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Week 12 featured a full slate of NFL games as we ended up with three on Thanksgiving Day and the first ever on Black Friday. Here at RotoBaller, we hope you enjoyed your Thanksgiving and were able to spend it with loved ones. Monday night's game will feature the Chicago Bears and the Minnesota Vikings as Week 12 comes to a close.
49ers RB Christian McCaffrey found the end zone twice and we also got a solid performance from Dolphins RB Raheem Mostert on Black Friday. In most fantasy leagues, there will be only two to three weeks left of the regular season, and hopefully, your chances are looking good in your league. Rams RB Kyren Williams was activated off injured reserve and he didn't disappoint. Williams went absolutely nuclear on the ground and looks to be the RB1 on the week.
The bad news? Coming up here in Week 13, we are going to be faced with the ultimate bye-mageddon of sorts. The Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, Las Vegas Raiders, and New York Giants are all on a bye. This will undoubtedly make lineup setting a tad bit difficult next week, but we can tackle that issue in the article below. Here are the top 10 RBs based on half-PPR fantasy scores in Week 12 (excluding Monday Night Football). For those of you who are in need of some real-time stats, bookmark our live fantasy scoreboard to your browser. You'll get live updates, top performances, and more -- because who doesn't basically want some nonstop live fantasy action?
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Top 10 Running Backs Of The Week
Here are the top 10 running backs from Week 12 of the 2023 NFL season in half-PPR scoring:
| Rank | Player | Team | Points |
| 1 | Kyren Williams | LAR | 35.4 |
| 2 | Christian McCaffrey | SF | 28.4 |
| 3 | Bijan Robinson | ATL | 25.8 |
| 4 | Isiah Pacheco | KC | 23.4 |
| 5 | Raheem Mostert | MIA | 21.4 |
| 6 | Jonathan Taylor | IND | 21.1 |
| 7 | Josh Jacobs | LV | 20.5 |
| 8 | Derrick Henry | TEN | 20.1 |
| 9 | Tony Pollard | DAL | 19.3 |
| 10 | Rhamondre Stevenson | NE | 19.2 |
1. Kyren Williams, Los Angeles Rams
After landing on injured reserve and missing the Rams' last four games with an ankle injury, Williams was activated on Sunday and he didn't miss a beat! The second-year RB from Notre Dame carried the rock 16 times for 143 yards but really shined as a receiver with six receptions for 61 yards and two scores. After limping into their Week 10 bye with a 3-6 start, the Rams have gotten to 5-6 and have a chance to even the score against the banged-up Cleveland Browns in Week 13. Williams had four RB7 or better finishes in six of his games earlier in the year before being injured. He is a must-start every week going forward and seems to be the missing cog in Sean McVay's offense.
2. Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers
For the ninth time this year, CMC has strutted into the fantasy top-nine RBs like it's his personal runway. Even on his off days, he's lounging comfortably at RB15 -- talk about consistency! This guy is the fantasy equivalent of a superhero, capably donning the MVP cape for the 2023 NFL season. On Thanksgiving night against the Seahawks, CMC rushed 19 times for 114 yards and two TDs on top of five receptions for 25 yards. The only thing stopping CMC is durability. He's seen a large workload this year and the hope from many across the fantasy community is that head coach Kyle Shanahan will keep his star RB fresh for the playoff stretch run.
3. Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons
Falcons head coach Arthur Smith promised to get Robinson more involved in the Falcons offense after Week 9, and so far he's lived up to his promise. On Sunday in a big win over the Saints, Bijan had 16 carries for 91 yards and a score and shined as a receiver with six targets, three receptions, 32 yards, and another TD. Robinson is such a dynamic runner and receiver, he almost makes it look too easy. While no doubt the fantasy community has been frustrated with Bijan's usage this year, the hope is the last two weeks are a sign of better things to come. There just simply aren't many other running backs in the NFL with Bijan's skill or upside.
4. Isiah Pacheco, Kansas City Chiefs
Pacheco had a very favorable matchup against the Raiders in Week 12 and boy did he deliver. The Chiefs trailed 14-0 early before roaring back and taking control of the game. The Chiefs' starting RB had 15 rushes for just 55 yards, but he scored twice and caught all five of his targets for another 34 receiving yards. Pacheco remains a TD-dependent RB2 in fantasy going forward, but if this Chiefs offense can start heating up and click like it did today, the upside is there. Coming up, the Chiefs play the Packers on Sunday Night Football in Week 13.
5. Raheem Mostert, Miami Dolphins
After rookie RB De'Von Achane was ruled out for Week 12, Mostert continued to shine. The wily veteran from Purdue finished with 20 carries for 94 yards and two TDs. It was Mostert's fifth top-10 RB finish of the season and he's been an absolute league-winner so far based on where was being drafted. Will Achane return in Week 13? If you're holding Mostert, you definitely have to be worried about Achane coming back, but so far Mostert has been so awesome for fantasy that you have to keep riding it out regardless. Coming up, the Dolphins get the Commanders in Week 13, another juicy matchup.
6. Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts
Coming off the Colts bye week, JT definitely looked like his old self in the Week 12 victory. The uber-talented RB rushed 15 times for 91 yards and found the end zone twice. He wasn't featured at all as a receiver in this game, but it was nice to see some of the same explosiveness from Taylor out there today. Coming up, the Colts have a tough RB matchup against the Titans in Week 13, but it's hard to leave Taylor on your bench regardless.
7. Josh Jacobs, Las Vegas Raiders
After struggling quite a bit early in the season, the Raiders RB looked to have some of his old burst back in Week 12. Jacobs had a tough matchup for fantasy based on the spread, but he delivered with 20 rush attempts for 110 yards and one TD. He also saw six targets and finished with four receptions for 15 yards. The veteran RB had a long rush for 63 yards where he scored and you can see how hard the Raiders have been playing every week under interim head coach Antonio Pierce. Jacobs has a bye in Week 13, but the Raiders will face the Vikings and Chargers after.
8. Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans
While the Titans' offense has largely been disappointing this season, Henry looked like the King Henry of old on Sunday. He rushed 18 times for 76 yards and two TDs as Tennessee rolled over Carolina. Rookie RB Tyjae Spears has siphoned away a lot of the receiving work from Henry, who will be a free agent in the 2024 offseason. While he hasn't been as great as years past for fantasy in 2023, it's pretty clear that the Titans' playoff hopes if they want to get back in the race will hinge on the success of Henry.
9. Tony Pollard, Dallas Cowboys
Pollard has been hard to gauge this year for fantasy. According to PFF's expected fantasy points model, Pollard should be the RB7 on the season. The Cowboys have been in a lot of lopsided games this season, mostly in their favor. With the game well in hand by the fourth quarter in a lot of them, there really wasn't a lot of reason for Pollard to stay out there. He did look better on Thanksgiving Day in Week 12 where he rushed 13 times for 79 yards and one TD, but he had six receptions for 24 yards. Pollard has just one top-five RB weekly finish, but he's found the end zone in each of the last two weeks. This Cowboys offense is firing on all cylinders. Don't give up on Tony P. just yet...
10. Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots
Was nice to see Rhamondre back in the mix this week. He's been dealt a bad hand for 2023, as the New England offense lacks any real skill players or difference-makers on the offensive side of the ball. The quarterback situation is a mess and it's taken a toll on Stevenson being able to get going for fantasy this season. On Sunday in a loss to the Giants, Stevenson had 21 rushes for 98 yards and one TD as well as five receptions for nine yards. The Pats get a nice matchup against the Chargers defense in Week 13, although it's very possible that Bailey Zappe is under center at QB.
Looking Forward to the Rest of 2023
Week 13 is going to be a bit complicated as we will have six teams on a bye. How did your teams fare in Week 12? If you have any potential trade questions, as well as questions involving waivers or start/sit, be sure to follow us here at RotoBaller with up-to-date fantasy news and team reports. Best of luck the rest of the way!
Are there any running backs not on this list who you expect to bounce back in Week 13? If you have any FAAB or waiver questions as well, feel free to get at me on Twitter/X.
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