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Top fantasy football risers and fallers heading into Week 10 of the 2023 NFL season. Joey Pollizze identifies players at QB, RB, WR, and TE whose value for fantasy football is rising or falling.
Week 10 is already here, and the fantasy football season is moving along quite fast. Most leagues have their playoffs start in Week 15, meaning there are only five more regular season matchups left.
With the fantasy trade deadline also approaching, now should be the time to make your team even stronger. Maybe you buy low on Minnesota Viking wide receiver Justin Jefferson (hamstring) or Miami Dolphins running back De'Von Achane (knee) before they return from their respective injuries to bolster your roster.
Either way, this article will be a good helping point in seeing which players are trending up and down in fantasy football.
Editor's Note: Identify fantasy football draft busts, overvalued ADPs, and key players to avoid so you can draft with confidence this season.
Week 10 Fantasy Football Risers
QB Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
If you have held onto Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott in fantasy, chances are you have been extremely happy with his recent production. In Week 9, Prescott threw for a season-high 374 yards and three touchdowns while rushing six times for 14 yards against the Philadelphia Eagles.
That performance helped Prescott finish as the QB2 on the week, which continued the veteran's strong play. The Cowboys quarterback has thrown for 950 yards and eight touchdowns with only one interception over the past three games.
In those contests, Prescott has finished as the QB1, QB3, and now the QB2. He's averaging an absurd 27.4 fantasy points over that stretch with games against the New York Giants, Carolina Panthers, and Washington Commanders coming up. He's a strong fantasy start every week moving forward.
QB C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans
The second quarterback makes this list, and after his recent Week 9 performance, was there ever a question? Houston Texans rookie C.J. Stroud just put together the best game by a rookie in NFL history.
Stroud threw for 470 yards and five touchdowns while finishing with 41.8 fantasy points. His 470 passing yards are the most by a rookie quarterback in NFL history, passing Andrew Luck's 433 yards set back in 2012. He is also the first rookie to ever throw for 400-plus yards with five touchdowns and no interception in a game.
Stroud's recent stretch before Week 9 had him as a low-end QB1. But following this performance, he almost has to start in fantasy moving forward. With games against the Arizona Cardinals and Denver Broncos upcoming, he will be a strong quarterback play over the next few weeks.
WR Diontae Johnson, Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson dealt with a hamstring issue earlier this year, which caused him to miss four games. But the 27-year-old wideout is officially back and rewarding fantasy managers who held onto him.
Johnson caught seven passes for 90 yards and one touchdown in Week 9 against the Tennesee Titans. That score was the first regular season touchdown for him since Week 17 of the 2021 season. The Steelers playmaker also finished as the WR6 in half-PPR formats, his best fantasy finish in almost two years.
There have been a ton of encouraging signs from Johnson since his return in Week 7. He has seen at least six targets in all three games, including 23 targets over the past two. The Steelers wideout also has 75-plus receiving yards in those three contests. Due to this high volume, he’s a strong WR2 going forward.
TE Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints
Once again, we are talking about New Orleans Saints tight end Taysom Hill. It seemed like only yesterday he was a top waiver wire priority in 2022. Well, now Hill is having much more of an impact this season.
Hill has been able to do it all this year, and that continued in Week 9 against the Chicago Bears. He caught four passes for 13 yards and one touchdown while rushing 11 times for 52 yards. The veteran also threw a touchdown pass in the victory. That all helped him finish as the TE4.
Over the past four weeks, Hill has finished as the TE9, TE5, TE1, and TE4. Only Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has scored more fantasy points during that span than the Saints playmaker. He is a must-start and a cheat code at the tight end position.
Other Fantasy Football Risers:
Week 10 Fantasy Football Fallers
WR Davante Adams, Las Vegas Raiders
Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams is one of the biggest busts in fantasy this year and has been unstartable in recent weeks. He has just one top-35 finish over the past five weeks while failing to score 10-plus half-PPR fantasy points in every game during that span.
Despite the Raiders putting up 30 points and playing a weak New York Giants secondary in Week 9, Adams had just four catches for 34 yards. It now marks the fourth time over the last five games that the veteran hasn’t secured more than four catches in a game. It was a ground-and-pound game for the Raiders last week, and that might be the formula for them the rest of the year.
Adams continues to trend down in fantasy and might have reached a new low. With matchups against Sauce Gardner and the New York Jets, Jalen Ramsey and the Miami Dolphins, and L’Jarius Sneed and the Kansas City Chiefs over the next three weeks, things might not get better for the All-Pro wideout.
RB Bijan Robinson, Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson is another player who has been a bust in fantasy football. When the Falcons selected Robinson with the eighth overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, it was the right situation. Or so we thought?
Robinson continues to see minimal opportunities on offense. In Week 9 against the Minnesota Vikings, the rookie had just 13 touches for 53 total yards in the contest. He has also failed to reach over 15 half-PPR fantasy points in five straight games dating back to Week 3.
Week 10 is a great matchup for Robinson against the Arizona Cardinals. But, it’s extremely hard to trust him based on his recent usage. He has just one rushing touchdown this year with only three top-10 running back fantasy finishes. However, the rookie does have great fantasy playoff matchups, so he could be a solid buy-low candidate at the trade deadline.
RB James Cook, Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills running back James Cook has not had the breakout season that we all thought was going to happen. In Week 9, Cook had just six carries for 20 yards while also catching four passes for 19 yards. That output gave the young back another single-digit fantasy day.
The Bills have failed to utilize the 24-year-old back and continue to give veteran Latavius Murray snaps on offense. Cook is no longer a must-start in fantasy, and with Leonard Fournette also in Buffalo, he could see even fewer chances to shine.
Other Fantasy Football Fallers:
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