It's understandable if you don't want to start Adrian Peterson or Devonta Freeman in Week 6. Or any week for that matter. But you probably didn't want to eat your vegetables when you were a kid either. And like your vegetables, Peterson and Freeman could be good for you this week.
The path to starting in Fantasy begins with volume, and both Peterson and Freeman have had volume lately. Freeman has seen his touches increase every week he's been with the Giants, culminating with 19 touches against the Cowboys in Week 5.. That's a feature back workload. Peterson's path has been more uneven, but he's averaged 14.5 touches per game and had 23 touches in the Lions' lone win. They're three-point favorites against Jacksonville on Sunday.
That's a nice lead-in to matchup. Freeman faces a Washington defense that has allowed 371 rushing yards and four touchdowns over the past three weeks to running backs. The Jaguars have been even worse. Six backs have scored at least 10 Fantasy points against them this year.
I'm not suggesting Freeman or Peterson as great starts. But they can absolutely be good starts as favorites against bad defenses with good volume. I'd start them both over any running back from the Patriots, Jets or Ravens in Week 6.
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More Week 6 Fantasy prep: Waivers | Trade Values | Winners and Losers | Believe It or Not
Week 6 RB Preview
Who's Out
The following player is out for Week 6:
Alexander Mattison is a must-start running back if Cook is out.
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Numbers to know
- 136 -- Alexander Mattison posted 136 total yards in Week 5 against the Seahawks. He's a top-five back this week.
- 14 -- Joe Mixon has seen 14 targets the past two weeks. That's his most ever in back-to-back games.
- 0 -- Clyde Edwards-Helaire has zero touchdowns on his 15 carries inside the 20. Every other running back with at least 14 red zone carries has multiple touchdowns.
- 30 -- Mike Davis is second among running backs with 30 receptions. He remains must-start for at least one more week.
- 67.6% -- Kareem Hunt accounted for more than two-thirds of the Browns' running backs touches in their first full game without Nick Chubb.
- 27.5 -- The Lions are allowing a league-worst 27.5 Fantasy points per game to running backs. Ignore James Robinson's Week 5 dud.
- 5.6 -- Shockingly, the Ravens have surrendered 5.6 yards per carry this season.
- 12 -- Antonio Gibson is tied with Josh Jacobs for the most broken tackles, with 12. Gibson has 51 fewer carries.
Matchups that matter
Waiver Wire Targets
If you need help this week and Alexander Mattison is not available then you need to make a trade. McKissic could be a fine flex in PPR, he does have 16 targets over his past two games and Kyle Allen loves dumping the ball off to his running backs.
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Gore is not at the same level as Peterson or Freeman, but I would expect 15 touches for him against an average Dolphins defense. He's a better play in non-PPR than PPR.
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Jackson isn't a handcuff. He may just be the starter for the Chargers. But he doesn't play in Week 6 because he's on a bye, so he fits into the stash category. For teams with long-term needs, he's the second-best option behind Mattison.
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Pollard fits into the Mattison category in that if something happened to Ezekiel Elliott, Pollard could instantly be a top-five running back and a league-winner.
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Eventually Perine should become the lead back for the Jets.
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DFS Plays
Both sites did a good job of bumping Mattison's price up, but it won't be enough to keep him from being chalky. It's going to be hard to build a lineup this week that doesn't have both Mattison and Mike Davis in it.
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If everyone backs off Robinson because of one dud, I'll gladly use him against the very best running back matchup. The Lions have allowed 27.5 non-PPR Fantasy points per game to running backs this season.
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Heath's Projections
So who should you start and sit this week? And which surprising quarterback could lead you to victory? Visit SportsLine now to get Week 6 rankings for every position, plus see which QB is going to come out of nowhere to crack the top 10, all from the model that out-performed experts big-time last season.
