You’ll often hear about NFL teams struggling on a “short week.” Well, welcome to the shortest of short weeks for fantasy football owners. With three games on Thursday (one of which starts shortly after some people wake up) and a host of distractions to take away from valuable roster management time, start ’em, sit ’em decisions can feel shaky and rushed. We do our best to help with our Week 12 fantasy RB PPR rankings. 

Running back is always one of the toughest positions to evaluate each week, and while there are some difficult calls in Week 12, the position mostly sorts itself out itself out. We’ll explain.

WEEK 12 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

The most difficult RB lineup decisions often involve committee backs, but this week, several frustrating timeshares have tough matchups. D’Onta Foreman and Adrian Peterson (@ Patriots) and Zack Moss and Devin Singletary (@ Saints) are in the worst spots and unstartable in PPR leagues, which might also be true for Latavius Murray and Devonta Freeman (vs. Browns). Freeman’s done enough lately to at least be a flex, but his six catches from last week aren’t going to be the norm. Alex Collins and Seattle’s other backs (@ Washington) are also in tough spots, but Collins is still a decent bet for touches. 

WEEK 12 PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson (vs. Titans) don’t catch many passes, but Harris still has high TD upside and should be in lineups as at least a flex. David Johnson and Rex Burkhead (vs. Jets) have the best fantasy matchup for RBs, so one will be worth starting — likely Johnson since he gets more targets — but both have low floors and only middling ceilings.

The best committee this week is one of the most equally divided — Denver’s duo of Javonte Williams and Melvin Gordon. They play a Chargers defense allowing the second-most fantasy points per game to runners, so both Williams and Gordon are solid starters. Ty Johnson (@ Texans), Jeff Wilson Jr. (vs. Vikings), Tony Pollard (vs. Raiders), and J.D. McKissic (vs. Seahawks) are also in play. Johnson and McKissic are especially interesting in PPR leagues given their usual amount of targets, though Johnson disappointed in that department last week. Nyheim Hines (vs. Buccaneers) is also an interesting PPR option. Tampa is tied for the second-most receptions per game allowed to RBs, so Hines might have sneaky PPR flex value.

There aren’t a ton of other sleepers or regular starters who should be benched. Guys like Darrell Henderson (@ Packers), Joe Mixon (vs. Steelers), and Myles Gaskin (vs. Panthers) aren’t the most appealing, but they get too many touches/catches to bench. Injuries and players returning from injuries (Kareem Hunt? Cordarrelle Patterson? Alvin Kamara?) will certainly shake things up, but for now, we have to focus on what we know. Hopefully, that will make this short week a little easier.

Note: We’ll be updating these RB PR rankings throughout the week, so check back for analysis and the latest player movement.

Fantasy RB PPR Rankings Week 12: Who to start at running back

Rankings are based on full-point PPR scoring