Here are my fantasy football rankings, tiers and outlook for notable players Week 10.
- Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
- Weekly Fantasy Football Expert Rankings
- Fantasy Football Start/Sit Advice
- Fantasy Football Trade Tools
Fantasy Football Rankings, Tiers & Start/Sit Lineup Advice: Week 10
Quarterbacks Rankings & Tiers
Fantasy Football Start/Sit Lineup Advice: Quarterbacks
Jaxson Dart has averaged 24.9 fantasy points per game since Week 6. The only quarterbacks who have averaged more fantasy points per game than Dart over that span are Justin Herbert and Joe Flacco. Dart has a touchdown run in five of his last six games, and he’s had 50 or more rushing yards in four of those six games. This week, Dart gets a juicy matchup against a Bears defense that has its two best cornerbacks (Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon) on injured reserve. Last week, Bengals QB Joe Flacco had 10 completions of 20 or more yards against Chicago. Just keep an eye on the weather in Chicago. The forecast is calling for chilly temperatures in the mid-30s with winds in the 15-25 mph range.
Matthew Stafford has thrown a league-high 21 TD passes, gets to throw to the dynamic WR duo of Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, and now faces a 49ers defense that has lost Nick Bosa, Fred Warner and Mykell Williams to season-ending injuries. Stafford is a midrange QB1 and a must-start this week.
After playing so well for most of the season, Daniel Jones ran aground last week in a loss to the Steelers. Jones threw for 342 yards with the Colts trying to erase a big deficit, but Jones was largely the reason for that big deficit. He threw three interceptions, fumbled three times and took five sacks. Now he gets another touch matchup against a Falcons defense that has allowed the fewest passing yards and the sixth-fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. Falcons-Colts will be played in Germany, and we occasionally get disjointed offensive performances from teams playing in Europe. I see Jones as a low-end QB1 this week rather than an auto-start.
With Kyler Murray placed on injured reserve earlier this week, Jacoby Brissett will continue to be the Cardinals’ starting quarterback in the near term. Brissett has had two TD passes and at least 261 passing yards in all three of his starts for Arizona. He’s even adding a little bit of rushing value. Brissett had a TD run against Dallas in Week 9, and he had 45 combined rushing yards in the two games before that. But Brissett has a tough Week 10 matchup against a Seattle defense that has the fifth-lowest opponent passer rating (83.6) and has allowed the seventh-fewest yards per pass attempt (6.5). I’m ranking him as a midrange QB2.
When we last saw Justin Fields just before the Jets’ Week 9 bye, he threw for 244 yards and a touchdown and added 31 rushing yards in the Jets’ first win of the season, a 39-38 thriller vs. the Bengals. We know that Fields is an electric runner and a mediocre passer. That profile can certainly work for fantasy. But Fields’ starting job has been in jeopardy, and he probably wouldn’t have started in Week 8 had Tyrod Taylor been healthy. With Fields at risk of an in-game benching if he gets off to a slow start, I’m ranking him as a midrange QB2.
Running Backs Rankings & Tiers
Fantasy Football Start/Sit Lineup Advice: Running Backs
It’s not as if you were thinking about benching Kyren Williams, but it’s worth noting that Kyren has historically thrived against the 49ers. He’s had 100 or more yards from scrimmage in three career games against San Francisco, with five touchdowns in those three contests.
With D’Andre Swift sidelined by a groin injury last week, seventh-round rookie Kyle Monangai got the start for the Bears and had 26 carries for 176 yards in an “I’m here!” performance. Monangai will be a must-start if Swift misses another game, but Monangai will be playable even if Swift returns. Monangai had been playing a useful supporting role before the Swift injury and might have earned more playing time with his monster performance in Cincinnati. The Bears face the Giants, who have allowed the second-most fantasy points per game to running backs. Opposing RBs are averaging 5.9 yards per carry against the Giants. And the Bears’ offensive line has been terrific in the running game lately. The Bears have averaged 186.5 rushing yards over their last four contests.
With Rhamondre Stevenson out last week, TreVeyon Henderson played 75% of the Patriots’ offensive snaps against the Falcons. He hadn’t played more than half of the offensive snaps in any other game this season. Henderson had 18 touches last week — 14 carries and four catches — and had 87 yards from scrimmage. It was a solid day, not a great one. Now, Henderson gets a tricky matchup against a Buccaneers defense that’s always tough against the run under head coach Todd Bowles. But the Buccaneers have given up a league-high 466 receiving yards to running backs. Hopefully, Henderson continues to be involved as a pass catcher this week. If Stevenson is able to play, Henderson becomes nothing more than a desperation flex option. But if Stevenson misses another game, consider Henderson a midrange to low-end RB2.
Alvin Kamara has had 31 or fewer rushing yards in five straight games and hasn’t scored a touchdown since Week 1. Kamara hasn’t been doing much as a pass catcher either, with 28 catches for 150 yards and no touchdowns so far this year. Things could get even worse with the Saints’ offensive line in tatters. Center Erik McCoy is out for the year. Starting left tackle Talise Fuaga is going to be out with a high-ankle sprain this week. And the Saints just traded starting right tackle Trevor Penning to the Chargers. Kamara is a midrange RB3 at best.
Zonovan Knight and Emari Demercado (ARI)
The Cardinals’ RB usage in their Monday-night win over the Cowboys was hard to discern. Zonovan Knight out-snapped Emari Demercado 38-27. But Demercado had 14 carries for 79 yards, while Knight had only nine carries for 27 yards. But Knight ran more routes and had two catches for 20 yards, while Demercado’s only target resulted in a catch that lost one yard. … It’s hard to know what to make of this backfield until Trey Benson comes back comes from a foot injury. I’m ranking Knight and Demercado as low-end RB3s and don’t particularly want to use either against a nasty Seattle defense that’s giving up 63.1 rushing yards per game and 3.2 yards per carry to running backs.
Wide Receivers Rankings & Tiers
Fantasy Football Start/Sit Lineup Advice: Wide Receivers
How odd was it that Rome Odunze was shut out last week in a game where the Bears had 576 yards of offense in their win over the Bengals? Sometimes good receivers get a little extra attention from their quarterbacks after being blanked. Plus, Odunze has a good Week 10 matchup against the Giants, who have allowed the third-most receptions, fourth-most receiving yards and seventh-most fantasy points to wide receivers. The Giants might not have starting cornerback Paulson Adebo, who’s missed a couple of games with a knee injury.
DeVonta Smith got off to a sluggish start this season, but he’s really come on. Over his first four games, Smith averaged 39.5 receiving yards per game. Over his last four, he’s averaged 107.5 yards per game. We’ve seen in the past that when both A.J. Brown and Dallas Goedert are healthy, DeVonta Smith generally produces as a low-end WR2 or WR3. When either Brown or Goedert miss a game, Smith often produces like a WR1 or high-end WR2. Keep an eye on the status of Brown, who missed Week 8 with a hamstring injury. The Eagles are coming off a bye. If Brown isn’t ready to come back, Smith becomes a must-start against the Packers. If Brown returns, Smith becomes more of a floor play than a high-ceiling option.
This shapes up as another promising week for Alec Pierce. Last week against the Steelers, Pierce had six catches for 115 yards on 13 targets. As my colleague Derek Brown notes in The Primer, Pierce thrives against teams that play a lot of single-high safety coverage. The Steelers play a lot of single-high, and Pierce had a big day against them. This week, Pierce faces the Falcons, who play single-high at the highest rate (73.2%) in the league. Pierce has a 27.6% target share and averages 3.69 yards per route run vs. single-high. Get him into your lineup this week.
Beware of recency bias with D.J. Moore, who scored a season-high 21 half-point PPR fantasy points last week against the Bengals. Moore hadn’t scored more than 10.8 half-point PPR fantasy points in any other game this season. Moore didn’t have a TD catch last week, but he had a TD run and a TD pass, as Bears head coach Ben Johnson put some razzle-dazzle into his gameplan. Just realize that last week was only the seventh time that Moore has topped 70 receiving yards in the 25 games he’s played with Bears QB Caleb Williams. Going into Week 9, D.J. Moore was outside the top 40 in fantasy scoring among wide receivers. Consider Moore a high-end WR3 even in a favorable matchup against the Giants.
In Week 3 of 2024, Jauan Jennings had a breakout game against the Rams, catching 11 passes for 175 yards and three touchdowns. Jennings didn’t fare as well in his second meeting with the Rams last year, catching just two of his nine targets for 31 yards. This season, Jennings has largely been a nonfactor, and I’m not sure another meeting with the Rams will perk him up. Jennings has had one good game this season (5-89-1 against the Saints in Week 2). He hasn’t had more than 45 receiving yards in any other game. The Rams’ pass defense has been sneaky-good this year. The Rams are allowing only 6.4 yards per pass attempt and have yielded just five TD catches to wide receivers. I’m fading Jennings this week, ranking him in WR4 territory.
Tez Johnson has become a thing in fantasy. He’s WR24 in half-point fantasy scoring over his last four games, with two touchdowns over that stretch and at least 43 receiving yards in each of those games. With Mike Evans on the shelf and Chris Godwin seemingly not ready to return from a leg injury, Tez is a playable WR3 this week against a New England defense that’s easier to throw on than run on.
With his 6-foot-4 frame and sub-4.4 speed, Christian Watson has always a dangerous vertical threat. His average depth of target so far this season is 23.1 yards. His career average depth of target is 15.9 yards. But Watson hasn’t been a prolific target earner, so it’s been boom or bust for him throughout his career. Perhaps now, with Tucker Kraft out for the year and Jayden Reed still working his way back from injury, we can expect bigger weekly target totals for Watson. Regard him as a flex-worthy WR4 this week vs. the Eagles.
Tight Ends Rankings & Tiers
Fantasy Football Start/Sit Lineup Advice: Tight Ends
Now an unquestioned must-start for fantasy, Oronde Gadsden II has had at least five catches and 68 receiving yards in four straight games. Gadsden is TE2 in half-point PPR fantasy scoring over that stretch. This week, he gets a primo matchup against a Steelers defense that has allowed the third-most fantasy points to tight ends.
Colston Loveland, the 10th overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft, had a breakout performance in Week 9, with six catches for 118 yards and two touchdowns. The second of those touchdowns was a 58-yard catch-and-run to put the Bears ahead with 17 seconds left in regulation. Bears TE Cole Kmet left that game with a concussion, and Loveland’s numbers may have benefitted from Kmet’s absence. Even if Kmet is able to return this week, I think Loveland can offer low-end TE1 value in a Bears offense that has found its footing in recent weeks. Loveland has played at least two-thirds of Chicago’s offensive snaps in each of his last three games.
Theo Johnson is on a TD heater, with five touchdowns on his last six games. The usage outlook for Johnson is enhanced because of how shorthanded the Giants are at wide receiver. Johnson is averaging 5.5 targets over those last six games. Drops have been an issue for Johnson, but he’s still in play as a low-end TE1 or high-end TE2 this week against an injury-plagued Bears defense.
Subscribe: YouTube | Spotify | Apple Podcasts | iHeart | Castbox | Amazon Music | Podcast Addict | TuneIn
