Rashad Jennings' Injury Will Lead to Big Week 6 for Andre Williams

The New York Giants earned a win in Week 5 against the Atlanta Falcons, but it came at the cost of losing running back Rashad Jennings to a knee injury. Dan Graziano of ESPN.com provided an update on Monday, noting the ball-carrier suffered a sprained MCL and would miss a few weeks.

Enter rookie running back Andre Williams.

Over the past three weeks, the Giants offense has been firing on all cylinders, racking up at least 30 points in each contest. Jennings and Williams were primary beneficiaries of the improved output, as an improved passing attack led to an efficient running game in a well-balanced offense. In fact, over that span, New York accumulated 471 yards on the ground.

Now, Williams gets the bulk of the workload as the team's lead back against a shaky Philadelphia Eagles defense in Week 6. This impending matchup should leave each of the rookie's fantasy owners foaming at the mouth.

To give us a glimpse of Williams' potential upcoming workload, Rotoworld's Adam Levitan tweeted exactly how frequently Williams was utilized after Jennings' departure in Week 5: 

That's very good news.

Heading into the sixth week of the 2014 NFL season, the Eagles are ranked 24th in the league against the run, allowing an average of 132.0 yards per game. From a fantasy perspective, Philadelphia is giving up the 10th most fantasy points to opposing running backs, via ESPN.com. After holding Jacksonville Jaguars ball-carriers to just five points in Week 1, the Eagles allowed 27, 24 and 24 over their last three games.

Pro Football Talk's tweet pretty much sums it up for Philadelphia:

Expect Williams to take full advantage of his favorable matchup.

While the rookie wasn't overly impressive in relief of Jennings against the Falcons—he carried 20 times for 65 yards and a touchdown—it was the second time in as many games he rushed for more than 60 yards and a score. His offensive line will continue to give him opportunities to pick up chunks of yards. The unit is ranked eighth in the league blocking for the run with a positive-7.6 rating, via Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

Jennings has been by Williams' side since OTAs, and the veteran endorsed the rookie running back moving forward, via Graziano's report:

"

We've got the utmost confidence in Andre, and in Peyton as well, and I'm sure [Michael Cox] will get a chance to get bumped up. Andre and I, we had a long talk. He's kind of been my little brother throughout this whole process. So I'm giving him as many weapons as possible mentally to go with what he has physically.

"

Due to Williams' success in New York's offensive system this season and his ability to gain tough yards between the tackles, Peyton Hillis won't be a threat to cut deep into the rookie's carries. This will not be a backfield-by-committee situation, as Hillis should be expected to be utilized in strictly a supporting role.

After all, NFL Network's Kimberly Jones relayed Williams' thoughts about his bruising running style:

Williams' matchup, expected volume of touches and scoring ability should lead fantasy owners to consider him a very solid RB2 and start him with confidence in Week 6.