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Heading into week five, here are some running backs that I expect to have a big week:


Rashard Mendenhall, Steelers: What a difference a week made! Mendenhall, who was relegated to special teams duties in week 3, was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week in week 4. With Willie Parker out against the Chargers last week, Mendenhall finished with 165 rushing yards and two scores on 29 carries. While it may interesting to see how coach Mike Tomlin splits carries between Mendenhall and Parker going forward, we won't find out this week as Parker has been ruled out for the game against Detroit. The Steelers should run all over the Lions this week and Mendenhall owners should expect to see the second-year back get a heavy dose of touches. The Lions are allowing 5.2 rushing yards per attempt and 121.3 yards per game (20th in NFL).

Jerome Harrison, Browns: With James Davis and Jamal Lewis out last week, Harrison had 29 carries against the Bengals and finished with 121 yards. Davis is out for the season and Lewis is questionable for week five against the Bills. The Bills have one of the league's worst rushing defenses allowing 150.5 yards per game. Only five teams have allowed more rushing yards per game. Also, the Bills have allowed seven rushing touchdowns, which ranks them 30th in the league.

Ahmad Bradshaw, Giants: Through four weeks, Bradshaw, who is back-up to Brandon Jacobs, is 13th in the NFL in rushing yards (265) and he's averaging 5.6 yards per carry. Both Jacobs and Bradshaw are likely to have a huge week against an Oakland Raiders rush defense that is allowing 146.3 yards per game, which is 26th in the league. The Giants are two-touchdown-plus favorites over the Raiders. If they establish an early lead, as expected, both backs should see plenty of carries. In addition, Eli Manning has plantar fasciitis. Although he's expected to play, it wouldn't surprise me if they try to protect him as much as possible and focus on the running game instead. Surprisingly, the Giants have only one rushing touchdown in 139 attempts this season. Only the Rams, Bills and Chiefs have less (i.e. zero). Their fortunes are about to change this week.

Knowshon Moreno, Broncos: Moreno, who was the first RB drafted this year, is off to a solid start and ranked 16th in the NFL in rushing (249 yards). Teammate Correll Buckhalter, who ranks 12th in the league in rushing, is out for the Patriots game. Moreno, who has averaged over 17 carries per game over his past three games, should expect to see an increase in workload with Buckhalter out. Although the Patriots have a solid run defense, Moreno's increased workload makes him a solid play this week.