Week 12 Start ‘Em Sit ‘Em Running Backs: Wayne Gallman cannot be stopped

Last week in fantasy, Dalvin Cook led all running backs with 25 fantasy points against the Dallas Cowboys. On the other side of that game, Ezekiel Elliot saw his first double-digit point fantasy game since week six of the season. J.K Dobbins saw his first top ten appearances in the fantasy standings this season, but he just got put onto the COVID reserve list along with Mark Ingram, dubbing them out for this Sunday against the Steelers. This week, I will be going over who to start and sit for running backs this week in fantasy.

Start ‘Em

Gus Edwards has seen some decent fantasy numbers this season in a crowded Baltimore Ravens’ backfield. Between weeks 6-8, Edwards had a touchdown in each of those games and over ten carries. While his touches are sporadic, the fact that Mark Ingram and J.K Dobbins will be out this week, due to COVID-19, opens a lot of doors for Gus Edwards. While Justice Hil will split time with Edwards too, he should still have a solid outing. It’s nerve-racking that his first start will be against the Pittsburgh Steelers, who allow the second least amount of fantasy points to running backs this season. However, he has projected 10.3 fantasy points and would be a great streamer, considering he is owned only in 31.7% of leagues.

Ezekiel Elliott had a rough four-week span where he was touchdown-less and only saw two games over 50 yards. Zeke was an easy target for defenses without any sort of passing game for the Cowboys. However, since the return of Andy Dalton, last week Zeke had a stat line of 21-103 with a receiving touchdown on the end of it for 19.4 fantasy points. Now, with the return of a passing game to Dallas, Zeke is back to being a reliable running back. Next week, the Cowboys take on Washington in a crucial division game. Zeke has projected 15.3 fantasy points next week.

Wayne Gallman has been streaking in the past four weeks of fantasy football, averaging 15.83 fantasy points in that span. He has been in the top 15 in each of the last four games for fantasy football. Gallman has also seen the endzone in every one of those games. Two weeks ago, he proved me wrong after having said he would not perform to his best against the Eagles. Ultimately, he scored two touchdowns and put up his highest fantasy point total of the season at 19.2 fantasy points. Next week, he will play against a Joe Burrow-less Cincinnati Bengals team that they need to win to stay in the division title hunt. Gallman has projected 12.05 next week.

David Montgomery has nicely been handling all of the touches in the backfield for the Chicago Bears without Tarik Cohen and the small involvement of Cordarrelle Patterson. He has only seen one game under 10 points in the past eight weeks, which was two weeks ago against the Tennessee Titans. Montgomery did miss the game against Minnesota with a concussion, but he is fully healthy now and will play against Green Bay on Sunday night. Green Bay has allowed the third-most fantasy points to running backs this season, and Matt Nagy has said he needs to improve the run game. He has projected 9.15 points next week, but his ceiling is high.

Zack Moss has seen three games in the past four games for the Bills with 10 or more fantasy points. Moss is a week-to-week type fantasy player, but his lead role over Devin Singletary is nice for his value. However, the Bills hardly run the ball, and Moss has only seen one game with over 10 attempts in the backfield. But, the Chargers are a respectable passing defense with a weaker running defense. The Bills will need to run the ball in this game to get away, and all signs will point to Moss as the guy to do it. Moss has projected 9.6 points and is only owned in 49.1% of fanasty leagues, making him a solid streamer or flex option this weekend.

Sit ‘Em

Jerick McKinnon has been feasting on carries in the last two weeks with 30 over that span. However, Raheem Mostert has started to practice again and has hinted at the good chance he suits up on Sunday. Plus, Tevin Coleman is only listed as questionable this week, as he has made substantial progress in his recovery. I do not think it is a good idea to start McKinnon this weekend in fantasy. Considering the 49ers will also be facing off against the Los Angeles Rams, who have allowed the fourth least amount of points to running backs, I do not have much faith in McKinnon.

Jamaal Williams had a solid two-week stretch where he got over 15 attempts in each game due to the absence of Aaron Jones. His performances were thought to possibly see an increase in touches, but he has not gotten over 10 since those weeks. Last week, he had a bailout touchdown reception that kept his fantasy points relevant. But, his reliance on getting touchdowns is not a risk owners should take in such a busy Packer offense. The Packers square off against the Chicago Bears on Sunday night, and they have allowed the tenth least amount of points to fantasy running backs this season. Williams is a no-go for me this weekend.

Melvin Gordon put up a healthy two touchdowns and 84 yards for 18.4 fantasy points, which placed him in the top ten for fantasy football running back standings. Gordon has not seen a week over 10 points since week eight, and he most likely will not see one next week. New Orleans has been extremely dominant against the run game of their opponents, allowing the least amount of fantasy points to running backs this season. New Orleans has only allowed a running back within the top-20 of running back standings twice, and one of them was Aaron Jones where he ranked 15th that week. Having Phillip Lindsay in the backfield does not help his case either. Gordon has projected 10.7 points this week, but I could see it being lower than that.