Editor’s update: Ezekiel Elliott’s suspension is back on and he will not play this weekend. We are working on updated rankings. For now, Alfred Morris is likely the primary starter, with Darren McFadden and Rod Smith rotating in. Morris is the better standard start, while McFadden has some PPR value. Smith is the best long-term option of the three, but Morris is the guy for Week 10.
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For Le’Veon Bell owners, this is the week you’ve been waiting for.
Bell doesn’t need any help to be considered the top running back in fantasy. That Bell is SB Nation’s unanimous top choice for PPR running back in Week 10 is certainly no surprise. But beyond his obvious talent as a runner and pass catcher — not to mention a career resume of greatness — Bell’s ranking this week is enhanced by a dream matchup in Indianapolis.
Simply put, the Colts are not a good defensive team. But where the Colts really struggle is against pass-catching running backs, ranking dead last in the league in DVOA. Bell has topped six targets in a game just twice this season. This week seems destined to be No. 3.
Rounding out our top five are Dallas’ Ezekiel Elliott — assuming he plays — Todd Gurley of the Rams, Buffalo’s LeSean McCoy, and Jacksonville’s Leonard Fournette — assuming he plays.
But it’s in our second five that some juicy matchups await. The Bears’ Jordan Howard, our No. 6-ranked back, faces a Green Bay defense ranked 21st in DVOA against the run overall and 24th against pass-catching backs and playing on a short week. San Francisco’s Carlos Hyde, ranked seventh, gets a collapsing Giants team ranked 24th in run DVOA and 22nd against pass-catching backs.
Our No. 10 back, Carolina’s Christian McCaffrey, faces the third-ranked defense against the run. But fortunately for McCaffrey and his owners, he does almost all his damage as a pass-catcher, and Miami actually ranks 26th against the pass out of the backfield.
Other backs with solid matchups include Cincinnati’s Joe Mixon, who faces Tennessee’s 29th-ranked RB pass-catching defense, and the Jets’ Matt Forte, who gets the slumping Buccaneers, who own the 20th-ranked defense against the run and 25th against pass-catching backs.
Running back (PPR) rankings, Week 10
(SK: Scott Kaliska; JG: Jeff Goldberg; DG: Derek Gordon; KB: Kyle Bennett; ZS: Zach Senvisky; JM: Jason Marcum)
RB PPR rankings, Week 10
Rk | Consensus | Tm | Opp | JG | DG | KB | JM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Le'Veon Bell | PIT | @ IND | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | Todd Gurley | LAR | vs. HOU | 2 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| 3 | Leonard Fournette | JAC | vs. LAC | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| 4 | LeSean McCoy | BUF | vs. NO | 4 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| 5 | Jordan Howard | CHI | vs. GB | 5 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
| 7 | Carlos Hyde | SF | vs. NYG | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 |
| 8 | Orleans Darkwa | NYG | @ SF | 9 | 7 | 7 | 8 |
| 8 | Devonta Freeman | ATL | vs. DAL | 12 | 9 | 9 | 5 |
| 10 | Alvin Kamara | NO | @ BUF | 8 | 15 | 10 | 9 |
| 11 | Jerick McKinnon | MIN | @ WAS | 10 | 11 | 13 | 10 |
| 11 | Melvin Gordon | LAC | @ JAC | 6 | 10 | 11 | 18 |
| 13 | Christian McCaffrey | CAR | vs. MIA | 11 | 14 | 12 | 11 |
| 14 | Doug Martin | TB | vs. NYJ | 20 | 8 | 8 | 12 |
| 15 | Mark Ingram | NO | @ BUF | 15 | 13 | 14 | 13 |
| 16 | Joe Mixon | CIN | @ TEN | 16 | 16 | 15 | 14 |
| 17 | Lamar Miller | HOU | @ LAR | 13 | 18 | 16 | 16 |
| 17 | Chris Thompson | WAS | vs. MIN | 18 | 17 | 18 | 15 |
| 19 | Adrian Peterson | ARI | vs. SEA | 17 | 19 | 17 | 17 |
| 20 | DeMarco Murray | TEN | vs. CIN | 19 | 21 | 19 | 20 |
| 21 | Damien Williams | MIA | @ CAR | 22 | 20 | 21 | 19 |
| 22 | Matt Forte | NYJ | @ TB | 21 | 26 | 20 | 24 |
| 23 | Alfred Morris | DAL | @ ATL | 14 | 12 | 40 | 25 |
| 24 | Aaron Jones | GB | @ CHI | 23 | 24 | 23 | 23 |
| 24 | Ameer Abdullah | DET | vs. CLE | 24 | 23 | 22 | 28 |
| 26 | Tevin Coleman | ATL | vs. DAL | 26 | 29 | 26 | 22 |
| 27 | C.J. Anderson | DEN | vs. NE | 27 | 22 | 24 | 31 |
| 28 | Derrick Henry | TEN | vs. CIN | 31 | 27 | 27 | 21 |
| 29 | Duke Johnson Jr. | CLE | @ DET | 25 | 28 | 25 | 32 |
| 30 | Tarik Cohen | CHI | vs. GB | 34 | 25 | 30 | 27 |
| 31 | Isaiah Crowell | CLE | @ DET | 28 | 32 | 28 | 30 |
| 32 | Kenyan Drake | MIA | @ CAR | 29 | 39 | 29 | 29 |
| 33 | Thomas Rawls | SEA | @ ARI | 32 | 36 | 34 | 26 |
| 34 | Theo Riddick | DET | vs. CLE | 36 | 33 | 31 | 36 |
| 35 | Dion Lewis | NE | @ DEN | 37 | 35 | 33 | 35 |
| 36 | Marlon Mack | IND | vs. PIT | 33 | 37 | 32 | 39 |
| 37 | Ty Montgomery | GB | @ CHI | 35 | 34 | 38 | 34 |
| 38 | James White | NE | @ DEN | 39 | 38 | 36 | 33 |
| 39 | Robert Kelley | WAS | vs. MIN | 38 | 30 | 35 | 45 |
| 40 | Devontae Booker | DEN | vs. NE | 41 | 31 | 39 | 37 |
| 41 | Bilal Powell | NYJ | @ TB | 30 | 43 | 43 | 38 |
| 41 | Frank Gore | IND | vs. PIT | 40 | 40 | 37 | 42 |
| 43 | Latavius Murray | MIN | @ WAS | 43 | 46 | 41 | 41 |
| 44 | Jonathan Stewart | CAR | vs. MIA | 42 | 41 | 45 | 43 |
| 45 | Chris Ivory | JAC | vs. LAC | 45 | 45 | 44 | 40 |
| 46 | Rex Burkhead | NE | @ DEN | 44 | 42 | 42 | 49 |
| 47 | Wayne Gallman | NYG | @ SF | 46 | 47 | 47 | 48 |
| 48 | Jamaal Charles | DEN | vs. NE | 49 | -- | 46 | 44 |
| 49 | Matt Breida | SF | vs. NYG | 47 | 48 | 49 | 47 |
| 50 | Eddie Lacy | SEA | @ ARI | 48 | 44 | 48 | -- |
| -- | Andre Ellington | ARI | vs. SEA | -- | -- | -- | 46 |
| -- | Mike Tolbert | BUF | vs. NO | -- | 49 | -- | 50 |
| -- | D'Onta Foreman | HOU | @ LAR | 50 | -- | 50 | -- |
| -- | Giovani Bernard | CIN | @ TEN | -- | 50 | -- | -- |
