The Surprise Fantasy Football Star of the Week has been arrested for smoking weed, trespassing, operating a boat while intoxicated, resisting arrest, drunk driving, beating up a family member, and punching a bar employee in the face.  That’s right…it’s CEDRIC BENSON!

Despite the pitiful run defense he’s going up against and the high number of carries he receives each week, the Bengals’ starting RB isn’t ranked in the top ten in expert running back rankings for Week 6.

Benson’s Fantasy RB Rankings for Week 6:
ESPN: 14th
NFL.com: 14th
FFChamps.com: 17th
Sports Illustrated: 12th


The running back with the best lawyers in the NFL has received 101 carries through five games, the second most in the NFL (behind Adrian Peterson).  In a time when running back by committee systems dominate the league, Benson receives an average of 20.2 carries per game.  And, though he’s not the most efficient runner, more carries equals more yards.

This week, the Bengals get their freebie win of the year against the Indianapolis Colts.  The Colts are giving up 145.2 yards on the ground every week, second most in the NFL, and have a league high 35.4 rushing attempts against them per game.  Two weeks ago, LeGarrette Blount ran for 127 yards against them.  Last week, they made Jackie Battle look like Emmitt Smith; Battle ran for 119 yards on 19 carries.  You can expect Benson to receive more than 19 carries this Sunday.

Bernard Scott, Benson’s backup, is only averaging 3.8 carries a game, so he’s not a real threat to steal work.  He also hasn’t been arrested nearly as frequently as Benson (though, like most Bengals, he has still been arrested).

The Bengals’ best dreadlocked running back was also your Week 1 Surprise Fantasy Football Star of the Week and he didn’t disappoint, rushing for 121 yards and a touchdown.  Benson hasn’t had a TD since, but this week, that’ll change against the Colts.

Prediction: 108 rushing yards, 2 TDs


Past Surprise Fantasy Football Stars of the Week
Week 1: Cedric Benson; 121 rushing yards, 2 receiving yards, 1 TD
Week 2: Shonn Greene; 49 rushing yards, 6 receiving yards, 1 TD
Week 3: Ryan Mathews; 98 rushing yards, 51 receiving yards, 2 TDs
Week 4: Felix Jones; 57 rushing yards, 19 receiving yards
Week 5: Beanie Wells; 60 rushing yards, 1 TD

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The views and content in this article are not necessarily the opinion of Fantasy Football Champs, www.FFChamps.com, and its in-house experts.