In the world of fantasy football, it’s never too early to look ahead at who you should consider starting or sitting in your lineup. With the highly powered offensive units of the Kansas City Chiefs, Philadelphia Eagles, and Miami Dolphins on a bye, let’s take a closer look at some of my start and sit candidates for Week 10 of NFL action.
Start ‘Em Picks for Week 10
Jared Goff, QB, Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions offense draws a favorable matchup against a Los Angeles Chargers defensive unit that has been giving up the most passing yards in the league on a per-game basis (297 yards) heading into Week 9. The Chargers have managed to fare a little better against some of the weaker offenses in the league, but the defense has still been consistently torched through the first half of the season.
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Lions quarterback Jared Goff has thrown for over 270 yards in three straight games and could continue to produce another big passing performance if this game turns into a high-scoring affair. Goff is a fringe top-10 play at the quarterback position in Week 10.
James Cook, RB, Buffalo Bills
After a great first month of the season, the Buffalo Bills starting RB has failed to top 10 fantasy points in three out of his last four games heading into Week 9. While the Denver Broncos defense hasn’t been quite the equivalent of an all-you-can-eat buffet for running backs to start the season, it’s still a unit that has given up plenty of big performances.
Even if he loses some work on the ground to Josh Allen or Latavius Murray, James Cook should still see enough work in a favorable matchup to get his fantasy points in Week 10.
Bijan Robinson, RB, Atlanta Falcons
The ultra-talented rookie RB has seen some confusing usage over the last two weeks. Bijan Robinson saw just one carry for three yards against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 7 and failed to catch any of his five targets against the Tennessee Titans in Week 8.
He’s too talented to sit.
Breece Hall, RB, New York Jets
The New York Jets offense goes as Breece Hall goes. The Jets are 4-0 this season when Hall rushes for over 100 yards or scores a touchdown this season.
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Well, Hall has a very favorable fantasy matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 10, who have been giving up an average of 24.5 fantasy points per game to opposing running backs this season — which includes two monster performances in Week 7 and 8 to D’Onta Foreman and Jahmyr Gibbs, respectively. Look for a big day from Hall in Week 10.
DK Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks
The Seattle Seahawks go from taking on one of the league’s best defensive units, the Baltimore Ravens, in Week 9 to facing off against one of the most vulnerable secondaries in the NFL this Sunday. Despite modest production against the stingy Cleveland Browns defense in Week 8, he still saw a season-high 14 targets in that contest.
Heading into Week 9, the Commanders’ defense was allowing 256 yards through the air and an average of 35.9 fantasy points per game to opposing WRs. Expect Geno Smith and Metcalf to connect for a couple of big shots down the field.
Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tennessee Titans passing defense hasn’t been able to get right for the majority of the 2023 season, which presents the Tampa Bay Buccaneers passing offense with an opportunity to have a big day at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday.
Mike Evans has seen 6+ targets in all but one game this season, which has helped maintain his fantasy floor in a middling offense this season. If the Titans can’t clean it up on the back end, then expect a big day from Evans in Week 10.
Terry McLaurin, WR, Washington Commanders
The Washington Commanders have started to throw the ball … a lot … in recent weeks. From Weeks 4-9, quarterback Sam Howell has averaged 41 pass attempts per game. During that span, Terry McLaurin has seen 9+ targets in four of those five games, which has produced some of his best fantasy performances of the 2023 season.
The Commanders have been spreading the ball around quite a bit this year, with four players — McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, Curtis Samuel, and Logan Thomas — all seeing 40+ targets. McLaurin still leads the team in receptions, receiving yards, and targets through the first eight games of the season.
The Commanders heading to the home of the 12th Man against one of the contenders in the NFC may lead to another busy game for Howell. McLaurin feels like a top-24 play at wide receiver again this week.
Dalton Schultz, TE, Houston Texans
The Houston Texans passing offense has started to see some ups and downs after a very fast start this season. While Schultz has been a bit hit or miss this season, he draws a great fantasy matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, who are giving up more than 10 fantasy points per game to opposing TEs this season.
If the Bengals offense can put the Texans into a pass-heavy game script, then it could be a very busy day for Schultz on Sunday.
Sit ‘Em Options
Russell Wilson, QB, Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos went into their bye week riding high off of an upset victory against the Kansas City Chiefs but will face another formidable challenge in Week 10 against the Buffalo Bills.
The Bills defense has been very stingy against opposing quarterbacks this season, holding opposing signal callers to less than 14 fantasy points per game heading into Week 9. You can find better streaming options than Wilson in Week 10.
Gus Edwards, RB, Baltimore Ravens
Gus Edwards has enjoyed one of the best fantasy months of his entire NFL career in October but faces a very tough test in Week 10 against the Browns.
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Cleveland allowed less than 100 rushing yards per game through the first eight weeks of the season and could make life difficult for Edwards and the Ravens running game. Combine that with Edwards’ lack of a reliable floor in the passing game, and he feels like an RB you should consider fading out of your lineup.
Alexander Mattison, RB, Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings offense is currently a work in progress with an unstable quarterback situation after Kirk Cousins suffered a season-ending Achilles injury in Week 8. Alexander Mattison has had frustrating efficiency issues on the ground this season when Cousins and Justin Jefferson were both in the lineup.
With the Vikings taking on a stout New Orleans Saints defense in Week 10, I would look to go in other directions at RB.
Jakobi Meyers, WR, Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders offense is currently a work in progress, with rookie quarterback Aidan O’Connell going through his baptism by fire under center in his rookie campaign with an interim head coach calling the shots.
That doesn’t exactly bode well for the Raiders passing, who is facing off against a Jets defense that is one of the best defenses against opposing WRs in all of fantasy football. If you have other quality options, I would look to avoid using Raiders WRs in Week 10.
Calvin Ridley, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars passing game hasn’t exactly been the model of consistency in 2023. And while Calvin Ridley’s six receptions for 83 yards on 10 targets in Week 8 against the Pittsburgh Steelers is certainly an encouraging performance, he may have a tougher time against the San Francisco 49ers defense this week.
Ridley’s inconsistencies have made it tough for fantasy managers to trust in their lineup. While we can hope Ridley can build off of one of his best fantasy performances of the season, it doesn’t feel like the right week to take a risk against a quality defense.
Kyle Pitts, TE, Atlanta Falcons
The love/hate relationship fantasy managers have with Kyle Pitts has been a roller coaster ride that tests your nerves every week. After catching 11 passes for 130 yards on 17 targets over Weeks 5 and 6, he went right back to modest production with just six receptions for 82 yards on 10 targets over the last two games.
Hopefully, a change under center will help Pitts moving forward, but his role in this offense feels tough to trust heading into a matchup with an Arizona Cardinals defense that has been surprisingly stingy against opposing fantasy TEs in 2023.
Looking to make a trade in your fantasy league? Having trouble deciding who to start and who to sit? Setting DFS lineups? Check out PFN’s Free Fantasy Football Trade Analyzer, Start/Sit Optimizer, and DFS Lineup Optimizer to help you make the right decision!