It’s starting to be that time. It’s Week 10 in season-long leagues, and the fight for playoff position is coming into clearer focus. Injuries remain an issue, with Carlos Hyde in particular a big question mark for Week 10 due to a shoulder injury.
Fantasy football rankings, Week 10: Consensus running backs for standard leagues
The SB Nation fantasy team reveals which running backs rank in the top 50 for standard leagues heading into Week 10.
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If you’re a David Johnson owner, and you are desperate for a win, we have good news for you: Here come the San Francisco 49ers. They continue to live up to its reputation as the get-well defense for running games. Never was that more evident than last week when the pass-happy New Orleans Saints handed the ball off a whopping 42 times, and Mark Ingram, a week removed from being benched, ripped off 158 yards and a 75-yard touchdown.
And that brings us back to Johnson, the overwhelming choice for top running back in standard leagues by our SB Nation experts. Johnson was an easy call this week, as he draws the 49ers at home in a must-win game for the Cardinals.
In his first meeting with the 49ers back in early October, Johnson went for 157 yards and two touchdowns in a 33-21 road victory. Johnson has seemingly flown under the radar this season, with Ezekiel Elliott, our No. 2 choice this week, garnering most of the running back spotlight. But Johnson has been over 100 rushing yards in three of his past four games and over 100 total yards in the past four, becoming more of a pass-catcher two weeks ago with 84 receiving yards in a loss to Carolina.
Now, Johnson and the Cardinals, who are 3-4-1 in a disappointing season, can restart their season in what should be an easy win.
Another team looking to put its early-season struggles behind them and make a playoff push is the 4-5 San Diego Chargers, who face the Dolphins at home. It has been a tough week for San Diego fans, as the ballot measure to build a new downtown stadium failed on Tuesday night, increasing the chances the Chargers leave for Los Angeles in 2017.
But there is still the 2016 season to play and Melvin Gordon has been the key to the Chargers’ reversal of fortune on the field. In his past four games, in which the Chargers are 3-1, Gordon is averaging 115 yards on the ground and a touchdown per game. Last week against the Titans, Gordon exploded for 196 yards rushing and 65 yards receiving.
Now he gets to face a Miami defense that has allowed the third-most yards-per-game on the ground this season. With the receiving corps still a walking wounded, expect the offense to run primarily through Gordon, giving his owners a huge edge in a critical fantasy week.
Running backs (standard), Week 10
(ZS: Zach Senvisky, JM: Jason Marcum, SK: Scott Kaliska, JG: Jeff Goldberg, KB: Kyle Bennett, DG: Derek Gordon)
| Rk | Consensus | Tm | Opp. | ZS | JM | SK | JG | KB | DG |
| 1 | David Johnson | ARI | vs. SF | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Ezekiel Elliott | DAL | @ PIT | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 3 | Melvin Gordon | SD | vs. MIA | 3 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| 4 | Le'Veon Bell | PIT | vs. DAL | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 5 |
| 5 | DeMarco Murray | TEN | vs. GB | 5 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 4 |
| 6 | Lamar Miller | HOU | @ JAC | 7 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 |
| 7 | Jay Ajayi | MIA | @ SD | 6 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 11 |
| 8 | Devonta Freeman | ATL | @ PHI | 8 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 |
| 9 | Jonathan Stewart | CAR | vs. KC | 9 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 8 |
| 10 | Matt Forte | NYJ | vs. LA | 11 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 10 |
| 11 | Spencer Ware | KC | @ CAR | 10 | 13 | 20 | 10 | 14 | 9 |
| 12 | Christine Michael | SEA | @ NE | 12 | 11 | 21 | 12 | 11 | 12 |
| 13 | Jordan Howard | CHI | @ TB | 15 | 14 | 9 | 15 | 13 | 14 |
| 14 | Terrance West | BAL | vs. CLE | 14 | 19 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 15 |
| 15 | Carlos Hyde | SF | @ ARI | 13 | 12 | 27 | 13 | 12 | 13 |
| 16 | Devontae Booker | DEN | @ NO | 17 | 17 | 12 | 17 | 17 | 17 |
| 17 | Giovani Bernard | CIN | @ NYG | 16 | 15 | 18 | 16 | 16 | 19 |
| 18 | Todd Gurley | LA | @ NYJ | 18 | 16 | 15 | 18 | 18 | 16 |
| 19 | Mark Ingram | NO | vs. DEN | 21 | 21 | 14 | 19 | 19 | 21 |
| 20 | Darren Sproles | PHI | vs. ATL | 20 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 20 |
| 21 | Tim Hightower | NO | vs. DEN | 19 | 20 | 24 | 21 | 20 | 18 |
| 22 | LeGarrette Blount | NE | vs. SEA | 22 | 23 | 16 | 22 | 25 | 23 |
| 23 | Isaiah Crowell | CLE | @ BAL | 23 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 22 |
| 24 | Jeremy Hill | CIN | @ NYG | 24 | 27 | 17 | 24 | 22 | 27 |
| 25 | Chris Ivory | JAC | vs. HOU | 25 | 28 | 23 | 25 | 24 | 30 |
| 26 | James White | NE | vs. SEA | 26 | 26 | 31 | 26 | 26 | 26 |
| 27 | Ryan Mathews | PHI | vs. ATL | 35 | 31 | 30 | 29 | 27 | 25 |
| 28 | Bilal Powell | NYJ | vs. LA | 27 | 29 | 38 | 28 | 30 | 28 |
| 29 | Peyton Barber | TB | vs. CHI | 30 | 25 | 26 | 30 | 31 | 38 |
| 30 | Rashad Jennings | NYG | vs. CIN | 39 | 24 | 37 | 27 | 29 | 29 |
| 31 | Jerick McKinnon | MIN | @ WAS | 31 | 30 | 36 | 31 | 32 | 31 |
| 32 | T.J. Yeldon | JAC | vs. HOU | 32 | 33 | 32 | 32 | 34 | 33 |
| 33 | Duke Johnson | CLE | @ BAL | 34 | 32 | 29 | 34 | 35 | 36 |
| 34 | Matt Asiata | MIN | @ WAS | 33 | 36 | 33 | 33 | 33 | 32 |
| 35 | Matt Jones | WAS | vs. MIN | 41 | 35 | 44 | 35 | 36 | 24 |
| 36 | Charcandrick West | KC | @ CAR | 36 | 37 | 41 | 36 | 38 | 40 |
| 37 | C.J. Prosise | SEA | @ NE | 40 | 38 | 42 | 40 | 37 | 35 |
| 38 | Tevin Coleman | ATL | @ PHI | 37 | 41 | 40 | 42 | 41 | 34 |
| 39 | Kenneth Dixon | BAL | vs. CLE | 38 | 42 | 39 | 38 | 39 | 42 |
| 40 | Paul Perkins | NYG | vs. CIN | 28 | 50 | 34 | 39 | 44 | 46 |
| 41 | Andre Ellington | ARI | vs. SF | 42 | 34 | 49 | 37 | 40 | 41 |
| 42 | Kapri Bibbs | DEN | @ NO | 44 | 43 | 28 | 44 | 42 | 45 |
| 43 | Robert Kelley | WAS | vs. MIN | 29 | 47 | 25 | 49 | 46 | -- |
| 44 | Chris Thompson | WAS | vs. MIN | 49 | 39 | 43 | 41 | 45 | 39 |
| 45 | Alfred Morris | DAL | @ PIT | 45 | 40 | 50 | 45 | 43 | 37 |
| 46 | Ka'Deem Carey | CHI | @ TB | 43 | 44 | -- | 43 | -- | 44 |
| 47 | Alfred Blue | HOU | @ JAC | 46 | 45 | -- | 46 | 49 | 43 |
| 48 | James Starks | GB | @ TEN | 47 | 49 | 45 | 47 | 47 | -- |
| 49 | DuJuan Harris | SF | @ ARI | -- | -- | 35 | -- | -- | -- |
| 50 | Wendell Smallwood | PHI | vs. ATL | 48 | 46 | -- | 48 | 50 | 50 |
| -- | Ronnie Hillman | MIN | @ WAS | 50 | 48 | 47 | 50 | 48 | -- |
| -- | Jeremy Langford | CHI | @ TB | -- | -- | 48 | -- | -- | 47 |
| -- | Doug Martin | TB | vs. CHI | -- | -- | 46 | -- | -- | -- |
| -- | Damien Williams | MIA | @ SD | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 48 |
| -- | DeAngelo Williams | PIT | vs. DAL | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 49 |
