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Alex breaks down the top ten running back performances of Week 10. Which unusual feature here helped win you your matchup?
With four teams on bye this week (CLE, GB, LV, and SEA), we were back to a diminished slate of football. Booo. That only compounded the fact that scoring was down to its lowest figure on a per-matchup basis since Week 2. However, Week 10 still had its headlines, including eight of the 14 contests being decided by one score, two utter blowouts in the late window, and San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey finally returning from his double Achilles tendinitis saga -- more on him later.
The reigning Super Bowl champs retained their undefeated streak this weekend on a last-second blocked field goal as they continue to find strange ways to win games. No ref conspiracies this time, though I will say that Denver Broncos' second-string center, Alex Forsyth, did not appear to try very hard to stop anyone on the play. In fact, I'd go as far as saying he did just the opposite, seemingly falling over of his own volition. However, I can neither confirm nor deny these claims.
Anyway, we have other matters to tend to. Seeing some fresh faces featured in the top ten this weekend was a nice change of pace, though it does mean some stalwarts were excluded. You'll note that Derrick Henry didn't make it this time around for what feels like the first time since his birth. Maybe not that long, but it's been a while. Other backs of note aside from the ones on bye that won't be featured here are De'Von Achane of the Miami Dolphins and the Los Angeles Rams' Kyren Williams, as their squads will square off at SoFi Stadium to close out Week 10. Which one of the atypical backs below helped you win your week? Without further ado, let's get into it.
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Top 10 Running Backs of the Week (Including SNF)
Here are the top 10 running backs from Week 10 of the 2024 NFL season in PPR scoring:
| Rank | Player | Team | Points |
| 1 | Bijan Robinson | ATL | 29.4 |
| 2 | Chuba Hubbard | CAR | 24.9 |
| 3 | Chase Brown | CIN | 22.4 |
| 4 | James Conner | ARI | 22.3 |
| 5 | Rachaad White | TB | 19 |
| 6 | Austin Ekeler | WAS | 18.1 |
| 7 | Bucky Irving | TB | 17.4 |
| T-8 | Kareem Hunt | KC | 17 |
| T-8 | Joe Mixon | HOU | 17 |
| 10 | Christian McCaffrey | SF | 16.8 |
1. Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons
Bijan Robinson continued to roll despite Atlanta falling 20-17 to a Saints squad that had dropped seven straight leading up to Sunday. The 22-year-old put together another tremendous performance, rushing for 116 yards on his 20 carries -- including two touchdowns -- while bringing in 3-of-4 targets for another 28 yards through the air.
Bijan Robinson (7)
Atlanta Falcons
37 yards
pic.twitter.com/hAUU1cqJC8— NFL TD Videos (@NFLTDsVideos) November 10, 2024
After a so-so start through the first five weeks, the former Texas Longhorn has asserted his dominance over NFL defenses in each of the following outings. He now has 100-plus scrimmage yards in every game since, piling up six total touchdowns along the way. Over that stretch, the second-year back is the RB1, leading his positional cohorts in fantasy points per game (24.7).
It's been quite the hot streak for Robinson, but he'll be looking at a much tougher test next Sunday when Atlanta hits the road to face the Denver Broncos at Mile High Stadium. The Broncos have allowed just 4.0 yards per carry through nine games -- a half-yard less than New Orleans averaged heading into Week 10. Still, you're starting him, and he has a good chance of retaining his RB1 status.
2. Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers
I'll admit: I was skeptical that Chuba Hubbard would keep the pace he enjoyed with quarterback Andy Dalton when second-year starter Bryce Young came back into the mix. Carolina won't play the New York Giants every week, but it was another impressive outing from the 25-year-old in the Panthers' 20- 17 overtime win over the G-Men in Munich.
Hubbard put on a show, toting the rock 28 times for 153 yards and a score while chipping in another 16 on 4-of-6 receiving. His rushing yard total and touch count are both career highs, and he's up to seven scores on the year now.
The Oklahoma State product was quietly the fifth-leading rusher in the NFL heading into this matchup, and his staggering total from Week 10 has catapulted him all the way into third place. He is still quite a bit behind Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry, though.
It's been a career year for the fourth-year back, as he and Carolina will now head into their Week 11 bye after nabbing their third victory of the season. They'll need all the rest they can get because, in Week 12, they'll square off against the still-undefeated Kansas City Chiefs. Despite Hubbard's recent success, fantasy managers will want to temper expectations against one of the league's best defenses.
3. Chase Brown, Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals gave the Ravens all they could handle on Thursday Night Football, but a failed 2-point conversion ultimately spelled defeat in a 35-34 loss to kick off the week. This matchup produced fireworks for its entire duration, and Ja'Marr Chase's incredible 11-catch, 264-yard, three-touchdown performance overshadowed many of the others in this game.
His teammate Chase Brown had a strong outing in his own right. Brown rushed 13 times for 42 yards and a touchdown in the nailbiter, but my goodness, did he make up for it through the air. The second-year back saw 11 (!) targets in this one, corralling nine of them for 52 yards.
It was his second consecutive 20-plus fantasy point performance and his third straight outing with a touchdown. Perhaps even more impressively, he was on the field for 87% of Cincinnati's snaps and handled a whopping 100% of the team's backfield touches.
While that wildly high percentage is sure to come down, with Zack Moss (neck) out for the remainder of the season, it looks like Brown will at least get all the work he can handle. The Bengals acquired running back Khalil Herbert in a trade with the Chicago Bears before last Tuesday's deadline, and he'll likely see some touches moving forward, but the 24-year-old is the back to own in Cincy.
He'll square off against the league's top-scoring defense his next time out when the Bengals travel to SoFi Stadium to face the Los Angeles Chargers.
4. James Conner, Arizona Cardinals
For the second week in a row, the Arizona Cardinals beat up on a strong defensive unit -- this time, it was the New York Jets as the Cards cruised to a 31-6 victory. James Conner was stymied on the ground, averaging just 2.8 YPC on his 13 rush attempts (33 yards), though he did punch in a 1-yard score. He was, however, active in the passing game, totaling 80 yards while bringing in all five of his targets.
The 29-year-old's receiving output marked a season-high, and his long gain of 45 yards through the air helped set up his scoring chance. It was yet another solid game from the veteran, who has been the RB20 or better in all but two contests.
I wouldn't say it's a concerning development just yet, but for the second straight game, rookie running back Trey Benson (87 yards on 12 touches [6.2 YPC]) has seen his opportunity share rise.
You'd think that most of that came in garbage time, but Benson mixed in with Conner throughout the contest until neither of them saw a touch on Arizona's last drive of the game, which was closed out by Emari Demercado and DeeJay Dallas.
For now, it's nothing, but the rookie was one of my favorite backs in this year's class, and it's only a matter of time before the backfield is his. I'm not saying that will happen this year, but he's undoubtedly an asset I want exposure to in dynasty formats. The Cardinals will get their bye in Week 11.
5. Rachaad White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa Bay lost a close one to the 49ers 23-20 on a 44-yard field goal by Jake Moody (who missed three kicks in the contest) as time expired in regulation. Despite his inefficiencies on the ground, Rachaad White piled up another useful receiving total.
His rushing work was for naught against a solid San Francisco defensive unit, as he racked up 31 yards on his ten carries. He was again featured heavily in the Bucs' pass attack, reeling in 6-of-7 targets for 39 yards and another touchdown.
Rachaad White is an imminent red zone threatpic.twitter.com/wxq2GMDbwk
— PlayerProfiler NFL (@Profiler_NFL) November 10, 2024
White now has five touchdowns in his last four outings since returning from injury (one on the ground) but has been out-rushed over that period by backfield mate Bucky Irving 164-to-119. More so, the rookie has out-touched him in that stretch 54-49. Irving appears to be the preferred rushing option, but he's also getting his fair share of targets.
With a near-dead-even committee on his hands, the 25-year-old could be subject to some non-fantasy-friendly performances, and those could begin to trickle in with wide receiver Mike Evans' supposed return after the team's Week 11 bye. I think Tampa Bay likes the 1-2 punch they have going on, but if White's targets begin to dwindle, so will his fantasy relevancy.
6. Austin Ekeler, Washington Commanders
The Pittsburgh Steelers barely held off the Commanders on Sunday, stopping tight end Zach Ertz on fourth down just inches away from scratching out the yards to gain and then causing their defense to jump offsides on a 4th-and-1 on the ensuing possession.
With Brian Robinson Jr. out of the lineup again, Chris Rodriguez Jr. was a popular waiver wire add, but he saw just two touches in the contest. It was again Ekeler's backfield, and he responded with another solid game.
It's the first time we've seen Ekeler grace the top-ten list this season, and he put together a nice all-purpose performance. The 29-year-old rushed 13 times, churning out 44 yards and two touchdowns against a staunch Steelers defense. He'd also chip in seven yards on 1-of-2 receiving while amassing 118 yards on his four kickoff returns.
His touchdowns were of the one-yard-plunge variety, but it's all the same on the fantasy stat sheet. Presumably, Robinson will be back for Week 11's divisional clash against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. However, if he's forced to miss another game, Ekeler will have his hands full against a strong Eagles front seven.
7. Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
With four teams on bye this week and scoring way down to just 40.9 combined points per matchup (sans the MNF game), the bar for a top-ten RB option has been quite a bit lower in comparison to recent weeks. Still, fantasy managers won't complain about a solid outing from Bucky Irving. At least not those that were forced to start him.
Irving was efficient against a 49ers defense that had allowed the sixth-fewest rushing yards in the league leading into this weekend. The rookie racked up 73 yards on his 13 rushes -- including a 12-yard touchdown -- and contributed 14 yards through the air on 3-of-3 receiving. His rushing yardage and carry total were the second-highest marks in his young career, and he's now reeled in at least three passes in four straight contests.
Bucky Irving just keeps making things happen.@Buccaneers | @FedEx pic.twitter.com/uZU1qAAjRU
— NFL (@NFL) November 10, 2024
With both Tampa Bay backs cannibalizing each other, you'd think they'd be terrible for fantasy, but on the contrary. Both have had useful performance over the last month -- for how long that lasts remains to be seen. The Buccos get their bye in Week 11.
T-8. Kareem Hunt, Kansas City Chiefs
The Denver Broncos defense held the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs to just 16 points in their divisional clash and would have ended their unbeaten streak if not for a blocked field goal with time expiring. However, KC hung on 16-14 -- finding yet another way to win a game. Fortunately, this time, there were no refs to blame.
Denver's D held Kareem Hunt in check, limiting him to 35 yards on his 14 carries (2.5 YPC). However, Hunt would turn in a vintage performance through the air, bringing in 7-of-10 targets for 65 yards. It was the Toledo product's first performance since Week 5 without a touchdown, but also his first game with more than four receptions since Week 8 of 2022. The 65 yards led all Kansas City pass-catchers in the victory.
The eighth-year veteran will get a much softer matchup in Week 11 against a Buffalo Bills squad that allowed 4.8 yards per carry to opposing offenses heading into Week 10. It will be interesting to see if the game script works in his favor next Sunday, but it's nice to know that he still has a receiving game in his bag of tricks.
T-8. Joe Mixon, Houston Texans
The Texans and Lions squared off on SNF in one of the more wild matchups in recent history. Quarterbacks Jared Goff and C.J. Stroud combined for seven (!!) interceptions (Goff had five), and despite being down 23-7 heading into halftime, the Lions came roaring back with 19 unanswered points to win it on a Jake Bates field goal that barely eked by the upright with time expiring.
For the first time all season, Joe Mixon did not finish a game he'd started with 100 yards on the ground. In fact, he was downright dreadful against one of the league's top units against the run -- plodding to an abysmal 1.84 yards per carry.
The former Oklahoma Sooner toted the rock 25 times for 46 yards, breaking off an eight-yard touchdown on Houston's first drive of the game. That would be his longest gain of the contest.
Mixon did add 44 yards on 2-of-4 receiving, but this was one to forget for the veteran. We can chalk it up as an anomaly, as he's been superb this season. On the bright side, the 28-year-old notched his fourth consecutive game with at least 24 rush attempts and has a stranglehold on the lead job in a good offense.
Better days are ahead for the former second-round pick, and they could start as soon as next week when the Texans face off against the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football. The Cowboys let up 4.6 yards per rush attempt to their opponents heading into Week 10 and just got trampled by the Eagles for 187 yards on the ground.
10. Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers
The prodigal son has returned. Fantasy's consensus No. 1 overall pick was finally activated from his seemingly never-ending bout with bilateral Achilles tendinitis and reminded us what he's capable of -- even fresh off the injured reserve.
McCaffrey didn't score a touchdown -- despite his Vegas odds of roughly -220 to do so -- but was his usual dual-threat self in the 49ers 23-20 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The superstar running back totaled 107 yards in his much-anticipated return to the lineup (six receptions for 68 through the air on seven targets) and looked spry in his debut, albeit maybe a half-step slower than what we're used to.
It's CMC. That's the tweet.
📺 #SFvsTB on FOX
NFL+ // https://t.co/KTh0i4nCVJ pic.twitter.com/8rFg7KSLcO— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) November 10, 2024
It's a negligible difference, though, as he was as shifty as ever -- particularly as a pass-catching weapon out of the backfield. As time passes and he gets his legs back under him, the fantasy points should begin to flow, as will the touchdowns.
CMC was reinstated in the nick of time with the 49ers primed for a playoff push, and he'll again be afforded a softer matchup in Week 11. San Francisco will host the visiting Seattle Seahawks in a divisional tilt next Sunday.
The former eighth-overall pick should have no problem picking up chunks of yardage against a Seattle defensive front that let up 4.8 yards per clip through their first nine games.
Thanks for reading, and best of luck in all your matchups in Week 11!
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