FANTASY

Fantasy Player Projections

Running Backs

Rank	Team	Player	Projection	Opponent
1			Arian Foster 118 rush yards, 2 rush TDs, 3 rec, 24 rec yards Foster is a beast, plain and simple. He has touched the ball 20-plus times in all but one game this season (Green Bay) and leads the league in touchdowns. He had 147 yards on 34 touches in the first meeting with Jacksonville this year.	vs
2			Ray Rice 73 rush yards, rush TD, 3 rec, 38 rec yards, rec TD Fully rested and ready for this crucial AFC North matchup, Rice should help Baltimore gain early control in unfriendly territory. He touched the ball 23 times in each of the Ravens' wins over the Steelers last year.	at
3			Doug Martin 105 rush yards, rush TD, 4 rec, 32 rec yards Martin's streak of improving week after week stopped at four games, as he rushed 19 times for just 68 yards in Week 10. Martin had 95 rushing yards in Week 1 against Carolina before really breaking out, though, so another 100-yard effort should be expected in Week 11.	at
4			C.J. Spiller 85 rush yards, rush TD, 4 rec, 45 rec yards With Fred Jackson (concussion) sidelined for Week 11 against Miami, Spiller will get a full complement of carries Thursday. He averaged about 10 yards per touch against the Patriots, and he should be considered an excellent fantasy starter while Jackson is out.	vs
5			Trent Richardson 92 rush yards, rush TD, 2 rec, 28 rec yards With an extra week to rest his ribs, Richardson should be back to full health for this week's meeting in Big D. The Cowboys' defensive line is a little banged up and the Browns' best chance of winning will be to feed Richardson early and often.	at
6			Jamaal Charles 106 rush yards, rush TD, 2 rec, 13 rec yards The extra week of rest seemed to help Charles get his legs back last week, when he delivered 100 yards against a respectable Pittsburgh defense. Charles should feast on a Bengals defense giving up 4.4 yards per carry.	vs
7			LeSean McCoy 88 rush yards, rush TD, 3 rec, 29 rec yards The change at quarterback really had no effect on McCoy last week: He averaged 5.1 yards against a very good Dallas defense. It shouldn't affect him this week, either.	at
8			Reggie Bush 80 rush yards, rush TD, 2 rec, 22 rec yards Like most of the Dolphins, Bush had a bad game against the Titans in Week 10. A fumble sent him to the bench, too. Bush should have a big rebound game against a Bills team that ranks last against the run.	at
9			Willis McGahee 65 rush yards, rush TD, 3 rec, 32 rec yards McGahee rushed 14 times for 56 yards at Carolina in Week 10, but he fumbled twice and lost a fumble for the fourth time this season. The Chargers rank second against the run, and McGahee was only able to get 56 rushing yards against them in Week 6.	vs
10			Chris Ivory 80 rush yards, rush TD, 2 rec, 14 rec yards For the second week in a row, Ivory scored for the Saints while also rushing for 72 yards against Atlanta. With Darren Sproles (hand) likely out for another week, Ivory has earned more touches and is worth a look as an RB2 in Week 11 at Oakland.	at
11			Stevan Ridley 93 rush yards, rush TD So much for Bill Belichick splitting up the work: Ridley has averaged 19.1 carries per game so far. New England will probably feed him a lot in this game, too, as the Colts give up 4.7 yards per carry.	vs
12			Felix Jones 72 rush yards, rush TD, 2 rec, 20 rec yards Even though DeMarco Murray is back on the practice field, the Cowboys' top back has yet to receive full clearance from the medical staff. Dallas can afford to keep him out one more week, especially after seeing Jones run with confidence against Philadelphia in Week 10.	vs
13			Alfred Morris 91 rush yards, rush TD Nothing suggests the shoulder injury Morris suffered will affect his season moving forward. The Redskins would love nothing more than to feed their feature back early and often against an Eagles run defense ranked in the middle of the pack.	vs
14			Mikel Leshoure 68 rush yards, rush TD, 2 rec, 12 rec yards Since reaching 100 yards in his 2012 debut, Leshoure has not gained more than 70 yards in any of the following six games. Beyond his three-touchdown game in Week 9, Leshoure has done little to earn automatic-start status. He should get into the end zone against the Packers this week, though.	vs
15			Steven Jackson 78 rush yards, rush TD, 1 rec, 7 rec yards Jackson came out of the Week 9 bye looking strong, running a season-high 29 times for a season-high 101 yards and a touchdown against the Niners. The Jets rank 30th against the run, so Jackson could have back-to-back good games if the Rams give him as many carries again.	vs
16			Daniel Thomas 40 rush yards, rush TD, 3 rec, 30 rec yards Thomas rushed five times for 21 yards against the Titans in Week 10, but he also caught five passes for 34 yards. Thomas is a nice buy-low candidate, as he is doing well in his limited role while Reggie Bush struggles.	at
17			Marcel Reece 40 rush yards, 6 rec, 55 rec yards If Darren McFadden (ankle) can't play again in Week 11, the Raiders will likely lean on Reece again. He rushed for 48 yards to go with his seven catches and 56 receiving yards last week and could be a nice flex play in Week 11 against the Saints.	vs
18			Ryan Mathews 70 rush yards, 3 rec, 20 rec yards Mathews rushed for 54 yards against the Buccaneers, but he also caught five passes for 22 yards. The Broncos gave up 74 rushing yards to Mathews in Week 6, and he should be good for that again in Week 11.	at
19			Frank Gore 65 rush yards, 3 rec, 25 rec yards Against the Rams, Gore came close to registering his fourth 100-yard rushing game this season. He did score his fifth touchdown of the season, but he faces a Bears defense in Week 11 that has allowed just two rushing touchdowns this year.	vs
20			Matt Forte 70 rush yards, 2 rec, 18 rec yards After scoring in back-to-back games, Forte was held to just 39 rushing yards on 16 carries against Houston in Week 10. The Niners have allowed just three touchdowns all season, which makes Forte more of an RB2 than RB1 this week.	at
21			LaRod Stephens-Howlin 55 rush yards, 3 rec, 30 rec yards With Beanie Wells (toe) close to returning from injury, the Cardinals will likely lean on Stephens-Howling again. He has two touchdowns and 161 rushing yards in his past three games, and the Falcons are not very good against the run. LSH's production will always be limited by the Cardinal's offensive woes, though.	at
22			Joique Bell 23 rush yards, 5 rec, 58 rec yards Bell has caught 17 passes over his last four games. Still, the combination of his touches as a rusher (44 carries this season) and receiver don't make him a back worth starting outside of the deepest leagues.	vs
23			Shonn Greene 75 rush yards Greene rushed 15 times for 58 yards at Seattle in Week 10. He now has 189 rushing yards and just one touchdown over his past three games. On the bright side, the Rams are allowing more than 100 rushing yards per game, making Greene a decent RB2/flex option in Week 11.	at
24			Michael Turner 70 rush yards Turner had a rough outing in Week 10 at New Orleans, rushing for just 15 yards on 13 carries. While the Cardinals allow more than 125 yards rushing per game, they have only given up four rushing touchdowns this season.	vs
25			Jacquizz Rodgers 35 rush yards, 4 rec, 30 rec yards Rodgers looked good against the Saints in Week 10, rushing three times for 29 yards and catching four passes for 33 yards. He should be able to put up similar numbers against the Cardinals in Week 11.	vs
26			Jonathan Stewart 42 rush yards, 2 rec, 19 rec yards Stewart totaled 54 yards in Week 10 against Denver, but the Panthers are having a horrible time running the ball this season. The Buccaneers rank among the best in the league against the run, so keep Stewart stashed for another week.	vs
27			Alex Green 30 rush yards, 3 rec, 28 rec yards Green's opportunity to win the Packers' feature job has passed; now he is sharing carries with James Starks and would need a monster week (or two) to change minds on the coaching staff.	at
28			BenJarvus Green-Ellis 56 rush yards, 1 rec, 6 rec yards Green-Ellis has carried the ball 15 or more times in eight games this season. That's the good part. The bad: He has averaged 4.0 yards or better just once, in Week 1. He has not eclipsed 70 yards rushing in his past five outings.	at
29			Vick Ballard 44 rush yards, 2 rec, 11 rec yards Ballard's window of service has closed. He's sharing the work with Donald Brown on a team hell-bent on throwing when it can, which means Ballard's potential as a fantasy starter has withered away.	at
30			Rashard Mendenhall 54 rush yards Mendenhall is questionable this week, but if he managed to play he could step right into the starting lineup after both Isaac Redman and Jonathan Dwyer failed to move the ball in Week 10.	vs
31			Isaac Redman 28 rush yards, 2 rec, 24 rec yards Redman fumbled away his opportunity to secure the Steelers' starting job and now must shuffle past Rashard Mendenhall and Jonathan Dwyer if he is to have any fantasy relevance the rest of this season.	vs
32			Daryl Richardson 32 rush yards, 2 rec, 18 rec yards While the Rams leaned mostly on Steven Jackson, Richardson was still able to gain 58 yards on seven carries against San Francisco. The Jets aren't strong against the run, so the Rams could do well again, but Richardson is still largely a fantasy backup for now.	vs
33			Donald Brown 48 rush yards, 1 rec, 3 rec yards Last week Brown saw more carries than Vick Ballard, but gained a full yard less per carry. Fantasy owners should expect a split backfield moving forward. Translation: Neither back is worth starting right now.	at
34			Ronnie Hillman 25 rush yards, 2 rec, 22 rec yards While Hillman rushed five times for just five yards last week, the rookie did score the first touchdown of his NFL career. He holds great promise for the Broncos, but he won't really be a fantasy starter unless an injury vastly increases his workload.	vs
35			Mark Ingram 45 rush yards, 1 rec, 8 rec yards Ingram led the Saints with 16 carries against Atlanta in Week 10, although Chris Ivory outperformed him in the Saints' backfield. Ingram looks like a decent flex option in Week 11 at Oakland, but Ivory will likely take more touches away from him.	at
36			Danny Woodhead 11 rush yards, 3 rec, 32 rec yards As seen last week, Woodhead's role in the Patriots' offense can expand at any time. Some weeks they just need him to do more. Not this week, though.	vs
37			Rashad Jennings 43 rush yards Jennings has yet to average 4.0 yards per carry in a game since taking over for Maurice Jones-Drew and now must face a Texans defense allowing just 85.6 rushing yards a game. #NoChance	at
38			Michael Bush 40 rush yards, 1 rec, 9 rec yards Bush had just three carries for 34 yards against the Texans, and he also fumbled the ball away for the first time this season. The Niners are tough against the run, so both Bush and Matt Forte are going to have a tough time in Week 11.	at
39			Kendall Hunter 25 rush yards, 2 rec, 15 rec yards Hunter had a quiet Week 10, with three carries for 15 yards against the Rams. The Bears pose a much tougher challenge, so Hunter is best used as Frank Gore's handcuff off the bench.	vs
40			James Starks 39 rush yards Starks was given more carries in Week 9, but Alex Green is clearly the more versatile player. Fantasy owners should label this a lose-lose situation and avoid both backs.	at
41			Peyton Hillis 25 rush yards, 1 rec, 5 rec yards The Chiefs hoped to use Hillis to lessen the load on Jamaal Charles, but so far Hillis has not been effective in spot duty, averaging a mere 3.8 yards per carry. He provides no value to fantasy owners.	vs
42			Jackie Battle 25 rush yards Interestingly, Battle had just one touch against Tampa Bay -- but he went for 21 yards, which was the longest run on the day for the Chargers. Until the Chargers use him more, though, fantasy owners should use him less.	at
43			Pierre Thomas 24 rush yards, 1 rec, 8 rec yards Thomas had just six touches against the Falcons, and it's becoming apparent that the Saints are going to lean on Chris Ivory and Mark Ingram for now, while Darren Sproles (hand) heals.	at
44			Jonathan Dwyer 22 rush yards, 1 rec, 9 rec yards Dwyer carried 19 times last week, but for little gain. His moment in the limelight has passed and now Dwyer must accept a reduced role as the team welcomes Rashard Mendenhall back to the starting lineup.	vs
45			Tashard Choice 22 rush yards, 1 rec, 8 rec yards Choice should see a few carries in Week 11 against Miami to spell C.J. Spiller, who will be starting in Fred Jackson's (concussion) place. Choice won't have much value as long as Spiller is healthy, though.	vs
46			DeAngelo Williams 22 rush yards, 1 rec, 7 rec yards The Memphis product rushed just six times for six yards against Denver, but he wasn't the only Panther skill position player who had a tough time in Week 10. Williams was held to minus-one yard in Week 1 against the Bucs, and he's not a recommended fantasy starter this week either.	vs
47			Bernard Pierce 19 rush yards A big lead last week gave Pierce an opportunity to see 10 carries. This game won't be a blowout, even if Ben Roethlisberger is unable to play. Back to the bench, Bernard.	at
48			William Powell 15 rush yards Powell had just one carry in his last game and is not expected to steal many touches away from LaRod Stephens-Howling any time soon.	at
49			LeGarrette Blount 15 rush yards Blount had just one carry for three yards in Week 10, one week after fumbling in the fourth quarter. Doug Martin continues to see the lion's share of carries in this offense.	at
50			Taiwan Jones 15 rush yards Jones had just three touches in Week 10, totaling 13 yards against the Ravens. The Raiders will go to Marcel Reece again if Darren McFadden (ankle) is still out. Jones has great speed, but he can't yet translate that into success on the field.	vs
51			Bilal Powell 8 rush yards, 1 rec, 12 rec yards Powell had just two touches at Seattle, including a run for seven yards and a catch for four yards. Shonn Greene is handling most of the duties this season, but Powell still holds promise.	at
52			Montario Hardesty 8 rush yards Hardesty has disappeared in the Browns' offense as Trent Richardson has shown he can handle the full workload. We'll be surprised if Hardesty carries the ball more than a few times against Dallas.	at

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