It's not exactly breaking news that Fantasy managers need to plan to be without Mark Ingram and J.K. Dobbins on Sunday. With his production, you could argue we've been without Ingram all season long. But with James Conner's reported positive test Sunday and Lamar Jackson's earlier positive, we have to at least consider the possibility we'll be without Gus Edwards as well.
If the Ravens and Steelers play Tuesday night as now planned, Edwards is a No. 2 running back. Benny Snell now becomes important if that game is played. But that still feels like a big if. Fortunately for Fantasy managers, there are backs available on the waiver wire we project for large roles. The first is our old friend Frank Gore.
As Adrian Peterson showed on Thanksgiving, age is not a good enough reason to avoid a player. Gore has double-digit carries in all but two games this season, and with Lamical Perine on IR, Gore should be closer to 20 carries than 10. His matchup isn't a good one, but with that type of volume, Gore is a borderline top-30 back this week.
A better option may be Brian Hill, who finds himself in the top-24 range with Todd Gurley (knee) out. If Austin Ekeler is out again, Joshua Kelley or Troymaine Pope would be flexish against a bad Bills defense.
The next best bet would be touchdown-or-bust backs like Alexander Mattison and Malcolm Brown.
More Week 12: Start 'Em & Sit 'Em | Starts and Sits, Sleepers and Bust | PPR Cheat Sheet | Non-PPR Cheat Sheet | QB Preview | RB Preview | WR Preview | TE Preview | Matchup Notes | Start 'Em & Sit 'Em: QB | Start 'Em & Sit 'Em: RB | Star 'Em & Sit 'Em: WR | Rankings | Waiver Wire | Trade Values Chart | Cut List | Week 11 Winners and Losers | Believe It Or Not
The following players are out for Week 12:
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Numbers to know
- 22.9 -- Derrick Henry is averaging 22.9 rush attempts per game.
- 101.1 -- James Robinson is averaging more than 100 total yards per game.
- 0 -- Taysom Hill's first start was the first game of Alvin Kamara's career without a catch.
- 9 -- James White had nine targets in Week 11.
- 8.4 -- Chargers running backs are averaging 8.4 targets per game.
- 3.4 -- Damien Harris is averaging 3.4 yards before contact per attempt. That's third-best among running backs.
- 5 -- Salvon Ahmed caught five passes in Week 11; he only caught one in the two games prior.
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Matchups that matter
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Waiver Wire Targets
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Heath's Projections
So who should you start and sit this week? And which surprising quarterback could lead you to victory? Visit SportsLine now to get Week 12 rankings for every position, plus see which QB is going to come out of nowhere to crack the top 10, all from the model that out-performed experts big-time last season.