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:
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- Austin Ekeler @ARI
- Josh Jacobs @SEA
- Christian McCaffrey vs. NO
- Derrick Henry vs. CIN
- Jonathan Taylor vs. PIT
- Alvin Kamara @SF
- Kenneth Walker vs. LV
- Aaron Jones @PHI
- Travis Etienne vs. BAL
- Nick Chubb vs. TB
- Rachaad White @CLE
- James Conner vs. LAC
- David Montgomery @NYJ
- Jeff Wilson vs. HOU
- Samaje Perine @TEN
- Dameon Pierce @MIA
- Michael Carter vs. CHI
- Najee Harris @IND
- Antonio Gibson vs. ATL
- Miles Sanders vs. GB
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- Jerick McKinnon vs. LAR
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- Elijah Mitchell vs. NO
- Rex Burkhead @MIA
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- Brian Robinson Jr. vs. ATL
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- Justice Hill @JAX
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- Darrell Henderson @KC
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- Sony Michel @ARI
- Boston Scott vs. GB