Looking ahead to week six, tons of players are starting to show us what their true outlook should be for the remainder of the season. Over the next two or three weeks, we'll be taking a much firmer stance on the players you see listed in the Warning Signals lists.

This is the real meat of the season so if certain guys haven't produced by week six or seven, the breakout likely isn't coming barring some pre-existing injury. It's the hard truth when it comes to analyzing fantasy prowess. Sometimes players just never live up to the hype no matter how much hope you wan to hold onto.

Last week we started to dig a little deeper to open up some variety in the types of players we discuss. As always, we'll still be revisiting players who've shown up on this list before while also visiting some fresh faces. It might just get a little tougher in the coming weeks given how horrendous running backs have been overall - but nevertheless, there's still plenty to talk about.

 

Running Backs Sending Out Warning Signals

Jeremy Hill (RB, CIN)

Alright, it's time for me to just own up to this one and admit that I was dead wrong on Jeremy Hill this year. I had been talking Hill up as a lock to finish within the top-10 at running back and it's looking like the Cincinnati Bengals are in a genuine committee that will feature Giovani Bernard way more than anticipated. Not only that, but Bernard is actually being productive enough to warrant more touches. The top-10 breakout likely isn't coming for Hill, so the more accurate approach to this backfield is to view both guys as RB2s the rest of the way.

The thing is, the Bengals have continuously come out and said they want to reestablish their ground game with an emphasis on Jeremy Hill as their starter. That makes it difficult for me to just flat out bench him or trade him away for peanuts. If the team wasn't so adamant about that particular aspect of their offense, I'd be more inclined to bail on the guy completely. Instead, I'm cautiously optimistic that he can still be productive it's just that the bar has been significantly lowered.

This is technically Hill's third appearance on this list, so barring a significant change in usage or production, this will be the last you see of him in my columns. My final analysis on Jeremy Hill going forward is that he should be a decent RB2 with enough upside to warrant starting. That being said, if you were lucky enough to land some depth at running back with someone like Arian Foster or Todd Gurley as your RB3, maybe take a gander at your bench and see if you have a better flex option than Hill. I was wrong about this one, folks. Please forgive me?

C.J. Anderson and Ronnie Hillman (RBs, DEN)

After Ronnie Hillman's 72-yard touchdown run in week four, it looked as if Hillman had earned himself more touches with the upside of outproducing C.J. Anderson. Well not only did Anderson receive more carries than Hillman against the Raiders on Sunday, but both guys went right back to being completely ineffective. The two of them combined for just 43 yards on 18 attempts, proving once again this backfield can't be trusted. In short, there aren't any real signs that this is going to improve anytime soon...

...Except for the fact that they play a league-worst Cleveland Browns rush defense this week. The Browns have allowed 747 yards and six touchdowns on the ground this year, so if there was ever a game for one of the Denver running backs to put up big numbers, now would be the time. Your guess is as good as mine as far as figuring out which guy is more likely to end up having a big game.

Presumably, the team still prefers Anderson given their respective workloads - so he'd be the back I'd start if I owned both guys. As someone who only owns Hillman in a league with some injuries and bye week blues, I'm still willing to take the gamble on starting him. If it doesn't happen for either guy this week, there's a slim chance it happens at all this season. It's a real shame given the expectations of this offense, but you can only hang on for so long. I wouldn't go as far as dropping either player, though. A permanent benching would definitely be in order should both guys fail to produce against an atrocious Cleveland defense.

Melvin Gordon (RB, SD)

So you know how I literally just mentioned how terrible the Browns are against the run? Turns out, Melvin Gordon is immune to producing in such an advantageous matchup. I know Gordon had somewhat of a decent outing on Monday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers, but it's not like he had a huge game or anything. He was just okay, and the week five matchup is a lot more telling of how ineffective he's been thus far.

Not to turn this into too much of a Browns-centric piece this week, but the other running backs that have ran all over them this year have been Chris Ivory, Dexter McCluster (DEXTER MCCLUSTER!), Latavius Murray, and Justin Forsett. All talented players in their own right, but we're not exactly talking about murderer's row here; it's not like Adrian Peterson and Le'Veon Bell make up for the bulk of those 747 yards allowed. Gordon couldn't get it done against Cleveland and has been a general disappointment so far this year.

Hopefully you've acquired enough running back depth so that you don't have to rely on Gordon as your RB2 at this point. You can safely bench him barring a breakout or bye week need. Besides, Danny Woodhead is stealing enough of the touches out of the backfield as it is anyway.

The Entire Detroit Lions Backfield – Ameer Abdullah, Theo Riddick, Zach Zenner, and Joique Bell

This might seem like cheating, but given how horrendous the Detroit Lions have been thus far I think it's important to call out this backfield in particular. Other than Ameer Abdullah's big Week One outing, no Detroit running back has shown enough production to warrant starting with confidence. I suppose Abdullah is still the back you'd want to own, and the only guy you can even consider starting at this point. But between his fumble issues and the fact that this is going to be a four-headed monster upon Joique Bell's return, this is a situation to avoid.

Zach Zenner received the majority of the carries against Arizona last week, while Theo Riddick ended up reeling in the most receptions. Still, the Lions haven't really committed to one guy and no one has broken away from the pack. With Joique Bell's return imminent, this is going to get worse before it gets better. Honestly, if you need the roster space, you can probably drop any of these guys for an upgrade on the waiver wire. Let someone else deal with this mess until the Lions establish some semblance of a ground game.

 

Updates From Last Week

DeMarco Murray – RB, PHI

DeMarco Murray finally had a big day of 120 total yards against the Saints, showing that the Philadelphia offense can produce a fantasy relevant running back at any time. The only drawback of that is the harsh reality that the Eagles have spread around their fantasy production without any sort of rhyme or reason. There are going to be weeks where Murray goes off, Ryan Mathews ends up with two touchdowns, or the team airs it out to Jordan Matthews - but expecting all of their playmakers to produce on a consistent basis just isn't wise. Murray should be viewed as a boom-or-bust RB2 going forward, and this is the last you'll hear of him in my columns for the year.

Carlos Hyde – RB, SF

Carlos Hyde finally had a much needed bounce back game against the New York Giants, although it did take him a full four quarters to actually show us something. The skinny on Hyde is this: he's nowhere near the guy we saw in Week One against the Vikings, but he's also not going to be terrible either. He's a middle-of -the-pack RB2 who you likely have to start barring some insane luck at the position. He'll be serviceable with some big games here and there while also throwing up some duds.

Lamar Miller – RB, MIA

The Dolphins were on a bye in week five so we'll be revisiting Lamar Miller in next week's piece. With a new head coach in town and an enticing matchup against the Tennessee Titans, this may very well be a make or break week for Miller.

 

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