Which running backs have the most favorable fantasy matchups? Who should you consider sitting?
Here's a breakdown of five notable running backs featured in Sean Koerner, Chris Raybon and Matthew Freedman's Week 6 fantasy football rankings.
The No. 1 RB
Todd Gurley, Los Angeles Rams
Gurley has been a machine this season, leading the league in touches per game (24), carries (101) and touchdowns (seven).
Although, it'll be interesting to see if the dynamic of the Rams' offense changes if Cooper Kupp (concussion) and Brandin Cooks (concussion) happen to be ruled out:
Per #NextGenStats, Todd Gurley has faced 8+ men in the box on just 9.9% of his carries.
Unsurprisingly, the Rams are among the leaders in 3-WR sets and 96 of Gurley's 101 carries have come from 3-WR sets — 49 more attempts than the next closest RB (Ezekiel Elliot, 47).
— Justin Bailey (@justinbailey32) October 9, 2018
Gurley is the consensus No. 1 RB among our rankers.
The Most Favorable Matchups
James White, New England Patriots
White's usage has been outstanding thus far: He leads the Patriots with 25% of their market share of targets, 36% red-zone target share and ranks T14 in the league in receptions (32).
Now he draws matchup that plays to his strengths as the Chiefs rank 28th in Football Outsiders' pass DVOA against running backs, allowing 9.5 targets and 90.1 receiving yards per game to running backs this year.
White carries an average rank of 9.3 in PPR formats between Koerner, Freedman and Raybon.
Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers
McCaffrey is in a great spot against a Redskins defense that ranks in the bottom three in Football Outsiders' rush DVOA and in PFF's grades.
Part of McCaffrey's high floor comes from his role in the receiving game, but he's also establishing a rushing floor. In Week 3 he saw a career-high 28 carries, then followed that up with 17 carries (second-highest) against the Giants in Week 5.
He's a top-five back among all our rankers, and he boasts the third-highest median projection in the FantasyLabs Player Models.
Matchup Downgrades
Kenyan Drake and Frank Gore, Miami Dolphins
Drake has out-snapped Gore 174:109 this year, but their touches are nearly the same as Drake is averaging just 11.2 touches per game, while Gore is sitting at 10.0.
A timeshare against a Bears defense that's allowing just 64.0 rushing yards per game, 3.4 yards per attempt doesn't sound enticing.
Drake has an average rank of 27.7, while Gore checks in at 50.7.
Derrick Henry and Dion Lewis, Tennessee Titans
Despite ranking third in the league in carries as a team, the Titans have been ineffective on the ground, averaging just 3.7 yards per attempt (26th) and a mediocre 1.07.2 rushing yards per game (17th).
Up next is a Ravens defense that ranks fourth in rush DVOA, a unit that's allowing just 3.9 yards per attempt and 88.4 rushing yards per game.
Lewis carries an average rank of 24.0, while Henry is all the way down at 39.0.
Want another edge? Be sure to keep up with the week's news on FantasyLabs.
