The week nine bye-apocalypse has come and gone. Many fantasy football teams struggled through last week with so many valuable players out. Between bye-weeks and the injuries, it can be a tough landscape to navigate on a weekly basis.
Entering week ten, the following teams are on bye: the Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, and Minnesota Vikings.
Fantasy Football championships are not won at the draft, but they can be lost there. While luck plays a significant role, there are enough numbers to support proper roster management.
In this week’s article, we’re going to focus on finding the players that are in prime spots to have a productive week in the fantasy box score.
Fantasy Football Week 10: Starts and Sits Featuring Jordan Howard and Aaron Jones
Starts: Quarterbacks
Alex Smith vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
If you read last week’s article, this may seem repetitive. However, I assure you, there’s some good reasoning behind this take. Last week, Alex Smith threw for a season-high 306 yards against a soft Atlanta Falcons defense. This week The Washington Redskins square off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are allowing the most fantasy points to quarterbacks.
It’s worth mentioning that Smith has yet to throw more than two touchdowns in a single game this season. If there’s a game where he can eclipse 285 passing yards and more than two touchdowns, this might be it. In two-quarterback leagues, he’s a solid start. He’s also a top streaming quarterback for this week.
Russell Wilson vs. Los Angeles Rams
The Seattle Seahawks offense has been different from years past. In a three-week stretch this season we saw total passing attempts by Russell Wilson of 21, 23, and 17 respectively. This week they face the Los Angeles Rams defense who are allowing the 16th fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks. So how, exactly, does this add up to a quality start this week?
In week one, Wilson lit up the Rams secondary for 298 yards, his most of the season, and three scores. He’s thrown multiple touchdown passes in seven games this season and has been hyper-efficient in the red zone. While his rushing totals have been exponentially lower than the normal expected range, he’s made up for it in red zone efficiency. This is shaping up to be a hot-take type of approach, but Wilson should settle in as fringe QB1 this week in a tough matchup.
Sits: Quarterback
Andy Dalton vs. New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints have been generous to opposing quarterbacks and wide receivers. Andy Dalton has been a surprisingly good asset for owners and streamers thus far. However, the Saints defense has shown some improvement recently. Furthermore, with A.J. Green sidelined with a foot injury, it certainly makes Dalton a less trustworthy start, even in a decent home matchup.
Starts: Running Backs
Jordan Howard vs. Detroit Lions
Chicago Bears running back Jordan Howard is in the middle of a disappointing season. He has yet to rush for 100 yards in a single contest this season. However, he has scored four touchdowns in the last three games. This week against the Detroit Lions vulnerable rush defense, could be the game where he breaks the century mark for the first time this season.
Aaron Jones vs. Miami Dolphins
The Green Bay Packers promptly traded Ty Montgomery for the equivalent of two old tires and a busted jugs machine after a game-losing fumble. Aaron Jones fumbled last week, and did find some bench time because of it. Prior to that, Jones received the largest work load of the season so far with 14 carries. His carries have risen each week since week five.
This week the Packers take on the Brock Osweiler led Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins are allowing the ninth-most fantasy points to running backs. Expect the Packers to score early and often. Aaron Jones should be in for a good workload in clock-killing mode. He’s a high RB2 with RB1 upside this week.
Sits: Running Back
LeSean McCoy vs. New York Jets
The Buffalo Bills have struggled in most offensive categories this season. Many have surprised by LeSean McCoy‘s lack of production in the ground game. To be fair, it shouldn’t be that surprising considering that most defenses know Shady is the centerpiece of the offense.
While the New York Jets defense hasn’t been tremendous against the run, they all know who’s toting the football. In the last two games, McCoy has rushed 22 times for 23 yards. Until the Bills prove that they can throw the football with a mediocre success rate, the boxes shall remain stacked.
Starts: Wide Receivers
Josh Gordon vs. Tennessee Titans
The acclimation period appears to be closed for Josh Gordon in the New England Patriots offense. In the last three weeks he’s had two games of 100-yards receiving and one touchdown. He’s entering the must-start territory as he’s dueling with Julian Edelman for the number-one receiving option. The Tennessee Titans are allowing the tenth-most fantasy points to receivers this season. Gordon is a locked-in WR2 with WR1 upside for the remainder of the season.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling vs. Miami Dolphins
The Packers placed Geronimo Allison on injured-reserve this week, solidifying rookie Marquez Valdes-Scantling as the number-two receiving option. Randall Cobb has been either hurt or disappointing since week-one and Davante Adams will get his. The Dolphins fare better against receivers than they do running backs. Adams will draw the most attention, leaving Valdes-Scantling primed for another solid performance. He’s a must-add, solid start the rest of the season.
Sits: Wide Receiver
Devin Funchess vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
While the Pittsburgh Steelers have not been a shut-down defense this season, they are limiting number-one wide receivers fairly well. They held Julio Jones to only five receptions for 62 yards which was his lowest yardage total of the season. Devin Funchess has had limited success in the last two games not eclipsing 50 yards in either. He will have a difficult time breaking that streak this week.
Main photo:
Embed from Getty Images
