As I stated in the Week 5 version of sleepers and streamers, now is the time to start the correct players with key decision-making. Finding those running backs to replace your superstars can be challenging with bye weeks. Last week, JK Dobbins, Saquon Barkley, David Montgomery, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Tony Pollard were on a bye.
In Week 5, we had D’Andre Swift, Chase Brown, and Jerome Ford make the sleepers and streamers list. Ford did not live up to being starting, but Swift finished as the RB2, and Chase Brown ended up as the RB10. Now, in Week 6, there are some more superstar running backs on a bye. DeVon Achane, Aaron Jones, and Kyren Williams are not replaceable, but we can try.
Week 6 Running Back Sleepers
Tyrone Tracy Jr. vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Tyrone Tracy Jr filled in for the injured Devin Singletary in Week 5. Tracy finished as the RB17 and had an impressive 129 rushing yards on 18 carries for 7.17 YPC (yards per carry). It was the best performance from a yardage perspective for a Giants running back thus far. In Week 5, the Giants face off against the 1-4 Cincinnati Bengals. Even if Singletary ends up playing, Tracy will get more touches after his performance last week. My hot take is that Tracy will overtake Singletary and become the Giants lead running back sometime in the next few weeks.
Austin Ekeler @ Baltimore Ravens
Austin Ekeler was once one of the better running backs to roster in fantasy football. Those days are long gone, and he is the RB2 on the Washington Commanders. Austin Ekeler can be a great sleeper in Week 6 because the Commanders offense is lethal. Led by rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, the offense for the Commanders is clicking everywhere. Although Ekeler has just one touchdown this season, he has been a top 24 running back in consecutive games he has played in. At the end of the day, Ekeler has been extremely efficient with over 11 ypc (yards per carry) in his last two games. The Ravens are one of the better teams in stopping the run, but Chase Brown was able to muster up a RB1 week against them.
Running Back Streamers
Javonte Williams vs. Los Angeles Chargers
The Chargers are an average team in terms of fantasy ppg to running backs. Javonte Williams has not lived up to his North Carolina hype from a few years ago. Although he has not lived up to it, Williams finished as a RB1 in Week 5. Williams saw over 100 total yards and had a team-high 22% target share. There is a world where Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin can both produce. In Week 5, Williams was the better running back. With his pass-catching ability, Williams is someone to keep an eye on for Week 5 as the bye weeks keep on coming. Williams is my favorite running back in sleepers and streamers for Week 6.
Chuba Hubbard vs. Atlanta Falcons
Hubbard has made this list before and will continue to do so. Hubbard on any fantasy team was added through the waiver wire or drafted in the late rounds of fantasy football drafts. With that being said, Hubbard has been AMAZING through the first five games. Hubbard has had three consecutive RB1 weeks with finishes of RB4, RB7, and RB7. The least amount of YPC (yards per carry) that he saw was 5.43 in those three games. Jonathan Brooks is still not back. If you are not selling high on Hubbard, he is the best streaming running back out there. Despite the Carolina Panthers being one of the worst teams in football, Hubbard has found a way to produce fantastic numbers. The Falcons allowing the sixth-fewest fantasy ppg to running backs does not concern me. I expect Hubbard to find his way into the end-zone in Week 6.
Make sure to check out all of our Week 6 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!