Should You Start Zay Flowers or Jahan Dotson in Fantasy Football Week 10?

We’re diving into the fantasy football outlooks for Zay Flowers and Jahan Dotson for Week 10. Who is the better player to start this week?

Should You Start Zay Flowers or Jahan Dotson This Week?

The Pro Football Network Start/Sit Optimizer says that Flowers is the player to start. His projected 9.2 points include 5.5 receptions, 50.6 yards, and 0.2 TDs. That doesn’t seem like a big stat line, but it outperforms the consensus projection for Dotson (9.0 points).

MORE: Kyle Soppe’s Week 10 Fantasy Football Cheat Sheet

My ranking for the wide receivers aligns with the consensus for the reasons below. Mainly, Flowers’ usage aligns much better with how you attack the Browns’ defense with shorter passes to WRs. While it’s scary off a single-target game, the Browns will slow down Mark Andrews and the run game, leaving the WRs to beat them, starting with Flowers.

Dotson, on the other hand, sees the matchup that Flowers just struggled against. Seattle is a team to attack with the TEs and running game, and the Commanders should try to exploit those matchups. Dotson feels like a risky WR3/Flex option, while Flowers is likely a borderline WR2 in this matchup. Fire up Flowers this week over Dotson.

Zay Flowers’ Fantasy Outlook This Week

Flowers has been a little up and down during his rookie season. After flying out of the gates with a top-20 WR finish in Week 1, he’s only finished as a top-30 WR in three of eight weeks. Week 9 saw him play his lowest snap percentage (68%) and see his lowest target total of the year, one single target.

Some of that can likely be attributed to gamescript, as the Ravens annihilated the Seahawks and didn’t need to pass as much. QB Lamar Jackson had his third-fewest pass attempts on the year at just 26. Baltimore also made a point to target Tariq Woolen (7) and the LBs (Jordyn Brooks, 7), which wasn’t typically where Flowers was aligned.

MORE: Fantasy News Tracker

Week 10 does look on paper to be better for Flowers. While the Browns’ defense is absolutely one of the elite units, their CBs aren’t infallible. The Browns have given up the 11th-most fantasy points to WRs over the last four weeks. In that same span, they’ve locked down TEs, allowing the fewest fantasy points to TEs at under three points per game.

All this to say, Flowers should bounce back in Week 10. The Browns limit RBs and TEs but struggle against WRs. So expect the game plan to exploit that, specifically through designed short passes to Flowers. The Browns’ elite pass rush is something to note too, so shorter routes like Flowers runs (40 of 60 targets within nine yards) are preferable.

Jahan Dotson’s Fantasy Outlook This Week

Dotson is officially on fire (NBA Jam rules). He’s now posted at least eight targets in each of his last three games after doing that once in his first six. His performance in the first of those three wasn’t special, but his last two games have been top-10 performances. Now he gets a reeling Seahawks defense off a beatdown against Baltimore.

Over that time, Dotson is seeing 18.7% of the targets from Sam Howell. The Commanders have been throwing the ball a ton, and it’s been a boon for Dotson. If the Commanders continue to play this style of football, Dotson has a shot, but that 18.7% isn’t enough if the pass volume falls from 46 per game. At 35 passes, that’d be just 6.5 targets to Dotson.

This is important to note with Seattle as the opponent this week. As discussed above, the Ravens picked on the LBs quite a bit with their TE. The Seahawks have also allowed the third-most rushing yards over the last four weeks. They’ve allowed a league-worst 5.3 yards per carry in that time frame. Stopping WRs is their strongest ability.

Dotson has been seeing the work that, especially with the byes this week, he might be a necessary start for some teams. He doesn’t likely have a third straight top-10 performance in him, though. He’s best left on benches where possible, but hoping for a WR3/Flex-type performance isn’t outrageous. Just keep expectations in check this week.

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!