Fire them up, sit down and run back for Fantasy Football Week 10

It’s week 10, folks! Time to nail down those fantasy lineups! Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em is the ultimate look at the best and worst games in a given week for fantasy football leagues. Each week I examine the running backs who may or may not exceed expectations based on their weekly opponent… like Kareem Hunt and Bucky Irving in Week 9!

For your final draft decisions, check out my fantasy player rankings. I update them daily! Also make sure you subscribe to the Fantasy Dirt Podcast with Lindsay Rhodes and me as we break down all things fantasy football five days a week!

All positions: QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | K & DSTs

Goodbye: Browns, Packers, Raiders, Seahawks

1. Saquon Barkley at Cowboys
2.Kyren Williams vs. Dolphins (Mon.)
3. Derrick Henry vs. Bengals (Thursday)
4. Bijan Robinson at Saints
5. Alvin Kamara vs. Falcons
6. Joe Mixon vs. Lions
7. De’Von Achane in Rams (Mon.)
8. Jonathan Taylor vs. Bills
9. Breece Hall at Cardinals
10. Aaron Jones at Jaguars

Complete the Week 10 running back rankings (coming soon!)

Start of the week

Aaron Jones at Jaguars (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Jones hasn’t put up great fantasy totals over the past two weeks, scoring 23.7 total points while averaging just 3.1 yards per rush. Still, he should remain in the starting lineup against the Jaguars. Their defense has been under fire by opposing running backs this season as eight players have scored more than 15 points, including six with more than 18 fantasy points and four who have scored more than 21 points.

Start them

D’Andre Swift vs. Patriots (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Swift had a down game last week, rushing for just 51 yards while not scoring a touchdown for the first time since Week 3. However, I expect him to post a better total this week as he faces a Patriots defense that has been bad against runners lately. Since Week 4, their defense has allowed four backs to beat them for more than 18 fantasy points, including three who have scored more than 23 points.

JK Dobbins vs. Titans (4:05 PM ET, Fox): I was wrong about Dobbins last week when he ran over the Browns for 85 yards (6.1 yards per rush) and two touchdowns. He’s a more attractive option based on this week’s numbers, as Dobbins faces a Titans defense that has struggled with runners as of late. In fact, their defense has allowed more than 20 points to a runner in each of their last two games, including Rhamondre Stevenson last week.

Tyrone Tracy Jr. vs. Panthers (Germany, 9:30 a.m. ET, NFL Network): Tracy Jr. Didn’t put up great stats last week, scoring just 7.9 points in a loss to the Commanders. Still, he had scored more than 22 points in two of his previous three games and a matchup against the Panthers makes him an attractive option. Their defense has allowed eight running backs to score more than 17 points, including six who finished with 20 or more PPR points.

Rhamondre Stevenson at Bears (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Stevenson has been a scoring machine over the past two weeks, with four touchdowns and 45.9 points. Next up is a plus matchup against the Bears, who allowed James Conner, Emari Demercado and Trey Benson to beat them last week for a total of 43.4 fantasy points. Overall, Chicago has had six runners hit for at least 14.9 fantasy points this season.

RBs with good matchups

Sits of the week

Tony Pollard at Chargers (4:05 PM ET, Fox): It’s tough for Pollard to be on a bye with four teams, so consider this more of a ‘watch out’ choice. He has a tough matchup against the Chargers, who have allowed the second-fewest fantasy points per game to running backs. Overall, only two have beaten them by more than 16.2 points, and their defense has held Najee Harris, Chuba Hubbard, Kareem Hunt, Javonte Williams and Nick Chubb to under 14 PPR points.

Sit down

Travis Etienne Jr. vs. Vikings (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Etienne Jr. has been a shadow of itself in fantasy terms. He has scored single digits in three of his last four games while losing work to Tank Bigsby. Moreover, he only had to score sixteen goals in last week’s defeat against the Eagles. If that wasn’t enough to keep him sitting even during the bye weeks, consider that the Vikings have allowed the seventh-fewest points per game to backs this season.

Jordan Mason at Buccaneers (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Mason’s numbers have plummeted as he has failed to score double figures in four straight games, while also missing time due to a shoulder injury. The 49ers are also expected to get Christian McCaffrey back this week, so Mason’s stock is expected to drop significantly. Unfortunately, his time as a fantasy starter (and a solid one at that) appears to be in the rearview mirror.

Javonte Williams at Chiefs (1 p.m. ET, CBS): Wiliams has been very unreliable over the past four weeks, scoring fewer than eleven points three times. Things don’t look like they’ll get any better this week either, as he faces a Chiefs defense that has been ruthless on running backs. In fact, no runner has beaten them by more than 13.2 points in a game this season. So even during the difficult bye weeks, Williams should be on the bench if possible.

Bucky Irving vs. 49ers (1 p.m. ET, Fox): Irving has been mostly solid over the past month, scoring more than 15 points in three of his last four games. He’s also still splitting duties in the backfield with Rachaad White, and a matchup against the Niners is a tough ask. Their defense has allowed the fifth-fewest rushing yards per game this season and just 3.7 yards per rush to enemy backs, so Irving could have a less-than-stellar performance this week.

RBs with bad matchups