Week 10 of the NFL season has arrived! Injuries have thrown a wrench into multiple backfields around the league, so it’s time to take a deep dive into the position.
Let’s break down my Week 10 start ’em, sit ’em fantasy football running back picks.
Start ‘Em: Rhamondre Stevenson (Patriots) at Bears
The efficiency hasn’t been there for Stevenson over last two contests, but it doesn’t matter when you find the end zone as often as he does. New England’s best playmaker racked up a combined four scores against the Jets and Titans, eclipsing the 22-point mark in each contest.
While the Patriots’ offensive line is a disaster, Stevenson’s high volume and red zone production gives him a relatively safe fantasy floor, especially if he gets involved through the air like in Week 9. This Sunday, he’ll draw a matchup with the Bears, who rank in the bottom half of the league in rushing yards allowed and fantasy points surrendered to running backs.
Stevenson should be heavily featured once again.
Sit ‘Em: Javonte Williams (Broncos) at Chiefs
Williams has been solid over the last couple weeks following his 26-point outburst against the Saints. The fourth-year back has received at least 14 touches in each of his last two outings, and while the efficiency has been lacking, his production has been decent.
The problem? You don’t start running backs who are facing the Kansas City Chiefs, unless they’re elite. Williams doesn’t fit that bill.
The Chiefs allow the fewest fantasy points to opposing backfields and the third-fewest rushing yards. This run defense is not to be trifled with. Not only do I expect Williams to struggle mightily with his carries, but game script could take him out of this contest early if the Chiefs go up big in the first quarter. There will be matchups worth starting him in, but this isn’t one of them.
Check out my full Week 10 start/sit article with picks at each position here!
Start ‘Em: Chase Brown (Bengals) at Ravens — THURSDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
It’ll be a quick turnaround for Brown after suffering a bruised rib last Sunday, so monitor his progress through practice.
Assuming the second-year back is ready to go and Zack Moss remains sidelined, he’s a virtual must-start this week. Brown exploded as the featured back against Las Vegas, racking up 26.7 PPR points on a whopping 32 touches. When you see that type of workload in a high-powered offense, the matchup doesn’t matter. Get the versatile back in your starting lineups on Thursday.
Sit ‘Em: Tony Pollard (Titans) at Chargers
It’s not often you sit a player who received 31 touches in the prior week. As I mentioned above, typically you want to get those guys in your lineup after that type of performance, but Pollard is an exception.
First of all, he’s not in a high-powered offense like Chase Brown. Mason Rudolph and the Titans don’t exactly instill fear into the hearts of opponents. It’s worth noting that Brian Callahan explicitly stated that he wants to reduce Pollard’s workload moving forward. With Tyjae Spears’ return on the horizon, that should be the case next week. The veteran back also draws an atrocious matchup, as the Chargers allow the second-fewest fantasy points to opposing backfields per game.
Those are my start ’em, sit ’em Week 10 fantasy football running back picks! Stay tuned for more fantasy advice next week.
All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.
