Demarco Still Gettin' The Rock: Week 11 Running Back Targets/Carries

RB Targets | WR/TE Targets

 

Anyone worried about Demarco Murray losing a lot of his value to Felix Jones can breathe a sigh of relief.  Though it wasn’t his most productive week, Murray tied Michael Bush with 32 total looks, while Felix barely sniffed the field and saw only 5 carries and a single target.  Murray has the look of a RB1 going forward, especially with a fairly favorable schedule during the playoff run (@TB and PHI in weeks 15 and 16).

 

Ball Hogs

  • Michael Bush continues to do work in relief of Darren McFadden.  McFadden is still no lock to play in week 12, and Bush will maintain the value of a RB1 as the huge workloads continue to come his way.
  • Has Cam Cameron finally figured out that he needs to give Ray Rice the rock?  The Ravens are 5-0 when Rice sees 18 carries or more, and 1-4 when he doesn’t.  It’s really not that hard of a concept, is it?
  • Marshawn Lynch continues to see a lot of touches and as cited last week, he has a very favorable schedule over the next 3 weeks (WAS, PHI, STL). 
  • Concerns about Frank Gore’s health were alleviated as he saw 24 carries and 2 targets.  His production wasn’t the greatest, and now with San Francisco sitting at 9-1, we could see Gore getting rested up during the playoff stretch.
  • Chris Ogbonnaya showed some signs of life as he turned 21 carries and 2 catches into 155 total yards and a touchdown.  Still, with Montario Hardesty on the verge of being healthy and a schedule that includes Cincy, Pittsburgh, and Baltimore twice over the next 5 weeks, don’t count on him to solve your running back woes.
  • If you managed to start Kevin Smith, props to you my friend.  The signs were all there, as Carolina has given up the most fantasy points to opposing running backs, but it was impossible to know Kevin Smith would turn into the Lions’ workhorse in a crowded backfield.  He’s definitely worth the waiver grab, especially since Detroit has been looking for a spark in their running game.
  • Joe McKnight has shown that he can be a solid running back when given the opportunity.  The Jets would be foolish to continue to sit McKnight in favor of Tomlinson.  Make an effort to grab him off the waiver wire, but this is more of a wait and see situation with Shonn Greene and LT2 still in the mix.
  • LeGarrette Blount pulled off the run of the year, and the Bucs kept pace with the Packers which allowed Blount to stay in the game for 18 totes.  Blount’s remaining schedule through week 16: @TEN, CAR, @JAC, DAL, and @CAR.  After being a bust for most of the year, he could carry many teams to fantasy championships if you can squeeze your way into the playoffs.

 

Donkeys

  • Despite his performance in week 10, Chris Johnson is not back.  It’s a nightmare, really, because he’s nearly impossible to bench given his history.  Owners can hope that the soft schedule going forward will enable him to at least put up some mediocre games, but Chris Johnson’s days as a fantasy stud appear to be over.
  • Marion Barber, John Kuhn, B.J. Raji…there’s a good chance that every fantasy owner in some way hates you.
  • With Tolbert and Mathews in pretty much a 50/50 split for touches, neither is making a case to be the lead back, and the Chargers continue to abandon the run as they fall behind early in games.
  • Willis McGahee fought off the hamstring injury to make the start for the Broncos on a short week, but threw up a -0.2 point line as he lost a fumble and only managed 18 yards on 12 carries.  As the Broncos continue to go run heavy though, McGahee is definitely worth a flex spot in your lineup.
  • Roy Helu continues to out produce every other Redskins’ back, but Mike Shanahan could care less.  With only 10 touches in a game that went to overtime, it’s a fair question to ask if the Super Bowl winning coach knows what he’s doing.

 

Rank Player CAR REC TGTS CAR+TGTS
1 Demarco Murray, DAL 25 6 7 32
1 Michael Bush, OAK 30 2 2 32
3 Ray Rice, BAL 20 5 10 30
4 Marshawn Lynch, SEA 27 2 2 29
5 LeSean McCoy, PHI 23 3 4 27
5 Maurice Jones-Drew, JAX 21 4 6 27
7 Frank Gore, SF 24 1 2 26
7 Matt Forte, CHI 21 4 5 26
9 Chris Ogbonnaya, CLE 21 2 3 24
10 Joe McKnight, NYJ 16 6 7 23
10 Michael Turner, ATL 21 1 2 23
12 BenJarvus Green-Ellis, NE 20 1 2 22
13 Kevin Smith , DET 16 4 4 20
13 Reggie Bush, MIA 15 4 5 20
13 Steven Jackson, STL 15 3 5 20
16 LeGarrette Blount, TB 18 1 1 19
17 James Starks, GB 11 6 6 17
18 Brandon Jacobs, NYG 12 3 4 16
18 Cedric Benson, CIN 15 0 1 16
18 Daniel Thomas, MIA 15 0 1 16
21 Chris Johnson, TEN 12 3 3 15
21 Ryan Mathews, SD 13 2 2 15
23 Jonathan Stewart, CAR 8 6 6 14
24 Fred Jackson, BUF 7 5 5 12
24 Kendall Hunter, SF 11 1 1 12
24 Willis McGahee, DEN 12 0 0 12
27 DeAngelo Williams, CAR 10 1 1 11
28 Bernard Scott, CIN 9 0 1 10
28 Dexter McCluster, KC 8 2 2 10
28 Mike Tolbert, SD 3 5 7 10
28 Roy Helu, WAS 8 2 2 10
32 Beanie Wells, ARI 8 0 1 9
32 Danny Woodhead, NE 5 2 4 9
32 Jackie Battle , KC 8 1 1 9
32 Jason Snelling, ATL 7 1 2 9
32 Marcel Reece , OAK 6 2 3 9
37 Bilal Powell, NYJ 7 1 1 8
37 Lance Ball , DEN 5 2 3 8
37 Maurice Morris , DET 7 1 1 8
37 Shane Vereen, NE 8 0 0 8
37 Thomas Jones, KC 8 0 0 8
37 Toby Gerhart, MIN 7 1 1 8
43 Anthony Dixon, SF 7 0 0 7
43 Brian Leonard , CIN 2 5 5 7
43 C.J. Spiller, BUF 3 2 4 7
43 Ricky Williams, BAL 5 1 2 7
43 Tashard Choice, WAS 6 1 1 7
48 Adrian Peterson, MIN 6 0 0 6
48 D.J. Ware, NYG 3 2 3 6
48 Felix Jones, DAL 5 1 1 6
48 Javon Ringer, TEN 0 3 6 6
48 Johnny White, BUF 2 1 4 6
48 Leon Washington , SEA 6 0 0 6
48 Marion Barber, CHI 6 0 0 6
55 Justin Forsett, SEA 4 1 1 5
55 Spencer Larsen, DEN 5 0 0 5
57 Charles Clay, MIA 0 4 4 4
57 Chester Taylor , ARI 1 0 3 4
57 Deji Karim, JAX 4 0 0 4
57 Ryan Grant, GB 4 0 0 4
57 Shonn Greene, NYJ 3 1 1 4
57 Jeremiah Johnson, DEN 3 1 1 4
63 Da'Rel Scott, NYG 2 1 1 3
63 Jacob Hester , SD 1 2 2 3
65 Darrel Young , WAS 0 1 2 2
65 Jacquizz Rodgers, ATL 2 0 0 2
65 John Kuhn , GB 1 1 1 2
65 Montell Owens, JAX 2 0 0 2
65 Owen Marecic, CLE 0 2 2 2
65 Taiwan Jones, OAK 2 0 0 2
65 Vonta Leach, BAL 0 2 2 2
72 Bruce Miller, SF 0 1 1 1
72 Dion Lewis, PHI 1 0 0 1
72 Erik Lorig, TB 0 1 1 1
72 John Conner , NYJ 1 0 0 1
72 Keiland Williams , DET 1 0 0 1
72 Kregg Lumpkin, TB 0 1 1 1
72 Larod Stephens-Howling, ARI 1 0 0 1
72 Lex Hilliard, MIA 1 0 0 1
72 Michael Robinson , SEA 0 1 1 1
72 Owen Schmitt, PHI 0 0 1 1
72 Reagan Maui'a, ARI 0 1 1 1
72 Ronnie Brown, PHI 1 0 0 1
72 Ryan D'Imperio, MIN 0 1 1 1
72 Thomas Clayton, CLE 1 0 0 1
72 Tyler Clutts, CHI 0 1 1 1