Oh boy. You thought it was bad before? Week 10 is so much worse. D'Andre Swift, Bucky Irving, Saquon Barkley, and Jonah Coleman are all on bye. Josh Jacobs and Rhamondre Stevenson got hurt last week and aren't in our Week 10 rankings. Remember those awful waiver wire adds from last week that completely disappointed us? We may have to go right back to some of them. The bright side? This is hitting most teams in your league. While everyone loves Draft Day and everyone hates injuries, this is honestly where playoff teams are separated from non-playoff teams. Sure, some of it is injury luck. But more important, from our perspective, is what you do about it.
I will address the potential waiver adds below, and there is at least one of them who ranks inside my top 24 at running back this week. But first I want to talk about how we're handling the guys who aren't on the waiver wire, but probably weren't in your starting lineup last week. For instance, Zach Charbonnet and Jadarian Price were both started in less than 45% of leagues last week. They are both top 26 running backs this week in a plus matchup against the Raiders. Similarly, both Breece Hall and Braelon Allen were started in less than 55% of leagues, and both rank in the top 25 against an improving Bills defense. There are also a couple of spots worth watching, due to injuries we aren't sure about.
Cam Skattebo is trying to come back from injury, and we are optimistic he will. If he does, he's a top 24 back this week and a starter as an RB2. On the flip side, Zonovan Knight could come back from his Week 8 concussion this week. We aren't ranking him yet, which is why Tyler Allgeier is ranked as a starter. If Knight comes back, they'll both be flexes, but Knight will be our preferred option. And keep an eye on Travis Etienne's status. Etienne could be back off the IR any week, and would be our favorite Saints running back when he does. Until then but Audric Estime and Alvin Kamara are potential starters in a fantastic matchup against the Carolina Panthers.
I know these aren't the names you want to start, but this is where we are. Have multiple names listed above? Check out my Week 10 projections and refresh throughout the week to see which one I prefer.
Now let's get to the rest of the Week 10 RB preview:
Week 10 RB Preview
Numbers to know
- 4.9 -- Corey Kiner leads the Patriots at 4.9 yards per carry. He could see 15-plus carries if both Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson are out this week.
- 4.14 -- Jaylen Warren leads all running backs with 4.14 yards after contact per rush attempt. At least we get him back this week.
- 25.4% -- More than a quarter of Ashton Jeanty's rush attempts have gone for zero or negative yards, the worst mark amongst qualified running backs. He's only a start in full PPR.
- 7% -- Amongst running backs with at least 50 carries, Mike Washington Jr.'s 7% tackle-avoid rate ranks dead last.
- 60% -- 60% of Dylan Sampson's rushes have gone for five or more yards. It is fair to wonder whether he will start getting more carries. That's more than double Quinshon Judkins' rate.
- 30% -- Jadarian Price has a 30% target-per-route run rate, the sixth-best mark amongst running backs.
- 81.5% -- Jonah Coleman played a season-high 81.5% of the offensive snaps in Week 9. He may just be a league winner.
- 14 -- Blake Corum is averaging 14 PPR Fantasy points per game over the last month. You should start both him and Kyren Williams this week.
Waiver Wire Targets
 
Corey Kiner
RB
NE
New England
• #9
Age: 24 • Experience: 2 yrs.
With Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson both projected to miss Week 10, Corey Kiner should lead the Patriots in snaps and rush attempts. He's been very efficient as a rusher this year, leading the team with 4.9 YPC and the Patriots and Lions have one of the highest over/unders of the week, which helps his touchdown odds. Expect Kiner to dominate early downs and short yardage, while Lan Larison does most of the work on passing downs and in the two-minute drill. Kiner is the one we want to start, and he's much better in non-PPR and half-PPR than he is in full PPR.
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NO
New Orleans
• #30
Age: 23 • Experience: 3 yrs.
If Travis Etienne remains out, then Estime is a high-end flex with big rushing upside. The Panthers have given up the second-most Fantasy points to rushers and have allowed them to gain 4.6 yards per carry on the ground. Without Etienne, I project Estime for 12 touches, with upside for more if the game script goes his way. Just watch Etienne's status closely.
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ARI
Arizona
• #20
Age: 25 • Experience: 4 yrs.
We will have to see if Knight can get out of the concussion protocol, but he will be our favorite Cardinals running back if he does. Knight averaged just over 10 PPR FPPG in two games before getting hurt and was far better as a rusher than Tyler Allgeier. We'd like to see him get a limited practice on Wednesday to feel good about him playing but as long as he's back out there on Thursday, he has a chance.
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KC
Kansas City
• #10
Age: 23 • Experience: Rookie
With all the guys on bye or hurt, it's possible we'll see Johnson's roster rate drop this week. He remains one of the very best handcuff options and would be a must-start running back if Kenneth Walker misses time.
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DFS Plays
 
CAR
Carolina
• #30
Age: 27 • Experience: 6 yrs.
Hubbard is the clear lead back in a shootout against the very best matchup for opposing running backs. He is my RB4 this week and my RB3 on the slate with Jahmyr Gibbs playing on Sunday morning. Hubbard is priced more like a low-end RB2, which makes him a must-play and an excellent value. He already has four games this season with more than 21 half-PPR points and I would not be surprised if he makes it five this week.
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CLE
Cleveland
• #22
Age: 22 • Experience: 2 yrs.
This is a big swing, with almost no floor. But Sampson has 13 targets in his last two games and just had a season-high eight rush attempts. If he gets a similar workload, he just needs to break one touchdown and he'll have enormous value. I also think there is a nonzero chance they give him a little more work in the running game because of Quinshon Judkins' inefficiency.
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Heath's Projections
My full set of Week 10 Fantasy football projections for every position is now available here. Find out which of my favorite plays are projected to score higher than consensus rankings and which don't live up to their draft hype, at least in Week 10. Projected stats for all starting running backs will be updated throughout the week, so check back regularly.
