RB Rankings
- Najee Harris ranks first among all running backs with a snap share of 88.9%, with second place Darrell Henderson Jr. a full nine percentage points behind. Harris ranks first in opportunity share per FantasyData at 88.6%, ahead of the immortal Derrick Henry. Harris leads all running backs with 39 targets, ranks seventh overall with 73 rushing attempts, and is the RB5 on a PPR point per game basis despite just three touchdowns on the year. And in Week 6 he gets a Seattle defense that has given up the third-most fantasy points per game to the running back position, and whose offense should struggle to stay on the field with Geno Smith at quarterback. This sets up to be a true blowup week for Harris, and he comes in as the RB2 in my rankings, behind only Austin Ekeler and the Chargers’ video-game offense.
- If Christian McCaffrey plays this week, you start him, no questions asked. But if he doesn’t, Chuba Hubbard is a borderline must-start in his absence. Hubbard received a 65% snap share and an 18% target share last week and scored 18 PPR points despite not scoring a touchdown. He looks good on the ground, gets just enough passing game work, and faces a beatable Vikings defense in Week 6. Minnesota has given up the 12th most fantasy points to opposing running backs despite facing some lackluster running games in Cincinnati (127 yards to Joe Mixon), Arizona, Seattle (80 yards on 12 carries for Chris Carson), and Detroit (108 combined rushing yards from D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams). Throw in a combined 169 rushing yards from the Browns’ excellent tandem, and this Vikings defense can be exploited. He’s my RB14 without McCaffrey this week.
- I know things are a disappointing mess this week in Las Vegas, but Josh Jacobs is suddenly a trustworthy PPR back. He’s seen two straight weeks with 63% or more of the running back snaps, and he’s shockingly exceeded a 14% target share in both games as well. For as long as he is seeing this usage, and while Kenyan Drake continues to ride the bench, Jacobs’ stock is on the rise. We may start considering this as a sell-high opportunity soon, however, so be ready to make a move if he has a big week.
- Can you spot the outlier in Myles Gaskin‘s weekly snap shares? Week 1 – 53.7%, Week 2 – 60.8%, Week 3 – 51.8%, Week 4 – 23.1%, Week 5 – 68.5%. Who knows what happened in Week 4, but Gaskin immediately recovered and posted his best snap share and usage of the season. Throw in a matchup against Jacksonville, and we are looking at a relatively useful RB25 overall, despite the bad taste that lingers from Week 4.
- I’m avoiding the Broncos’ running backs for the most part as long as this snap share continues. Melvin Gordon has the three highest snap shares of the year among the two, peaking at 60%, while Javonte Williams has ranged between 40-51% through five weeks. Sure the Raiders are a good matchup, but this is a split backfield in an offense that is trending downwards, with neither running back doing a whole lot of work in the passing game. I hope that the breakout is coming for Williams, but I think I’d rather see it first if possible, as opposed to chasing a so far non-existent ceiling for another week.
Green=Strong Starter, Yellow=Solid Starter, Red=Look for Better Options
Week 6 RB Rankings