It’s hard to believe it, but we are already hitting the double-digits in weeks. Now Week 10, some teams are ascending, some teams are floundering, and some teams just plain stink. Some have been predictable, some have been surprising either in a good or bad way. One thing is for sure, the quarterback and tight end stream of consciousness continues.
A quick recap of Week 9 includes my streamer of the week, Sam Darnold, and his continued inability to see Jet targets. In Week 7 he saw ghosts. In Week 9 he lost to a group of them that was supposedly trying not to win. In real football, Darnold was not bad but should have been great. In fantasy, he was bad, scoring around 11 fantasy points. The only ghost that I saw was his teammate, Chris Herndon, who was eligible to play but didn’t. Two Jets crashed my week. Despite having a great schedule for six weeks which included the “Miami given,” it is hard to go back to that well for now. Sam’n’Chris have to earn that trust back, starting this week when they face the Giants.
All in all it was a bad week. My other streamers were not much better. Ryan Tannehill was the only bright spot out of a lackluster bunch. He got 23 points but needed to rely on his feet for fantasy help. Darren Fells managed to get a touchdown on his only reception. My dark horses erred on the side of black. Mason Rudolph won his game but in terms of fantasy had only 12 points. Jonnu Smith came down to earth. Despite Tannehill throwing for more than 300 yards, he only had 18 of them.
As we enter this week we continue to see that the mighty have fallen. Mitchell Trubisky and O.J. Howard now enter the streaming mix. And yeah, no, I won’t be going there for now. Trubisky has a good matchup against Detroit, but he seems utterly broken. Unlike many fantasy football pundits, I think he can be fixed. Just not right now. Howard has an even better matchup. In fact, he faces the Arizona Cardinals, who give up the most points to tight ends. Howard is not broken. He’s just neglected. This could be a week he is finally shined up and used, but I need a week against a porous defense to start believing again. That being said, I am feeling a bit more frisky this week with my choices. The safe ones for the past two weeks have ended up in misery.
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Quarterback Streamer of the Week: Ryan Tannehill (TEN) vs Kansas City Chiefs
Tannehill has been better than serviceable and now plays a defense that is friendly to opposing teams. That being said, the Chiefs have been better defensively ever since they lost Patrick Mahomes. Funny how that is. It is hard to say if he will play this week. There was a possibility that he may have been ready last week but in the end sat out. For fantasy purposes, it is better for us if he starts, but no one can condemn the way Matt Moore has been playing in relief. The logic is simple. Kansas City should put up a good to great number of points. Tennessee should be trailing if against Mahomes and should go toe-to-toe if Moore is under center. This means Tannehill should be busy orchestrating his offense through the pass. I am not expecting huge numbers from Tannehill, but I am expecting around 300 yards and a couple of touchdowns, like last week. As you will see, I am going for a round of Ryans for my quarterback recommendations!
Alternative Streamer of the Week: Ryan Fitzpatrick (MIA) vs Indianapolis Colts
The beard is back! Fitzmagic and Miami are pretty matchup-proof these days. He has been solid for two weeks running, meaning that I think he has another good game in him until the wheels fall off. It is still very baffling to me why the Dolphins don’t just play Rosen for the remainder of the season to see if he is any good or not. I am suspecting that Miami doesn’t think he is. The Colts have a strong defense, but they haven’t been as elite lately. Last week they lost to Mason Rudolph and the Steelers. They also lost their starting quarterback, Jacoby Brissett for a few weeks minimum. This will be a competitive game with Miami having a chance to win. Not sure why they would want to, but it is getting tougher and tougher to figure out their MO. What I love about Fitzmagic is he doesn’t care who he’s playing for, who he’s playing with, and who he’s playing against. He goes out and has fun, and his energy has rubbed off on the rest of the team. Devante Parker has been revitalized, Mike Gesicki is looking like the tight end we were hoping, and Preston Williams looks the part of as one of the best rookie wide receivers in 2019. Not bad considering he wasn’t even drafted. If Miami can get their run game operating at half speed it will make Fitzmagic that much more fearless.
Dark Horse Sleeper: Ryan Finley (CIN) vs Baltimore Ravens
This is the darkest of all dark horses I have recommended. I am sure you will not read another article that advocates him in his first NFL start. He’s playing the Baltimore Ravens who just made the Goat, Tom Brady, look prosaic and lost. He’s on a team that has not won a game and is more incentivized to continue losing. He’s a fourth-round dart throw. Many analysts did not even think he deserved to be drafted. Although everything is pointing to him being a disaster I must remind all of us that this year has been the most unpredictable in a long time with regards to real football and fantasy football. I could go with Brian Hoyer against the Dolphins. I could choose Daniel Jones against the New York Jets. But here I am going against any sound process. I have to admit I do have a soft spot for any NC State grads. Yes, I am a Jaylen Samuels truther and have a lot of Kelvin Harmon on my dynasty teams. I root for Jakobi Meyers despite hating the Patriots. I also think that Jacoby Brissett has turned into a good NFL quarterback. Finley is hopefully getting back A.J. Green (finally), has Tyler Boyd, an emerging Auden Tate, and even Joe Mixon is starting to show up. Maybe the Red Rocket did not deserve to be benched. However, sometimes you just need new blood mixed in to keep the heart pumping. Finley could be that needed energy. He looked great in the preseason and could be the answer for Cincinnati at quarterback. Even if he isn’t, they are smart to see what this kid is made of. Yes, this is bold. Yes, it goes against everything. Yes, it defies sound analysis. It’s time to pivot here. I think he will surprise many this coming Sunday.
Tight End Streamer of the Week: Jonnu Smith (TEN) vs Kansas City
Despite an off-week against the Carolina Panthers, who, to be fair, are pretty tough against tight ends, Smith finds himself against the Chiefs. This is always a good defense to bet against. Last week the Chiefs allowed seven tight end receptions and gave up a touchdown. They have been in the top-12 the entire season in terms of points surrendered to tight ends, and Smith is looking to rebound. Although he only had three receptions for 18 yards last week, he was tied for second on the team with five targets. Many will be off of him this week because of his poor showing last week. I think he’ll bounce back and put up fantasy points in a game that should be higher scoring.
Alternative Streamer of the Week: Mike Gesicki (MIA) vs Indianapolis Colts
I haven’t advocated for Mike Gesicki in what seems like forever. Ever since he was drafted, Gesicki has been on the road to “Bustland.” However, he has looked better of late. He seems to be developing a nice rapport with Fitzmagic. In the past three games with “Da Beard,” Gesicki has had 13 targets and has caught 12 of them for 146 yards. Last week was sort of a breakout game. He caught all six targets for 95 yards, leading the team in both receptions and yards. Indianapolis is the sixth-most generous versus tight ends. All is pointing to a great game for Gesicki, but he does come with that risk factor. If you are feeling conservative, go with the higher floor of Jack Doyle who plays against Gesicki and the Dolphins.
Dark Horse Sleeper: Tyler Eifert (CIN) vs Baltimore Ravens
It is Week 10 and guess what? Tyler Eifert is still in one piece playing football. He has not been as dominant as he was when he only played a handful of games but sort of had a breakout two weeks ago before his Week 9 bye. He had six receptions on nine targets for 74 yards. Having Finley under center should favor a player like Eifert. Tight ends along with running backs are often the safety blankets for new, inexperienced quarterbacks. The Ravens can be tough against the tight end position and have only allowed an average of 10 points per game. However, with the Bengals, I am going against all odds this week. I even think Eifert can find his way into the end zone in this one. Yes, a Finley/Eifert stack baby!
Who Am I kidding?
If O.J. Howard and Chris Herndon are playing, start them. They’re too good to not put in your lineup. Howard is only 35% owned now and Herndon is 30% owned. I just can’t quit these guys. If you have decided to call it quits on these two young talents then ignore this and plug in the others I have recommended. Then just tweet me @Masterjune70 and tell me that I need to get over players who don’t catch passes or ever get on the field. As for Mitchell Trubisky… I can’t get on that train wreck just yet.
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Marc Mathyk is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Marc, check out his archive and follow him @Masterjune70.
