Week 6 Fantasy Football Rankings: Breaking Down Top Running Backs

Week 6 of the 2013 NFL regular season has some exciting matchups on the slate, and fantasy football owners are already setting their lineups and trying to sort through the rankings to find the best running backs to start.

With bye weeks beginning to take their toll and injuries wreaking havoc on teams, let's take a look at the top running backs, followed by a stud, dud and sleeper at the position this week.

All projections based on standard-scoring leagues.

Week 6 Running Backs Rankings

Rank	Player	Team	Opponent	Proj. Points
1	Adrian Peterson	Minnesota Vikings	Carolina Panthers	24
2	Arian Foster	Houston Texans	St. Louis Rams	24
3	Jamaal Charles	Kansas City Chiefs	Oakland Raiders	24
4	Matt Forte	Chicago Bears	New York Giants	20
5	LeSean McCoy	Philadelphia Eagles	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	20
6	Ray Rice	Baltimore Ravens	Green Bay Packers	20
7	Marshawn Lynch	Seattle Seahawks	Tennessee Titans	18
8	Doug Martin	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	Philadelphia Eagles	18
9	DeMarco Murray	Dallas Cowboys	Washington Redskins	16
10	Alfred Morris	Washington Redskins	Dallas Cowboys	15

Week 6 Stud: Jamaal Charles, Kansas City Chiefs

There were questions about how well Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles would acclimate to new head coach Andy Reid’s offensive system, but his 397 yards rushing, 250 yards receiving and five total touchdowns through five weeks make him a fantasy stud.

Charles has amassed a touchdown in every game this season and has run the ball at least 18 times and caught five receptions in each of his last three contests. That’s the consistency fantasy owners dream about.

Kansas City hosts the Oakland Raiders in Week 6, and the matchup is ideal for Charles. With the speed and elusiveness in the open field to pick apart the Raiders’ porous secondary (ranked 21st), expect the fantasy juggernaut to score a touchdown on the ground and through the air.

Projected Stat Line: 18 carries for 70 yards and one touchdown; five receptions for 50 yards and one touchdown.

Week 6 Dud: Knowshon Moreno, Denver Broncos

There is serious hype around Denver Broncos running back Knowshon Moreno in Week 6 because his team is playing the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars. Despite the rush to get Moreno into fantasy lineups, don’t buy into the speculation.

Moreno will have a solid day—he should amass 10 points against the league’s worst run defense—but he will not have the astronomical numbers many are predicting. Do not start Moreno over any of the players in the Week 6 top-10 rankings.

Not only will head coach John Fox pull his starters after the team builds a healthy lead early in the game, but the running back committee also featuring Ronnie Hillman and Montee Ball will be out in full force as the team tries to get each player performing well.

While Moreno would light up Jacksonville given a full workload (he saw 19 carries and five receptions against Dallas), Denver doesn’t need to risk his health this week. Moreno is a solid flex or RB2 if you have no other options.

Projected Stat Line: 12 carries for 70 yards and zero touchdowns; three receptions for 30 yards and zero touchdowns.

Week 6 Sleeper: Doug Martin, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

There are few fantasy owners that took Doug Martin in the first round who thought the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ second-year star would be considered a sleeper, but after a mediocre start to the season, that’s the case in Week 6.

The remedy for 342 rushing yards on 100 attempts is the Philadelphia Eagles’ 17th-ranked run defense. With Philadelphia’s 30th-ranked secondary getting pushed around by rookie Mike Glennon, expect Martin to have more success between the tackles.

With Tampa Bay showing the unwavering confidence in Martin to continue running him on average of 25 times per game, fantasy owners should expect a nice return for waiting patiently for him to break out.

Projected Stat Line: 24 carries for 100 yards and one touchdown; three receptions for 20 yards and zero touchdowns.

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