/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62218465/1054742718.jpg.0.jpg)
Week 10 matchups like Pittsburgh at Carolina and Atlanta at Cleveland should make for some good, head-to-head-RB watchin’! Which back will come out on top?
Untitled
Rank | Running Back | Team | Opponent | High-Floor/High-Ceiling RB1s |
---|---|---|---|---|
Rank | Running Back | Team | Opponent | High-Floor/High-Ceiling RB1s |
1 | Todd Gurley II | LAR | SEA | It's starting to look like the Rams want Gurley to set a new TD record. He's the RB1. |
2 | Melvin Gordon III | LAC | at OAK | Any worries over Gordon's health have been erased. |
3 | Kareem Hunt | KC | ARI | Hunt's on fire and he's the focal point of one of the NFL's best offenses. |
4 | Alvin Kamara | NO | at CIN | Ingram's not a worry. |
5 | James Conner | PIT | CAR | Conner's playing out of his mind. |
6 | Saquon Barkley | NYG | at SF | Barkely in primetime against a god awful defense with an injured Reuben Foster. |
7 | Christian McCaffrey | CAR | at PIT | TNF should be a Battle of the Backs. |
8 | Joe Mixon | CIN | NO | Cincy will likely funnel targets Mixon's way with A.J. Green temporarily shelved. |
9 | David Johnson | ARI | at KC | Believe in Byron. #BiB |
10 | Sony Michel | NE | at TEN | Assuming he's good to go, Michel would immediately resume his RB1 status. |
11 | James White | NE | at TEN | Believe it. The NE backfield is out of control and both backs put up legit points while splitting time in Weeks 4-6. |
12 | Ezekiel Elliot | DAL | at PHI | Dallas will force a running-based gameplan even against a pass-funnel defense. |
High-Floor/High-Ceiling RB2s | ||||
13 | Tevin Coleman | ATL | at CLE | Both ATL backs are ballin'. Great matchup on deck. |
14 | Nick Chubb | CLE | ATL | The theme of the week might be Battle of the Backs. |
15 | Adrian Peterson | WAS | at TB | Peterson should bounce back in Week 10. Running backs (and every other position) are lighting up the box score against Tampa Bay. WAS's offensive line injuries are worrisome ROS. Now is the time to sell high on him. Chris Thompson being OUT helps AD's cause. |
16 | Duke Johnson Jr. | CLE | ATL | Webster's Dictionary defines Atlanta as "every pass-catching running back's dream". I'm firing up Duke. I'm ready to be hurt again. |
17 | Marlon Mack | IND | JAX | Mack will likely return to RB1 status next week but for now, we'll keep him as an RB2. In theory, this is a tough matchup. It's worth noting though, Jacksonville's defense has started to look human. Mack could rise in the rankings by the end of the week. |
18 | Leonard Fournette | JAX | at IND | If we get a week of full practices, with no injury setbacks, Fournette will bounce Zeke from the Top 12. |
Shaky Floor/ High-Ceiling | ||||
19 | Dion Lewis | TEN | NE | Dion Lewis has quietly put up huge numbers in back to back games. He's the Titans' bellcow for the foreseeable future. |
20 | Tarik Cohen | CHI | DET | We saw Cohen's floor last week and it's damn near bottomless. In theory this looks like a potential shootout, which would bode well for Cohen's usage. |
21 | Isaiah Crowell | NYJ | BUF | Crowell's in the Shaky realm because Elijah McGuire's the real damn deal. It's a perfect matchup for Crowell to smash though. |
22 | Aaron Jones | GB | MIA | The matchup's there for Jones to ball out. The usage might not be. |
23 | Jordan Howard | CHI | DET | Detroit run defense is beatable, however, Damon Harrison's presense can't be ignored. Howard's been producing though. I'd look to sell high and trade him ASAP. |
24 | Matt Breida | SF | NYG | We know the talent is there but the health hasn't been. If he's good to go, he'll blowup the Giants. |
High-Floor/Capped-Ceiling RB3s | ||||
26 | Ito Smith | ATL | at CLE | The matchup is great and Ito is too. He'll still eat, playing second fiddle-doo. |
27 | Austin Ekeler | LAC | at OAK | There's a good chance the 4th quarter is the Austin Ekeler Show. |
28 | Mike Davis | SEA | at LAR | With Chris Carson potentially missing Week 10, Davis would walk into feature back duties against a beatable Rams run defense. |
Low-Floor/Capped-Ceiling RB3s | ||||
29 | Kerryon Johnson | Det | at CHI | He's so damn good -- but the Bears D is too and he's just not getting enough touches to trust him. |
30 | Kenyan Drake | MIA | at GB | The usage is frustrating but the talent is there. |
31 | Nyheim Hines | IND | JAX | This is a talent-based ranking. Mack's play has rendered Hines a flex-only option. |
32 | Elijah McGuire | NYJ | BUF | The Bills run defense is the RB jackpot. |
33 | Alfred Morris | SF | NYG | With Mostert on IR and Breida questionable, Morris could lead the team in touches. |
34 | Peyton Barber | TB | WAS | WAS was burned on the ground last week and Barber's got ahold of lead back duties. |
35 | LeSean McCoy | BUF | at NYJ | He's got a bad matchup, on a bad team, and has burned out legs -- but he's a starting running back. |
36 | Theo Riddick | DET | at CHI | It appears as though Riddick will operate as the Lions' slot WR moving forward. |