A very well-rested Steven Jackson, who is coming off a bye, figures to challenge a Saints defense that relinquished 182 rushing yards to the Panthers last week, including 149 yards and a pair of TDs by RB DeAngelo Williams. Jackson had 149 rushing yards and a game-winning TD in his last game before the Rams' bye.

It's been feast or famine for Niners RB Frank Gore, who could be ready to deliver a fantasy feast against a Bears defense that allowed the Cardinals' NFC-worst ground game to gain 182 yards last week. Gore gained 158 total yards last week in the loss to the Titans and has TDs in each of his last two games.

Packers RB Ryan Grant ran hard last week in Tampa Bay, carrying the ball 21 times for 96 yards and a TD, but so did newly acquired Ahman Green, who averaged 7.5 yards on six carries.

Colts rookie Donald Brown, who has been out with a shoulder injury recently, could see some action against the Patriots' 20th-ranked run defense along with starter Joseph Addai.

With Bears RB Garrett Wolfe expected to miss 2-4 weeks with a kidney injury, Bears backup RB Adrian Peterson could be a bigger factor against the Niners spelling featured back Matt Forté. Forté had a decent outing against the Cardinals last week, with 74 yards receiving and 33 yards rushing.

There's reason to believe Cardinals rookie RB Chris "Beanie" Wells is going to become much more of a fantasy force the second half of the season. Don't look now, but Wells has gained at least 67 yards rushing in two of his last three games, including 72 on 13 carries last week vs. Chicago.

Keep an eye on Seahawks RB Justin Forsett, whose 14-yard run last week was Seattle's longest against the Lions. Forsett also provided a spark with 45 yards receiving on five catches and a 46-yard kickoff return.

Jonathan Stewart is worth a start in deep leagues this week. He'll face the Falcons' run defense, which has given up 100 yards or more in six of its eight games. Atlanta's run "D" has been particularly poor recently, as it allowed an average of 141 rushing yards in its last two contests.

Pierre Thomas and Mike Bell are both good options for fantasy owners as they prepare to tee off on the Rams. St. Louis is ranked 27th against the run and no defense in the NFC has allowed more rushing TDs (12). The Saints could rely heavily on their backs as they try to eat up clock in what should be a rout.

Broncos RB Knowshon Moreno appears to be hitting the rookie wall a bit early, as he's been held to 44 rushing yards or less in each of the past three games. He was limited to just three yards on five carries in Week Nine as the Broncos ditched the running game for the air attack when trying to catch up with the Steelers in the second half. Moreno faces the Redskins' 25th-ranked run defense on Sunday, but don't start him until he shows his struggles are behind him.

Darren McFadden is expected to return this week after missing time recovering from knee surgery. He has a favorable matchup against the Chiefs' 28th-ranked run defense, but McFadden wasn't getting it done even when he was healthy, and we won't recommend playing him until he figures things out and carves out a niche in the offense.

Ricky Williams is a solid play in leagues of 12 teams or more this week. The Dolphins should stampede right over the Buccaneers' struggling run defense, which is allowing 163.4 yards per game, and Williams has a chance at a big day.

Coming off a game in which he rushed for a miniscule 22 yards, Chargers RB LaDainian Tomlinson has missed practice time this week with a hip injury. Although he's expected to play Sunday against the Eagles, he isn't a great fantasy start. Philly not only is allowing less than 100 rushing yards per game, but it's surrendered just five scores on the ground. L.T. looks like no better than a flex option in this matchup.

After releasing RB Larry Johnson earlier this week, the Chiefs will move forward with Jamaal Charles and Kolby Smith in the backfield. Those two didn't get much work in a pass-heavy scheme last week, but they should see their carries increase this Sunday at Oakland. Since they'll be splitting time fairly evenly, it's difficult to trust either Charles or Smith this week, so it might be wise to take a wait-and-see approach before activating either one.

Redskins RB Clinton Portis almost certainly won't go this weekend against the Broncos. Ladell Betts, who provided a spark against the Falcons when Portis went down, has been a popular pickup this week. But other than the Broncos' second-half defense against the Steelers, they have been great at stopping good rushing teams. The Redskins are not one of them, so be careful about expecting too much from Betts, who has no special characteristics as a runner.

Cowboys RB Marion Barber's thumb is not a problem. He'll be thumbs up against Packers.

The Eagles are still playing it carefully with RB Brian Westbrook. So should you. Even if he plays Sunday — and the best guess now is that he will in a limited role — he's not highly recommended as a part-time player.

Maurice Jones-Drew has been the most productive fantasy RB in the NFL this season, but he faces tough sledding this week at the Meadowlands. Despite allowing 100 rushing yards in each of their prior five games, the Jets shut down a potent Miami rushing attack in Week Eight and are coming off the bye well rested and looking to rebound after losing four of their past five. Obviously, M.J.D. will be in your lineup like always this week, but owners should be weary of a stout Jets "D" that will make shutting down Jones-Drew their top priority. He did score twice in his only previous matchup with the Jets back in his rookie year of 2006, but this is a different Jets team.

Ravens RB Willis McGahee didn't carry the ball last week and has 10 carries, zero yards and no TDs in his last four games. Le'Ron McClain (5-33-0 the last two weeks) has about equal standing with McGahee in the Ravens' backfield at the moment. Any way you slice it, this is Ray Rice's show, but McGahee and/or McClain are worth having on the roster if you are heavily dependent upon Rice, for one or both reserves may be on your waiver wire.

If you have Bengals RB Cedric Benson on your roster, you might want to consider picking up his backup, Bernard Scott. Benson is on pace for 396 carries, and Scott would assume the starting role if Benson were to leave the lineup for any reason. As long as Benson is healthy, Scott should be kept on the bench, but his value would skyrocket if Benson were out. The Bengals' other reserve RB, Brian Leonard, is primarily a pass catcher in Bob Bratkowski's offense.

If you're in desperate need of a running back in Week 10, you could do worse than Cleveland's Jamal Lewis. He kicks off the homestretch of his career against his old team, Baltimore, which has allowed 142 yards or more on the ground in three of its last four games.