Editor’s update: Devonta Freeman has been declared out for Sunday’s game. Coleman will get a heavy workload in his place.
Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone. And for owners of New Orleans Saints running backs, this is a really good week to give thanks.
Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara have been the best running back tandem in the league in 2017, and their prospects Sunday are for more fantasy goodness. Ingram, who exploded for his second straight 130-plus yardage game last Sunday against Washington, is our No. 1 ranked running back in PPR leagues. The rookie Kamara, who ranks second in the league among running backs in targets (62) and third in receptions (48), is ranked seventh.
And both have a terrific matchup this week against the Los Angeles Rams, who have a tremendous pass defense, but have been gashed on the ground, allowing the fifth-most rushing yards in the league and the third-most rushing touchdowns.
The rest our top 10 features Le’Veon Bell, Todd Gurley, LeSean McCoy, and Kareem Hunt rounding out the top five, and Melvin Gordon, Leonard Fournette, Carlos Hyde, and DeMarco Murray in the bottom half.
Of those backs, Bell and Murray have the best chances to go off, even as Bell was outshined last week by Antonio Brown and Murray has struggled to find his form all season.
Murray has the best matchup of the week on paper, facing a Colts team that ranks last in DVOA against pass-catching backs. Marcus Mariota is still throwing the ball Murray’s way, with limited success. But Murray had one of his better games of the season a month ago against the Colts in Nashville, despite being nagged by a hamstring issue that seems to have subsided.
Should the Steelers make Bell their key offensive player this week, the Packers rank in the bottom 10 in DVOA against the run in general (23rd) and pass-catching backs (25th).
The best back not in our top 10 is Carolina’s Christian McCaffrey (11), who ranks first in the league in targets and receptions and gets another double-dip defense in the Jets, who are 21st against the run and 23rd against pass-catching backs.
Running back (PPR) rankings, Week 12
(SK: Scott Kaliska; JG: Jeff Goldberg; DG: Derek Gordon; KB: Kyle Bennett; ZS: Zach Senvisky; JM: Jason Marcum)
RB PPR rankings, Week 12
Rk | Consensus | Tm | Opp | SK | JG | DG | KB | JM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mark Ingram | NO | @ LAR | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| 2 | Le'Veon Bell | PIT | vs. GB | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 4 |
| 3 | Todd Gurley | LAR | vs. NO | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| 4 | LeSean McCoy | BUF | @ KC | 6 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| 5 | Kareem Hunt | KC | vs. BUF | 5 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 6 |
| 7 | Melvin Gordon | LAC | @ DAL | 7 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 5 |
| 8 | Alvin Kamara | NO | @ LAR | 4 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 10 |
| 8 | Leonard Fournette | JAC | @ ARI | 9 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 9 |
| 9 | Carlos Hyde | SF | vs. SEA | 10 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 11 |
| 10 | Christian McCaffrey | CAR | @ NYJ | 8 | 9 | 14 | 9 | 14 |
| 11 | DeMarco Murray | TEN | @ IND | 11 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 12 |
| 11 | Alfred Morris | DAL | vs. LAC | 24 | 12 | 8 | 12 | 8 |
| 13 | Jordan Howard | CHI | @ PHI | 12 | 13 | 17 | 13 | 16 |
| 14 | Lamar Miller | HOU | @ BAL | 13 | 14 | 18 | 15 | 18 |
| 15 | Samaje Perine | WAS | vs. NYG | 17 | 15 | 13 | 16 | 17 |
| 16 | Joe Mixon | CIN | vs. CLE | 20 | 19 | 16 | 19 | 13 |
| 17 | Devonta Freeman | ATL | vs. TB | 32 | 24 | 12 | 14 | 7 |
| 17 | Jerick McKinnon | MIN | @ DET | 14 | 17 | 20 | 17 | 22 |
| 19 | Orleans Darkwa | NYG | @ WAS | 18 | 16 | 22 | 20 | 19 |
| 20 | Dion Lewis | NE | vs. MIA | 16 | 18 | 21 | 18 | 23 |
| 21 | Alex Collins | BAL | vs. HOU | 26 | 20 | 15 | 22 | 15 |
| 22 | Jay Ajayi | PHI | vs. CHI | 19 | 21 | 24 | 21 | 20 |
| 23 | Duke Johnson Jr. | CLE | @ CIN | 21 | 22 | 29 | 23 | 26 |
| 24 | Doug Martin | TB | @ ATL | 31 | 27 | 25 | 25 | 25 |
| 24 | Adrian Peterson | ARI | vs. JAC | 29 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 27 |
| 26 | Marshawn Lynch | OAK | vs. DEN | 36 | 28 | 23 | 26 | 21 |
| 27 | Ty Montgomery | GB | @ PIT | 46 | 23 | 19 | 24 | 24 |
| 28 | Tevin Coleman | ATL | vs. TB | 15 | 33 | 30 | 28 | 35 |
| 29 | Rex Burkhead | NE | vs. MIA | 25 | 26 | 32 | 31 | 31 |
| 30 | Latavius Murray | MIN | @ DET | 22 | 29 | 35 | 29 | 30 |
| 31 | Damien Williams | MIA | @ NE | 23 | 30 | 31 | 30 | 38 |
| 32 | James White | NE | vs. MIA | 41 | 31 | 28 | 32 | 32 |
| 33 | Danny Woodhead | BAL | vs. HOU | 30 | 34 | 33 | 34 | 36 |
| 34 | Bilal Powell | NYJ | vs. CAR | 27 | 32 | 45 | 33 | 33 |
| 35 | C.J. Anderson | DEN | @ OAK | 43 | 39 | 27 | 35 | 29 |
| 36 | Ameer Abdullah | DET | vs. MIN | 28 | 38 | 41 | 36 | 39 |
| 37 | Frank Gore | IND | vs. TEN | 40 | 41 | 39 | 39 | 28 |
| 38 | Devontae Booker | DEN | @ OAK | 37 | 36 | 38 | 37 | 40 |
| 39 | Isaiah Crowell | CLE | @ CIN | 33 | 37 | 40 | 38 | 41 |
| 40 | Jonathan Stewart | CAR | @ NYJ | 48 | 35 | 37 | 42 | 37 |
| 41 | Theo Riddick | DET | vs. MIN | 38 | 40 | 42 | 43 | 42 |
| 41 | Derrick Henry | TEN | @ IND | 45 | 42 | 34 | 41 | 46 |
| 43 | Matt Forte | NYJ | vs. CAR | -- | 48 | 36 | 40 | 34 |
| 44 | Kenyan Drake | MIA | @ NE | 34 | 43 | 46 | 45 | 43 |
| 45 | Marlon Mack | IND | vs. TEN | -- | 44 | 43 | 44 | 45 |
| 46 | Eddie Lacy | SEA | @ SF | -- | 46 | 44 | 46 | 44 |
| 47 | Tarik Cohen | CHI | @ PHI | 44 | 45 | -- | -- | 47 |
| 48 | Jamaal Williams | GB | @ PIT | 35 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| 49 | JD McKissic | SEA | @ SF | 39 | -- | -- | 49 | -- |
| 50 | DeAndre Washington | OAK | vs. DEN | -- | 49 | 47 | 47 | 50 |
| -- | Austin Ekeler | LAC | @ DAL | 42 | 50 | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | Corey Clement | PHI | vs. CHI | 49 | 47 | 50 | 48 | -- |
| -- | Elijah McGuire | NYJ | vs. CAR | 47 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | Buck Allen | BAL | vs. HOU | -- | -- | -- | -- | 48 |
| -- | Wayne Gallman | NYG | @ WAS | -- | -- | 48 | -- | -- |
| -- | LeGarrette Blount | PHI | vs. CHI | -- | -- | 49 | 50 | -- |
| -- | Matt Breida | SF | vs. SEA | -- | -- | -- | -- | 49 |
| -- | T.J. Yeldon | JAC | @ ARI | 50 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
