Updated Fantasy Football RB Rankings Week 6: Who to start, best sleepers, waiver wire picks at running back

As the expression goes, you just never know what can happen on any given Sunday in the NFL. And that was certainly the case when it came to fantasy football performances by running backs in Week 5. It was most definitely a week of unexpected performances. 

Studs like Kenneth Walker and Breece Hall really let down fantasy managers with a couple of duds. But then under-the-radar backs like Tyrone Tracy and Tank Bigsby came up huge and may have shaken up their team's backfield situations. 

Not only were Tracy and Bigsby the only 100-yard rushers heading into SNF and MNF, but Bigsby in particular may have run himself all the way into a promotion. This is purely speculation at this point, but Bigsby just looks like the better runner on the Jaguars as Travis Etienne just doesn't look as powerful or efficient. They can still be a great "thunder and lightning" pair together, but Bigsby should start to see the majority of early down work. What should happen, and what will happen are two different things, though, so only time will tell. Tracy, meanwhile, saw an elevated role because Devin Singletary was sidelined with a groin injury. Singletary should still maintain the RB1 role on the Giants, but Tracy showed enough where he might start eating away at some of Singletary's usage. 

Let's break down the rest of the running back landscape heading into Week 6. 

WEEK 6 FANTASY FOOTBALL RANKINGS
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Fantasy RB Rankings Week 6: Who to start, sit at running back

Rankings based on PPR scoring. These rankings were updated on Oct. 12 and will be updated throughout the week, so check back often.

Those who have played already are listed in italics.

Who are the best fantasy RBs for Week 6?

Saquon Barkley returns from a bye to take the RB1 spot this week. While we expect both A.J. Brown and Devonta Smith to return for the Eagles at WR, the offense should continue to run through Barkley. Jalen Hurts continues to struggle with turnovers, so leaning on the running game could make a lot of sense, especially if the Cleveland defense keys in on the returning wide receivers. 

Derrick Henry just keep racking up yards. The Ravens had to take to the air quite a bit in what turned out to be a shootout against the Bengals, but Henry still managed to compile 92 rushing yards on 15 carries including a touchdown. With the Commanders up next, Henry should continue to eat for the Ravens. 

And Bijan Robinson rounds out our top-3 this week in a matchup against the Panthers. Carolina just gave up 120 all purpose yards to D'Andre Swift, so don't be surprised to see Robinson put in an even bigger game, as long as Tyler Allgeier doesn't eat into his workload too much. Robinson has yet to eclipse 100 rushing yards in a game this season, but we think that streak ends in Week 6. 

Who are the QBs on byes in Week 6? 

Kansas City Chiefs: This backfield situation has been a mess since Isiah Pacheco went down in Week 2. Kareem Hunt appears to be the RB1 right now, but Clyde Edwards-Helair appears close to making his season debut after dealing with PTSD. Carson Steele and Samaje Perine are also in the mix. But make sure none of the four are in your lineups for Week 6. 

Miami Dolphins: De'Von Achane left Week 5 early with a concussion, so the bye week comes at a good time for his managers. Raheem Mostert returned in Week 5 after missing time with a chest injury, so the rest will do him some good as well.   

Minnesota Vikings: Aaron Jones was forced from Week 5's London matchup against the Jets with a hamstring injury. While the extent of the injury isn't yet known, the bye comes at a good time for him. Ty Chandler is the other RB to make sure is out of your lineups.  

Los Angeles Rams: Despite the Rams suffering injuries along the offensive line and to the top two WRs, Kyren Williams has remained strong at the running back position. Make sure he's out of your lineup for Week 6, but get him right back in there following the bye as the rest of the offense gets healthier.  

Who are the best fantasy RB waiver pickups for Week 6?

While this is just speculation at this point, it's very possible that Tank Bigsby rumbled his way to the RB1 position on the Jaguars as he ran harder than incumbent Travis Etienne ever has. Bigsby took full advantage of his 13 carries, running for 101 yards and two touchdowns, good for a 7.8 yards per carry average. Bigsby also added a catch for 28 more yards. Etienne was only able to muster 17 yards on his six carries, and the drum beat for Bigsby has been growing over the last few weeks. This was the clearest indication, though, that Bigsby is the back with more juice. He's 's rostered in just 22% of Yahoo! leagues, so he should be a priority pickup this week. 

Many of the under-the-radar running back possibilities have already been scooped up. One name to keep an eye on is Dalvin Cook with the Cowboys as he's starting mixing in with some snaps at practice. While it's more likely that he's closer to washed ala Ezekiel Elliott, we just saw Kareem Hunt come back from off the couch and take over lead RB duties for the Chiefs. Anything is possible, so if you have roster flexibility, Cook could be worth a speculative add if you don't believe Elliott or Rico Dowdle. 

WEEK 6 WAIVER WIRE ADVICE
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Who are the best fantasy RB sleepers for Week 6?

J.K. Dobbins will be fresh off a bye, but the Chargers draw the tough defense of the Denver Broncos next. While Denver does boast a tough defensive unit, their bigger strength is against the passing game. The Chargers prefer to pound the rock anyways, so look for them to do just that with Dobbins this week. 

It feels like the entire fantasy football universe has been manifesting that Bucky Irving will take over the lead RB role in the Tampa Bay backfield. While he's created a near-even split with incumbent Rachaad White, he hasn't taken anything over yet. In fact, irving had a costly fumble in Tampa's Week 5 loss to the Falcons. While we agree that Irving is the more talented back, White is still receiving plenty of usage, and even uncorked a 56-yard longest rush last week.  

What are the biggest RB injuries for Week 6?

Jonathan Taylor was the biggest name to have to sit out due to injury in Week 5. Taylor suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 4. Taylor was officially ruled out on Friday, so Trey Sermon will get the nod again. 

While Chase Brown has been flashing an electric skill set in limited opportunities this season, he started to really eat into Zack Moss' workload against the Ravens. Moss started getting more run late in the game, but then he went down with an apparent ankle injury. Moss was able to get a limited practice in on Thursday, but Chase Brown was a surprise limited participant as well with a new quad injury. Coming out of Friday's practice, it looks like both backs are on track to play. With Brown's upward trajectory lately, we have him ranked slightly higher than Moss for their Sunday night matchup against the Gants. 

Rhamondre Stevenson went down with what looked like an ugly knee or leg injury against the Dolphins but he did come back in before the game reached its final conclusion. While Stevenson was ruled out for this week's matchup against the Texans, he's believed to have avoided a long term injury.  

Joe Mixon missed another game this week with an ankle injury. It seemed as though he'd have a shot to play this week, but that did not come to pass. Mixon did return to practice Thursday, so we've re-inserted him into the rankings. With Nico Collins landing on IR with a hamstring injury, an upgraded running game would be big for the Texans. 

James Cook was a DNP Wednesday and Thursday with a foot/toe injury. Even though it was just as estimation since Friday's practice was a walk-through, he was a DNP Friday as well. Even with sparse practice participation, Cook is expected to take the field on Monday night.

Bijan Robinson was a surprise limited participant on Thursday with a hamstring injury, but it's also a similar trajectory that he faced in Week 5. He was deemed good to go after Friday's practice and has a cupcake matchup against the Panthers, so it's wheel's up for Bijan. 

Devin Singletary was ruled out on Saturday, so he'll miss a second straight game with a groin injury. That also means Tyrone Tracy Jr. gets a chance to show the Giants and the fantasy universe that last week's impressive performance wasn't a fluke.  

Gus Edwards was ruled out with an ankle injury for the Chargers, so that could mean even more carries for J.K. Dobbins who already had a workhorse role. Rachaad White is listed as doubtful for the Buccaneers. Earlier in the day, head coach Todd Bowles said he would be a gametime decision, but then he was slapped with the Doubtful tag, which is typically very rare to overcome, so we've removed him from the rankings. If he is inactive, it would likely mean a bell cow role for Bucky Irving which should have a lot of fantasy managers very excited. 

The Commanders ruled out Brian Robinson on Saturday with a knee injury. Robinson was able to gut it out last week, but Washington will let him heal up despite a marquee matchup against the Ravens. While Austin Ekeler could see an uptick in rushing opportunities to go along with being the primary receiving back, Jeremy McNichols will slide into Robinson's role - a role in which he's already proven to be effective.