1. Clinton Portis (WAS) – Portis continued his recent barrage on opposing run defenses with his third consecutive 100 plus yard rushing effort in week 6. In his last 3 games, Portis has rushed for 395 yards and 3 TD’s. He now leads the NFL with 643 rushing yards on the season and ranks 2nd in the NFL with 6 TD’s on the ground. He is currently the best fantasy RB on the planet and a week 7 match up against Cleveland should aid in maintaining that status. The Browns rank 25th in the NFL against the run allowing 137 rushing yards per game. They have also allowed 7 TD’s on the ground this season. Portis is expected to start, but there is some concern over a hip injury, so monitor his status closely. If all indications point to him playing, Portis remains an elite must start. Check injury report: hip2. Marion Barber (DAL) – He struggled to gain yards on the ground for the third straight week now, but Barber’s contribution to the Cowboys passing game in week 6 was huge to say the least. In week 7, he will match up against a St. Louis defense that struggles against both the run and opposing passing attacks. The Rams run defense is allowing 169 yards per game and they have given up 9 rushing TD’s in just 5 games. With Tony Romo and Felix Jones both out this week, you can bank on Dallas relying heavily on Barber. He should put up monster fantasy numbers under the circumstances with an extremely favorable match up.
3. Frank Gore (SF) – Despite a difficult week 6 match up against the Eagles, Gore came through with a strong fantasy performance totaling 117 yards and a TD. He will have a tough row to hoe again in week 7 when he faces a solid Giants run defense that currently ranks 12th in the NFL in ground yards allowed. While the match up is not ideal, you should feel safe knowing that Gore has 100 plus total yards and a TD in 3 of his 6 starts, and has totaled 100 plus yards or a TD in all 6 games this season.
4. Brandon Jacobs (NYG) – He didn’t put up huge numbers in week 6 as the Giants were forced to abandon the run game playing from behind against Cleveland, but he did find the end zone for the 4th time in 3 weeks. Jacobs should see more time on the field in a week 6 match up against San Francisco. The 49ers currently rank just 22nd against the run allowing 124 yards per game. He will likely give up some carries to Derrick Ward as usual, but Jacobs is a pretty safe bet to have another strong fantasy effort in week 7.
5. Dominic Rhodes (IND) – With Joseph Addai expected to miss 2 – 4 weeks with a partially torn hamstring, Rhodes was the waiver wire pick up of the week, and with good reason. Rhodes wasn’t spectacular in general subbing for the injured Addai last week, but when you consider that he rushed for 73 yards and a TD against the NFL’s top run defense, it was extremely impressive. He should have a much easier go of it in week 7 against the Packers. The Green Bay run defense has been horrible of late and currently ranks 27th in the NFL allowing 153 ground yards per game. We really like Rhodes chances for a big game, especially with the Colts passing game starting to click.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE TOP 40 FANTASY FOOTBALL RUNNING BACKS FOR WEEK 7 TO HELP YOU DECIDE WHO TO START AND WHO TO SIT.
