This is one of the toughest weeks for fantasy football managers to fill out their lineup, especially at running back, with the Bengals, Bills, Falcons, Jaguars, Jets and Saints all on a bye week. That means managers with RB1s Chase Brown, James Cook, Bijan Robinson, Breece Hall and/or Alvin Kamara have at least one spot they need to fill.
The waiver wire is a barren wasteland for running backs this time of year, but luckily I’m here to help find a potential diamond in the rough who could help you this week and possibly beyond.
I already mentioned Cam Akers in this spot the last two weeks, and he’s still available in 83% of leagues, so I won’t go into why again. You can read about it here and here and SI Fantasy insider Michael Fabiano also mentioned him in his Week 12 waiver wire article. Instead, here are three RBs who are available in over 50% of ESPN leagues, where availability data comes from, to target in Week 12.
Fantasy Football Running Backs Streaming Options in Week 12
Ameer Abdullah, Las Vegas Raiders, 99% Available
Abdullah could be the Raiders top back this week after Alexander Mattison (ankle) and Zamir White (quad) both left their Week 11 game with injuries. If that’s the case, Abdullah is the top back available on the waiver wire.
Abdullah has never been a workhorse back, but he has proven reliable catching passes out of the backfield. He turned his one catch in Week 11 into a TD and has played that role primarily throughout his career.
This week, the Raiders face a tough Broncos defense that just shut down the Falcons rushing attack. They are, however, more susceptible against the pass than rush, giving up the fifth-most receiving yards against opposing backs. In what’s expected to be a negative game script, Abdullah could benefit, especially in PPR leagues. That goes double if Mattison and/or White are out.
Roschon Johnson, Chicago Bears, 85% Available
Until this past week, Johnson was a hard sell as a waiver wire pick-up. But in Shane Waldron’s first game as Bears offensive coordinator, Johnson’s role took a notable uptick.
He had 30 snaps to 41 for D’Andre Swift. He ran 12 routes to 18 for Swift. He had 11 total opportunities to 16 for Swift. Most notably, he had 3 touches inside the 10-yard line to just 1 for Swift.
That’s not a split-back situation, but it’s approaching it and it does seem Johnson has real value as the Bears get closer to the goal line.
This week, the Bears face a Vikings defense that is one of the toughest against the run. There’s no way to sugarcoat it, Johnson is not an ideal start in Week 12. But if you’re desperate, he holds some value this week and certainly in the future, especially if Swift gets hurt.
Jerome Ford, Cleveland Browns, 65% Available
It’s clear Nick Chubb is not completely healed from the brutal knee injury he suffered last year. His yards per rush attempt are way down versus the rest of his career and, more important for fantasy purposes, so is his snap count.
Enter, Jerome Ford.
Last week, Chubb was on the field for just 30% of the Browns' offensive plays. In his previous two games, those numbers were 61% and 35%. Ford, meanwhile, has seen his playing time increase in the last two weeks, going from 46% in Week 9 to 56% in Week 11. He hasn’t done much with the extra playing time, but this week that could change.
The Browns face a Steelers defense that gives up the fifth-fewest rushing yards per attempt in the league (4.1) and the fourth-fewest yards per game overall. If you project a negative game script like everyone else, that means the Browns will need to throw the ball. Ford is the Browns' primary pass-catching option, and the Steelers are giving up the eighth-most passing yards to opposing RBs in the league.
As with all of these plays, there’s no guarantee Ford produces a big game. But at this point in the year, and with this many teams on bye, we’ll take what we can get.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Fantasy Football Streaming Running Backs to Add on Waiver Wire in Week 12.
