Fantasy Football Week 10 RB rankings: Sleepers, bye week replacements and more

Most fantasy football managers are well aware of how important running backs are to their overall roster construction. The position can legitimately make or break weekly lineups due to their polarizing nature. The majority of options are capable of posting massive fantasy scores in favorable situations, but they also have plenty of bust potential in difficult matchups.

The nature of the running back position requires managers to properly analyze all available options before finalizing lineup decisions. Only a few elite players can be started every week, regardless of their specific weekly situation. The rest of the field should only be utilized when their individual situation is superior to the other available options.

Determining which running backs to target in fantasy football each week is based on a large number of variables. Some of these factors include recent individual performances, direct weekly matchups, expected offensive roles, injury situations to relevant players and potential game scripts among many others.

This process can often be long and complex, but utilizing the Start/Sit Optimizer can make it much easier. This valuable tool analyzes every possible factor for any player in a given week to generate fantasy projections and lineup suggestions.

Bye weeks will also play an important role when setting lineups each week as it determines which potential options are available. In Week 10 of the 2023 NFL season, four teams will be off, so their players will be unavailable in fantasy football lineups.

Some of the top NFL teams will be on their bye in Week 10, including the Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, Miami Dolphins, and Los Angeles Rams. This means that several lineup staples like Isiah Pacheco, D'Andre Swift, and Raheem Mostert will be unavailable this week. Managers with any of them on their rosters will be looking for replacements this week.

The following list of potential sleepers and bye week replacements, as well as the complete Week 10 running back rankings, should help managers when finalizing their lineups:

Fantasy Football Week 10 RB sleepers

Week 10 RB sleepers

#1. Tyler Allgeier

Tyler Allgeier has quietly accumulated three finishes among the top 20 running backs this year and two of them have come in the past three weeks. Despite serving as the RB2 for the Atlanta Falcons behind rookie Bijan Robinson, he has still carved out a useful role in fantasy football. He has also recorded more total carries than Robinson across the past five weeks combined.

Up next for Allgeier is an extremely favorable matchup against the Arizona Cardinals, one of the worst overall defenses in the NFL. This includes allowing the second-most fantasy points per game to running backs. He is an ideal roster target this week for any managers in need of a running back to plug in.

#2. James Cook

James Cook has struggled in fantasy football lately, ranking outside of the top 30 running backs in PPR leagues in four of the past five weeks. He has still recorded four top-15 finishes this season, though three of them came in the first four weeks this year. Despite all of this, he has an ideal matchup to get back on track in Week 10.

The Denver Broncos are currently allowing the most fantasy points per game to running backs by a wide margin. This makes Cook a legitimate bounce-back candidate and an ideal sleeper that many managers may be avoiding during his cold streak. Despite the Buffalo Bills recently signing Leonard Fournette, Cook is still a strong lineup option.

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#3. Najee Harris

Najee Harris has been a frustrating fantasy football running back over the past two years after his dominant rookie season. While many managers have moved on from him at this point, he has quietly turned in two finishes among the top 13 running backs in the past three weeks, scoring a touchdown in each of them. He has also solidified his RB1 role with the Pittsburgh Steelers recently, dominating the backfield touches in his two strong recent performances.

Up next for Harris is a sneaky-good matchup against the Green Bay Packers. While they have been excellent in defending opposing passing games, their weakness has been slowing down the rushing attack. This includes ranking in the bottom ten in limiting fantasy points to opposing running backs.

#4. Alexander Mattison

Alexander Mattison has failed to live up to his massive preseason expectations, but is still having a relatively strong fantasy season. He has ranked among the top 25 running backs six times this year, making him an RB2 on most fantasy rosters this season. He could also see a boost in workload this week with Cam Akers officially out with an injury.

When Akers was injured for the Minnesota Vikings last week, Mattison turned in a season-best RB8 finish in standard leagues. Despite a difficult matchup in Week 10 against the New Orleans Saints, Mattison has no real competition for backfield touches, so his volume should still make him a solid fantasy play.

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#5. Brian Robinson

Brian Robinson has been consistently productive during the 2023 fantasy football season, finishing among the top 25 running backs in seven of his nine games so far. This has resulted in a solid RB23 overall ranking entering Week 10. He is the clear workhorse for the Washington Commanders and has dominated the backfield workload.

The Seattle Seahawks are up next for Robinson and they present a beatable matchup on the ground. They have allowed the 12th most fantasy points per game to running backs. Robinson has an excellent chance to keep his consistent season rolling in Week 10.

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Managers looking to acquire any of these Week 10 targets should consult the fantasy football trade analyzer first.

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Week 10 Fantasy Football RB rankings

1. Christian McCaffrey
2. Austin Ekeler
3. Alvin Kamara
4. Breece Hall
5. Travis Etienne
6. Tony Pollard
7. Joe Mixon
8. Josh Jacobs
9. Jonathan Taylor
10. Derrick Henry
11. Kenneth Walker
12. Saquon Barkley
13. Aaron Jones
14. Bijan Robinson
15. Rachaad White
16. Rhamondre Stevenson
17. Javonte Williams
18. David Montgomery
19. Chuba Hubbard
20. James Cook
21. Alexander Mattison
22. Jahmyr Gibbs
23. Gus Edwards
24. Najee Harris
25. D'Onta Foreman
26. Brian Robinson
27. James Conner
28. Jerome Ford
29. Tyler Allgeier
30. Jaylen Warren
31. Kareem Hunt
32. Devin Singletary
33. Zack Moss
34. Ezekiel Elliot
35. Miles Sanders
36. Keaton Mitchell
37. Tyjae Spears
38. Antonio Gibson
39. Zach Charbonnet
40. Justice Hill