Yates’ Early Week 12 Fantasy Football RB Rankings: Do You Need To Start Jahmyr Gibbs, Tony Pollard, and James Conner?

It’s not even officially Week 12 yet, but that’s not going to stop us from looking ahead to the next week of action and helping you get ready to dominate your fantasy football lineups! The fantasy playoffs are closing in quickly, and we need to know who we can trust.

Who do you need to be starting this week at the RB position? Let’s dive into my early Week 12 rankings to find out!

Which RB Should You Start in Fantasy Football?

1) Christian McCaffrey | SF (at SEA)
2) Travis Etienne Jr. | JAX (at HOU)
3) Austin Ekeler | LAC (vs. BAL)
4) Alvin Kamara | NO (at ATL)
5) Jonathan Taylor | IND (vs. TB)
6) D’Andre Swift | PHI (vs. BUF)
7) Jahmyr Gibbs | DET (vs. GB)
8) Josh Jacobs | LV (vs. KC)
9) Breece Hall | NYJ (vs. MIA)
10) Javonte Williams | DEN (vs. CLE)
11) Tony Pollard | DAL (vs. WAS)
12) Isiah Pacheco | KC (at LV)
13) Bijan Robinson | ATL (vs. NO)
14) Kenneth Walker III | SEA (vs. SF)
15) David Montgomery | DET (vs. GB)
16) Brian Robinson Jr. | WAS (at DAL)
17) De’Von Achane | MIA (at NYJ)
18) Rachaad White | TB (at IND)
19) Saquon Barkley | NYG (vs. NE)
20) James Conner | ARI (vs. LAR)

21) Joe Mixon | CIN (vs. PIT)
22) Derrick Henry | TEN (vs. CAR)
23) Gus Edwards | BAL (at LAC)
24) Raheem Mostert | MIA (at NYJ)
25) Devin Singletary | HOU (vs. JAX)
26) Rhamondre Stevenson | NE (at NYG)
27) James Cook | BUF (at PHI)
28) AJ Dillon | GB (at DET)
29) Alexander Mattison | MIN (vs. CHI)
30) Jerome Ford | CLE (at DEN)
31) Jaylen Warren | PIT (at CIN)
32) Darrell Henderson Jr. | LAR (at ARI)
33) Khalil Herbert | CHI (at MIN)
34) Najee Harris | PIT (at CIN)
35) Chuba Hubbard | CAR (at TEN)
36) Dameon Pierce | HOU (vs. JAX)
37) Keaton Mitchell | BAL (at LAC)
38) Kareem Hunt | CLE (at DEN)
39) Ty Chandler | MIN (vs. CHI)
40) Tyler Allgeier | ATL (vs. NO)

MORE: Week 12 Positional Rankings — QB | WR | TE | K | DST

41) Zack Moss | IND (vs. TB)
42) Royce Freeman | LAR (at ARI)
43) D’Onta Foreman | CHI (at MIN)
44) Zach Charbonnet | SEA (vs. SF)
45) Tyjae Spears | TEN (vs. CAR)
46) Rico Dowdle | DAL (vs. WAS)
47) Latavius Murray | BUF (at PHI)
48) Jaleel McLaughlin | DEN (vs. CLE)
49) Miles Sanders | CAR (at TEN)
50) Jerick McKinnon | KC (at LV)
51) Roschon Johnson | CHI (at MIN)
52) Kenneth Gainwell | PHI (vs. BUF)
53) Ezekiel Elliott | NE (at NYG)
54) Samaje Perine | DEN (vs. CLE)
55) Joshua Kelley | LAC (vs. BAL)
56) Justice Hill | BAL (at LAC)
57) Elijah Mitchell | SF (at SEA)
58) D’Ernest Johnson | JAX (at HOU)
59) Dalvin Cook | NYJ (vs. MIA)
60) Chase Edmonds | TB (at IND)

61) Mike Boone | HOU (vs. JAX)
62) Matt Breida | NYG (vs. NE)
63) Chris Rodriguez Jr. | WAS (at DAL)
64) Clyde Edwards-Helaire | KC (at LV)
65) Tank Bigsby | JAX (at HOU)
66) Salvon Ahmed | MIA (at NYJ)
67) Pierre Strong Jr. | CLE (at DEN)
68) Keaontay Ingram | ARI (vs. LAR)
69) Raheem Blackshear | CAR (at TEN)
70) Trayveon Williams | CIN (vs. PIT)
71) Ameer Abdullah | LV (vs. KC)
72) Kyle Juszczyk | SF (at SEA)
73) Zamir White | LV (vs. KC)
74) Leonard Fournette | BUF (at PHI)
75) Israel Abanikanda | NYJ (vs. MIA)
76) Kene Nwangwu | MIN (vs. CHI)
77) Alec Ingold | MIA (at NYJ)
78) Jashaun Corbin | CAR (at TEN)
79) Jordan Mason | SF (at SEA)
80) C.J. Ham | MIN (vs. CHI)

Top RBs To Start in Week 12

Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans

Derrick Henry hasn’t exactly been a productive fantasy option over the past two weeks. After finishing as a top-15 running back the three games prior, Henry has ended the week as the RB48 and the RB36 in Weeks 10 and 11, respectively.

Henry’s totaled just 21 carries over that time frame, and he’s losing work in this backfield to Tyjae Spears in the passing game, which means that he’s game-script dependent.

Still, Henry absolutely has to be in starting lineups this next week against the Carolina Panthers defense. The Panthers are allowing a jaw-dropping 26 fantasy points per game to opposing running backs so far this season, second most in the entire NFL.

Even with Tennessee recently struggling to stay competitive in games, they should be able to do enough against this faltering Carolina team that is currently in last place in the NFL standings. Start Henry with confidence.

Jerome Ford, Cleveland Browns

It wasn’t a particularly impressive day at the office for Jerome Ford in Week 11, but he was able to save his fantasy outing by finding the end zone against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He’s now gone three straight weeks finishing inside the top 24 RBs, and he seems poised to have another decent performance in Week 12 against the Denver Broncos.

The Broncos’ defense is still allowing the most fantasy points per game to the position this year, and Ford should have enough opportunity to find pay dirt again in this one. His volume is a little lower than we’d prefer to see, but the opportunity is too good to have him sit on your bench if you’re in need of a decent Flex play.

Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer, Start/Sit Optimizer, and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!