Here's the good news for runing back in Week 10: Nick Chubb and Miles Sanders are coming back from their injuries! And now the bad news: Todd Gurley, Ezekiel Elliott, and Clyde Edwards-Helaire are out on bye weeks; Christian McCaffrey has already been ruled out with a shoulder injury; David Johnson and David Montgomery are in doubt due to concussions; Justin Jackson, Damien Harris, Chris Carson, Kenyan Drake, Joe Mixon, Raheem Mostert, Matt Breida, Devonta Freeman, and Mark Ingram are all very much up in the air as of Wednesday morning.
So, that's half the league's teams with either their starting running back out or real questions about how the position will be used in Week 10. That's been pretty typical for the 2020 season, but it's still wild to see it laid out in front of you. And it creates some extremely tough decisions for Fantasy players with the likes of Jonathan Taylor, Antonio Gibson, Leonard Fournette and a whole bunch more players, because you might not have the luxury to avoid players you don't feel comfortable trusting.
There hasn't been a simple week at the position al season, but Jamey Eisenberg's Start 'Em & Sit 'Em column has been here to help you every week. Here's Week 10's running back calls:
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
START 'EM & SIT 'EM
Running Backs
Start 'Em
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Nick Chubb (knee) is expected to return this week after being out for the past four games, but I'm still going to start Hunt with confidence. And I like Hunt better than Chubb in PPR leagues. They played three full games together before Chubb was hurt in Week 4 at Dallas, and Hunt averaged 15.7 PPR points over that span. Both running backs should be good this week against the Texans, who have allowed four touchdowns to running backs in their past three games and are No. 3 in Fantasy points allowed to the position.
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The Lions run defense was abused by Dalvin Cook last week for 206 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries, and Cook also added two catches for 46 yards. But Detroit has also allowed a running back to score in five games in a row, with 12 total touchdowns allowed over that span. Gibson has scored in consecutive games and should have a favorable game script this week since this matchup should be competitive. Gibson also has eight catches in the two games Alex Smith has played, which should help J.D. McKissic as well, and McKissic should be considered a starter in PPR.
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The first game Davis appeared in this season was Week 2 at Tampa Bay when Christian McCaffrey hurt his ankle, and Davis had eight catches for 74 yards on eight targets. Now, Davis looks like a starter again with McCaffrey dealing with a shoulder injury. If McCaffrey is out, consider Davis a starter in all leagues, with his value higher in PPR, even though this is a difficult matchup. He averaged 18.8 total touches in the six starts he previously made for McCaffrey, and he has six games this season with at least five catches.
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Edmonds benefitted with a big workload in Week 9 against Miami to save his Fantasy production, but he was an overall disappointment as the starter in place of Kenyan Drake (ankle) -- and as the Start of the Week. Edmonds had 25 carries for 70 yards, along with three catches for 18 yards on three targets, and hopefully the Cardinals stick with him for that many touches again in Week 10 against Buffalo if Drake remains out. Now, if Drake returns -- and he practiced Wednesday -- then I would still start Edmonds as a flex option. The Bills have allowed a running back to score in five games in a row, and Edmonds scored at least 14 PPR points in three of his past four games when Drake was on the field.
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I'm going back to Dobbins this week as a No. 2 Fantasy running back in all leagues if Mark Ingram (ankle) remains out. I also like Gus Edwards as a starter in non-PPR leagues (he's a flex in PPR), but Dobbins will hopefully showcase his skills in prime time against the Patriots. He didn't have a great game in Week 9 at Indianapolis with 12 carries for 30 yards, along with two catches for 5 yards on two targets, but the Colts have a tremendous run defense. He should do better this week since New England has allowed a running back to score or gain at least 100 rushing yards in three of the past four games, with five total touchdowns allowed over that span.
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Sleepers
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Johnson would be considered a must-start running back if David Johnson (concussion) is out, but we'll put Duke here in case David is able to play. Duke was great in relief of David in Week 9 at Jacksonville with 16 carries for 41 yards and a touchdown, along with four catches for 32 yards on four targets, and he could get 20 total touches again in Week 10 against the Browns in a revenge game.
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I wouldn't start McKinnon in non-PPR leagues, but I like him as at least a flex in PPR. He does have two touchdowns in his past two games, but I like that he has seven catches for 56 yards on eight targets over that span. The Saints have allowed three running backs to catch at least five passes in three of their past four games.
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I'm not sure what the Dolphins backfield will look like this week because Matt Breida (hamstring) could play, and DeAndre Washington is eligible to make his Miami debut. But in Week 9 at Arizona it was Ahmed who played the most for the Dolphins in the first game without Myles Gaskin (knee), and he had seven carries for 38 yards. Jordan Howard will likely steal touchdowns again, and he scored in Week 9. But I would gamble on Ahmed as a flex if Breida remains out.
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Fournette should again be the better Fantasy option for the Buccaneers this week over Ronald Jones, and he is a borderline starter in PPR. He has six catches in two of his past three games and at least six targets in each game over that span. In Week 2 against Carolina, Fournette had his best game of the season with 12 carries for 103 yards and two touchdowns, along with four catches for 13 yards on five targets. It would be great if history repeated itself this week.
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Neither Denver running back played well in Week 9 at Atlanta, but Lindsay had more carries and targets than Gordon despite less playing time. He's been the better Broncos running back this season on a per-touch basis, and it would be great if he continued to get more work than Gordon moving forward. For this week, consider Lindsay a flex option against a Raiders defense that is No. 4 in Fantasy points allowed to running backs this year.
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Sit 'Em
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It's now five games in a row that Singletary has scored single digits in PPR, and that's even with three catches in Week 9 against Seattle. Zack Moss is the better Fantasy running back in Buffalo, and Moss should be considered a potential starter in all leagues, with his value higher in non-PPR. Singletary only has one touchdown on the season and just eight catches in his past five games, and he only had two carries for 1 yard against the Seahawks. He's just not productive enough to trust in the majority of leagues.
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Gordon and Lindsay have played two full games together this season, which were the past two outings against the Chargers and Falcons. In those games, Gordon has combined for 14 carries for 44 yards, along with seven catches for 30 yards on eight targets, and he's averaging just 6.0 PPR points. Lindsay looks better, and Gordon's playing time could be in jeopardy. I'll still use Gordon as a flex given the favorable matchup with the Raiders, but I'm nervous to trust him as long as Lindsay is healthy.
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I was excited about Dallas for the past two weeks with Chris Carson (foot) and Carlos Hyde (hamstring) out, and Dallas delivered at least 11 PPR points in each of his past two outings against San Francisco and Buffalo. But after getting 23 total touches against the 49ers he had just nine total touches against the Bills with Travis Homer taking on more work. There's a chance Carson could return in Week 10, which would take Dallas off the board as a potential Fantasy starter. But I would only use Dallas as a flex against the Rams. Homer seems to be the preferred option on passing downs, and the Rams have allowed just one running back to score a touchdown since Week 2.
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In the six games that Fournette has been able to play this year, Jones is averaging just 7.8 PPR points. He does have two touchdowns in those outings, including Week 2 against Carolina, but he's been at 46 total yards or less in the past three games when both running backs are healthy. Jones should still be considered a flex option given the matchup with the Panthers, but it's clear you can't trust him as a must-start option whenever Fournette is on the field as well.
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We'll see if Damien Harris (chest) or Sony Michel (quad) are able to play this week, but I would avoid everything Patriots this week against the Ravens, especially at running back. Burkhead could see an expanded role if Harris is out, and Burkhead just had 12 carries for 56 yards and a touchdown, along with three catches for 11 yards against the Jets in Week 9. But that matchup was easy. This one is awful since Baltimore has allowed just four total touchdowns to running backs this year, and Miles Sanders in Week 6 is the lone running back with more than 60 rushing yards against the Ravens since Week 3.
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Bust Alert
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I still have Henderson ranked as a low-end starter in all leagues, but I'm nervous about his production this week. He is expected to play despite suffering a thigh injury in Week 8 at Miami, but that's something to monitor in practice. Even if he's healthy, the Rams will still use Malcolm Brown and potentially Cam Akers to share touches, and Henderson has been less-than-stellar as a Fantasy option lately when he doesn't score. He has nine PPR points or less in four of his past five games, and the lone exception was when he scored two touchdowns at Washington in Week 5. He also has just three catches in his past three games. The Seahawks have allowed three touchdowns to running backs in their past two games against San Francisco and Buffalo, but aside from Cook and Alexander Mattison in Week 7, no running back has rushed for more than 58 yards against this defense all year. Henderson could struggle if he doesn't score.
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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.
