Four teams are on bye again in Week 10, requiring fantasy football managers to dip back into the waiver wire for bye-week replacements. Below, we look at the defense/special teams rankings for Week 10, with insights into particularly strong streaming units.
These rankings were last updated at 3:30 PM ET on November 5.
Full Fantasy D/ST Rankings for Week 10
1. Los Angeles Chargers (vs. TEN)
2. Minnesota Vikings (at JAX)
3. New York Giants (at CAR)
4. Chicago Bears (vs. NE)
5. Kansas City Chiefs (vs. DEN)
6. New York Jets (at ARI)
7. Detroit Lions (at HOU)
8. Buffalo Bills (at IND)
9. Philadelphia Eagles (at DAL)
10. Denver Broncos (at KC)
11. Tennessee Titans (at LAC)
12. Pittsburgh Steelers (at WAS)
13. San Francisco 49ers (at TB)
14. Houston Texans (at DET)
15. Washington Commanders (vs. PIT)
16. Atlanta Falcons (at NO)
17. Miami Dolphins (at LAR)
18. New England Patriots (at CHI)
19. Arizona Cardinals (vs. NYJ)
20. Indianapolis Colts (vs. BUF)
21. Los Angeles Rams (vs. MIA)
22. Baltimore Ravens (vs. CIN)
23. New Orleans Saints (vs. ATL)
24. Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. MIN)
25. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs. SF)
26. Dallas Cowboys (vs. PHI)
27. Carolina Panthers (vs. NYG)
28. Cincinnati Bengals (at BAL)
New York Jets (vs. ARI)
The New York Jets rank fourth-best at creating pressure without needing to blitz (38.1% of dropbacks), and that could prove to be a fantasy gold mine this week against the Cardinals.
We saw Aaron Rodgers and Co. get on track last week. If they can sustain that momentum against a vulnerable Arizona defense, Kyler Murray will be forced into a one-dimensional script that is the opposite of what the 26th-ranked team in pass rate over expectation wants.
In fantasy defenses, we want uncomfortable dropbacks in bulk, and the Jets profile as the team most likely to face that situation in Week 10.
San Francisco 49ers (at TB)
Since Week 4, the San Francisco 49ers are the third-best defense in terms of yards per pass allowed, and they get a Bucs team on Sunday that ranks second in pass rate over expectation thus far. We want defenses that will face passes in volume. That should be the case here, and with Christian McCaffrey likely back, the 49ers project to be dictating tempo.
A desperate Baker Mayfield without his core of receivers is something I’m more than comfortable targeting, even if he has pulled a rabbit out of his hat recently.
Philadelphia Eagles (at DAL)
This is contingent on Dak Prescott’s status. The Dallas Cowboys quarterback left Sunday’s loss to the Atlanta Falcons with a hamstring injury, which casts doubt on his status for Sunday.
Don’t be fooled by Cooper Rush going 4-1 in relief of Prescott in 2021. The Cowboys’ already struggling offense would have no floor if Rush has to play in place of Prescott. That’s particularly true with CeeDee Lamb also needing an MRI for an AC joint sprain.
If Prescott is out and Lamb plays, the Eagles move up to third in these rankings. If both are out, move them up to the top.
Tennessee Titans (at LAC)
The Titans finally generated some takeaways on Sunday vs. the New England Patriots. Tennessee’s three takeaways were a season-high mark after the Titans generated only three over their first seven games combined.
Justin Herbert is on a tear and hasn’t thrown an interception since Week 2, which makes this a much dicier matchup. Still, there are surprisingly few strong matchups for above-average defenses in Week 10. Tennessee still ranks third in yards per play allowed, so bank on the Titans capping the Chargers’ ceiling a bit.