If you’d told me in Week 1 that the best fantasy football running backs in Week 11 would be Devin Singletary and Jaylen Warren, I’d have laughed hysterically. However, that was exactly what happened this past weekend, and both will be options for us in the below breakdowns.
Isaiah Pacheco and Raheem Mostert both saw significant work and good production, Saquon Barkley came to life late in the day for the Giants and both David Montgomery AND Jahymr Gibbs were effective for the Lions.
Samaje Perine led the position in receiving yards with 60, while Gibbs was a close second with 59 on six receptions. Brian Robinson had another great day catching the ball for the Commanders with seven catches and 58 yards, and Ty Johnson is one of our favorite waiver claims going into Thanksgiving week.
Let’s get into four of the week’s matchups, including games for Jaylen Warren and Devin Singletary. Can they repeat their production again this time around?
New York Jets vs Miami Dolphins
Breece Hall – Start (Projection 15 Points)
Breece Hall is listed as the RB10 right now, but it’s not an ideal matchup this week against the Miami Dolphins.
The Jets are struggling to move the ball right now generally, and Breece Hall’s performances are suffering as a result with less than 30 rushing yards in three of his last four games.
However, he is a solid PPR running back with an average of 4.5 catches in each of those same four games, as well as 97 receiving yards and a touchdown in the last two combined.
I don’t love the Jets run game, nor their passing game, but quick game is going to be the answer for them against Miami, who will blanket the Jets wide receivers all day.
Raheem Mostert – Start (Projection 13.2 Points)
Raheem Mostert was expected to be splitting carries again with DeVon Achane returning from IR, but the rookie had his leg landed on with his first run on Sunday and was sidelined for the remainder.
The result was a 22 carry day for Raheem Mostert, picking up 85+ rushing yards for the second straight game. He’s not getting all that much work as a receiving back, only getting one target against the Raiders, but his production and opportunity is still solid. The Jets are allowing 137 rushing yards a game right now, making them the third worst run defense in football.
You can start Raheem Mostert in fantasy football this week with confidence. Just keep an eye on Achane’s status as we head towards Friday’s game.
Houston Texans vs Jacksonville Jaguars
Devin Singletary – Sit (Projection 12.2 Points)
This bubble is going to burst at some point, and I don’t want to be on the wrong side of it.
Devin Singletary has now had back to back weeks with exceptional production, going for a combined 262 rushing yards and two touchdowns against the Bengals and Cardinals.
Prior to those two games, Singletary’s season high in Houston was 58, and he’s only gone over 30 twice.
He is seeing an unfathomable amount of work, carrying the football 52 times in the last two games, and at some point that is going to come right back down to where it belongs at around 12-15. Yes he’s playing in place of Dameon Pierce right now, but I don’t want to get caught out here, and Jacksonville has a great front seven.
This game will likely mean reduced work for Singletary, listed as RB26 going into the weekend. I’ll be avoiding him against the Jags.
Travis Etienne – Start (Projection 19.8 Points)
This is an easy one, Etienne is a top three running back this season who consistently produces every week no matter the opponent.
I like what DeMeco Ryans is building with that Texans defense, but Etienne will still score fantasy points regardless. He’s listed as RB2 behind Christian McCaffrey, and is an easy start in Week 12.
Cincinnati Bengals vs Pittsburgh Steelers
Joe Mixon – Sit (Projection 17 Points)
This is a very tough matchup for Jake Browning and the Bengals offense. It’s going to be Browning’s first ever start in the NFL, despite being in the league since 2019, and he’ll have to deal with the one man wrecking ball that is T.J. Watt and company right out of the gate.
This is likely going to be a low scoring, heated division contest. I don’t expect the Bengals to panic into checking down all their playcalls into quick passes to Joe Mixon. Browning has been in the building for two years, he knows the system, and the coaches will be expecting him to run it somewhat effectively.
If anything, the Steelers will look to eliminate the run and force Browning into third and long situations.
Often it feels like a downgrade in QB would mean an uptick in opportunity for the running back. I don’t see that being the case in this one.
Jaylen Warren – Start (Projection 12.6 Points)
There’s a lot to think about with this one, mainly the fact that Matt Canada was fired this week. Could that mean that Jaylen Warren suddenly gets the lion’s share of carries? Maybe. Should he? Almost certainly.
Play Calling responsibilities will be moving over to the Steelers QB coach Mike Sullivan, and who knows how exactly he will run personnel in this weekend’s game.
What we do know is this; Jaylen Warren has been maximizing his opportunities for weeks now, and last Sunday was no different.
He had nine carries for 129 yards and a touchdown against the Browns, while Najee Harris had 12 carries for 35 and no TD. The answer seems obvious at this point. Najee just isn’t reaching the same highs, and Warren should see more ball.
Arizona Cardinals vs Los Angeles Rams
James Conner – Start (Projection 12.9 Points)
I like this matchup. James Conner has been back for two weeks now after missing several weeks following the Week 5 matchup with San Francisco.
In his two starts since, Conner has managed 16 carries for 73 yards against Atlanta, and 14 carries for 62 yards against Houston. He did have two receptions in the Houston game too, but is not the sort of running back you can depend on for targets. He has 10 catches in seven starts this year, meaning he’s essentially null and void as a PPR running back.
That said, the production on the ground is solid. He’s got a mediocre ceiling, but a decent floor, and the Rams have been allowing around 118 rushing yards a game so far this season. James Conner is a very low risk play, so if you’re taking a risk on somebody else, he could be a great compliment.
Kyren Williams – Sit (Projection 9.4 Points)
Kyren Williams is being activated from IR ahead of the Rams game against the Cardinals this weekend, making the running back situation on Sean McVay’s team a complex one.
With the news of Williams returning the team cut Darrell Henderson, but I think we see a lot of Royce Freeman this Sunday in what could be a major trap for fantasy players.
Kyren Williams fantasy points early in the year made him one of the most enticing waiver claims, but he hasn’t played since Week 6 and we don’t know if he’s going to come back in and take the majority of reps in the backfield.
Starting him this week is a high risk move. 20 carries feels unlikely, and in both games in which he reached 100+ rushing yards this season he needed 20 or more carries to do so. I think sit him for the weekend and roll the dice next week depending on what we see from him against the Cardinals.
