Fantasy Football Week 10 Running Back Preview: Mike Davis and Duke Johnson look like must-start options
With Christian McCaffrey out, Mike Davis becomes a prime option once again.
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2 min read
Backup running backs have run hot and cold this season. In Week 9, Chase Edmonds was the most recent backup to fail to live up to the hype in an expanded role. But Mike Davis has not had that problem.
Davis was a top five running back without Christian McCaffrey earlier in the season, and with McCaffrey ruled out for Week 10, that's exactly where I have Davis projected in PPR. The matchup against Tampa Bay doesn't look like a good one, but earlier this year Davis scored 15.5 PPR points despite playing just 24 snaps because McCaffrey played as well. The Buccaneers are hard to run on, but running backs can have success against them in the passing game.
While I don't expect Duke Johnson to be as good as Davis, he does rank as a top-15 back in all formats with David Johnson out. Like Davis, he should see at least five targets and double-digit rush attempts, but Duke Johnson has the benefit of facing a much better matchup. Running backs are averaging 22.5 PPR points against the Browns, and the only other backs on the roster are C.J. Prosise and Buddy Howell.
It's an uncomfortable week at running back, but you should feel good if you have David or Johnson in your lineup. Same goes for Giovani Bernard if Joe Mixon is unable to go.
More Week 10 help: Start 'Em & Sit 'Em: All positions | Starts and Sits, Sleepers and Busts | QB Preview | RB Preview | WR Preview | TE Preview | PPR Cheat Sheet | Non-PPR Cheat Sheet | Start 'Em & Sit 'Em: QB | Start 'Em & Sit 'Em: RB | Start 'Em & Sit 'Em: WR | Seven Big Questions | Waiver Wire | Trade Values | Cut List | Winners and Losers | Believe It or Not
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Who's Out
The following players are out for Week 10:
Who's Out
Projections powered by
Sportsline
Mike Davis again becomes a top-10 back.
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Duke Johnson could be a solid No. 2 running back.
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It's hard to get too excited about Cordarrelle Patterson or Ryan Nall.
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Watch for information about the status of Jackson and Troymaine Pope. If they're both out, Kalen Ballage is an add.
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Numbers to know
- 1.1 -- Yards before contact per attempt for David Montgomery this season.
- 6.1 -- Mike Davis has broken one tackle every 6.1 rush attempts. That's the best mark in the NFL.
- 16.7% -- J.D. McKissic has been targeted on 16.7% of Washington's passes. That's second on the team behind Terry McLaurin.
- 8.67 -- Clyde Edwards-Helaire has averaged 8.67 touches per game since the team signed Le'Veon Bell.
- 28 -- Chase Edmonds had 28 touches without Kenyan Drake in Week 9. Drake is back.
- 21.7 -- Giovani Bernard has averaged 21.7 Fantasy points per game in two games without Joe Mixon.
The FFT team is debating Week 10 rankings as they go through each game, making start and sit calls for this week's games. Check it out below and subscribe at Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts:
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Matchups that matter
Matchups that Matter
Projections powered by
Sportsline
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Waiver Wire Targets
Week 9 Adds
McKissic has already been Wasington's second-best pass catcher and Alex Smith will only help that. Smith has thrown 49 passes in 2020, and 18 of them have gone to McKissic. His value is much higher in PPR.
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Edwards is bizarro McKissic. He's a fine No. 2 in non-PPR and a mediocre flex in full PPR. But with Mark Ingram returning, Edwards is a touchdown-dependent flex in non-PPR only.
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This is one of those situations I'd really rather avoid. or Justin Jackson is now on IR, but Troymaine Pope could return and hurt Ballage's value. That being said, Ballage is clearly ahead of Joshua Kelley and would be a solid flex if both Pope remains out. He did look better on Sunday than he's ever looked in the NFL, whatever that is worth.
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This is one of those situations I am going to avoid. David Montgomery has had a miserable Fantasy season and he's had to be one of the best in the league at avoiding tacklers to earn the few yards he has. This is a bad situation and an uncertain timeshare. For very deep leagues only.
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Stashes
Maybe Ezekiel Elliott bounces back after the bye, but if he doesn't I wouldn't be surprised to see more Tony Pollard down the stretch.
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One more fumble and the Colts could actually bench Taylor.
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DFS Plays
Top Play
Projections powered by
Sportsline
In six games without Christian McCaffrey, Davis averaged 19 touches per game and was the No. 4 running back in full PPR scoring. His salary plummeted due to McCaffrey's return, which makes him the free space as a starter again in Week 10.
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Heath's Projections
So who should you start and sit this week? And which surprising quarterback could lead you to victory? Visit SportsLine now to get Week 10 rankings for every position, plus see which QB is going to come out of nowhere to crack the top 10, all from the model that out-performed experts big-time last season.
