Fantasy football projections, Week 10: Dolphins-Chargers featuring Jay Ajayi, Melvin Gordon, Philip Rivers, more

The Week 10 matchup between the Miami Dolphins and the San Diego Chargers features running backs on both teams who are proving they belong. We’ve got the fantasy projections courtesy of numberFire.

Just a few weeks ago nobody would have predicted that Arian Foster would be retired and Jay Ajayi would solidify his place as Miami’s starting running back for the rest of the season. That’s exactly what has transpired. Ajayi has scored at least one touchdown in four straight games and has now collected 518 rushing yards in just the last three contests. That’s an average of 6.7 yards per carry on 77 rush attempts. His numbers are bound to drop at least a little bit but coach Adam Gase stated during the week that there is no way the team is moving away from running the ball. Fantasy owners just have to assume he’ll continue to surpass his projections because there’s no reason to think otherwise at the moment.

That reality could have a negative impact on the passing game, specifically on Jarvis Landry. Landry is a reception-dependent receiver. He holds considerable value in PPR formats. Now that the team is going to run the ball more than ever, Landry may not get as many looks. He doesn’t score a lot of touchdowns and he rarely gets open for big plays down the field. It might be better to err on the side of caution as he takes the field in San Diego. Ajayi is the one player on the team that is giving Miami a chance to win week to week. The entire organization owes it to the players and the fans to do what’s best on the field. Landry’s production should continue to remain unstable in the short-term.

While Jay Ajayi posted back-to-back 200-yard performances in recent weeks, Chargers running back Melvin Gordon nearly hit the same level in Week 9 against the Tennessee Titans. He rushed for a career-high 196 yards on 32 carries and scored his ninth rushing touchdown of the season. He now has 100 yards rushing or more in back-to-back games. It’s been quite the turnaround season for Gordon considering he didn’t score a touchdown his entire rookie year. Miami ranks No. 30 in the NFL at rushing yards allowed, averaging 136.1 yards per game. Gordon’s fantasy owners should be smiling ear to ear because his projections are about to get blown up for the third straight week.

Much like the Dolphins’ Ajayi might impact the fantasy value of Jarvis Landry, Gordon’s continued domination will mean that quarterback Philip Rivers doesn’t have to throw the football as often. He has been a high-volume passer his entire career, but it’ll be hard for the Chargers to ignore giving Gordon the ball right now. That said, Rivers still managed to complete 24 passes for 275 yards and two touchdowns against the Titans in Week 9. There may be no reason for him to throw above the 300-yard mark in Week 10, but a solid running game will take the pressure off of Rivers. If he can avoid turning the ball over and he’s still efficient, the Chargers’ quarterback may still find a way to top his projections on a consistent basis for the rest of the season.