I have to admit, I did not watch much of the Monday Night game this week. A lifelong Red Sox fan, my focus was on Fenway Park and the final bows of Big Papi. So, of course, I did not see Jacquizz Rodgers turn into Jim Brown.
Fantasy football rankings, Week 6: Consensus running backs for standard leagues
The SB Nation fantasy team reveals which running backs rank in the top 50 for standard leagues heading into Week 6.
Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images
Thirty carries? I guess the Buccaneers were committed to run game. That’s the kind of number that makes a fantasy player drool. Congrats to those who were savvy enough to pluck him off the wire and brave (or desperate) enough to use him against the Panthers, especially in leagues with a 100-yard bonus.
Alas, Mr. Rodgers will not be in the fantasy neighborhood this week. He’s on a bye. But what about those other load warriors? Who do we like to pump up the volume in Week 6?
Ezekiel Elliott leads the NFL with 109 carries and 546 yards through five games. Elliott owners will, of course, make him the staple of their lineups this week. Ah, but be prepared for a letdown.
The Cowboys take on the Green Bay Packers, who have quietly become the most run-averse defense in the league, and by a wide margin. The Packers have allowed just 171 yards on the ground through four games, and before you say, “bye-week skew,” keep in mind their 42.8 yards per game is almost 30 yards better than the second-best average in the league. So, lower those expectations just a tad for the busy rookie.
Le’Veon Bell only has 38 carries this season, but he can be forgiven, having missed the first four games. He already has 210 yards through two games, a whopping 5.5 yards per carry, and he should actually increase that average this week.
The Miami Dolphins have taken over as the least-resistant run defense in the league, allowing an average of 150.8 yards per game. It is an ideal spot for both Bell and DeAngelo Williams, who should get opportunities in a potential blowout.
DeAngelo and Le’Veon could be part of an interesting trend this week, as the league’s main backs who carry two upper-case letters in their first name seem poised to make names for themselves on the field. LeSean McCoy has a dream matchup at home against the 49ers, who own the second-worst run defense in the league and let David Johnson run wild over them last week.
DeMarco Murray, who has quietly been one of the most consistently excellent backs in the league through five weeks, gets to face a Cleveland team that might start Brian Sipe at quarterback this week, but only if Bernie Kosar is unavailable. So far, Murray is sixth in carries (93) and second in yards (461). And while this article shuns PPR Worldwide, it should be noted that Murray is also seventh in the league in receiving yards among running backs.
The receiving leader among running backs is Johnson, and it will be interesting to see how he is utilized in this game. Only the aforementioned Packers allow fewer rushing yards per game than the Jets, but the Jets can be exploited though the air. So even if Johnson, who trails just Elliott and Murray in rushing yards, can’t get it going on the ground, he could just as easily score through the air.
Running backs (standard), Week 6
(ZS: Zach Senvisky, JM: Jason Marcum, SK: Scott Kaliska, JG: Jeff Goldberg, KB: Kyle Bennett, DG: Derek Gordon)
| Rk | Consensus | Tm | Opp. | ZS | JM | SK | JG | KB | DG |
| 1 | Le'Veon Bell | PIT | @ MIA | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | David Johnson | ARI | vs. NYJ | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| 3 | DeMarco Murray | TEN | vs. CLE | 1 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 2 |
| 4 | Ezekiel Elliott | DAL | @ GB | 5 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| 5 | LeSean McCoy | BUF | vs. SF | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 7 |
| 6 | Lamar Miller | HOU | vs. IND | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 |
| 7 | Todd Gurley | LA | @ DET | 6 | 9 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 9 |
| 8 | C.J. Anderson | DEN | @ SD | 12 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 6 |
| 9 | Mark Ingram | NO | vs. CAR | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 9 | 13 |
| 10 | Melvin Gordon | SD | vs. DEN | 15 | 8 | 14 | 9 | 14 | 8 |
| 11 | Carlos Hyde | SF | @ BUF | 10 | 13 | 9 | 18 | 10 | 15 |
| 12 | Christine Michael | SEA | vs. ATL | 9 | 15 | 12 | 17 | 11 | 12 |
| 13 | Jordan Howard | CHI | vs. JAC | 8 | 17 | 11 | 12 | 12 | 17 |
| 14 | Devonta Freeman | ATL | @ SEA | 13 | 19 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 16 |
| 15 | Eddie Lacy | GB | vs. DAL | 23 | 12 | 17 | 11 | 18 | 11 |
| 16 | Matt Forte | NYJ | @ ARI | 18 | 10 | 21 | 15 | 21 | 10 |
| 17 | Frank Gore | IND | @ HOU | 21 | 14 | 19 | 14 | 16 | 14 |
| 18 | Ryan Mathews | PHI | @ WAS | 17 | 20 | 15 | 16 | 15 | 20 |
| 19 | LeGarrette Blount | NE | vs. CIN | 22 | 18 | 18 | 19 | 17 | 23 |
| 20 | Terrance West | BAL | @ NYG | 25 | 16 | 22 | 20 | 19 | 19 |
| 21 | Giovani Bernard | CIN | @ NE | 19 | 21 | 24 | 21 | 20 | 26 |
| 22 | Theo Riddick | DET | vs. LA | 14 | 26 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 29 |
| 23 | Tevin Coleman | ATL | @ SEA | 24 | 23 | 26 | 27 | 26 | 18 |
| 24 | Matt Jones | WAS | vs. PHI | 28 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 | 25 |
| 25 | Jeremy Hill | CIN | @ NE | 20 | 29 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 21 |
| 26 | Isaiah Crowell | CLE | @ TEN | 27 | 27 | 20 | 26 | 27 | 27 |
| 27 | Spencer Ware | KC | @ OAK | 32 | 24 | 27 | 24 | 23 | 24 |
| 28 | Latavius Murray | OAK | vs. KC | 50 | 22 | 38 | 22 | 24 | 22 |
| 29 | Jamaal Charles | KC | @ OAK | 16 | 37 | 16 | 37 | 37 | 37 |
| 30 | T.J. Yeldon | JAC | @ CHI | 29 | 32 | 29 | 30 | 29 | 32 |
| 31 | James White | NE | vs. CIN | 26 | 34 | 30 | 31 | 31 | 34 |
| 32 | Cameron Artis-Payne | CAR | @ NO | 34 | 28 | 35 | 29 | 35 | 28 |
| 33 | Darren Sproles | PHI | @ WAS | 39 | 30 | 36 | 32 | 30 | 30 |
| 34 | Jay Ajayi | MIA | vs. PIT | 36 | 35 | 32 | 33 | 32 | 38 |
| 35 | Chris Ivory | JAC | @ CHI | 44 | 39 | 34 | 34 | 34 | 39 |
| 36 | Duke Johnson | CLE | @ TEN | 49 | 38 | 31 | 36 | 36 | 35 |
| 37 | Devontae Booker | DEN | @ SD | 46 | 33 | 46 | 35 | 33 | 33 |
| 38 | Orleans Darkwa | NYG | vs. BAL | 41 | 31 | 48 | 38 | 38 | 31 |
| 39 | DeAndre Washington | OAK | vs. KC | 30 | 43 | 37 | 42 | 42 | 43 |
| 40 | Derrick Henry | TEN | vs. CLE | 38 | 40 | 39 | 40 | 40 | 40 |
| 41 | DeAngelo Williams | PIT | @ MIA | 47 | 36 | 43 | 39 | 39 | 36 |
| 42 | Chris Thompson | WAS | vs. PHI | 37 | 41 | 47 | 41 | 41 | 41 |
| 43 | Fozzy Whittaker | CAR | @ NO | 33 | 42 | 40 | 43 | 44 | -- |
| 44 | Bilal Powell | NYJ | @ ARI | 31 | -- | 33 | 49 | 50 | 44 |
| 45 | James Starks | GB | vs. DAL | 45 | 46 | 44 | 46 | 45 | -- |
| 46 | Arian Foster | MIA | vs. PIT | 42 | 49 | 41 | 47 | 47 | -- |
| 47 | Kenneth Dixon | BAL | @ NYG | 48 | 45 | 49 | 44 | 43 | -- |
| 48 | Alfred Morris | DAL | @ GB | -- | 47 | 50 | 45 | 46 | 42 |
| 49 | Jalen Richard | OAK | vs. KC | 40 | 50 | 42 | 50 | 48 | -- |
| 50 | Bobby Rainey | NYG | vs. BAL | 50 | -- | 45 | 48 | 49 | 47 |
| -- | Kenyan Drake | MIA | vs. PIT | 43 | -- | -- | -- | -- | 46 |
| -- | Damien Williams | MIA | vs. PIT | -- | 44 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | Shaun Draughn | SF | @ BUF | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 45 |
| -- | Dwayne Washington | DET | vs. LA | -- | 48 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | Alfred Blue | HOU | vs. IND | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 48 |
| -- | Paul Perkins | NYG | vs. BAL | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 49 |
| -- | Robert Kelley | WAS | vs. PHI | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 50 |
