November 11, 2016

Pierre Camus' top 10 potential lineup busts for Week 10 of the 2016 fantasy football season. Players to avoid in your lineups as underperformers and disappointments.

You've read about all the sleepers, waiver wire pickups and starter suggestions based on matchups. Now let me burst some bubbles and tell you who I think is going to bust big time in Week 10.

This isn't to troll or spread hate - that's what those political sites are for. Think of this as a public service for fanboys and truth deniers who insist that everything is going to be alright, when it's clearly not. If you don't believe me, just ask the general public on Twitter. They know everything.

Warning: while the picks made in this article are completely serious, you may find sarcastic humor laced throughout. If you don't have any sense of humor whatsoever, turn back now before you get all worked up.

Editor's Note: New users that sign up on FantasyAces, make a $20 deposit, and enter any game will receive our full season NFL (or NBA) Premium Pass for free, a $59.99 value. Just email [email protected] with your new FantasyAces username - and boom, that's it! We will email you with your Premium pass.

Week 9 Recap

Talk about a week of grossly overestimated predictions that went horribly wrong... then there's football too. I will resist temptation to put a political spin on last week's picks, so let's leave all that election mess behind and pick a more gleeful theme to show how wrong my picks went in Week 9. Keep in mind, I was trying to pick the busts.

Booms: Frank Gore (60 YDS, 2 TD), Jay Ajayi (111 YDS, 1 TD), Jordy Nelson (7 REC, 94 YDS, 1 TD), Golden Tate (11 REC, 79 YDS, 1 TD), Jordan Matthews (6 REC, 88 YDS), Jimmy Graham (8 REC, 102 YDS, 2 TD), Trevor Siemian (283 YDS, 2 TD)

Busts: Cam Newton (225 YDS, 1 TD, 40 RUSH YDS), Torrey Smith (2 REC, 18 YDS), Travis Kelce (5 REC, 58 YDS, 1 EJECTION FOR THROWING A TANTRUM)

While seeing Travis Kelce get tossed in an attempt to draw attention for his reality show brought me some enjoyment, watching pick after pick reach the end zone didn't. As was the case in Week 4, I will erase this one from the memory banks and start fresh in an attempt to move back to my typical 70-80% success rate from the past few weeks. Enjoy the post-election hangover edition of top fantasy football busts!

Top 10 Busts for Week 10

Blake Bortles (QB, JAX) - The Garbage King of Jacksonville won't be putting up a smorgasbord of passing stats this weekend. The Jags will face one of the toughest pass defenses in the league in Houston. This also figures to be a low-scoring affair with another struggling (read: horrible) QB on the other side. The Jags should focus on establishing their running game once again, which they really should have been doing since Week 1. If they are wise, they will continue to take the ball out of Bortles' hand as much as possible. Just remember, it could always be worse.

 
 
Kirk Cousins (QB, WAS) - Cousins has elevated himself from streaming option to reliable fantasy QB this season. He helped win games for some fantasy teams in Week 8 with 458 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns before the team's bye week. Now he gets to face the team that allows the third-fewest fantasy PPG and an 8/10 QB/INT ratio to quarterbacks. If you have another reliable choice, it may be time to give Cousins a spot on your bench. He should be fine for the remainder of the season, although some people just don't seem to give him any credit.

 
 
DeMarco Murray (RB, TEN) - OK, you're not benching or avoiding Murray if you know what's good for you, but temper your expectations. This is the first time Murray makes this category on the year, but I've got my reasons. Green Bay's run defense has ranked among the top three all season. He has also been limited in practice this week with a toe injury, which is always concerning for a runner. Murray is still a must-start in standard leagues, but this may shape up to be one of his least productive games in what has been an outstanding season thus far. Don't worry, the Exotic Smashmouth will be back in full effect soon.

 
 
Le'Veon Bell (RB, PIT) - As an advisory, you may not want to completely bench Bell either because it's doubtful you have two better RB on your roster, but when it comes to DFS his price tag will be way too high. Red flag #1 - the Cowboys have actually moved up to second in terms of lowest fantasy PPG allowed to running backs this year. Red flag #2 - Bell hasn't scored a touchdown all season. Let that sink in for a moment. He's also coming off a disappointing game where he totaled just 70 yards. Red flag #3 - Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers offense clearly isn't the same this year. While you aren't going to start outright benching your studs in Pittsburgh, you may have to accept that Bell/Brown won't finish the year as RB1/WR1. I doubt Mike Tomlin is pushing the panic button though, and neither should you.

 
 
Matt Forte (RB, NYJ) - Say what you want about the Rams - they have a pretty good defense. L.A. is seventh-best at limiting fantasy points to the RB position and fourth-best when it comes to receiving yards out of the backfield. Forte has surged back into the RB1 tier with five TD in the last three games, but that did include softer defenses in Cleveland and Miami. The ineffectiveness of the passing game is going to hurt the run game eventually and this week might be the first sign. He's due for a letdown anyway. After the Jets ran him into the ground with 50+ carries the first two weeks, it took him a month to recover. They've done it again by feeding him the ball 55 times in Weeks 8-9. He made the most of his 12 carries last week, but I have the feeling Old Man Forte will need a breather once again.

 
 
Charcandrick West (RB, KC) - Head West young man! On second thought, maybe hang a right in Kansas City and go east instead. West simply couldn't do anything to show he deserves a share in the Chiefs' backfield with Spencer Ware out last week. West turned 13 rush attempts into 39 yards against a mediocre Jacksonville team and now faces a Carolina team that is much better against the run. With Ware expected back for Week 10, West is only worth holding onto as a handcuff. Use your flex somewhere else. In case you were wondering, he isn't "loosing" any sleep over last week.

 
 
Willie Snead (WR, NO) - It would be easy to simply say "avoid all receivers who play against the Broncos" that isn't the case. Brandin Cooks gets a good matchup and Michael Thomas is a constant red zone threat, but it is Snead who gets the displeasure of facing Chris Harris Jr. in the slot this week. He has been trending downward anyway as the rookie Thomas takes on a more significant role. Snead hasn't scored since Week 2 and has only surpassed 60 receiving yards once since Week 1. It's premature to bury him for the rest of the year, but he doesn't deserve a spot in your lineup this week.  The more you know...

 
 
Cameron Meredith (WR, CHI) - It has been a roller coaster season for Meredith since he debuted in Week 3. In his first two games he produced six catches for 52 yards. The next two games he caught fire, catching 20 balls for 243 yards. His last two games have seen him catch a total of two passes for 36 yards. It would seem Jay Cutler doesn't have nearly as much faith in Meredith as Bryan Hoyer did. With Brent Grimes on the other side, Meredith should be completely avoided in this matchup. Of course, if you've still got him in your lineup then you probably haven't checked your team since Week 7 anyway. Don't blame Meredith for his precipitous drop in production, though. Do as we all do and blame Cutler.

 
 
Cameron Brate (TE, TB) - Brate scored for the second straight week on Thursday Night Football in Week 8. That gives him four touchdowns on the season, not bad for TE that was known more for a cheesy campaign slogan than his actual play. (You mean you haven't heard "Make America Brate Again?") The problem is that the volume hasn't been there. Brate has caught a total of 12 passes in the last four games, making him TD-dependent for PPR formats. Chicago is also fairly tough against the tight end, making Brate simply a TE2 or low-end streamer for this week. Let's just hope he stays relevant so we can continue the wonderful tradition of football name puns.

 
 
Rob Gronkowski (TE, NE) - The undisputed king of tight ends and party boats, Gronk is always at or near the top of the rankings. This week the Seattle Seahawks roll into Boston with their typically stout defense having allowed 25 points at home to an undermanned Buffalo team. Gronk should have an easy enough time chalking up top five TE value, right? Not so fast - the Seahawks allow the third-fewest fantasy points per game to tight ends, allowing just one touchdown on the year. Gronk has been on a roll lately and you still have to start him if you own him, but for the daily play I'm going to hedge my bet when it comes to defense vs. offense. He might not put on a big show this week, but rest assured he will at least be tan and relaxed after the bye week.