Week 10 had its ups and downs with some elite talent out of fantasy lineups, but there was some good news that emerged — Christian McCaffrey is BACK! Despite vultured touchdowns from Cam Newton and Chuba Hubbard, McCaffrey returned to form as the RB4 in PPR formats. With that, all other things fall into place. He officially tops our Week 11 PPR rankings as the RB1... but as for the rest, you’ll have to keep reading to find out.
Injury news
Aaron Jones suffered a sprained MCL Sunday and is expected to miss 1-2 weeks with the injury. In his absence, second-year back AJ Dillon stepped comfortably into the role. As long as Jones is out, Dillon borders on “must-play” territory.
Alvin Kamara missed Week 10 with a knee injury, helping to lead Mark Ingram to break the Saints all-time rushing record. Though the severity of Kamara’s injury is unknown, but it is a situation worth monitoring after a surprise inactive.
Damien Harris missed Week 10 with a concussion but could potentially be on track to return in Week 11 on Thursday Night Football after logging a limited practice Tuesday. If he’s not good to go on a short week, Rhamondre Stevenson proved his worthiness for fantasy football lineups when carrying the load. In the same TNF contest, Cordarrelle Patterson is managing an ankle injury and was limited in Tuesday’s practice.
News broke Tuesday that 49ers rookie RB Elijah Mitchell suffered a broken finger requiring a procedure, making him uncertain for Sunday's matchup against the Jaguars. Jeff Wilson Jr. was pretty involved despite Mitchell’s start in Week 10, seeing 10 rush attempts despite totaling just 28 yards.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire, 2020 first-round pick for the Kansas City Chiefs, had a shot to return last week from a knee injury that landed him on the injured reserve list after Week 5. He wasn’t quite ready to return, but Andy Reid has reported he has a better shot at playing in Week 11’s contest against the Cowboys.
Browns RB Nick Chubb was out in Week 10 after being placed on the COVID/reserve list. His backup, D’Ernest Johnson, finished as the RB6 on the week in his absence.
Saquon Barkley was practicing Monday in preparation for Week 11 and could see a return to the field. Following his return from a torn ACL in the 2020 season, Barkley suffered an ankle sprain that sent him to IR after just two carries in Week 5. If he’s active, you play him — even if you’re not expecting 20+ touches.
Bye weeks
The Broncos and Rams are on bye this week, which will leave RBs Melvin Gordon, Javonte Williams and Darrell Henderson out of the mix for fantasy managers.
Streamer of the Week
AJ Dillon, Green Bay Packers vs. Minnesota Vikings
As noted above, Aaron Jones is set to miss 1-2 weeks with a knee injury, and AJ Dillon is the next man up. Despite working in a “backup” role this season, Dillon has seen four games with 10 or more carries, including targets out of the backfield, which he hadn’t seen much of prior to this season. Dillon carried the ball 21 times for an inefficient 66 rushing yards but managed two scores on the day, and he should be able to manage something better against a Vikings defense allowing the 11th most fantasy points to the running back position. Hopefully, Aaron Rodgers is out of his COVID funk to get this offense moving more efficiently heading into Week 11.
Running back PPR rankings for Week 18
Rk | Name | Team | Opp |
---|---|---|---|
Rk | Name | Team | Opp |
1 | Jonathan Taylor | IND | @ JAC |
2 | Austin Ekeler | LAC | @ LV |
3 | Alvin Kamara | NO | @ ATL |
4 | Dalvin Cook | MIN | vs CHI |
5 | Nick Chubb | CLE | vs CIN |
6 | David Montgomery | CHI | @ MIN |
7 | Joe Mixon | CIN | @ CLE |
8 | Najee Harris | PIT | @ BAL |
9 | Josh Jacobs | LV | vs LAC |
10 | Elijah Mitchell | SF | @ LAR |
11 | Rashaad Penny | SEA | @ ARI |
12 | Devin Singletary | BUF | vs NYJ |
13 | Darrel Williams | KC | @ DEN |
14 | Sony Michel | LAR | vs SF |
15 | D'Andre Swift | DET | vs GB |
16 | Rhamondre Stevenson | NE | @ MIA |
17 | D'Onta Foreman | TEN | @ HOU |
18 | Antonio Gibson | WAS | @ NYG |
19 | Javonte Williams | DEN | vs KC |
20 | Boston Scott | PHI | vs DAL |
21 | Ezekiel Elliott | DAL | @ PHI |
22 | Saquon Barkley | NYG | vs WAS |
23 | Melvin Gordon III | DEN | vs KC |
24 | James Conner | ARI | vs SEA |
25 | Chase Edmonds | ARI | vs SEA |
26 | Damien Harris | NE | @ MIA |
27 | Cordarrelle Patterson | ATL | vs NO |
28 | Devonta Freeman | BAL | vs PIT |
29 | Dare Ogunbowale | JAC | vs IND |
30 | Rex Burkhead | HOU | vs TEN |
31 | Patrick Taylor Jr. | GB | @ DET |
32 | Tony Pollard | DAL | @ PHI |
33 | Jamaal Williams | DET | vs GB |
34 | Tevin Coleman | NYJ | @ BUF |
35 | Jeff Wilson Jr. | SF | @ LAR |
36 | Duke Johnson Jr. | MIA | vs NE |
37 | Kareem Hunt | CLE | vs CIN |
38 | Ronald Jones II | TB | vs CAR |
39 | Michael Carter | NYJ | @ BUF |
40 | Ke'Shawn Vaughn | TB | vs CAR |
41 | Ty Johnson | NYJ | @ BUF |
42 | Mike Davis | ATL | vs NO |
43 | AJ Dillon | GB | @ DET |
44 | Chuba Hubbard | CAR | @ TB |
45 | Devontae Booker | NYG | vs WAS |
46 | Le'Veon Bell | TB | vs CAR |
47 | Jordan Howard | PHI | vs DAL |
48 | Aaron Jones | GB | @ DET |
49 | Justin Jackson | LAC | @ LV |
50 | Derrick Gore | KC | @ DEN |
51 | Jaret Patterson | WAS | @ NYG |
52 | Nyheim Hines | IND | @ JAC |
53 | Jeremy McNichols | TEN | @ HOU |
54 | Mark Ingram II | NO | @ ATL |
55 | Latavius Murray | BAL | vs PIT |
56 | Alexander Mattison | MIN | vs CHI |
57 | Craig Reynolds | DET | vs GB |
58 | Kenneth Gainwell | PHI | vs DAL |
59 | Dontrell Hilliard | TEN | @ HOU |
60 | Ameer Abdullah | CAR | @ TB |
61 | Phillip Lindsay | MIA | vs NE |
62 | Austin Walter | NYJ | @ BUF |
63 | Zack Moss | BUF | vs NYJ |
64 | DeeJay Dallas | SEA | @ ARI |
65 | Peyton Barber | LV | vs LAC |
66 | Cam Akers | LAR | vs SF |
67 | Brandon Bolden | NE | @ MIA |
68 | Myles Gaskin | MIA | vs NE |
69 | Samaje Perine | CIN | @ CLE |
70 | D'Ernest Johnson | CLE | vs CIN |
71 | David Johnson | HOU | vs TEN |
72 | Khalil Herbert | CHI | @ MIN |
73 | Alex Collins | SEA | @ ARI |
74 | JaMycal Hasty | SF | @ LAR |
75 | Jonathan Williams | WAS | @ NYG |
76 | Royce Freeman | HOU | vs TEN |
77 | Kyle Juszczyk | SF | @ LAR |
78 | Ryquell Armstead | JAC | vs IND |
79 | Michael Burton | KC | @ DEN |
80 | Benny Snell Jr. | PIT | @ BAL |
81 | Damien Williams | CHI | @ MIN |
82 | Eno Benjamin | ARI | vs SEA |
83 | Joshua Kelley | LAC | @ LV |
84 | Wendell Smallwood | WAS | @ NYG |
85 | Kene Nwangwu | MIN | vs CHI |
86 | Wayne Gallman Jr. | MIN | vs CHI |
87 | Travis Homer | SEA | @ ARI |
88 | Jalen Richard | LV | vs LAC |
89 | Ty Montgomery | NO | @ ATL |
90 | Corey Clement | DAL | @ PHI |
91 | Reggie Bonnafon | CAR | @ TB |
92 | Jake Funk | LAR | vs SF |
93 | Demetric Felton | CLE | vs CIN |
94 | Nathan Cottrell | JAC | vs IND |
95 | Elijhaa Penny | NYG | vs WAS |
96 | Keith Smith | ATL | vs NO |
97 | Deon Jackson | IND | @ JAC |
98 | Jakob Johnson | NE | @ MIA |
99 | Godwin Igwebuike | DET | vs GB |
100 | Clyde Edwards-Helaire | KC | @ DEN |