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Week 12 was a good week for most of the running backs in NFL as about 12 of them logged over 70+ rushing yards and shared 5 touchdowns among themselves.
As we head into week, 13 here are the 5 running backs who have have great chance of having a big week in the rushing game:
Dion Lewis (RB, New England Patriots):
Dion Lewis has climbed up the Patriots running back depth chart since the beginning of the season. Lewis was considered backup to new acquisition Mike Gillislee, averaging just 3.8 touches per game for the first 5 weeks.
His role in the team changed starting Week 5, as he became the primary first and second down runner. He is currently averaging 13 touches per game and his rushing yards per game has increased to 66.5 from 19.8.
In his week-12 matchup against the Dolphins, he hit his season high in rushing yards with 112 yards averaging 7.5 yards per carry.
This week he faces a Bills secondary which has allowed 4.1 rushing yards per attempt and 16 rushing touchdowns to the opposition.
Jamaal Williams (RB, Green Bay Packers):
This rookie running back out of BYU has benefited hugely from the slew of injuries to Green Bay's starting corps. Williams was the third choice back for the Packers behind Montgomery and Jones.
He averaged just 1.3 touches and 4.3 yards per game until week 8 before Jones' injury against the Bears in week 10 shifted Packers' running game workload onto his shoulders.
Since then, Williams has averaged nearly 20 touches and 63.3 rushing yards per game in the 3 weeks he has started as Packers primary back. He has also shown that he is no slack in the receiving game, hauling in 9 of his targets for 114 yards and one touchdown in his last 3 games.
In week 13 he faces a weak Buccaneers rush defense which on an average has allowed 4.1 yards per attempt and 10 rushing touchdowns to the opposition this season.
Kenyan Drake (RB, Miami Dolphins):
One of the beneficiaries from the Jay Ajayi trade to the Philadelphia Eagles was Dolphin's 2nd year running back from Alabama, Kenyan Drake who saw a sudden surge in usage and touches.
Drake who shares the running game workload for the Dolphins with Damien Williams only had 4 touches and 3 rushing yards in Dolphins' first 6 games of the season as Ajayi had the lion's share of the workload.
But since Ajayi's departure he is averaging 7.6 touches and 39.6 rushing yards per game in his last 5 games. He has also been used in the rushing game by the Dolphins with him averaging 2.4 receptions and 16.4 receiving yards per game.
In week 13 he is in for a heavy workload against the Broncos due to Williams injury against the Patriots in week 12, which leaves him as the only healthy RB on the roster. The Broncos rush defense has been on the down for sometime allowing 84.0 rushing yards per game to the opposition offense in their last 3 games.
Samaje Perine (RB, Washinton Redskins):
Another player benefiting heavily from injuries in their squad is rookie running back Samaje Perine, with both Rob Kelley and Chris Thompson in IR, Perine has slowly established himself as Redskins premier running back with 20+ touches and 100+ rushing yards in his last 2 games in their absence.
Perine has also handled some receiving work with 5 receptions for 64 yards in his last 3 games.
This week he is up against a Cowboys secondary which has allowed 4.4 yards per rushing attempt to opposition offenses.
Joe Mixon (RB, Cincinnati Bengals):
Mixon finally had his breakout game after he rushed for 114 yards and a touchdown against the Browns in week 12 while also snapping Bengals' 7-game streak without 100 rushing yards.
He is currently averaging 13.7 touches and 44 rushing yards per game at 3.2 yards per attempt. Mixon has also been targeted regularly in the receiving game with 2.4 receptions and 23.5 receiving yards per game.
While he has been Bengals go-to back this season, his performances haven't set the stage alight but his week 12 performance might just be the confidence booster he needed to up his game.
Coming into week 13, Mixon has had two 20+ touches games against the Broncos and the Browns. This week he faces a Steelers defense which was run over by another rookie Jamaal Williams in week 12. With the volume that Mixon is getting in the backfield, expect a big game from him this weekend.
