This week has been an interesting one at the running back position, and few things have been as interesting as what's coming out of Pittsburgh and Tampa. Mike Tomlin talked extensively about Jaylen Warren, how he needs to get more opportunities, and could even earn a feature role. In Tampa, the coaches didn't have much to say about the running back room, but beat writer Greg Auman speculated that by the end of the year the lead job could belong to Rachaad White.
There are similarities and differences in these situations. The similarities are more obvious; these are offenses that are struggling badly and the running backs are not living up to expectations. Both Najee Harris and Leonard Fournette are averaging 3.3 yards per carry and they've scored a combined three rushing touchdowns.
The biggest difference is that Warren has looked electric with the ball in his hands while White has been even less efficient as a rusher. Also, Tom Brady plays for one of these teams and may have more to say about who is protecting him than Kenny Pickett does.
Both of these backup running backs are must-stash players who are desperation flexes in Week 10 on the hope that his chatter turns into more opportunities. But I strongly prefer Warren as a stash, and I strongly prefer Fournette over Harris as a Week 10 starter.
Now let's get to the rest of the Week 10 RB Preview:
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Week 10 RB Preview
Who's Out
The following players are not being projected to play in Week 10 at this time. Here's what it means:
We currently project Jordan Wilkins as the lead running back in Indianapolis for Week 10.
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Antonio Gibson should continue to see a big role in the passing game
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Numbers to know
- 2 -- Joe Mixon (3.0) and Jamaal Williams (2.38) are the only players in the league averaging over two touches inside the 10-yard line per game.
- 27 -- Jeff Wilson saw 27 snaps in Week 9 to Raheem Mostert's 24. He also out-touched Mostert 12 to 9.
- 92 -- A.J. Dillon played 92% of the snaps after Aaron Jones left.
- 465 -- Rushing yards for Travis Etienne since Week 6, tops in the league. He also leads the NFL in missed tackles during that span and ranks second with 6.1 yards per carry.
- 17% -- Snap share for Clyde Edwards-Helaire in Week 9. Jerick McKinnon played 62% of the snaps while Isiah Pacheco played 22% of the snaps.
- 24 -- Leonard Fournette has not topped 24 rushing yards since Week 6. Rachaad White continues to eat into his workload as well.
Matchups that matter
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Waiver Wire Targets
Murray has scored a touchdown in three of four games with the Broncos, and I don't believe Chase Edmonds is a threat to that role. There isn't a running back on the waiver wire I want to start this week, but Murray is the closest.
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If Jonathan Taylor and Deon Jackson remain out, we projected 15 touches for Wilkins, which could put him in the high-end flex range. I wouldn't be surprised if Wilkins split the work with Zack Moss in that situation.
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Once Hubbard is fully recovered from his ankle injury we would expect him to split early downs with D'Onta Foreman and handle most third downs as well. He could be a high-end flex or better in full PPR in the Fantasy playoffs.
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McKinnon is my favorite back in Kansas City, and I expect the Chiefs to turn to him more as the season goes on. They are not good at running the ball right now, so the best bet is to replace running plays with throws to McKinnon and Mecole Hardman.
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Spiller was the No. 2 back behind Ekeler in Week 9. If he's the handcuff to Ekeler now, he needs to be rostered in close to half of leagues, if not more.
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I'm not sure why Warren is still only rostered in 46% of leagues. He should be rostered in any league 10 teams or deeper, at least for this week.
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DFS Plays
I'm not so sure Etienne should be RB1 regardless of price this week. The Chiefs are bad against the run and worse against pass-catching running backs. As long as Trevor Lawrence can keep from making mistakes, Etienne has as much upside as any running back on the Week 10 slate.
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We still aren't projecting Elliott to play, and you should definitely have a backup plan in redraft just in case. But Jerry Jones said he expects him, so we'll speculate early in the week in this space. The questionable tag and Tony Pollard's recent performance should hold down Elliott's roster rate and his overall play this season means he isn't expensive. This is a fantastic matchup; the Packers have been bad against the run and they're banged up as well. Elliott has 100-yard, two-touchdown upside if he's 100% by Sunday.
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