NFL Fantasy Football Week 6 Rankings: Top 40 Running Backs

There are still some running backs battling injuries.  Others have some intriguing matchups.  Yet others finally erupted for their owners.  Let’s take a look at how I currently have them ranked for Week 6 (these will be updated later in the week depending on the news):

1. Chris Johnson – Tennessee Titans – at Jacksonville
2. Frank Gore – San Francisco 49ers – vs. Oakland
3. Ray Rice – Baltimore Ravens – at New England
4. Ahmad Bradshaw – New York Giants – vs. Detroit
5. Adrian Peterson – Minnesota Vikings – vs. Dallas
6. Arian Foster – Houston Texans – vs. Kansas City
7. Rashard Mendenhall – Pittsburgh Steelers – vs. Cleveland
8. Michael Turner – Atlanta Falcons – at Philadelphia
9. LaDanian Tomlinson – New York Jets – at Denver
10. LeSean McCoy – Philadelphia Eagles – vs. Atlanta
11. Maurice Jones-Drew – Jacksonville Jaguars – vs. Tennessee
12. Steven Jackson – St. Louis Rams – vs. San Diego
13. Pierre Thomas – New Orleans Saints – at Tampa Bay
14. Joseph Addai – Indianapolis Colts – at Washington
15. Michael Bush – Oakland Raiders – at San Francisco
16. Ryan Torain – Washington Redskins – vs. Indianapolis
17. Jamaal Charles – Kansas City Chiefs – at Houston
18. Jahvid Best – Detroit Lions – at New York Giants
19. Felix Jones – Dallas Cowboys – at Minnesota
20. Mike Tolbert – San Diego Chargers – at St. Louis
21. Ronnie Brown – Miami Dolphins – at Green Bay
22. Ryan Mathews – San Diego Chargers – at St. Louis
23. Matt Forte – Chicago Bears – vs. Seattle
24. Knowshon Moreno – Denver Broncos – vs. New York Jets
25. Brandon Jackson – Green Bay Packers – vs. Miami
26. Shonn Greene – New York Jets – at Denver
27. Ricky Williams – Miami Dolphins – at Green Bay
28. Marshawn Lynch – Seattle Seahawks – at Chicago
29. BenJarvus Green-Ellis – New England Patriots – vs. Baltimore
30. Peyton Hillis – Cleveland Browns – at Pittsburgh
31. Carnell Williams – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – vs. New Orleans
32. Ladell Betts – New Orleans Saints – at Tampa Bay
33. Brandon Jacobs – New York Giants – vs. Detroit
34. John Kuhn – Green Bay Packers – vs. Miami
35. Thomas Jones – Kansas City Chiefs – at Houston
36. Marion Barber – Dallas Cowboys – at Minnesota
37. LaGarrette Blount – Tampa Bay Buccaneers – vs. New Orleans
38. Willis McGehee – Baltimore Ravens – at New England
39. Chester Taylor – Chicago Bears – vs. Seattle
40. Justin Forsett – Seattle Seahawks – at Chicago

Thoughts:

In his first start replacing the injured Clinton Portis, Ryan Torain had just 40 yards on 16 carries (while adding four receptions for 27 yards).  He should continue to see carries and gets a good draw this week against a Colts defense allowing 142.2 rushing yards per game.  The Redskins certainly will be motivated to control the clock in an attempt to keep the ball from Peyton Manning, so consider Torain a RB2 again this week.

Arian Foster has been great this season, but he put up a forgettable 25 yards against the Giants in Week 5 and draws a Chiefs defense allowing just 80.5 rushing yards per game.  He should rebound, and the outlook is that he will play in Week 6 (he got banged up this past week), so consider him a RB1 this week.

Will the Steelers try to protect Ben Roethlisberger some in his first game back, using Rashard Mendenhall more this week?  It certainly is possible, so keep that in mind.
Ahmad Bradshaw enters Week 6 third in the league in rushing with 449 yards (averaging 4.9 yards per carry). 

He looked good against a tough Texans defense, despite having a banged up ankle.  The Lions are seventh worst in the league against the run, as well as having allowed five rushing TDs.  Look for him to continue to feast, and given the interception troubles of Eli Manning, Bradhsaw is a top-five option this week.

If Frank Gore and the 49ers offense had been performing well, he’d be the top back on the board this week going against the Oakland Raiders (allowing 147.8 rushing yards per game).  Unfortunately, he is averaging just 3.5 yards per carry thus far, so it’s tough to put him at the top of the heap.  Still, he’s among the elite options this week.

LeSean McCoy was hurting?  You could’ve fooled me, after he went for 92 yards on the ground (with a touchdown), as well as picking up five receptions for 46 yards.  At this point there’s no reason to worry.

Pierre Thomas has missed the past two weeks, but will he return this week?  We won’t know until later in the week, most likely, so for now we’ll leave him in the mix and will adjust things later on.

Felix Jones got 15 carries (and went for 109 yards), as well as picking up four receptions (for 17 yards).  The Cowboys keep talking about getting Jones more involved in the offense and at this point he has to be considered more valuable then Marion Barber.
After missing Week 5, chances are Darren McFadden could again be out for Week 6.  He’s been left off these rankings for now.

If Steven Jackson is hurting or not, he clearly seems determined to play through it.  He managed 114 yards in Week 5, so there is no reason to downgrade him now.

Maurice Jones-Drew’s Week 5 performance could’ve been so much better, though a wrist injury sidelined him for a time, giving Deji Karim more carries then normal.  Held to just one TD on the season and still battling the wrist injury, Jones-Drew owners need to be cautious moving forward.

Chris Johnson finally looked like his old self, with 131 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries (6.9 yards per carry).  In an offense that is geared towards the run and with his talent, the matchup doesn’t really matter.  He’s one of the elite backs in the game.
How do Ray Rice owners feel now that he has finally posted a 100+ yard game?  It’s about time, huh?

Peyton Hillis has the unfortunate task of facing the Steelers defense while being banged up and the Browns being forced into playing their third string QB.  It has the makings of a disappointing day, but he’s still worth considering as a low-end RB2.

Will Knowshon Moreno return or won’t he?  It’s certainly not an ideal situation, with the New York Jets on the schedule.  We’ll rank him for now, as it would appear like he’s going to play.

Sooner or later Ryan Mathews is going to return to the starting role, but for now he’s likely to continue sharing carries with Mike Tolbert.  Against the Rams, both should hold value as potential RB2.

What are your thoughts on these rankings?  Who’s too high?  Who’s too low?

Make sure to check out the rest of our Week 6 Rankings:

• Top 25 Quarterbacks
• Top 60 Wide Receivers
• Top 20 Tight Ends (coming soon)
• Top 15 Kickers (coming soon)
• Top 15 Defenses (coming soon)
• Waiver Worthy
• Start ‘Em or Sit ‘Em
• Sunday Sleepers (coming soon)

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