Fantasy Football Week 12 Rankings: RB

Marion Barber came into the season regarded as a definite starter in all fantasy leagues. Though owners likely nabbed him in the second round, he has still be a pretty sizable bust in all formats. Coming off a 99-yard performance against Washington is good, though the lost fumble and lack of a touchdown might still make owners reluctant to trust him on Thanksgiving.

Worry not, my friends. Barber gets to face a porous Raiders run defense that ranks 30th in the NFL in rushing in terms of yardage. They have also given up an NFL-high 16 rushing touchdowns. Expect Barber to get nasty on Thanksgiving afternoon, even if you're napping from the tryptophan.

Week 12 Rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE | DEF | K | Player Notes

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

• We're assuming -- as of Wednesday -- that Michael Turner, Cedric Benson and Ahmad Bradshaw are out for the week. We're also thinking that Julius Jones gets back on the field but is limited as the team won't want to risk furthering injury as he returns from a bruised lung. If anything changes, we'll amend the ranks. UPDATE: Turner is playing, so the rankings have been updated to reflect this change.

• I would be surprised if you could find another website with Pierre Thomas ranked lower than I have him. It's pretty simple, really: you can't count on him getting the number of touches or the type of touches (where he can score) to be a reliable RB2 in any league -- especially with Reggie Bush likely rejoining the fray this weekend.

• I have downgraded Ray Rice, but didn't do so much because he's always just as involved in the passing game as the running game. He won't find running lanes against the Steelers, but the receiving yards will make up for most of the loss in rushing production.

• Slaton is easily the most talented back for the Texans, but until we see Gary Kubiak entrust him with more than 15 carries in a game again, it's tough to slot him much higher.

• Hail Mary for a huge game? Felix Jones. He's a home run hitter and is facing a really bad run defense. If you don't like your options at flex and have Jones sitting there, plug him in and hope for a 75-yard touchdown. It's possible.