AJ Dillon or Jaylen Warren or Gus Edwards: Who should I start in Fantasy Football Week 12?

AJ Dillon, Gus Edwards and Jaylen Warren are all intriguing options in fantasy football this week.

One is pressed into a starter's role which makes him a valuable waiver wire addition. Another has been on an absolute tear, and the last has been very good as a backup forcing himself into more carries with his play. Which of the three is the best pick this week?

Is Jaylen Warren a good fantasy pick this week?

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Is AJ Dillon a good fantasy pick this week?

AJ Dillon is going to be a fantasy starter for a lot of teams this week. He's replacing the injured Aaron Jones; so expect him to get the bulk of the carries with Emmanuel Wilson also out. However, he has a less than enviable matchup.

He gets to face the Detroit Lions, who are one of the stingiest-run defenses in the entire NFL. It's one of the worst matchups to have for a backup pressed into starting action. Furthermore, the Lions have a porous secondary, which likely shifts Green Bay's gameplan to the air. Jordan Love may be forced to air it out, which certainly doesn't help a running back with a difficult matchup.

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Is Jaylen Warren a good fantasy pick this week?

Jaylen Warren is becoming a good fantasy pick every week. Despite backing up Najee Harris, he usually gets around the same amount of touches and frequently does more with them. Many believe he should be starting over Harris and getting more touches.

His matchup is also decent. The Cincinnati Bengals give up the 17th-fewest points to running backs. So he figures to be able to do something nice with the touches he's given. Add in the fact that the Pittsburgh Steelers might be able to win with Joe Burrow out, and the RB outlook gets even stronger.

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Is Gus Edwards a good fantasy pick this week?

Gus Edwards is a touchdown machine, so many managers are going to be starting him in perpetuity now. That's not necessarily a bad idea, but the Baltimore Ravens do have a pretty crowded offense.

He, Keaton Mitchell and Lamar Jackson all get to run the ball, and there's no predicting which one will go off with their carries. Edwards is probably the safest bet of the three, but he's no guarantee. He does have a very favorable matchup with the 26th-ranked RB defense on deck.

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AJ Dillon or Jaylen Warren or Gus Edwards: Who should I start?

Our start/sit optimizer suggests that Jaylen Warren is the best option of these three running backs. He has a pretty favorable matchup and tends to make the most out of his chances, more so than the other running backs.

Start Jaylen Warren over AJ Dillon and Gus Edwards

It's a pretty close finish, but our analyzer believes Warren's abilities in the passing game set him apart. He will see a lot of checkdowns from Kenny Pickett as well as being featured in the run game. With big-play ability, he stands out as a very solid choice this week.