role upon his return would significantly curb Devin Singletary’s RB2 appeal. Were Pierce to remain sidelined for Houston’s high-totaled showdown with the Jags, Singletary would be impossible to keep out of the top 20. … As is the case for Pierce, Brian Robinson’s Week 12 outlook is all about Antonio Gibson’s (toe) short-week health. Any amount of Gibson work would dim B-Rob’s RB2 prospects in a game where the Commanders are slated for demolition. … The Rams are confident enough in Kyren Williams’ (ankle) health that they waived Darrell Henderson. Even if Royce Freeman makes this more of a “committee” than it was before Williams’ injury, he will be the clear chairman in an offense veering increasingly run-heavy. … James Cook has not only survived his benching scare, he has begun to thrive. After seeing a modest uptick in routes following OC Ken Dorsey’s ouster, Cook could benefit from the 48.5 total game environment vs. the Eagles. … We learned the hard way that Javonte Williams isn’t really an every-down back: He just plays pass catcher on early downs. With all 32 teams active, he’s more FLEX than RB2. … AJ Dillon will have volume in Detroit. Don’t expect anything else.