Sleepers at Running Back
Jordan Mason, Minnesota (vs Indianapolis)
You probably don't need much encouragement to play Mason in his first week back from injured reserve given the state of th this week's running back rankings. Know that he was out with a thumb injury, so Mason will be in football shape (unlike if he was coming back from a lower-body injury that limited conditioning while he was out). Aaron Jones Sr. revealed that he was playing through a knee sprain, so the Vikings should be eager to give Mason as much work as he can handle against a Colts franchise that started to close up shop on this season when they fired GM Chris Ballard to kick off the week.
Roschon Johnson, Chicago (vs New England) **Thursday**
In three Caleb Williams starts, the Bears offense has given us two top-12 RB plays in PPR leagues twice. The other game was played against the elite Vikings defense in the rain. Johnson is worth an RB2/Flex play until Kyle Monangai comes back from turf toe, which should be soon.
Samaje Perine, Cincinnati (at Baltimore)
The Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher said they would continue to assess the backfield split between Perine and Chase Brown during the bye. What he saw from Week 5 was a running game that was more efficient in shotgun, which is where Perine is the superior back. The team installed the under center running game this offseason to create more explosive plays for Brown, but it hasn't worked. It's possible that we see something close to a 50/50 split in this game, with Perine having the more valuable half.
Mike Washington Jr., Las Vegas (vs LA Rams)
Washington had his highest snap count of the season, tied his season high in touches, and ended up amassing 50 total yards on nine carries and a reception. He also got two red zone opportunities. The Raiders may continue to cut back on Ashton Jeanty's early-down work to manage his health and give Washington more shots to break a long run against a Rams defense that had trouble getting off the field against the Cardinals last week. The Cardinals' backs ran the ball 33 times, with two backs getting at least 15 carries.
Bam Knight, Arizona (vs Denver)
Knight decisively outplayed Tyler Allgeier in Week 6 even though Allgeier got slightly more snaps, touches, and red zone opportunities against the Rams. Knight ended up with 98 total yards compared to 48 for Allgeier. Even if the team doesn't change the split against the Broncos (Love is likely to be out again), Knight is worth a what-the-heck flex at worst. If the team gives him the bigger cut in Week 7, Knight could come through as an RB2 from the waiver wire in a week that many people need one.
Corey Kiner, New England (at Chicago) **Thursday**
Kiner is a hail mary from the waiver wire this week, but if Mike Vrabel is the one on the line to answer the prayer, you might get a fantasy football miracle. Kiner closed out the win over the Jets with tough running and appears to be one of Vrabel's favorites, as the head coach defended his decision after the game. The Bears defense is not stout, but they can be protected by their offense putting together long drives and staking the defense to a lead so they don't have to face a run-heavy attack. If the Patriots want to cut them off at the pass by establishing the run first, Kiner could be a big ingredient, with the team's offensive line banged up and probably unable to protect Drake Maye enough to go pass-heavy, despite the need to keep up with Ben Johnson.