Fantasy Football Week 11 Rankings: RB

With nine games in the books, Ricky Williams -- despite being behind Ronnie Brown on the Dolphins' depth chart -- sits at 13th in fantasy points among running backs. Brown is ninth, so the Dolphins have themselves a pretty dynamic duo. For Week 11, they get to feast on the Carolina Panthers' 25th-ranked run defense Thursday night.

And Ricky's left alone in the backfield. With Brown nursing a foot injury, Williams will shoulder the bulk of the Miami offense. He's quite capable, as we've seen in spurts this season. He had 20 carries for over 100 yards last week. This week, he's gonna get the ball more often and run wild. Only the new "big three" are better options.

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1. Maurice Jones-Drew, JAX vs. BUF
2. Chris Johnson, TEN at HOU
3. Adrian Peterson, MIN vs. SEA
4. Ricky Williams, MIA at CAR
5. Steven Jackson, StL vs. ARI
6. Ray Rice, BAL vs. IND
7. Rashard Mendenhall, PIT at KC
8. DeAngelo Williams, CAR vs. MIA
9. Thomas Jones, NYJ at NE
10. Brandon Jacobs, NYG vs. ATL
11. Pierre Thomas, NO at TB
12. Matt Forte, CHI vs. PHI
13. Frank Gore, SF at GB
14. Kevin Smith, DET vs. CLE
15. LaDainian Tomlinson, SD at DEN
16. Joseph Addai, IND at BAL
17. Knowshon Moreno, DEN vs. SD
18. Beanie Wells, ARI at StL
19. Ryan Grant, GB vs. SF
20. LeSean McCoy, PHI at CHI**
21. Jonathan Stewart, CAR vs. MIA
22. Bernard Scott, CIN at OAK**
23. Steve Slaton, HOU vs. TEN
24. Ladell Betts, WAS at DAL**
25. Cadillac Williams, TB vs. NO
26. Marion Barber, DAL vs. WAS
27. Jason Snelling, ATL at NYG**
28. Ahmad Bradshaw, NYG vs. ATL
29. Marshawn Lynch, BUF at JAX
30. Fred Jackson, BUF at JAX
31. Tim Hightower, ARI at StL
32. Jamal Lewis, CLE at DET
33. Laurence Maroney, NE vs. NYJ
34. Justin Forsett, SEA at MIN**
35. Jamaal Charles, KC vs. PIT
36. Mike Bell, NO at TB
37. Michael Bush, OAK vs. CIN
38. Ryan Moats, HOU vs. TEN
39. Donald Brown, IND at BAL
40. Justin Fargas, OAK vs. CIN
41. Felix Jones, DAL vs. WAS
42. Sammy Morris, NE vs. NYJ
43. Tashard Choice, DAL vs. WAS
44. Larry Johnson, CIN at OAK
45. Leonard Weaver, PHI at CHI

* Rankings edited to remove Reggie Bush 11/21. Pierre Thomas and Mike Bell each received a boost.

**These were compiled with the thought process that Cedric Benson, Michael Turner, Brian Westbrook, Clinton Portis, and Julius Jones would not play this week.

We will update the rankings if there is differing news about the status of these players. Some other stuff ...

• Mendenhall had a rough go last week, but the only team tougher on the run than Cincy is his own. This week, Mendy gets the Swiss Chiefs. I expect some early passing fireworks for Big Ben and company and a lot of running in the second half as they run down the clock to victory.

• The rookie first-rounders (Moreno and Wells) both had solid weeks last week and will look to maintain success against poor run defenses. Both are very solid RB2s this week.

• Frank Gore is building up a good first-round-type resume after his return from injury, but visiting Green Bay isn't exactly a paradise for opposing running backs. The Cowboys couldn't run for the life of themselves last week and the Pack ranks fourth in the NFL in run defense. Of course, the Niners are third, so Grant takes a big bump as well. Expect this game to be an aerial one.

• I'm expecting the Giants to get back to the basics after a four-game losing streak and a bye to recoup. This means an emphasis on running the football, and they are facing the Falcons and their 26th-ranked run defense. Jacobs is an excellent RB2 this week and Bradshaw will be a good flex play.

• The Saints will be able to run all over Tampa if they want, but -- after seeing what happened last week -- I'm reluctant to push Pierre Thomas any higher. It's just such an unpredictable situation that I'd rather be playing guys like Moreno, Addai and Tomlinson because they are guaranteed carries.

• Finally, there's no way Tony Sparano is going to use Williams alone in the backfield all game. We know they like moving bodies in and out. Unfortunately, Patrick Cobbs is out for the season, so it's tough to recommend any sleeper-type fill-in as the second back. I'd expect some use of Pat White in the backfield and they may even mix in Tyler Thigpen some as well. If they do look to lean on a running back after Ricky, Lex Hilliard is the next in line on the depth chart. For now, there's absolutely no reason to look for fantasy help from him, though.