Between bye weeks and injuries, Week 6 was a mess when it came to the running back position. We already knew that Aaron Jones, De'Von Achane, and Kyren Williams wouldn't be available because of byes (Achane and Jones are also dealing with injuries), and Devin Singletary, Rachaad White, Jonathan Taylor, Brian Robinson, and Rhamondre Stevenson were all inactive with injuries. On top of that, Travis Etienne was knocked out of the Jag's loss to the Bears with a shoulder injury, and Jordan Mason was knocked out of his team's win against the Seahawks Thursday night with a shoulder injury of his own.
This is why fantasy football roster management is a week-long process. Sure all the "fun" happens during the games, but in order to create the most optimal team possible, you have to be on top of the news all week long. For the players on byes, there isn't much of an excuse to not have a backup plan at the ready. But it's much tougher when a player isn't ruled out until Saturday or Sunday like with Jonathan Taylor or Brian Robinson, for example. But with both of those players, they were DNPs all week. So, even though Robinson gutted it out last week, there was a good chance both players would be inactive. The more you can stay ahead of situations like that, the better options you'll have on the waiver wire for free agent pickups.
Some of the other prominent storylines at the RB position coming out of Week 6 include Kenneth Walker ascending into elite RB status as his passing work increases, rookie Kimani Vidal getting a chance to prove himself in a backup role to J.K. Dobbins with Gus Edwards landing on IR, and Joe Mixon went over 100 yards rushing in his return from an ankle injury. How will things go in Week 7?
Rankings based on PPR scoring. These rankings will be updated throughout the week, so check back often.
Saquon Barkley has one of the biggest revenge game matchups of the season coming up this week against the Giants in his old stomping grounds. While he struggled to get things going against the Browns, registering just 47 yards on 18 carries, if he gets a similar or larger workload against the Giants, it could be a monster game.
The Seahawks talked up Kenneth Walker all offseason, but now they're backing up that talk as well with how they're using him on the field. Not only is Walker getting the lion's share of the rushing work, but he's also being heavily utilized in the passing game now. In fact, he hauled in all eight of his targets Thursday night against the 49ers. In PPR leagues, usage like that is massive, and we expect that to continue against the Falcons.
And Alvin Kamara draws a tough matchup against the Broncos, but their biggest strength is shutting down the pass. Not only will the Saints want to pound the rock with Kamara, but with rookie Spencer Rattler expected to get another start, he may look to utilize Kamara as a safety valve more often.
Dallas Cowboys: It's hard to gauge much from the Week 6 matchup against the Lions since Detroit is so stout against the run. Prior to that matchup, Rico Dowdle appeared to take control of the backfield. Ezekiel Elliott had been sparingly used, but was then a bit of a squeaky wheel heading into the Detroit matchup as he couldn't figure out why he wasn't getting more touches, especially at the goal line. Hunter Leubke has also entered the equation, further muddying things. For now, Dowdle can typically be used as a Flex play, but that's about as far as it goes with this backfield right now.
Chicago Bears: It appeared as though D'Andre Swift might have been in the witness protection program the first few weeks of the season, but the dynamic back has really turned things around with 404 all purpose yards and three TDs over the last three weeks. Roschon Johnson appears to have usurped the No. 2 role away from Khalil Herbert who no longer appears fantasy relevant.
The Vikings will be coming off a bye, but we still do not know the status of their lead back Aaron Jones. Jones went down early in Week 5 with the injury and did not return. The team said that it looks like they avoided a long-term injury but that he was week-to-week rather than day-to-day. Even if he does return, Ty Johnson should see an uptick in usage as they'll likely ease him back into things. But there's still a good chance he sits completely, which could make Johnson a steal on the waiver wire for at least one week.
This is another injury-related waiver wire suggestion. Rhamondre Stevenson sat out Week 6 with a foot injury. Like with Jones, the Patriots have said it does not appear to be a long-term injury, but we still don't have an estimated return yet. In his absence, Gibson was only able to manage 19 yards on 13 carries, but he did chip in three catches for 24 yards as well. The Jags are up next, and while Jacksonville's defense hasn't been good this year, they've been solid against the run. But Gibson may be able to do some damage in the passing game as well if he gets the starting nod again.
Tank Bigsby appeared to have made a statement in Week 5, severely outplaying Travis Etienne, but in London, the Jags deployed a three-pronged RB attack with both Etienne and Bigsby as well as D'Ernest Johnson muddying this situation even more. Etienne left early with a shoulder injury, and his status is unknown for now. Even if Etienne is back, we're banking on a bounceback for Bigsby. After another disappointing performance, the Jags should look back and realize Bigsby has earned a larger role in this offense. Bigsby isn't a slam dunk, but if Jacksonville let's him cook in a plus matchup against the Patriots, then your fantasy team can feast.
With Gus Edwards landing on IR with an ankle injury, rookie Kimani Vidal was active and got some good run as the RB2 against the Broncos. Vidal made an impact early, hauling in a dime from Justin Herbert on a wheel route, taking it to the house for a 30-yard TD. The Chargers get the struggling Cardinals next, who could be without Marvin Harrison. The Chargers love the ground and pound, so if they can jump out to an early lead, that could mean extra opportunities for Vidal.
We already touched on the Rhamondre Stevenson, Aaron Jones and Travis Etienne injuries above. We've left them all unranked for now, but there's still a chance they can play, so we'll be monitoring those situations closely.
Brian Robinson sat with a knee injury. He was able to gut through it in Week 5, so most fantasy managers assumed he'd be suiting up despite DNPs all week, but he was inactive. Since we don't have much clarity on the extent of the injury yet, we're leaving him unranked for now. If he sits, expect heavy usage for Austin Ekeler again with Jeremy McNichols spelling him when needed.
Fantasy managers everywhere rejoiced when Rachaad White was ruled out, because it meant that Bucky Irving would finally get his shot at being Tampa's RB1. While Irving eventually got there with some garbage time stats, Sean Tucker somehow stole the show, turning 14 carries into 136 rushing yards and a score. He also added three catches for 56 yards and another TD. While we don't expect that to continue, if White sits, Tucker could have value for Flex-needy teams.
Devin Singletary was ruled out for Sunday night's tilt against the Bengals as he'll sit a second straight game with a groin injury. It seemed like he had a good chance to suit up for SNF, so we've ranked him for Week 7. If we hear news to the contrary, we'll pull him, and it would mean another juicy opportunity for Tyrone Tracy against an Eagles' defense that has struggled at times against the run.
Jonathan Taylor also seems to be progressing well from his ankle injury. He sat a second straight game in Week 6, but since he appeared to be making significant progress, we've decided to initially rank him for Week 7. If he does have to sit again, Trey Sermon has been getting the majority of the work, but Tyler Goodson has been more explosive. He turned eight carries into 51 yards against the Titans. If Taylor is back, though, Goodson won't have much value.