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2020 Fantasy Football Rankings: Running backs for Week 10

Tiered RB rankings for Week 10.

By NHB
Atlanta Falcons v Green Bay Packers Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images

NFL Week 10 is here and so are my running back fantasy football rankings.

Dalvin Cook takes the cake as this week’s overall RB1. Mike Davis is suddenly back in Top 12 contention with Christian McCaffrey expected to miss Week 10 and possibly more.

Although Travis Homer is now a prominent piece of the Seattle Seahawks’ backfield, DeeJay Dallas’ usage puts him miles ahead of his backfieldmate. Duke Johnson Jr. finally gets a chance to shine with David Johnson in the league’s concussion protocol.

Darrell Henderson Jr. and Jonathan Taylor bring up the rear of the RB2 ranks. Kalen Ballage is now a decent flex play.

Week 10’s Tiered Running Back Rankings

Rank High Floor/High Ceiling RB1s Team Opponent Breakdown
Rank High Floor/High Ceiling RB1s Team Opponent Breakdown
1 Dalvin Cook MIN at CHI Cook should have no issued manhandling a mid-tier Bears run defense, as the focal point of the Vikings' offense.
2 Alvin Kamara NO SF Alvin Kamara has been targeted 72 times* this season. That's 23 times more than the next closest running back, Mike Davis, who's seen 49 passes comes his way.
3 Aaron Jones GB JAX Jacksonville's been throwing parties for opposing backfields while allowing the 6th-most .5PPR points to the position this year*.
4 James Robinson JAX at GB Jones' Week 10 counterpart, James Robinson, has an even better match-up on his hands this week with the Packers' defense allowing the 2nd-most .5PPR points to opposing backfields. Jacksonville's QB-deficiency drops Robinson below Jones as he'll have a harder time making it to the redzone than Jones. Still a Top 5 option though.
5 Miles Sanders PHI at NYG Sanders should be fully recovered from his knee sprain -- ready to rock and roll against a lackluster Giants' front-seven.
6 Nick Chubb CLE HOU Kareem Hunt failed to make a case for RB1 duties in Cleveland whille Chubb was out (MCL) for 5+ weeks and the team's best recevier, Odell Beckham Jr. is out for the year. The Houston Texans are allowing a league-leading 144.9 rushing yards per game and are averaging 1.2 rushing touchdowns allowed*. All systems go for Nick Chubb in his Week 10 return.
7 Mike Davis CAR TB With Christian McCaffrey likely shelved for a week (h/t Edwin Porras*), Davis enters prime position to rack up points via receptions. Tampa Bay's front-seven is allowing 6.6 (3rd-most*) receptions per game to opposing backfields.
8 Derrick Henry TEN IND Tough match-up but Henry's workload is bulletproof.
9 James Conner PIT CIN A date with Cincy's generally weak defense should be profitable for Conner.
10 DeeJay Dallas SEA at LAR Touch match-up but Dallas is downright dominating backfield target in the red zone (h/t to the esteemed Sam Hoppen*), as well as red zone carries*. This team lives in opposing red zones.
11 Antonio Gibson WAS at DET Against opposing backfields, Detroit's front-seven ranks Bottom 5 in touches allowed, rushing yards, rushing yards per attempt, rushing touchdowns, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns*.
12 Kareem Hunt CLE HOU Hunt will lose 10+ carries with Chubb back but this is still a good enough match-up for him to eat on 10-15 touches.
Rank High Floor/High Ceiling RB2s Team Opponent Breakdown
13 J.D. McKissic WAS at DET McKissic is the 4th-most targeted running back in the NFL and he saw a team-high 14* targets last week. He ain't going away and this is a great match-up.
14 Duke Johnson Jr. HOU at CLE Duke should see a sizeable workload with David Johnson in the league's concussion protocol.
15 Gus Edwards BAL NE The only backfield who's failed to have a good time while facing New England, as of late, is that of the lowly Jets. Edwards is the top dog in Balitmore right now.
16 Jerick McKinnon SF at NO Kyle Shanahan showed us who SF's No. 1 back, sans Raheem Mostert, really is last week.
17 Giovani Bernard CIN at PIT Brutal match-up but bikely 20 touches.
18 Josh Jacobs LV DEN Denver's been supremely stingy against opposing backfields and Jacobs still haven't scored in a Raiders loss through his year-and-a-half career.
19 Zack Moss BUF at ARI Moss is the 1A now.
20 Melvin Gordon DEN at LV Las Vegas' front-seven is entirely unimposing but Gordon's really lacked pop as of late.
21 Chase Edmonds ARI BUF Likely reverts to primary pass catching RB role + 5-8 carries.
22 Leonard Fournette TB at CAR Terrific match-up but Ronald Jones saps touches.
Rank Shaky Floor/Capped Ceiling RB2s Team Opponent Breakdown
23 Darrell Henderson Jr. LAR SEA Floor can dropout at any point with Malcolm Brown and Cam Akers waiting in the wings. Not a great match-up.
24 Jonathan Taylor IND at TEN Great match-up for the committee back.
Rank Shaky Floor/Capped Ceiling RB3s Team Opponent Breakdown
25 Kalen Ballage LAC at MIA Ballage dominated red zone work* last week after Jutin Jackson left early. Very tough match-up but we've got a revenge game narrative going here.
26 Phillip Lindsay DEN at LV At some point the coaches have to reecognize Lindsay's the better rusher.
27 Travis Homer SEA at LAR Homer's the 1B back in Seattle and he's looked great in the passing game.
28 Kenyan Drake ARI BUF Back to the 15-ish carry role against a middling Bills run defense.
29 D'Andre Swift DET WAS Swift's pass catching will be needed as an outlet to negate the Washington pass rush.
30 Ronald Jones TB at CAR Jones should hit flex-able numbers against Carolina's front-seven.
31 Wayne Gallman NYG PHI Brutal match-up but should see decent volume.
32 DeAndre Washington MIA LAC Gaskin's injury has left this backfield a mess.
33 Jordan Wilkins IND at TEN 3-way committee.
34 JK Dobbins BAL NE The talent is there but Edwards is the primary ballcarrier.
35 Devin Singletary BUF at ARI Singletary appears to be settling into the change of pace role.
36 Ryan Nall CHI MIN The theoretical backup to the concussed David Montgomery.
Source links: Alvin Kamara’s targets as compared to the rest of the NFL’s running backs, Jacksonville’s run defense as it pertains to Aaron Jones’ Week 10 outlook, Tampa Bay’s defense against pass catching backs, Christian McCaffrey’s expected absence according to Dr. Edwin Porras, Houston’s run defense as it pertains to Nick Chubb, Washington’s running backs against Detroit, JD McKissic’s Week 9 passing game usage, DeeJay Dallas’ passing game usage per Sam Hoppen, Seattle’s Week 9 red zone carry breakdown, and Kalen Ballage’s Week 9 red zone usage.

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