Fantasy football waiver wire: 5 running backs to target for Week 13

Pierre Thomas, New Orleans Saints (37 percent) -- Thomas missed the past four games with a shoulder injury, but he made his return Monday night. The pass-catching specialist should be a boost to a Saints offense that lost Brandin Cooks for the season, and he should go back on the flex radar when he's closer to 100 percent. Thomas needs to be owned in all PPR leagues.

LeGarrette Blount, New England Patriots (31 percent) -- The Jonas Gray era was fun while it lasted. A week after piling up 201 rushing yards, Gray got stapled to the bench after showing up late to practice last Friday. Meanwhile, the Patriots welcomed back Blount, who signed with the team midweek after a falling-out with the Pittsburgh Steelers led to his release. Blount instantly became a part of the offense, rushing for 78 yards and two touchdowns against the Detroit Lions.

You should know by now to never trust Bill Belichick running backs -- Gray could very well get the starting job again, while Shane Vereen is still a thing -- but Blount should at least be considered as a goal-line vulture in 14- and 16-team leagues.

Latavius Murray, Oakland Raiders (25 percent) -- After 10 games of trying to make Darren McFadden and Maurice Jones-Drew the greatest one-two punch of 2010, the Raiders finally decided to see what they had in second-year back Murray. He responded with 112 yards and two touchdowns -- on four carries, finally giving the Raiders a spark on offense and taking a lot of pressure off Derek Carr.

Of course, Murray got concussed and missed the second half against the Kansas City Chiefs because the Raiders can't have nice things, but they still hung on for their first win of 2014 thanks to Murray's early scores. With 10 days of rest he has a chance to be cleared in time to face the St. Louis Rams. Even if he doesn't play in Week 13, Murray should be owned in all leagues. He's done enough to earn the starting job for the rest of the season.

Dan Herron, Indianapolis Colts (23 percent) -- When Ahmad Bradshaw went down with a broken leg, many fantasy owners (and Colts fans) dreaded the idea of Trent Richardson seeing over 20 touches per game. Instead, it was Dan "Boom" Herron who stepped up, getting the start and finishing with 96 total yards on 17 touches. Richardson played his usual "we paid a first-rounder for this guy so we might as well use him" role, with 13 carries for 42 yards and his first touchdown since Week 6. This looks to be another committee, but Herron is the better back and safer flex option, just as Bradshaw was.

Doug Martin (44 percent), Bobby Rainey (32 percent), Charles Sims (32 percent), Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- I'm lumping all three together since this is looking like a full-blown timeshare. Martin made his return from an ankle injury and got the start, but Rainey and Sims stayed involved in the offense

Here's a breakdown of their snap counts and production against the Chicago Bears:

In short, nobody really did anything to stand out against a Bears defense that should have been a plum matchup. Look for the committee to continue against the Cincinnati Bengals this week, and your guess is as good as mine as to which one will emerge. Martin might be the flex volume play, while Rainey is a safer bet in deep PPR leagues. Sims has potential but looked awfully average when he had a chance to run away with the starting job. He's more of a dynasty hold right now.

Honorable mentions: Knile Davis (45 percent), Andre Williams (38 percent), Carlos Hyde (36 percent), Roy Helu Jr. (13 percent), Theo Riddick (nine percent), Devonta Freeman (eight percent)