There are going to be some new names near the top of the running back rankings in Fantasy Football, at least for Week 12. The most notable one is probably Samaje Perine, who comes in as RB15 for me heading into Sunday with Joe Mixon (concussion) ruled out. 

Perine will be a must-start option if Mixon is out, and so is Rachaad White with Leonard Fournette out. White is a solid bet as he should be in line for a significant role. He's a strong RB2 in PPR formats, but this Buccaneers offense hasn't been nearly as good for running back production as it was last season, so, while White should see a strong workload, that doesn't necessarily mean it'll translate to huge points points.

And that's even more true for Latavius Murray, who shot up the rankings Monday with news that the Broncos waived the fumble-prone Melvin Gordon and have Chase Edmonds dealing with a high-ankle sprain. That leaves Marlon Mack as the only other healthy running back for the Broncos besides Murray, and seeing as Mack hasn't seen the field for them yet, it seems safe to assume Murray is going to have a big role this week.

The problem is, this Broncos offense has been an absolute disaster. Murray is averaging 3.3 yards per carry, which is, somehow, worse than what Gordon was managing, and their running backs have combined for just five touchdowns in 10 games on the season on the worst scoring offense in the league. The matchup with the Panthers isn't a terrible one, as their dreadful offense makes it easy for teams to focus on the run, but it's fair to ask if Murray and the Broncos are capable of taking advantage.

What complicates things for Murray is that he's never been a great pass catcher, and hasn't been a big part of the Broncos offense in that regard so far. Russell Wilson has been throwing to his running backs 8.1 times per game this season, so Murray could have a solid pass-catching role, and if he does, that'll make it a lot easier for him to be the RB2 most are likely to view him as this week. I think he's right on the fringe there -- he's not a must-start option, but he's a pretty good one.  

Here are my final rankings for Week 12 at running back: 

  1. Austin Ekeler @ARI
  2. Josh Jacobs @SEA
  3. Christian McCaffrey vs. NO
  4. Derrick Henry vs. CIN
  5. Jonathan Taylor vs. PIT
  6. Alvin Kamara @SF
  7. Kenneth Walker vs. LV
  8. Aaron Jones @PHI
  9. Travis Etienne vs. BAL
  10. Nick Chubb vs. TB
  11. Rachaad White @CLE
  12. James Conner vs. LAC
  13. David Montgomery @NYJ
  14. Jeff Wilson vs. HOU
  15. Samaje Perine @TEN
  16. Dameon Pierce @MIA
  17. Michael Carter vs. CHI
  18. Najee Harris @IND
  19. Antonio Gibson vs. ATL
  20. Miles Sanders vs. GB
  21. Latavius Murray @CAR
  22. Cordarrelle Patterson @WAS
  23. Kenyan Drake @JAX
  24. D'Onta Foreman vs. DEN
  25. Jerick McKinnon vs. LAR
  26. Isiah Pacheco vs. LAR
  27. Elijah Mitchell vs. NO
  28. Rex Burkhead @MIA
  29. Kareem Hunt vs. TB
  30. A.J. Dillon @PHI
  31. Chuba Hubbard vs. DEN
  32. Myles Gaskin vs. HOU
  33. Marlon Mack @CAR
  34. Deon Jackson vs. PIT
  35. Dontrell Hilliard vs. CIN
  36. Brian Robinson Jr. vs. ATL
  37. Kyren Williams @KC
  38. Cam Akers @KC
  39. Justice Hill @JAX
  40. Ke'Shawn Vaughn @CLE
  41. Tyler Allgeier @WAS
  42. Zamir White @SEA
  43. Kenneth Gainwell vs. GB
  44. Dwayne Washington @SF
  45. Darrell Henderson @KC
  46. Jamycal Hasty vs. BAL
  47. Caleb Huntley @WAS
  48. Sony Michel @ARI
  49. Boston Scott vs. GB