Week 6 Fantasy Rankings: Running back

Tony Fortier-Bensen

Week 6 Fantasy Rankings: Running back image

Leonard Fournette dominated for the second straight week, Aaron Jones surpassed all expectations, and Marlon Mack came out of nowhere to earn a top-five finish among running backs. How much of the same can we expect? With injuries, possible timeshares, and tough matchups, it could be another wild fantasy weekend for backs, and we've done our best to take it into account for our Week 6 RB rankings.

In Week 6, we're hanging onto the belief that some players will put up performances that their counterparts had the week before in the same matchups. After Buck Allen thrashed the Raiders defense, Melvin Gordon's rushing and receiving skills could put him into another top finish. After watching Marlon Mack dominate the 49ers, it's possible a healthy Rob Kelley could do the same with even more carries. The same applies to players further down the line, like James White vs. Jets after Duke Johnson's big day.

WEEK 6 RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Wide Receiver Tight end | D/ST | Kicker

Thankfully, the byes alleviate the worry about how this week's running back situation will play out in Seattle and whether or not Joe Mixon can have a good game, but they hurt fantasy owners with Ezekiel Elliott and LeSean McCoy idle. We'll continue to monitor the injuries of players like Ty Montgomery and Bilal Powell, among others, and their effect on Jones and Elijah McGuire, respectively.  

Reminder: We'll update our rankings throughout the week and add player analysis, so please check back often. And here's how you might lose in fantasy in Week 6.

WEEK 6 DFS:
Yahoo GPP lineup | DK cash | DK GPP | FD GPPValues | Stacks |
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Week 6 Fantasy Football Rankings: RBs

These rankings are for standard, non-PPR leagues

1 Leonard Fournette, Jaguars vs. Rams. The Rams average 28 fantasy points per game (FPPG) to RBs, and Fournette just put up 30 against the Steelers. This could get out of hand.
2 Todd Gurley, Rams @ Jaguars.
3 Kareem Hunt, Chiefs vs. Steelers.
4 Devonta Freeman, Falcons vs. Dolphins.
5 Le'Veon Bell, Steelers @ Chiefs.
6 Melvin Gordon, Chargers @ Raiders.
7 DeMarco Murray, Titans vs. Colts.  Murray out-touched Derrick Henry 18-4, and Murray played in 49 out of 59 offensive snaps, compared to 11 for Henry.  Murray didn't exactly shine, only 58 rushing yards and four catches for 11 yards, but it seems he's regained control over Henry again for a majority of snaps.  Against the Colts, that's a good sign.
8 C.J. Anderson, Broncos vs. Giants.
9 Jordan Howard, Bears @ Ravens.
10 Aaron Jones, Packers @ Vikings.  The Vikings are a tough task for Jones to repeat his 125-yard performance, but his pass-catching abilities and playing on a high-powered Aaron Rodgers-led offense still has Jones in line for a solid game.
11 Jay Ajayi, Dolphins @ Falcons.  Zero TDs, 11 yards vs. Jets, 46 yards vs. Saints, and 77 yards on 25 carries (3.1 YPC) vs. Titans in his past three games.  It's his fourth straight week with a favorable matchup, but another failure to show up may result his further drop in the rankings. 
12 Marshawn Lynch, Raiders vs. Chargers. The Raiders were nearly 50-50 on pass/run plays, and whether Manuel or Carr plays this week, it should be a similar style of offense.  The Chargers are averaging 20 FPPG to RBs, eighth-hightest
13 Lamar Miller, Texans vs. Browns.
14 Frank Gore, Colts @ Titans.  Head coach Chuck Pagano said Marlon Mack "earned more touches," but how much that will affect Gore remains to be seen.  Gore has consistently stayed around 40-60 rushing yards each week, not to mention additional receiving yards as well.  Gore is still a safe play this week against a weak Titans defense, but it'll be interesting to watch after this week.
15 Bilal Powell, Jets vs. Patriots.
16 Ameer Abdullah, Lions @ Saints.
17 Carlos Hyde, 49ers @ Redskins.
18 Doug Martin, Bucs @ Cardinals
19 Christian McCaffrey, Panthers vs. Eagles
20 LeGarrette Blount, Eagles @ Panthers
21 Mark Ingram, Saints vs. Lions.  Now that Adrian Peterson has left town, Ingram should get more rushing carries for the rest of the season.  He'll continue to have Alvin Kamara behind his back, but Ingram will still have a solid amount of touches despite Kamara's shadow inching close behind.
22 Mike Gillislee, Patriots @ Jets
23 Chris Thompson, Redskins vs. 49ers.  With Rob Kelley deemed "a long shot," Thompson's value rises with the chance he receives a majority of touches over rookie Samaje Perine, as well as continue Thompson's high value as a pass-catching back.
24 Jonathan Stewart, Panthers vs. Eagles
25 James White, Patriots @ Jets. The Jets have been run over by passing-backs these past two weeks, and James White's bread and butter is catching out of the backfield (17 receptions in past two games).  White should be starting in your lineup.
26 Isaiah Crowell, Browns @ Texans
27 Tevin Coleman, Falcons vs. Dolphins
28 Alvin Kamara, Saints vs. Lions.  Like Ingram, Kamara receives a slight bump with Peterson's absence.  Although it was only a couple touches a game, the playbook that consisted of Peterson is now thrown out, leaving more opportunities for head coach Sean Payton to unleash Kamara's pass-catching and rushing skills.
29 Buck Allen, Ravens vs. Bears
30 Samaje Perine, Redskins vs. 49ers.  The rookie RB took over rushing duties in Week 3 when Rob Kelley was injured, and in Week 4, he only had one less carry than Kelley.  Now, Kelley (ankle) is deemed a "long shot" to play in Week 6, which means Perine is a possible flex play against a 49ers team allowing the fourth-most FPPG to opposing RBs this season.
31 Elijah McGuire, Jets vs. Patriots
32 Alex Collins, Ravens vs. Bears
33 Jerick McKinnon, Vikings vs. Packers
34 Tarik Cohen, Bears @ Ravens
35 Wendell Smallwood, Eagles @ Panthers
36 Wayne Gallman, Giants @ Broncos
37 Orleans Darkwa, Giants @ Broncos
38 Marlon Mack, Colts @ Titans
39 Duke Johnson Jr., Browns @ Texans
40 Matt Breida, 49ers @ Redskins
41 Theo Riddick, Lions @ Saints
42 Andre Ellington, Cardinals vs. Bucs
43 Adrian Peterson, Cardinals vs. Bucs
44 Terrance West, Ravens vs. Bears
45 Latavius Murray, Vikings vs. Packers
46 Jamaal Charles, Broncos vs. Giants
47 Derrick Henry, Titans vs. Colts
48 Jacquizz Rodgers, Bucs @ Cardinals
49 Dion Lewis, Patriots @ Jets
50 Chris Ivory, Jaguars vs. Rams
51 D'Onta Foreman, Texans vs. Bears
52 Jalen Richard, Raiders vs. Chargers
53 Branden Oliver, Chargers @ Raiders
54 Shane Vereen, Giants @ Broncos
55 Charles Sims, Bucs @ Cardinals
56 DeAndre Washington, Raiders vs. Chargers
57 Jamaal Williams, Packers @ Vikings
58 Robert Turbin, Colts @ Titans
59 Paul Perkins, Giants @ Broncos

Tony Fortier-Bensen