Fantasy football week 6 sleepers: 5 running back sleepers

Javorius Allen-Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens have been forced to run the ball a lot the past few weeks with Steve Smith, their only reliable receiver, dealing with a back injury.  Justin Forsett has been huge running for 150 yards against the Steelers and following that up with 121 yards and his first rushing touchdown of the season against the Browns while also adding 49 yards through the air.

The workload took its toll, though, as Forsett rolled his ankle and was forced to leave last weeks game. When he didn’t return, the work would normally have fallen to Lorenzo Taliaferro, but Taliaferro was place on season-ending IR last week.  Instead, the Ravens went with Javorius “Buck” Allen.  Allen looked pretty good running for a career-high 58 yards on his eight carries.

Allen joined the Ravens this offseason as fourth-round pick out of USC, and he may be the team’s lead back this week.  If Forsett does sit, Allen should get lots of work and serve as a three-down threat for Baltimore.  Even if Forsett is active, he may be limited giving Allen some value.  Before the injury earlier this season, Forsett was losing goal line work to Taliaferro, so look for Allen to have some chances regardless of how healthy Forsett is on Sunday.  The Ravens offensive line is good at run-blocking, and they’re in a good matchup against the struggling 49ers defense.  I like Allen as the top of my running back sleepers most likely to have a breakout week this week, so he’s definitely worth his bargain price on DraftKings (4,300) and FanDuel (5,100). He’s also available in over 85% of ESPN leagues, so if you need a last minute plug-and-play, give Allen a look.

Next: An undrafted 2nd year player gets a chance