2011 NFL Fantasy Football Week 6: Running Backs (RB) Rankings/Projections

Shonn Greene vs Dolphins

While the Jets failed to beat the Patriots, it seems they left use some clues as to what Rex Ryan when he said, “Ground and Pound is Back” this past week.

Shonn Greene carried the football 21 times for 81 yards and a touchdown score, and while those aren’t earth shattering numbers, the fact that the second running back in touches was a total of two by LaDainian Tomlinson,should tell you that the Jets ground and pound game plan is to use Greene as the feature back.

In the end, we probably should have realized this would be the case, as for the past two offseasons, the Jets coaching staff has been building up Greene as the team's “Bell Cow," but when the regular season arrives, they’ve failed to use him accordingly. This has led to fantasy owners pulling their hair out, as many owners fell for Ryan’s talk this summer about Greene once again, and selected him as a RB-2 during summer drafts.

Maybe the Jets will go in another direction and give running backs like Joe McKnight and Bilal Powell opportunities later in the season, but for now, I would expect Greene to continue his feature back work load against the Dolphins, and that should make him a true RB-2 this week.

Ryan Torain vs Eagles

Going back and re-watching the film of the Ryan Torain’s break out game against the Rams, it’s clear to see that the Redskins offensive line is playing well, opening up at times massive holes for any running back to run through. While Mike Shanhan will continue to play mind games with these running backs, Torain should be viewed as a terrific RB-2 play this week against the Eagles pathetic run defense.

Rookie Roy Helu and even Tim Hightower will likely get some looks in the Redskins backfield, but expect Torain to be the tail back running for over 100 yards again. It’s never been a question of if Torain could be a productive fantasy back, but more if he could ever stay healthy. Torain’s health problems will creep up again, but I would advise you to play the upside matchup against Philadelphia, as Torain is a great risk, reward option.

DeAngelo Williams at Falcons 

The Panthers may not give DeAngelo Williams the kind of touches that would suggest you should trust him weekly, but it’s clear that Williams has brought his A-game in recent weeks. Averaging over eight yards per carry in each of his last two games, Williams should have another productive game against the Falcons, even if he gets around ten carries on the day.

Who knows if Williams will be a start-worthy option later in the year, but while fantasy owners are dealing with bye week issues, Williams has new-found value and should be in lineups.

With Cam Newton playing well and Steve Smith making big plays, it’ will be hard for opposing defenses to load eight in the box to stuff the run. This has contributed to the big plays for Williams in recent weeks, and the Panthers should continue to get big plays in the running game going forward.

Bye Weeks: Cardinals, Broncos, Chiefs, Chargers, Seahawks, Titans

WK 6 Rankings – QB | RB | WR | TE | K/D | Flex | Waivers |

1	Darren McFadden	Browns
2	LeSean McCoy	@ Redskins
3	Ray Rice	Texans
4	Fred Jackson	@ Giants
5	Adrian Peterson	@ Bears
6	Arian Foster	@ Ravens
7	Michael Turner	Panthers
8	Maurice Jones-Drew	@ Steelers
9	Ahmad Bradshaw	Bills
10	Matt Forte	Vikings
11	Frank Gore	@ Lions
12	Ryan Torain	Eagles
13	BenJarvus Green-Ellis	Cowboys
14	Peyton Hillis	@ Raiders
15	Cedric Benson	Colts
16	Rashard Mendenhall (I)	Jaguars
17	Steven Jackson	@ Packers
18	Jahvid Best	49ers
19	Shonn Greene	Dolphins
20	Darren Sproles	@ Buccaneers
21	DeAngelo Williams	@ Falcons
22	Felix Jones	@ Patriots
23	James Starks	Rams
24	Daniel Thomas (I)	@ Jets
25	Mark Ingram	@ Buccaneers
26	Earnest Graham	Saints
27	Jonathan Stewart	@ Falcons
28	Tim Hightower	Eagles
29	Delone Carter	@ Bengals
30	Steven Ridley	Cowboys
31	Ryan Grant	Rams
32	Kendall Hunter	@ Lions
33	Montario Hardesty	@ Raiders
34	Jonathan Dwyer	Jaguars
35	Donald Brown	@ Bengals
36	Bernard Scott	Colts
37	Pierre Thomas	@ Buccaneers
38	Roy Helu	Eagles
39	Michael Bush	Browns
40	Reggie Bush	@ Jets
41	DeMarco Murray	@ Patriots