Jahmyr Gibbs readies for the Cowboys’ leaky run defense, Tank Bigsby puts his blinker on to pass Travis Etienne, and Tony Pollard searches for rankings respect vs. the Colts.
Other positions: Quarterback | Receiver | Tight End/Kickers/Defense
Updated 10/23 at 10:20 AM ET. Moved Tyrone Tracy up. Moved James Cook back up.
Week 6 Running Backs
| 1 | Saquon Barkley | PHI | vs. CLE |
| 2 | Derrick Henry | BAL | vs. WAS |
| 3 | Jordan Mason | SF | at SEA |
| 4 | Jahmyr Gibbs | DET | at DAL |
| 5 | Bijan Robinson | ATL | at CAR |
| 6 | Alvin Kamara | NO | vs. TB |
| 7 | Breece Hall | NYJ | vs. BUF |
| 8 | Kenneth Walker | SEA | vs. SF |
| 9 | Chuba Hubbard | CAR | vs. ATL |
| 10 | David Montgomery | DET | at DAL |
| 11 | Bucky Irving | TB | at NO |
| 12 | Josh Jacobs | GB | vs. ARI |
| 13 | James Conner | ARI | at GB |
| 14 | Tony Pollard | TEN | vs. IND |
| 15 | D’Andre Swift | CHI | vs. JAC |
| 16 | James Cook | BUF | at NYJ |
| 17 | Tyrone Tracy Jr. | NYG | vs. CIN |
| 18 | Rico Dowdle | DAL | vs. DET |
| 19 | Javonte Williams | DEN | vs. LAC |
| 20 | Tank Bigsby | JAC | at CHI |
| 21 | J.K. Dobbins | LAC | at DEN |
| 22 | Najee Harris | PIT | at LV |
| 23 | Travis Etienne Jr. | JAC | at CHI |
| 24 | Chase Brown | CIN | at NYG |
| 25 | Austin Ekeler | WAS | at BAL |
| 26 | Jerome Ford | CLE | at PHI |
| 27 | Joe Mixon | HOU | at NE |
| 28 | Antonio Gibson | NE | vs. HOU |
| 29 | Trey Sermon | IND | at TEN |
| 30 | Tyjae Spears | TEN | vs. IND |
| 31 | Zack Moss | CIN | at NYG |
| 32 | Alexander Mattison | LV | vs. PIT |
| 33 | Tyler Allgeier | ATL | at CAR |
| 34 | Braelon Allen | NYJ | vs. BUF |
| 35 | Roschon Johnson | CHI | vs. JAC |
| 36 | Justice Hill | BAL | vs. WAS |
| 37 | Ray Davis | IND | at TEN |
| 38 | Jaylen Warren | PIT | at LV |
| 39 | Jeremy McNichols | WAS | at BAL |
| 40 | Dameon Pierce | HOU | at NE |
| 41 | Jaleel McLaughlin | DEN | vs. LAC |
| 42 | Emanuel Wilson | GB | vs. ARI |
| 43 | Tyler Goodson | IND | at TEN |
| 44 | Ty Johnson | BUF | at NYJ |
| 45 | Miles Sanders | CAR | vs. ATL |
| 46 | Zach Charbonnet | SEA | vs. SF |
| 47 | Jamaal Williams | NO | vs. TB |
| 48 | D’Onta Foreman | CLE | at PHI |
| 49 | Ezekiel Elliott | DAL | vs. DET |
| 50 | Sean Tucker | TB | at NO |
| 51 | Kimani Vidal | LAC | at DEN |
| 52 | Eric Gray | NYG | vs. CIN |
RB Notes: I’m skeptical Saquon Barkley will actually go the distance as the RB1 overall. That being said, coming off bye as a nearly 10-point home favorite is the kind of setup running backs dream about. … Derrick Henry saved his Week 5 with One Big Run. In other news, that’s what elite runners can do. The Commanders’ defense stinks both through the air and on the ground, where it permits over five yards per carry. … Jordan Mason’s rushing floor has been as expected. He is lacking in ceiling because of his nonexistent pass-game involvement. Expect carries to be in strong supply as the 49ers try to gut out a short-week win on the road vs. a mediocre run D. … Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery come off bye as road favorites with the week’s highest game total. They will be facing a Cowboys run defense that’s improved in recent weeks: Because it faced Devin Singletary and Najee Harris. I will continue to give the more explosive Gibbs the rankings advantage since he’s played Montgomery to a draw in the red zone. D-Mont is out-carrying Gibbs just 13-12 inside the 20 and 6-4 inside the five.
Bijan Robinson can’t quite slay the Tyler Allgeier beast, but his supposedly concerning Week 5 actually saw his snap percentage creep back upward as Allgeier’s ticked ever so slightly down. Allgeier also finally saw a crack in his efficiency facade. It’s impossible to keep Robinson out of the top eight as a roughly touchdown road favorite against a Panthers defense that hemorrhages rush attempts because it’s always on the field. … Alvin Kamara’s fortunes have declined along with the rest of the Saints’ offense. Things will obviously now get even worse with Derek Carr giving way to Spencer Rattler. If there’s good news, it’s that: 1. The Saints are at home. 2. The Bucs surrender 4.9 yards per carry. 3. Kamara’s pass-catching will be as important as ever with a backup under center. … My entirely unscientific analysis of the Jets’ coaching change and finger pointing is that it will produce a massive Week 6 Breece Hall/Braelon Allen run-game commitment against a Bills D silver plattering 5.2 yards per carry. it’s frankly the logical reaction after last week’s offensive line and efficiency collapse. I know Robert Saleh was a defensive-minded coach, but hell hath no run-game fury like a defensively-minded interim man.
Even as the Panthers’ offense has faltered in recent weeks, Chuba Hubbard is averaging four receptions and 105 yards rushing since Andy Dalton took over at quarterback. The Panthers have no better ideas. The Falcons are better on a per-carry basis, but permit the fourth most overall rushing yards. … The Packers finally got a normal-ish game script in Week 5 and Josh Jacobs’ snap share rebounded to 75 percent. The Cardinals have struggled against the run, and the Pack are 5.5-point favorites at home. … Re: James Cook, the Bills figure to retreat ever further into the run as they try to figure out what the heck is happening on offense. Although the Jets are solid on the ground, that’s where you want to attack them because of their elite pass defense. … Tony Pollard has yet to play more than 67 percent of the Titans’ snaps or fewer than 60. Post-break vs. the Colts’ cellar-dwelling run D seems like a good time to get that number up, or to at least shovel 20 more carries Pollard’s way. … D’Andre Swift’s usage and production has stabilized along with the rest of the Bears’ offense. Upside isn’t what comes to mind vs. the Jags’ solid run D, but Swift has proven he’s a safe RB2 after all.
With Zack Moss (ankle) trending toward doubtful, Chase Brown is a plug-and-play RB2 you could credibly rank as an RB1. The Giants surrender over five yards per carry, and revving up the run would be a sensible way to neutralize their surprisingly robust pass rush. … James Conner isn’t catching passes and has reached 20 carries only once. That makes him difficult to get into the top 12 as a 5.5–point road underdog despite his overall ground effectiveness. … Javonte Williams’ volume seems like a safe bet in what the bookmakers are expecting to be a close, low-scoring affair with the Chargers. … Opposing Williams will be J.K. Dobbins, who is either going to bust the long run or not. You essentially have to treat him as a boom/bust WR3 in the RB2 ranks. … Rhamondre Stevenson’s “benching” resulted in his second most rushing yards of the season, though he did fall below 50 percent of the snaps for the first time. That was due in part to a calf injury that kept Stevenson out of Wednesday’s practice. If he can go against the Texans, his outlook will be enhanced by Drake Maye’s insertion under center.
Tank Bigsby finally out-carried and out-snapped Travis Etienne in Week 5 and continued to lap him — and the entire league — in the efficiency metrics. Coach Doug Pederson tried to use Etienne’s ongoing shoulder woes as an alibi, but it’s always bad news when the good news is you were hurt. The Bears are a far more daunting matchup than Indy, but Bigsby has earned an RB2 closeup. … It feels like Rico Dowdle has taken over the Cowboys’ backfield, Week 5 was the first time he played even 50 percent of the snaps, and it was exactly 50. He’s still a nice RB2 bet to place in the week’s highest-totaled game. … Brian Robinson (knee) seems on the wrong side of questionable. Austin Ekeler and Jeremy McNichols would form something of a 50-50 committee were B-Rob to sit. … Listed with a collarbone injury, Trey Sermon seems unlikely to play. That leaves pass-catcher Tyler Goodson as a safe but low-upside FLEX option. … Najee Harris simply isn’t good enough to rank as a top-20 option. Jaylen Warren (knee), meanwhile, has resumed practicing. … Devin Singletary (groin) is in grave danger of losing his job to Tyrone Tracy, but he will probably still have the high-value touch advantage for the time being if he manages to return vs. the Bengals.
