RADIO
Week 5 of the 2016 NFL season showcased a pair of the league's elite rushers finishing first and second in fantasy points scored at the running back position for last week's slate of games. David Johnson and Ezekiel Elliott accounted for 29.5 and 29.1 points respectively in standard scoring formats and they are both beginning to justify their first round ADPs in the preseason rankings.
With byes and injuries removing some of the league's top options at the position, the active fantasy owner must monitor the waiver wire and rely on a solid bench to fill the running back spot in their starting lineup. Check out how it could all shape up in the Week 6 edition of Running Back Depth Charts for Fantasy Football, but first, here are the teams on their bye.
- Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
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2016 Running Back Depth Charts for Week 6
AFC East
| Baller Stability Rating | Team Name | Primary Running Back | Backup or Handcuff | Long-shot Candidate(s) | Waiver Wire Watch |
| Stable | Bills | LeSean McCoy | Mike Gillislee | Jonathan Williams | N/A |
| Questionable | Dolphins | Arian Foster (Q) | Jay Ajayi | Kenyan Drake, Damien Williams | N/A |
| Stable | Patriots | LeGarrette Blount | James White (PPR) | Brandon Bolden | Dion Lewis (O) |
| Stable | Jets | Matt Forte | Bilal Powell | Troymaine Pope | N/A |
-The Miami Dolphins cut ties with Isaiah Pead on Tuesday which could indicate that Arian Foster, who missed the past three weeks with a hamstring injury, is on track to make a Week 6 return. If Foster indeed plays on Sunday, he should be considered a mid-range RB2 option with greater upside in PPR formats. Monitor Foster's status leading up to kickoff for an official designation. However, if Foster sits out this week against the Steelers, Jay Ajayi will likely draw the start but would have minimal value for fantasy football purposes as he remains TD dependent for value.
-Tom Brady's return to the Patriots considerably impacted New England's running back landscape moving forward. LeGarrette Blount, who started the year on fire, scored a touchdown but garnered fewer touches. For James White, he out-produced Blount in total yards, targets, receptions and most importantly in fantasy points scored in PPR leagues finishing with 12.9. In standard formats, Blount just barely edged out White 9.7-to-8.9. Until Dion Lewis returns to action, James White should be the darling of New England's running back position. Don't sleep on Blount though. He will likely remain the early-down and goal-line back and should still be a solid fantasy option moving forward.
AFC North
| Baller Stability Rating | Team Name | Primary Running Back | Backup or Handcuff | Long-shot Candidate(s) | Waiver Wire Watch |
| Questionable | Ravens | Terrance West | Kenneth Dixon | Buck Allen | N/A |
| Stable | Bengals | Jeremy Hill | Gio Bernard | Rex Burkhead | N/A |
| Stable | Browns | Isaiah Crowell | Duke Johnson | George Atkinson III | N/A |
| Stable | Steelers | Le'Veon Bell | DeAngelo Williams | Fitzgerald Toussaint | N/A |
-Week 5 brought upon the NFL debut of Kenneth Dixon for the Baltimore Ravens, but he played second fiddle to an emerging Terrance West. Dixon was thought to be the running back who would be the savior of Baltimore's backfield, but if last Sunday was any indication, the Ravens already had their starter in the form of West. He nearly broke the 100-yard rushing plateau against the Redskins finishing with 95 yards on 11 carries and is gaining momentum on a weekly basis since the team benched and parted ways with Justin Forsett. Dixon should be lingering on the fantasy bench in case West's success is just an anomaly, but tread lightly on starting the rookie until he can produce quite a bit more than a half of a point as he did in his first career game.
-It is crystal clear that Le'Veon Bell is the featured back in Pittsburgh, and it's not even close. In Week 5, Bell accounted for 15.4 and 24.4 fantasy points in standard and PPR scoring formats respectively while DeAngelo Williams put up a goose egg (zero points) on one touch. Williams' fantasy value appears to be fading rapidly, but don't cut him loose just yet as Bell could succumb to injury once again as he did in 2015.
AFC South
| Baller Stability Rating | Team Name | Primary Running Back | Backup or Handcuff | Long-shot Candidate(s) | Waiver Wire Watch |
| Stable | Texans | Lamar Miller | Alfred Blue | Tyler Ervin | N/A |
| Stable | Colts | Frank Gore | Josh Ferguson | Robert Turbin | N/A |
| Questionable | Jaguars | T.J. Yeldon | Chris Ivory | Denard Robinson | N/A |
| Stable | Titans | DeMarco Murray | Derrick Henry | Antonio Andrews | N/A |
-Penny for your thoughts? Robert Turbin was a surprising healthy scratch in Week 5 for the Colts which opened the door for Josh Ferguson and Jordan Todman to see increased playing time. Todman was invisible against the Bears, but Ferguson appeared to play the role of the change of pace back to the ageless Frank Gore. If Turbin is designated as inactive again in Week 6, Ferguson should be considered Gore's handcuff and could become an upside stash for later in the year.
AFC West
| Baller Stability Rating | Team Name | Primary Running Back | Backup or Handcuff | Long-shot Candidate(s) | Waiver Wire Watch | |
| Stable | Broncos | C.J. Anderson | Devontae Booker | Kapri Bibbs | N/A | |
| Stable | Chiefs | Jamaal Charles |
|
Charcandrick West | N/A | |
| Questionable | Raiders | Latavius Murray (Q) | DeAndre Washington | Jalen Richard | N/A | |
| Stable | Chargers | Melvin Gordon | Dexter McCluster (PPR) | Kenneth Farrow | N/A |
-The Oakland Raiders could see a changing of the guard atop their running back depth chart sooner rather than later. Latavius Murray did not play last week as he is dealing with a toe injury and appears to be losing touches as the season progresses to the team's pair of rookie backs, Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington. Oakland could be employing a by-committee approach to their running back position by mid-season led by Murray, but Richard and Washington are likely on track to see a tremendous increase in their respective workloads. This backfield could be considered volatile relatively fast, so fantasy owners should proceed with caution.
NFC East
| Baller Stability Rating | Team Name | Primary Running Back | Backup or Handcuff | Long-shot Candidate(s) | Waiver Wire Watch |
| Stable | Cowboys | Ezekiel Elliott | Alfred Morris | Lance Dunbar | N/A |
| Stable | Giants | Orleans Darkwa, Rashad Jennings (Q) | Bobby Rainey (PPR) | Paul Perkins | Bobby Rainey |
| Questionable | Eagles | Ryan Mathews | Darren Sproles (PPR) | Wendell Smallwood | N/A |
| Stable | Redskins | Matt Jones | Chris Thompson | Rob Kelley | N/A |
-The Eagles, who looked like they would utilize an RBBC approach to their backfield before their Week 5 bye, reversed track in Week 6 against the Lions. Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles were both featured while Kenjon Barner and Wendell Smallwood did not see a single touch. Mathews looks like he is the stable No. 1 rusher in Philadelphia with Sproles assuming his usual role as the primary receiver out of the backfield. However, Mathews is injury-prone which could open the door for Barner or Smallwood to step right back into fantasy relevance at any point of the year.
NFC North
| Baller Stability Rating | Team Name | Primary Running Back | Backup or Handcuff | Long-shot Candidate(s) | Waiver Wire Watch |
| Questionable | Bears | Jordan Howard | Ka'Deem Carey, Jeremy Langford (O) | Joique Bell | N/A |
| Stable | Lions | Theo Riddick (PPR) | Justin Forsett, Dwayne Washington (Q) | Zach Zenner | Justin Forsett |
| Stable | Packers | Eddie Lacy (Q) | James Starks | Jhurell Pressley | N/A |
| Stable | Vikings | Jerick McKinnon | Matt Asiata | Ronnie Hillman | N/A |
-The Detriot Lions were short-handed at the running back position in Week 6 against the Philadelphia Eagles as Dwayne Washington was inactive with foot and ankle injuries. Theo Riddick had an outstanding showing versus the Eagles, but he is not considered as an every-down back. The Lions had a void at the position and filled it with veteran Justin Forsett, who was recently cut by the Ravens. Forsett will likely step into the every-down role vacated by Ameer Abdullah and Washington while Riddick resumes what he does best - catch the football out of the backfield. Forsett could play an integral role on the Lions as the season progresses and he should be scooped up off of the waiver wire and stashed on the bench in case he breaks out.
NFC South
| Baller Stability Rating | Team Name | Primary Running Back | Backup or Handcuff | Long-shot Candidate(s) | Waiver Wire Watch |
| Stable | Falcons | Devonta Freeman | Tevin Coleman | Terron Ward | N/A |
| Questionable | Panthers | Cameron Artis-Payne, Jonathan Stewart (O) | Fozzy Whittaker | Mike Tolbert | Cameron Aris-Payne, Fozzy Whittaker |
| Stable | Saints | Mark Ingram | Travaris Cadet (PPR) | Tim Hightower | Travaris Cadet (PPR) |
| Stable | Buccaneers | Doug Martin (O) | Jacquizz Rodgers | Peyton Barber | Jacquizz Rodgers |
-The Tampa Bay Buccaneers placed Charles Sims on the injured reserve list on Monday just before their contest against the Carolina Panthers. With Doug Martin also out, Jacquizz Rodgers drew the start and the vast majority of the touches at the running back position finishing Week 5 with 12.9 fantasy points in standard leagues and 17.9 in PPR. Martin is on track to return from his hamstring injury following Tampa Bay's Week 6 bye, but Rodgers could still play a significant role in the offense. Rodgers should be added and owned in deeper fantasy leagues but will see his value peak in PPR scoring formats.
NFC West
| Baller Stability Rating | Team Name | Primary Running Back | Backup or Handcuff | Long-shot Candidate(s) | Waiver Wire Watch | |
| Stable | Cardinals | David Johnson |
|
Stepfan Taylor | N/A | |
| Stable | Rams | Todd Gurley | Benny Cunningham | Malcolm Brown | N/A | |
| Stable | 49ers | Carlos Hyde | Shaun Draughn | Mike Davis | N/A | |
| Stable | Seahawks | Christine Michael | C.J. Spiller, Thomas Rawls (O) | C.J. Prosise | N/A |
-The Seattle Seahawks are coming off of their Week 5 bye and are heading into a favorable home matchup for their running backs against the Atlanta Falcons. Christine Michael is Seattle's No. 1 rusher but the question marks come about when considering his handcuff. For right now, C.J. Spiller is in that role with Thomas Rawls and C.J. Prosise both on the mend from their respective injuries. Upon Rawls and Prosise's return, however, Seattle's backfield could once again become questionable. Start Michael with confidence on Sunday as the Falcons could be in for a long day on the defensive side of the ball.
Anthony Cervino is a primary contributor for Rotoballer and a lead NFL News Desk writer. For additional content, visit his archive or follow him on Twitter @theRealnflguru.
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