Getty Nick Chubb #24 of the Cleveland Browns.
Welcome to our Fantasy Football Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em Running Back edition for Week 10 of the NFL season. In this column, we feature a backfield in Cleveland primed to regain the services of one of the league’s very best.
* Reminder: Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em is intended to present you with the non-obvious choices for your fantasy lineup. We dig deep into player matchups, scoring trends, and other factors to best help you with your fantasy decisions. Superstars such as Christian McCaffrey will not be found in this column. If you’re looking for players of that caliber check out our weekly fantasy football running back rankings.
Start-Sit [QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | DEF | Ks]
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RB: Start ‘Em
Start of the Week: James Robinson at GB
We were iffy regarding Robinson’s upside a week ago due to a rookie QB under center. He put those worries to bed, collecting his second consecutive 99-plus yard rushing performance in as many games. The Packers allow the second-most fantasy points to RBs this season, including a league-high 15 total TDs to the position.
Nick Chubb & Kareem Hunt vs. HOU
Hunt has scored below double-digits in two of his last three games and now Nick Chubb is set to return? Not great, right? Not so fast. In games that the duo played together this season, Hunt averaged 17.42 ppg (RB7). With Chubb taking the lead in the ground game, Hunt can be featured more as a receiver. Both are high-end plays against a Texans defense who allows the third-most ppg to RBs this year. If you’re iffy on Chubb in his first game back, maybe this stat will help ease your stress. Opposing RBs have totaled a league-high 56 red zone touches against Houston this season.
Gus Edwards at NE
While Edwards failed to muster up much production on the ground a week ago, he managed to save his fantasy stat line, by hitting paydirt for the third consecutive week. Over the last four weeks, the Patriots are tied with the Packers for most rushing TDs surrendered to opposing RBs with six.
J.D. McKissic at DET
Fresh off an absurd 14 target, nine reception outing, McKissic has now logged six-plus receptions in four of his last five games. Over the last two weeks, the Lions have surrendered the most receiving yards (155) and receiving TDs (3) in the NFL to opposing RBs.
Sleeper: Ronald Jones/Leonard Fournette at CAR
In Jones’ case, starting a player who has received just 10 rushing attempts over the past two weeks is certainly scary. However, Tampa Bay’s matchup is quite welcoming. The Panthers allow the fifth-most fantasy points and fourth-most rushing TDs to RBs this season. Fournette has outsnapped Jones in each of the Bucs’ past three games, logging 14-plus attempts in two of those games. Both RBs found the end zone against Carolina back in Week 2.
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RB: Sit ‘Em
DeeJay Dallas at LAR
Dallas has scored in back-to-back weeks, but saw his usage drop drastically in Week 9 with the return of Travis Homer. Dallas saw a 48% snap decrease from Week 8 to Week 9, being outsnapped by Homer 31-20 against the Bills. Chris Carson and Carlos Hyde are both listed as questionable this week, adding even more uncertainty for Dallas owners. Since Week 3, the Rams have surrendered just one total touchdown to the position. Over that same span only two running backs have topped 48 rushing yards against them, none of which exceeded 71.
Jerick McKinnon at NO
It appears McKinnon has overcome his “tired legs.” Either that, or the Niners simply had no other choice but to lean on him in the Green Bay game, as their backfield has been decimated by injuries. San Francisco hoped to get Raheem Mostert back this week, however, he’s since been ruled out yet again. Even with Mostert unavailable, the matchup for McKinnon leaves much to be desired. New Orleans has not surrendered a rushing TD to an opposing RB in four straight games.
Buyers Beware: D’Andre Swift vs. WAS
The matchup is somewhat favorable for Swift, but his volatile usage and snap count makes the rookie a risky play. Swift saw 16 touches a week ago, but had carried the football nine times or fewer in six of his previous seven games. Furthermore, he’s now played 40% or fewer of the team’s offensive snaps in five of his last seven games. The talent is clearly there for Swift, but don’t be surprised if you get burned.
Start-Sit [QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | DEF | Ks]