Fantasy Football 2011: Week 6 Running Back Rankings

Let's check out which 70 running backs could be helping you with the Cardinals, Titans, Broncos, Chargers, Chiefs and Seahawks on byes.

News and Injury Notes

LaGarrette Blount- Blount Force Trauma is expected to miss Sunday's game against the first-place Saints. Blount is not ranked even though there is a chance he can suit up for the game. Earnest Graham is the easy add and is worth starting in most PPR formats and as a flex in some 12-team leagues. Coach Morris said he would be the featured back sans Blount. Who's after Graham? I'm going out on a bit of a limb by ranking Allen Bradford at 38 this week. The Buccaneers probably won't be giving the 31-year-old Graham more than 20 touches and Bradford's skills serve as the best replacement for Blount.

Tim Hightower- The Richmond product was reportedly chewed out by Mike Shanahan for not disclosing his shoulder injury. The injury was originally suffered in the opener and Hightower aggravated it in Week 4. Ryan Torain figures to get a heavy dose of carries against the hapless Philly run D. He's a strong RB2. As for Hightower, he and Helu are risky plays this week, but should remain owned in almost every league.

Cedric Benson- It appears that Cedric Benson's suspension could take close to a month. This situation is a mess and those of you that have held out hope for Bernard Scott can probably let him loose in standard formats. I would suggest trying to trade him to Benson's owner before making the move though.

Rashard Mendenhall- Omar Epps Mike Tomlin was non-committal with Mendenhall's status for Sunday's action against the Jaguars. Mendenhall was active for Week 5, so there is some cause for optimism. There's a good chance he will play, thus putting a major dent in the value of Dwyer and Redman. Dwyer is ranked above Redman this week primarily because there's a good chance for garbage time.

Brandon Jacobs- He hasn't been ruled out, but a sprained MCL is serious business for a running back. Expect Jacobs to sit for a couple more games and Ahmad Bradshaw is a borderline top-10 back in the interim.

Daniel Thomas- D.T. practiced on Tuesday and looks ready to roll to do his best LawFirm impression against the Jets D. He's a strong RB2 this week and playing on Monday Night Football is always a nice bonus.

Joseph Addai- Addai could miss 1-to-3 weeks with a bum hamstring. The Big East tandem of Delone Carter and Donald Brown will handle the duties while he is on the mend. Carter is the add and he's ranked at 25 this week.

Tim Tebow- Tim Tebow Tim Tebow Tim Tebow Tim Tebow Tim Tebow Tim Tebow Tim Tebow Tim Tebow. That's pretty much all I heard the past two days. When in Rome.

These rankings are for standard leagues (no bonuses or PPR). You can ask me any question about your league on Twitter @MikeSGallagher. You can also follow me for updates throughout the week.

For all other rankings, head on over to our friends at Fantasy Rundown and Fantasy Football Librarian.

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