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Playing the right running back matchups is critical to maximizing your scoring in your fantasy football leagues. With four teams on bye this week, savvy fantasy managers will try to find viable solutions to advance them to the following week. At Sportkeeda, we'll bring you weekly running back rankings and highlight the best matchups to help you make those tough lineup decisions before Week 5.
Fantasy Football RB Rankings: Week 6
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Fantasy Football RB Picks: Best Matchups of the Week
1] Alvin Kamara vs Tampa Bay Defense
It may be hard to believe, but the Saints will be without starter Derek Carr for the first time since signing his free-agent deal in 2023. The veteran signal-caller had started 22 straight games for New Orleans, including all 17 games last season and all five games this year.
Carr was officially ruled out on Friday after suffering an oblique injury during last week’s 26-13 loss to Kansas City. The injury will keep him out for at least this weekend when his Saints play host to Tampa Bay.
New Orleans also announced it will turn the keys to the offense over to rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler, who will debut in his NFL regular season. The entire fantasy community will ask how this will work in New Orleans. We think you should start Alvin Kamara confidently.
We only have a small sample size of this offense without Carr, as he was knocked out of several games last year. In 2023, veteran gunslinger Jameis Winston relieved Carr in three games in Week 3, Week 10, and Week 13. Kamara didn’t play in Week 3 but was active in the other two games Carr left with an injury.
The Saints leaned heavily on the All-Pro in those contests - especially in the passing game. Kamara turned 15 targets into 13 catches for 91 yards, along with his two rushing touchdowns. Winston and Rattler have different quarterback styles, but the plan should remain the same - get the ball to your playmakers early and often.
Kamara’s usage may go through the roof this Sunday, making him one of our most desired running back plays of the weekend. With a young quarterback making his professional regular season debut in the Big Easy, we expect plenty of pressure. Kamara should serve as the safety valve, which could lead to the overall RB1 in Week 6. Kamara already leads the league in touches per game for running backs (22.8), sixth-most rushing yards (388), and second-most rushing touchdowns (5) this season.
2] Tony Pollard vs Indianapolis Defense
Every week in our matchup articles, we feature the Indianapolis defense as one of the most viable options to attack in fantasy football. Whether it is the passing or rushing defense, the Colts give up bucketloads of fantasy points to our fantasy assets.
Indianapolis has allowed the fourth-most passing yards (1,402), fifth-highest completion percentage (71.7%), and the second-most rushing yards (785) this season. The Colts rank as a 29% advantage in Aaron Schatz’s running back DVOA metric this week that could lift Pollard from a solid RB2 to a potential RB1 play this weekend.
The veteran back is 19th in fantasy points per game this season at 14.6 and comes into this contest 22nd in rushing yards (246) despite only playing in four games. Pollard has seven explosive runs of 10-plus yards - tied for the 7th best in the league for fantasy backs.
The veteran should be fresh coming off a bye, and he could be one of the best options for the weekend as long as Will Levis doesn’t do Will Levis things. Tyjae Spears should also enter the flex conversation if you decide which player to use this weekend or a contrarian DFS play if he gets into the end zone.
3] Breece Hall vs Buffalo Defense
Let’s get something straight. The Jets offense needed a lift. But firing one of the premier defensive minds doesn’t fly in professional football.
The dismissal of head coach Robert Saleh shocked the football world this week as he became the first NFL head coach to lose his job this season. Offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett survived despite another underperforming job as the team’s playcaller.
That was until interim head coach Jeff Ulbrich stripped Hackett of his play-calling duties. That wrapped up a shaky week for the New York franchise. So, what does this mean for their fantasy stars like Breece Hall?
Could you have one of the best buy-low windows for Jets skill-position players? If you still believe in Hall’s talent (and you should), he is coming into this weekend with one of the best matchups for running backs.
The Bills defense has allowed the seventh-most rushing yards (720), the third-most explosive plays of 10-plus yards (22), and the seventh-most touches per game to running backs (50.4). New play-caller Todd Downing should get its star running back involved early and often against this poor run defense - something Hackett wasn’t able to do the last two weeks.
Hall’s usage went from 62 touches in the first three weeks to 25 in the previous two games. The Ravens exploited this unit with Derrick Henry’s 199 rushing yards, and the Jets should test this defensive front early and often. There are brighter days for the New York offense; this is the time to buy while the price is at the bottom of the barrel.
New York Jets Nation! Check out the latest Jets Schedule and dive into the New York Jets Depth Chart for NFL Season 2024-25.
