NFL Player News

Expected to carry the load from the outset this time, Chargers running back Branden Oliver delivered his second straight 100-yard rushing effort Week 6 at Oakland, following his up his out-of-nowhere breakout Week 5 against the Jets. He scored a touchdown, his third in two games, and again factored in the passing game with four catches for 23 yards.

Nice find for your Fantasy team, right? The question is how long will it continue?

Ryan Mathews, who has been out since Week 3 with a sprained right knee, will probably miss at least one more game, but after that, all bets are off. He has durability issues and is probably better suited for a platoon role, but given his history, you have to think he'll overtake Oliver as the primary back when he's ready to return. And even if the two split carries in some form or fashion, Oliver won't be as valuable as he is now.

Just something to keep in mind as we head into Week 7. For now, plan to start Oliver again against Kansas City.

Though Ben Tate continued to establish himself as the Browns' workhorse Week 6 against Pittsburgh, rushing 25 times for 78 yards and his first two touchdowns of the season, he didn't go it alone. In fact, Isaiah Crowell, one of the two rookie running backs to fill in for him when he missed Weeks 2 and 3 with a knee injury, had nearly as many yards (77) on less than half as many carries (11). Terrance West, the other rookie running back who was actually considered the higher-profile of the two coming into the year, was inactive for the game.

So does that mean Crowell is the better handcuff for Tate? It's not so clear. The two got about the same number of carries in Week 5, but West did more with his.

We'll see if West becomes a regular on the inactives list, but in the meantime, I wouldn't stress too much about finding a handcuff for Tate. The good news is he's gotten more than 20 carries in back-to-back games since returning from injury and looks like he's going to be a regular enough part of the offense to start every week in Fantasy.

After Stevan Ridley departed in the third quarter with what's feared to be a torn ACL, the Patriots turned to Brandon Bolden as their primary ball carrier Week 6 at Buffalo. He picked up just 10 yards on six carries, but Ridley himself wasn't much better against a Bills defense that entered the day ranked second against the run, picking up just 23 yards on 10 carries.

Obviously, the Patriots also have Shane Vereen to share the workload, but he's always been more of a receiver out of the backfield. If Ridley does miss significant time, the Patriots will need somebody to pick up the tough yards, and that somebody figures to be Bolden.

So does that make him a player to add in Fantasy? He's gotten double-digit carries only three times in his career, but he averaged 5.8 yards per carry in those three games. He had 137 yards on a career-high 16 carries back in 2012.

Of course, he's no Ridley, and Ridley himself had become a frustration to Fantasy owners with the Patriots not always so committed to the run game. So if Ridley's injury ends up being not as serious, maybe you add Bolden only if you have a real need at running back. But otherwise, he's a must-add.

Cardinals running back Andre Ellington rushed for 67 yards on 19 carries while adding 26 yards on six receptions in his team's 30-20 win over Washington in Week 6.

Ellington picked up 18 yards on a carry early in the first quarter but couldn't manage to break through with a big play, a problem that has plagued him for much of the season, last week's 81-yard touchdown reception notwithstanding. He's averaged 3.5 yards per carry or fewer in each of his last three games. Ellington will be looking to turn things around against the Raiders next week.

Cowboys backup running backs Joseph Randle and Lance Dunbar were more than bit players in the Week 6 win at Seattle. Randle carried five times for 52 yards (10.4 ypc) while Dunbar caught all four of his targets for 48 yards.

Dunbar also rushed once for minus-4 yards. They'll take on the Giants in Week 7.

Justin Forsett was once again the most effective of the Ravens running backs in what seemed to become less of a timeshare Week 6 at Tampa Bay. No, he didn't lead the trio in touches -- Bernard Pierce did -- but he did the most with his, picking up 111 yards on 14 carries.

And Pierce may not have had so many touches if the Ravens didn't put the game away with four touchdowns in the first quarter. Of Pierce's 15 carries, nine came in the second half. Of Forsett's 14, only four did.

Though Pierce found the end zone on a 4-yard run in the third quarter, he ran for just 32 yards in all and is now averaging 3.7 yards per carry this season compared to Forsett's 6.4.

Lorenzo Taliaferro, if you're wondering, was a complete afterthought by comparison, rushing twice for 29 yards and catching two passes for 18. If Forsett is the go-to guy and Pierce is the run-out-the-clock guy, Taliaferro's role may be the kind that doesn't add up to anything in Fantasy.

Clearly, Forsett is must-own in Fantasy, but other than having Pierce as a handcuff option, I'm running out of reasons to stash either of the Ravens' other two running backs.

Raiders running back Darren McFadden had somewhat of a vintage performance in a Week 6 defeat to the Chargers on Sunday.

McFadden got the start and had three runs of 10-plus yards, including a 17-yard run late in the third quarter for his longest gain of the day. He took 14 handoffs for a season-high 80 yards, averaging 5.7 yards per carry.He was thrown to four times and finished with two catches for 6 yards in a 31-28 defeat. He has 231 rushing yards on the year.

The Raiders will host the Cardinals in Week 7.

Chargers running back Branden Oliver put together an impressive performance in his first career start on Sunday, scoring and cracking the century mark in a Week 6 win at Oakland.

Oliver barreled into the end zone from 1-yard out with 1:08 remaining for the go-ahead touchdown. He took 26 handoffs for 101 yards and a score on the ground, averaging 3.9 yards per attempt. He was thrown to five times and finished with four catches for 23 yards in a 31-28 victory.

Oliver could get the bulk of the load if Donald Brown and Ryan Mathews aren't ready to return in Week 7 at home against the Chiefs.

It looks bad -- Chris Johnson's 200 rush yards and 40 receiving yards through six weeks are nasty. No one thought he could have been as bad as he was last season through six games but he's done it -- Johnson had 327 rush yards and 96 receiving yards in 2013. 

Owners of CJ2k ... or is it CJ1k ... or CJ0k ... whatever it is ... they're probably about ready to cut him. And why not?! But there's one thing Johnson has done in each of his last three seasons and that's put up nice numbers in his last 10 or so games. He averaged around 7.0 Fantasy points per game in a standard league over his first six games on a per-year basis but came up with over 12.0 Fantasy points per game in his last 10. 

No one will buy into Chris Johnson unless you're dealing him for complete garbage. So maybe the answer is to hang on to him for a couple more weeks and see what happens and if he breaks out like he has the past three seasons. And if you see Johnson on waivers, pick him up and give him a stash for a couple of weeks. 

The Jets play the Patriots on a short week for Week 7 then take on the Bills, Chiefs and Steelers before a Week 11 bye, plus he takes on his old team in Week 15. There are a couple of good matchups in there for Johnson. 

Wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders and running back Juwan Thompson matched yardage totals in leading a contributing contingent of Broncos to their Sunday win over the Jets.

Sanders caught three passes for 38 yards while Thompson rushed eight times for the same number. The latter added a reception that went nowhere.

Denver continues its season against visiting San Francisco next Sunday.