Fantasy football waiver wire: Best running backs available in Week 11

With the holidays right around the corner, the fantasy football season approaches its stretch run as owners make a final push toward the playoffs. This is also the final week we have to worry about byes, but the waiver wire will continue being an important factor.

We saw yet more key injuries at running back in Week 10. The most worrisome is Devonta Freeman, who suffered a concussion that could keep him out multiple weeks (it’s his second diagnosed concussion of the season). Fantasy owners who hung on to Tevin Coleman (owned in 87 percent of Yahoo! leagues) can safely fire him up as an RB1.

Elsewhere, Aaron Jones went down with a sprained MCL and Rob Kelley suffered a high ankle sprain. Last week I mentioned Matt Forte as a recommended add, so of course, he re-aggravated his knee injury and might miss more games. Sorry about that.

This week’s bye teams are the Carolina Panthers, Indianapolis Colts, New York Jets, and San Francisco 49ers. That means Carlos Hyde, Christian McCaffrey, Bilal Powell, and Frank Gore won’t be available for fantasy owners.

Once again, let’s dive in with a look at the best waiver wire running backs, owned in 50 percent or less of Yahoo! standard leagues.

Murray continues to play in a committee with Jerick McKinnon, but he’s been outplaying the latter in recent weeks. Murray played a key role in the Vikings’ win over Washington, taking 17 carries for 68 yards and a touchdown. McKinnon is still the preferred option on passing downs, but Murray is getting enough volume to stay in the RB2 conversation. He and the Vikings will have a tough matchup against the Los Angeles Rams this week.

The Lions’ running game remains a week-to-week proposition, but Riddick continues to fulfill his role as the pass-catching back. He’s up to 32 receptions in nine games and is even getting some looks in the running game, taking 13 carries for 67 yards in the past three games. Riddick plays too specific of a role to be an every-week starter in standard leagues, but he’s still on the PPR as a flex play and has decent upside against the Chicago Bears.

Mike Gillislee has officially fallen out of favor and was a healthy scratch Sunday, so that clears up at least one log in the Patriots’ backfield jam. Now Burkhead is back from a rib injury and making plays, putting up 63 total yards and a touchdown on 13 touches against the Denver Broncos. James White and Dion Lewis remain factors, but it’s clear Burkhead will be a factor in this offense. He offers good flex potential down the stretch of the season.

The Packers are running out of running backs again. Aaron Jones is out for a month, and Ty Montgomery appears to have reinjured his ribs. That leaves Williams as the next man up, and he got a big workload with 20 carries for 67 yards against the Chicago Bears. The fourth-round rookie figures to play a heavy role in the backfield as the Packers try to hide Brett Hundley. Williams will be a risk-reward RB2 against the Baltimore Ravens.