Week 10 Risers & Fallers Analysis for Fantasy Football

Another slew of bye weeks is upon us in Week 10, as six more teams will sit out this week out. Hopefully you survived Week 9, as there were plenty of fantasy-relevant players taking the week off.

This weekly column examines ten fantasy football players, five guys that are on the up-and-up, or “risers,” and five guys that are struggling, or “fallers.”  You shouldn’t necessarily take these ten players as start/sit sleepers or waiver wire add/drop recommendations, as the analysis here is meant to be more of a gauge for how a fantasy football player is currently trending heading into Week 10 of NFL action.

With that said, here are your Week 10 risers and fallers. Good luck with your fantasy football lineup and matchups in Week 10, RotoBallers!

 

Fantasy Football Risers -- Stock Up

Mark Sanchez, QB -- Philadelphia Eagles

One man's misfortune is another's opportunity. Just when you thought Sanchez might not be relevant in the NFL again, he now will have to lead the Eagles' fast-paced offense for 6-8 weeks, as starter Nick Foles recovers from a clavicle fracture, which sounds delightful. Sanchez filled in decently on Sunday once Foles went down, throwing for over 200 yards and two touchdowns, while also throwing two picks. The Eagles have a favorable schedule down the stretch, so Sanchez might be able to help if you just lost Foles.

 

Ryan Tannehill, QB -- Miami Dolphins

Tannehill has been extremely underrated this season. He had another stellar game in Sunday's blowout against the Chargers, throwing for 288 yards and three TDs. He also runs the ball a good amount for a QB, which provides some bonus fantasy value (at least three rushing attempts every week since Week 3). Tannehill is currently ranked the 12th best QB in fantasy, meaning that he's theoretically an every week starter in 12-team leagues. Let that sink in for a second.

 

Jeremy Hill, RB -- Cincinnati Bengals

Hill has flourished in the absence of Giovani Bernard. On Sunday, he ran it 24 times for over 150 yards and scored twice. On a short week, it's unlikely Bernard will be ready for Thursday Night's Game against the Browns, meaning it should be at least another week of the Jeremy Hill Show. He's a must start in any league as long as Bernard is out.

 

Martavis Bryant, WR -- Pittsburgh Steelers

Bryant has seemed to emerge as the number two wide receiver for Ben Roethlisberger. Since Bryant's debut in Week 7, he's scored five touchdowns and has double-digit fantasy points in each game. The Steelers' offense is really clicking right now, and they have two juicy matchups before heading into their bye week. Bryant is a solid start, especially in the midst of heavy Week 10 byes.

 

Dwayne Allen, TE -- Indianapolis Colts

Allen has now scored seven touchdowns through the first nine games of the season, and is ranked 6th among fantasy tight ends. Despite splitting snaps with fellow TE Colby Fleener, Allen continues to be a solid TE1 in most leagues, as he's in an offense that throws a ton and is one of Andrew Luck's go to redzone targets. It would be nice to see Allen get a few more snaps, but it's hard to complain about the touchdowns.

 

Fantasy Football Fallers -- Stock Down

Colin Kaepernick, QB -- San Francisco 49ers

Kaepernick, and the entire 49ers team for that matter, continues to struggle. Coming out of a bye week with a nice home matchup against the Rams, Kap threw for just 237 yards, was picked off twice, and lost a fumble on a QB sneak into the endzone with no time left in the 4th quarter that would have won the game. Kap has scored more than 20 fantasy points just twice this year. If you have him, you're probably starting him this week, as he has a good matchup in what should be a high-scoring affair at New Orleans, but it's hard to trust him to put up consistent numbers week in and week out.

 

Branden Oliver, SD -- San Diego Chargers

After a couple weeks of pure domination out of the Chargers' backfield, Darren Sproles 2.0 has slowed down a bit. Oliver has failed to score double-digit fantasy points in three straight games now, and his carries have decreased from 26 in Week 6 to just 13 in Week 9. And with Donald Brown back from his concussion, and the likely return of Ryan Matthews to the lineup after the Week 10 bye, Oliver's days as every down back appear to be over. He should still get some touches, and will be involved in the passing game, but don't expect game-changing performances moving forward.

 

Rueben Randle. WR -- New York Giants

I think Randle is just not as talented as everyone thought he was. Especially when he's lined up next t0 emerging rookie Odell Beckham Jr., it's pretty clear that Beckham is the more talented receiver. When Victor Cruz went down in Week 7, Randle had every opportunity to seize the number one spot in the Giants' passing attack, but he simply has not been that good. He hasn't scored since Week 5, and while he is getting a good amount of targets, especially in the redzone, he's not putting up great numbers. Randle is a fine WR3, but nothing more.

 

Wes Welker, WR -- Denver Broncos

In case it wasn't painfully obvious from his play, Welker is pretty must toast. He can still go out and run through the motions, maybe even catch a big 3rd down pass here and there, but there's just not a lot left in the tank. No more than three catches since week 5 and only one score, Peyton Manning has made it clear that Welker is the fourth passing option in the offense, and he doesn't see the volume of targets to be fantasy relevant right now, outside of a deep PPR league.

 

Zach Ertz, TE -- Philadelphia Eagles

There's been some ugly stat lines from Ertz lately. He caught just one ball for for four yards on Sunday, and has scored just one touchdown since his Week 1 touchdown against Jacksonville. The mediocrity around the tight end position this year in fantasy is quite deep, and there are many other middling options to choose from than sticking with Ertz and hoping you catch lightning in a bottle.