The fantasy football playoffs are just around the corner. With injuries and byes, fantasy managers have to make tough decisions.
Our Fantasy Football Start ‘Em Sit Em Week 10 will help guide you to make the best decisions to benefit your fantasy rosters and walk away with a win.
QUARTERBACKS
Start ‘Em
Justin Fields (Chicago Bears)
Chicago has finally figured out how to use Justin Fields. Over weeks 5-9, Fields is the QB1 in fantasy football, averaging 25.91 fantasy points per game. He has 851 passing yards during that stretch, eight touchdowns, and two interceptions. He has also rushed for 455 rushing yards and three more scores. In week 10, he faces off against the Detroit Lions, who have given up the 3rd most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks who average 20.95 fantasy points a game vs. them. Fields checks in as my QB4 in the preliminary rankings.
Russell Wilson (Denver Broncos)
Russell Wilson hasn’t been the quarterback we hoped for when we selected him in fantasy drafts. Year to date, he is QB21, ECR, he is QB17, but this week he checks into my top 13 as he faces off against the Titans, who give up the 7th most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. The Titans also give up the 3rd most to opposing WRs and the 3rd most to opposing tight ends. There is a trend here; the titans have a terrible secondary. Denver is also coming off a bye week where they have had a little more time to get it together. It’s been clear Wilson has gained rapport with rookie tight end Greg Dulcich and WR Jerry Jeudy. I expect Russell Wilson to far exceed expectations in week 10.
Sit ‘Em
Geno Smith (Seattle Seahawks)
Geno has far exceeded expectations and is one of the front runners in a wide variety of NFL honors, comeback player of the year, and MVP. He is the QB9 in fantasy points per game but faces off a pretty tough Buccaneers defense who have allowed the 3rd lowest yards per attempt and the 4th fewest success per dropback in the league.
Derek Carr (Los Vegas Raiders)
Derek Carr hasn’t produced up to this point despite the raiders landing Davante Adams in the offseason. Currently QB21 in fantasy points per game, Carr has been pretty pedestrian across the board. 16th in passing yards, 18th in yards per attempt, 32nd in true completion percentage, 28th in accuracy and 24th in pressured completion percentage. He faces off against the Colts, a top 13 team vs. opposing quarterbacks, who have allowed the 3rd-fewest passing yards per game and the 11th fewest touchdowns to opposing quarterbacks.
RUNNING BACKS
Start ‘Em
Jeff Wilson (Miami Dolphins)
Wilson joined the Miami Dolphins last week and immediately supplanted Raheem Mostert for lead-back duties. He out-snapped Mostert 49.1% to 47.4% while he was the clear favorite in passing situations. Wilson has familiarity with this McDaniel’s offense from their time spent together in San Francisco; he faces off against the Browns, who are the 5th-worst vs. the RB position. Cleveland has allowed 820 yards on the ground, 255 yards in the air, and 12 total touchdowns to opposing running backs.
Travis Etienne (Jacksonville Jaguars)
You don’t need me to tell you Travis Etienne is good at football. Since week 7, he has been the RB3 in PPR leagues, averaging 23.6 fantasy points per game. He is 5th in the league in the league in breakaway rate at 9.2%, 3rd in the league in breakaway runs, 5th in the league in yards per touch, 3rd in the league in yards per reception, and 5th in the league in red zone touches. ETN enters the Start ‘Em section as a top 5 running back in week 10. There aren’t very many names I’d consider above him.
Sit ‘Em
James Conner (Arizona Cardinals)
Conner returned to action in Week 9, playing 71% of snaps with seven rushing attempts, 45 rushing yards, with five receptions for 19 yards. Conner gets the Los Angeles Rams in Week 10. LA has given up the 3rd fewest points to opposing running backs. Through 9 weeks, they have only given up 617 yards and three touchdowns.
Najee Harris (Pittsburgh Steelers)
Najee was one of the fades to start the season, and boy, have I been right. Currently the RB28 in fantasy points per game, Najee has been abysmal despite seeing 67.3% of the snaps. He is presently RB30 in rushing yards with 361, RB34 in receiving yards with 112, RB27 in TDs with 3, and RB61 in fantasy points per opportunity at 0.64. Additionally, beat writers expect Jaylen Warren to take more snaps in week ten as they face off against the New Orleans Saints. As a result, I wouldn’t trust Najee in lineups this week.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Start ‘Em
Allen Lazard (Green Bay Packers)
People need to start respecting Allen Lazard. Currently, the WR19 in PPR leagues Weeks 2-9 despite missing Week 8. He’s 5th in the league in deep targets, 11th in the league in red zone targets, 8th in the league in touchdowns, 20th in air yards, 14th in ADOT, and 14th in fantasy points per game. Romeo Doubs is out with an ankle injury, Christian Watson can’t seem to stay on the field, and the tight end play has been inconsistent at best. Expect Rodgers to lean on Lazard like he has all season.
Chris Olave (New Orleans Saints)
In the conversation for Rookie of The Year, Chris Olave is quietly the WR16 in fantasy points per game. In Week 10, he faces off against the Steelers, who are dead last in the league against the wide receiver position. However, through the first eight weeks of football, the Steelers have allowed 1703 receiving yards and ten touchdowns- the most in the league. Olave played 90% of snaps in week 9; he has the 10th most targets in the league with 72, the 15th most target share with 27%, he is 2nd in air yards with 1062, and he is number 1 in deep targets with 19.
Sit ‘Em
Terry McLaurin (Washington Commanders)
Terry McLaurin is facing off against the Philadelphia Eagles, but more importantly, Darius Slay. Slay is a true shutdown corner, ranked #1 in the league and only allowing 4.5 fantasy points per game. Although we have seen an uptick in usage with Taylor Heineke under center, we must lower our expectations heading into Week 10.
Any Titans WR (Tennessee Titans)
The Titans are a mess. Robert Woods has only had one game above 40 yards, and that came in Week 3. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine doesn’t have a catch since week 5, and Malik Willis completed just five attempts for 80 yards in his start against the Chiefs. Avoid this wide receiver corps at all costs. You are better off adding anyone off waivers.
TIGHT ENDS
Start ‘Em
T.J. Hockenson (Minnesota Vikings)
T.J. Hockenson surprisingly played 90.9% of snaps in his first week as a Viking, catching nine balls for 70 yards. Hockenson Also saw three red zone targets and finished as the TE5 in PPR leagues. Also, with that type of usage, he joins the likes of Travis Kelce, Mark Andrews, and Dallas Goedert in must-start TE territory.
Greg Dulcich (Denver Broncos)
Since his NFL debut in Week 6, Dulcich is the TE 3 in PPR leagues, averaging 12.1 fantasy points per game. In those three weeks, he has totaled 182 receiving yards and one touchdown. He faces off against the Titans, who are the 3rd-worst against the tight end position and have allowed 559 receiving yards and four scores through the first 10 weeks of the season. Dulcich saw a promising 80.3% of snaps before the Broncos’ bye week, and we expect that usage to continue in week 10.
Sit ‘Em
Dalton Schultz (Dallas Cowboys)
Schultz hasn’t been playing at full capacity since his injury. He has only run 15 routes per game during weeks seven and eight. Now, Schultz faces off against the Green Bay Packers, the most formidable defense in the league against the tight end position. Green Bay has only allowed 192 receiving yards and three touchdowns to opposing tight ends through the first 10 weeks of the season.
Gerald Everett (Los Angeles Chargers)
Despite being a top 6 tight end in expert consensus rankings, Everett leads my list of Sit ‘Ems for Week 10. The stars seemed aligned for Everett in week 9 when Keenan Allen and Mike Williams were both ruled out. But Everett fell short of expectations totaling 36 yards with five receptions. Deja vu, we enter week 10 with Keena Allen and Mike Williams out again, but this time Everett faces off against the San Francisco 49ers, who are the 4th-toughest vs. the tight end position. Also, San Fran has allowed 288 yards and one score all year long.
Also, for more of our favorite Week 10 starts and sits, check out this week’s Grind Time Podcast with special guest Jeff Ratcliffe!
