- Jonathan Taylor is currently dealing with a high ankle sprain so we will need to monitor his status as the week goes on. In his stead, Trey Sermon was able to lean on volume to finish as the RB6 in full-point PPR leagues. He saw 16 opportunities but was inefficient both through the air and on the ground, compiling just 63 yards. He was able to salvage his day in the fourth quarter by finding the end zone on a one-yard carry. Right now we can assume Sermon will see at least one more start. In Week 6, the Colts face a stout Titans run defense which should limit Sermon’s upside. Sermon comes in as my RB32 on the week. He is a fine FLEX play in a bind but you should temper expectations.
- Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery are prime trade for candidates considering they are past their bye week and have nine matchups against the bottom half of the league’s rush defenses between now and the fantasy football championship. Neither player has played to their ceiling quite yet but the usage is there and the offense showed signs of improving in Week 4. One of my favorite moves to make right now is trading Bijan Robinson away for either of the Lions’ running backs. Obviously, with Montgomery, you will be able to demand more in return. One of my boldest takes right now is that Montgomery will outscore Robinson from Week 9 on. If you make a move now, you can secure your team more high-value assets before you approach the playoffs.
- Travis Etienne is dealing with a shoulder injury that limited his snaps in last week’s performance. The more concerning thing is that he has been outplayed by second-year back Tank Bigsby. I think we would be getting ahead of ourselves if we think Bigsby is going to outright take this job but he is averaging over 8.0 yards per carry this season. Etienne should continue to lead the way as the passing down back but I would not be surprised to see Bigsby start to eat more and more into his Etienne’s early down usage. Bigsby finished last week as the RB1 overall with only 40% of the snaps and 14 touches. This week the Jags face a Bears team that has been in the bottom third in the league against the run. Etienne should have room to run but for the first time all season, Bigsby ranks higher (RB15 vs. Etienne RB22).
RB Rankings: Week 6