It keeps changing. Through three weeks of the 2015 NFL season, Lance Dunbar was getting a boatload of targets, and looked like he could set target records for running backs.
And then he tore his ACL.
Through four weeks, Jamaal Charles had 26 targets. It might not have been a record pace, but he was rewarding those who had spent an early pick on him.
And then he tore his ACL.
No one is claiming this is a pattern. Theo Riddick, Devonta Freeman and Dion Lewis are currently at the top of the heap for running back targets, and we're not out here projecting ACL tears for any of that group. But it does make a point, similar to the one from last week in this space.
Good PPR running backs are good PPR backs because they are good running backs. When I do my PPR rankings every week, I create my standard rankings list first, then adjust (usually only slightly) based on likely targets.
In standard leagues, the prototypical PPR backs -- Shane Vereen, Darren Sproles, etc. -- have been underrated for years, because, while you don't get credit for catches in standard leagues, those catches inevitably lead to yards, and those guys get overlooked because a big chunk of their yardage totals ends up in a different column. The flip of that is that those guys get overrated in leagues that are PPR, because a catch is only a small chunk of scoring. They should be higher ranked in PPR than they are in standard, of course, but not by as much as they normally are.
Say it with me: "Good PPR backs and good standard backs, and good standard backs are good PPR backs." Say it again and again and again.
On to our Week 6 running back rankings for PPR leagues.
Running backs for PPR leagues, Week 6
(DK: Daniel Kelley; DC: Dan Ciarrocchi; AM: Andrew Miller; JD: John Daigle; SK: Scott Kaliska. Dallas, Oakland, St. Louis and Tampa Bay are on bye)
| Rk | Consensus | Tm | Opp. | DK | DC | AM | JD | SK |
| 1 | Le'Veon Bell | PIT | ARI | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 2 |
| 2 | Devonta Freeman | ATL | @NO | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 3 | Adrian Peterson | MIN | KC | 2 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
| 4 | Matt Forte | CHI | @DET | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 6 |
| 5 | Arian Foster | HOU | @JAC | 4 | 5 | 3 | 5 | 5 |
| 6 | Dion Lewis | NE | @IND | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 4 |
| 7 | Mark Ingram | NO | ATL | 6 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 |
| 8 | Eddie Lacy | GB | SD | 9 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 |
| 9 | Justin Forsett | BAL | @SF | 10 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 9 |
| 10 | DeMarco Murray | PHI | NYG | 8 | 10 | 9 | 16 | 13 |
| 11 | Chris Ivory | NYJ | WAS | 16 | 13 | 10 | 10 | 11 |
| 12 | Danny Woodhead | SD | @GB | 11 | 14 | 12 | 20 | 10 |
| 13 | Frank Gore | IND | NE | 14 | 12 | 14 | 17 | 12 |
| 14 | Chris Johnson | ARI | @PIT | 19 | 11 | 15 | 11 | 17 |
| 15 | Marshawn Lynch | SEA | CAR | 15 | 15 | 13 | 15 | 21 |
| 16 | Carlos Hyde | SF | BAL | 13 | 19 | 18 | 14 | 18 |
| 17 | T.J. Yeldon | JAC | HOU | 21 | 20 | 16 | 13 | 15 |
| 18 | Giovani Bernard | CIN | @BUF | 18 | 16 | 17 | 19 | 16 |
| 19 | Charcandrick West | KC | @MIN | 17 | 17 | 19 | 22 | 14 |
| 20 | Lamar Miller | MIA | @TEN | 33 | 18 | 21 | 12 | 19 |
| 21 | LeGarrette Blount | NE | @IND | 20 | 25 | 23 | 18 | 22 |
| 22 | Jeremy Hill | CIN | @BUF | 22 | 23 | 20 | 25 | 23 |
| 23 | Melvin Gordon | SD | @GB | 27 | 22 | 24 | 23 | 25 |
| 24 | Duke Johnson Jr. | CLE | DEN | 30 | 21 | 36 | 21 | 20 |
| 25 | Andre Ellington | ARI | @PIT | 24 | 30 | 27 | 32 | 31 |
| 26 | Shane Vereen | NYG | @PHI | 42 | 31 | 22 | 26 | 24 |
| 27 | Isaiah Crowell | CLE | DEN | 34 | 28 | 25 | 33 | 36 |
| 28 | C.J. Anderson | DEN | @CLE | 28 | 24 | 30 | 24 | -- |
| 29 | Antonio Andrews | TEN | MIA | 36 | 35 | 32 | 27 | 27 |
| 30 | Rashad Jennings | NYG | @PHI | 25 | 32 | 44 | 30 | 33 |
| 31 | Jonathan Stewart | CAR | @SEA | 29 | 33 | 37 | 31 | 38 |
| 32 | Ameer Abdullah | DET | CHI | 31 | -- | 29 | 29 | 28 |
| 33 | Theo Riddick | DET | CHI | 23 | 39 | 28 | 43 | 37 |
| 34 | C.J. Spiller | NO | ATL | 44 | 27 | 39 | 35 | 29 |
| 35 | Alfred Morris | WAS | @NYJ | 41 | 29 | 33 | 36 | 39 |
| 36 | Ronnie Hillman | DEN | @CLE | 35 | 38 | -- | 28 | 30 |
| 37 | David Johnson | ARI | @PIT | 26 | 45 | 34 | 34 | 43 |
| 38 | Ryan Mathews | PHI | NYG | 39 | 40 | 31 | 41 | 35 |
| 39 | Chris Thompson | WAS | @NYJ | 32 | 41 | 40 | 45 | 32 |
| 40 | Knile Davis | KC | @MIN | 37 | 43 | 35 | 37 | 45 |
| 41 | Karlos Williams | BUF | CIN | 12 | -- | -- | -- | 41 |
| 42 | Darren Sproles | PHI | NYG | 43 | 37 | 42 | -- | 34 |
| 43 | Matt Jones | WAS | @NYJ | 40 | 36 | -- | 42 | 40 |
| 44 | Dan Herron | BUF | CIN | -- | 34 | 38 | 39 | -- |
| 45 | Thomas Rawls | SEA | CAR | -- | 46 | -- | 38 | 42 |
| 46 | Khiry Robinson | NO | ATL | 38 | -- | 45 | 50 | 48 |
| 47 | Bishop Sankey | TEN | MIA | 49 | 50 | 41 | 46 | 47 |
| 48 | James Starks | GB | SD | -- | 44 | 43 | 49 | 46 |
| 49 | Buck Allen | BAL | @SF | -- | 47 | 50 | 40 | 50 |
| 50 | De'Anthony Thomas | KC | @MIN | -- | 42 | -- | 47 | -- |
| -- | Zach Zenner | DET | CHI | -- | 48 | -- | 44 | 49 |
| -- | Anthony Dixon | BUF | CIN | -- | -- | 47 | -- | 44 |
| -- | Andre Williams | NYG | @PHI | -- | -- | 46 | 48 | -- |
| -- | Fred Jackson | SEA | CAR | 47 | -- | 48 | -- | -- |
| -- | Bilal Powell | NYJ | WAS | 45 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | Kyle Juszczyk | BAL | @SF | 46 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | Lorenzo Taliaferro | BAL | @SF | 48 | -- | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | Tevin Coleman | ATL | @NO | 50 | 49 | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | Dexter McCluster | TEN | MIA | -- | -- | 49 | -- | -- |
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SB Nation presents: How Devonta Freeman keeps defenses awake at night