Hard to believe we’re now into double-digit weeks of the 2021 NFL season. Knowing who to start and who to sit is crucial in this must-win, mid-season games.
Another valuable tool, our weekly snap report, can also help identify unheralded players that might make solid options in Week 10.
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Start
Derek Carr (QB) Las Vegas Raiders
Even without Henry Ruggs, you have to get Carr into your lineups Sunday night when he takes on a putrid Chiefs defense. This defense can’t stop anyone other than Jordan Love apparently. They are allowing the second-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks and the only reason they probably aren’t allowing the most is that they got to play Love instead of Aaron Rodgers. Carr is an above-average quarterback with an outstanding matchup. That’s the perfect recipe for an outstanding streaming option.
D’Ernest Johnson (RB) Cleveland Browns
News broke on Monday that both Nick Chubb, Demetric Felton, and less relevantly John Kelly have all tested positive for Covid. With Kareem Hunt already on injured reserve, Johnson is the only back left on the active roster. We’ve already seen how good he can be when given the opportunity and this is a massive opportunity. The matchup isn’t ideal against the Patriots, but there is no way that’s keeping him out of my lineup this week.
The only real concern is if Chubb does pass to Covid tests 24 hours apart before Sunday he may be able to play because the belief is that he is vaccinated. So be sure to monitor his status before plugging in Johnson. He would still have some value even if Chubb plays, but significantly less.
Jordan Howard (RB) Philadelphia Eagles
Somehow Howard appears to be the guy in Philly. Three weeks ago he wasn’t in the league. The Eagles picked him up and after just two games he has put Boston Scott and Kenneth Gainwell in his rearview and carried the ball 29 times for 128 yards and three touchdowns. Surely this is as befuddling to you as it is to us, but all we can do is roll with it. He is a solid flex option this week against a Denver defense that continues to falter and he could be a legitimate option for the rest of the season or at the very least until Miles Sanders returns.
Julio Jones (WR) Tennessee Titans
If not now, when? This is his last chance for me. If he’s still on your roster this is the week to hope he’s still got some magic left in him. He’s taking on the Saints who are allowing the fourth-most fantasy points to wideouts. Making the matchup even more enticing is that the WR2 should thrive with Marshon Lattimore on the WR1, in this case, A.J. Brown. As long as his hamstring or one of the other numerous body parts that ail him don’t decide to stop working during this game, he should have a breakout performance. If not it may be time to part ways with the one-time stud and at least you can enjoy the satisfaction of casting him off to the waiver wire if he fails you.
Jamal Agnew (WR) Jacksonville Jaguars
I’m in on Agnew as a flex consideration on weekly basis from here on out. He’s been sneaky good and is Trevor Lawrence’s favorite target. He’s coming off a down game against the Bills who are allowing the fewest fantasy points to wide receivers. However, despite only catching three passes for 27 yards in the tough matchup, he also was tied with Marvin Jones for the target leader among wideouts with five and had a TD pass bounce off his chest from about 35 yards out. In his past four games, he has seen 31 targets and two carries. With a much better matchup this week against the Colts, who are allowing the fifth-most fantasy points to receivers, I like him as a flex option on Sunday.
Logan Thomas (TE) Washington Football Team
This is just me reminding you that Thomas is back and should be in your starting lineup. If you think that’s lazy, I almost put Ricky Seals-Jones as the TE Sit option this week. If he’s on waivers add Thomas and if you stashed him it’s time to plug him in. Unless something changes, he’s a clear-cut TE1 and should be started weekly. It doesn’t hurt that he takes on Tampa this week who are in the bottom-8 when it comes to slowing down fantasy tight ends.
Sit
Kirk Cousins (QB) Minnesota Vikings
Cousins has a tough matchup this week against the Chargers who are allowing the fifth-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks and the second-fewest points against wide receivers. This is a nightmare matchup for him and his top weapons. If I have other decent options I’m pulling Cousins out of my lineup this week. He’s been a fringe QB1 this season, but I expect him to be a mediocre QB2 at best this week. Look for him to be closer to the QB20 than QB12.
Michael Carter (RB) New York Jets
With the quarterback situation in flux and the worst possible matchup against the Bills, keep Carter on your bench this week. The best-case scenario is Mike White plays and the Jets are losing big so he can pepper Carter with dump-offs in garbage time. If Josh Johnson or Zach Wilson play there is no best-case scenario for Carter. I understand a lot of teams are hurting at the RB position right now and if White plays you have no other option. Be sure to temper expectations and if White isn’t the starter, find another option somehow.
Adrian Peterson (RB) Tennessee Titans
If you rolled the dice and started Peterson last week be grateful he fell into the option and get him out of your lineup. His 10 carries for 21 yards was salvaged and you got lucky. His upside is minimal and his floor couldn’t get much lower. In a few weeks, we are going to look at this backfield and he is going to be the third-most valuable piece in it. Make no mistake, that’s an indictment of him not praise for anyone else. It’s time for him to hang up his cleats and fight on a Jake Paul undercard.
Courtland Sutton (WR) Denver Broncos
Sutton is unstartable for me as long as Jerry Jeudy is playing until he shows me something. He puts up less than one-third of the fantasy points when Jeudy plays compared to when he doesn’t. Teddy Bridgewater is also plagued with mediocrity and the matchup this week against the Eagles is a particularly bad one. Philly is allowing the fourth-fewest points to fantasy wideouts and we aren’t even sure that Sutton will be able to outproduce Tim Patrick or the starting tight end when Jeudy is active.
Jarvis Landry (WR) Cleveland Browns
Coming off a 10 catch, 65-yard performance and with the release of Odell Beckham, the hope was Juice would get his PPR value back. That wasn’t the case as he caught three passes for 11 yards. Outside of that 10 catch performance, in his other four games, he’s totaled 14 receptions for 128 yards and zero receiving TDs. With a beat-up quarterback and tough matchup in New England, I don’t see any situation in which he is startable.
Dallas Goedert (TE) Philadelphia Eagles
I’m not as down on Goedert as many seem to be for the rest of the season, but I am for this week. He hasn’t broken out like we hoped with Zach Ertz shipped out of town and Jalen Hurts is volatile at best passe, but the bigger issue this week is the matchup. The Broncos are allowing the third-fewest fantasy points to tight ends and Goedert isn’t the must-start he has the potential to become yet. He’s not a terrible start this week, however, you may be able to find a better option.
