With the bye weeks finally behind us, now all you have to worry about are injuries. Unfortunately, there are quite a few of those which makes week 12 an interesting one, especially when looking at the waiver wire.
Remember Beanie Wells? Although he wasn’t all that fantastic before his injury this year, he still has enormous potential and The Arizona Cardinals certainly know that. However, in his last two starts anyway, LaRod Stephens-Howling has been a suitable replacement. With Wells’ return and Stephens-Howling’s continued display of ability, look for this to quickly turn into a time share. Both of them should be owned in almost all leagues with some bench room, but both RBs are risky starts this week with so many question marks. Keep in mind they play Seattle in two weeks so the last week before the playoffs for many of you will be another benching situation for both of these RBs.
After a few lackluster performances from Rashad Jennings, Mike Mularkey decided to roll with Jalen Parmele. If you’re wondering who that is, so is everyone else, but against The Titans this week, I like his chances to succeed. Unless Maurice Jones-Drew makes some miraculous comeback before Sunday, look for Parmele to carry the heavy load for The Jaguars this week.
Bryce Brown is another tempting pickup this week. Seeing LeSean McCoy carted off the field with a concussion and The Eagles’ season in a downward spiral, there’s no reason not to give Brown some reps and see what he can do. This is a Monday night game, however, so if McCoy manages to recover rapidly, he’ll have an extra day to do so, but it doesn’t look likely. Against The Panthers, he has an excellent shot at success, but there’s only so much you can expect from any Eagles RB in their pass-happy offense.
Believe it or not, we’re not done. The Broncos lost Willis McGahee this week, opening the door for Ronnie Hillman to take over the bulk of carries. Although The Chiefs are actually alright against the run and he’ll have to share some of the running responsibilities with Lance Ball and Knowshon Moreno, Hillman also has the most potential for long-term success based on his schedule and competition. McGahee is expected to miss 6-8 weeks so Hillman is an investment for the remainder of the 2012 fantasy football season.
Although the Lions will give him plenty of touches, Mikel Leshoure’s matchup is not an easy one. The Packers are decent against the run, but The Texans are even better. Drop him down to a flex play in your expectations.
The same can be said for Trent Richardson who has failed to find the endzone in his last two games and has also had a little more trouble holding onto the ball. Pittsburgh held Ray Rice to just 40 yards on the ground and Rice is on a much more talented team. With his receiving ability, he’s still a reasonable start, but don’t expect more than 8-12 fantasy points.
Finally, The 49ers are playing The Saints this week. If this doesn’t instantly tell you to bench every Saints RB, I don’t what will. If Darren Sproles comes back this week, he has some potential in 12-team PPR leagues, but that’s it.
