David Johnson and Ezekiel Elliott broke out in a big way in week 5.

Expect that to be a common occurrence as the NFL season progresses. Johnson has been the one bright spot for an underachieving Arizona squad this season. He was fed early and often, as predicted, in week 5 against San Francisco. That won’t stop, either.

Johnson is a matchup nightmare and the Cardinals appear invested in getting him going right away in games. The same is true for Elliott, who is becoming a monster fantasy option lately. He’s gone over 130 rushing yards in three straight games and gone for at least 16 fantasy points in those games.

They were both early first round fantasy picks and they’re showing why those rankings were right in line with their production.

Here’s the week 6 start ’em, sit ’em list for running backs in fantasy football.

Start

C.J. Anderson vs. San Diego Chargers

Anderson fell back to earth in week 5 with the rest of the Denver offense. He managed just 41 yards rushing against an Atlanta team not known for its defensive prowess.

But this isn’t the first week where Anderson’s lack of ability running the football has taken center stage. He’s been under 50 yards in three consecutive games. The offensive line is showing signs of weakness we anticipated early in the season, so Anderson owners should be concerned, especially with Anderson’s track record of underperforming.

But this week should be good medicine.

The Chargers haven’t done much against the rush this season. San Diego is allowing the second-most fantasy points against running backs. Teams aren’t generating a lot of yards per game, but they’re scoring touchdowns with running backs.

I expect that to happen in week 6 on a Thursday night when the Broncos will likely rely on that running game again.

Ryan Mathews vs. Washington Redskins

I’m not giving up on going against Washington’s defense. Last week was a perfect opportunity for Terrance West against the Redskins. He churned out almost 100 yards on 11 carries. There’s a reason why Baltimore has a new offensive coordinator and it’s due to ditching the running game while it was working.

The Eagles won’t make the same mistake.

Teams can run on Washington. The Redskins allow 5.1 yards per carry against the run. That’s the worst mark in the NFL by a long shot. Philadelphia is going to commit to the run and Mathews will get the majority of looks.

During his return to action in week 5, he handled the majority of duties, including seeing some targets in the passing game.

Mathews will get plenty of volume against Washington and that will pay major dividends.

Melvin Gordon vs. Denver Broncos

I’ll stay in the Thursday night game with this one. Gordon has cooled off in the yardage department, but he’s still smoking in the fantasy points world.

Gordon has at least one touchdown in every game this season, allowing him to be in double-digits each week in fantasy points. And against such a good pass defense in Denver, I expect San Diego to go all in on running the football on Thursday night.

Denver’s defense is one of the best in the NFL. But stopping the run hasn’t gone as well as many would have believed. The Broncos allow 115 yards per game on the ground, the 11th-worst mark in the NFL. During last year’s title run, the Broncos allowed less than 90 yards rushing per game.

Road teams don’t generally do well on Thursday nights, especially after such a beatdown the previous week. San Diego has their backs against the wall, so I expect Gordon and company to score some points.

Sit

Oakland running backs vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Kansas City hasn’t been great against the run this season. The Chiefs rank toward the bottom of the NFL in rushing defense.

But fantasy owners can’t exploit that defense with the inconsistency being seen among running backs in Oakland. Latavius Murray missed week 5 with an injury and that may continue into this week. But even with Murray in the lineup, the Raiders were still going with a three-man rotation.

And that didn’t get any clearer in week 5.

Some guy by the name of Jamize Olawale scored a touchdown for Oakland in week 5. There are so many running backs cycling in and out of the lineup, it’s almost impossible to guage which running back will garner the majority of carries.

They don’t even believe in a hot-hand approach. It’s confusing the way they use running backs, so I’m avoiding this situation, despite the solid matchup.

Matt Jones won't be factor in week 6 fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em. Flickr/http://bit.ly/1OOVyhz/Keith Allison
Matt Jones won’t be factor in week 6 fantasy football start ’em, sit ’em. Flickr/http://bit.ly/1OOVyhz/Keith Allison

Matt Jones vs. Philadelphia Eagles

I was way wrong about Philadelphia in the offseason. I’m finally starting to turn the corner.

I didn’t buy the defense. It was a disaster last season. But so far this season, those high-priced defensive players from a year ago are paying off.

And that means trouble for Jones, who is a matchup-dependent fantasy option.

Against the right defense, Jones can be a solid RB2, if not a low-end RB1. But against a solid front, he’s not going anywhere as evidenced by last week’s three-point fantasy effort.

Philadelphia ranks in that top-tier. The Eagles have allowed the third-fewest rushing yards per game this season and that will continue this week. I’m not buying into the Redskins offense this week against a Philadelphia team desperate to show the league it’s for real.

Terrance West vs. New York Giants

New York doesn’t do a lot well. But it can stop the run. What helps in this matchup is that Baltimore doesn’t do anything well on offense at the moment.

The Ravens would run the football well if it stayed with it for more than a few carries at a time. However, the Ravens refuse to stick with the run, despite West gaining 95 yards on only 11 carries in week 5. That won’t get much better either with a new offensive coordinator who has shown the inability to get away from the pass in the past.

New York’s secondary is beat up, so I believe the Ravens will gameplan accordingly. That means West will have limited action.

It’s not West’s fault he’s not getting more traction. It’s Baltimore’s offensive mindset and I doubt that will get better with so much uncertainty with the offense.

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