Fantasy Football Warning Signals for Week 10: Kirk Cousins, Melvin Gordon, and Josh Palmer

November 11, 2022

Kev Mahserejian's fantasy football start em, sit em picks for Week 10. The players with warning signals who have struggled and are worth benching, sitting, and avoiding.

With injuries and middling performances ravaging fantasy teams to start the season, it's okay to consider benching players who were relatively highly drafted (top-100) for this week and moving forward.

This may be hard to stomach as you bench your QB1 or RB1 for a free-agent acquisition, but sometimes such measures must be taken to ensure victory in the heart of the fantasy football season.

Here is a look at some fantasy football players who have shown warning signals recently, and you should think twice about putting them in your lineup in Week 10. Will they bounce back, or continue to underperform? For any and all issues or concerns, contact @RotoSurgeon on Twitter.

Quarterback Concerns - Sit 'Em for Week 10?

Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings @ Buffalo Bills

Cousins may just be having a career year but that does not make him any less of Kirk Cousins. This matchup against the Bills in Buffalo is one of the toughest possible even with Josh Allen likely out. Cousins will not receive the benefit of a potential blow-out allowing for catchup, he will have to fight every drive and that is just the opposite of what to expect from him against the league's 4th-best defense by DVOA that ranks top-6 against both run and pass.

Cousins does not have the benefit of leaning on a strong run game as Cook and Mattison could easily struggle against Buffalo's sturdy front. While Hockenson is a welcome addition to a roster desperately in need of a consistent option beyond Jefferson, the answers may not be there if Cousins is constantly under pressure.

What To Do

Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders vs Indianapolis Colts

Indianapolis ranks much worse against the pass than rush and this game should come with plenty of opportunities for the Raiders' offense to capitalize on as the Colts will be throwing Sam Ehlinger back as starting QB with a first-time play-caller at OC in Parks Frazier. What the Colts are doing on a week-to-week basis is...alarming.

Derek Carr's fantasy season has been mediocre but he still has one of the league's best receivers in Davante Adams who can go off any given week. Hey, maybe Darren Waller returns this week and Hunter Renfrow remembers he's Hunter Renfrow, who knows?!

Running Back Concerns - Sit 'Em for Week 10?

Melvin Gordon III, Denver Broncos @ Tennessee Titans

Melvin Gordon is a fumble away from getting benched any given game and the matchup this week is against the league's best rushing defense. The Titans have not done much right this year but maintaining a strong defense is notable despite losing top pass-rusher Harold Landry to a preseason injury.

Gordon's snaps have fluctuated weekly but he did tie his season-high in Week 8 right before the Broncos' bye. Latavius Murray has established himself as the clear backup who could take over at a moment's notice given the skill overlap with Gordon. Neither is worth starting this week even with Mike Boone on IR.

What To Do

Khalil Herbert, Chicago Bears vs Detroit Lions

Khalil Herbert's snaps decreased significantly over the past two weeks but we can attribute that to game script. The Bears prefer Montgomery's receiving ability on passing downs and his blocking when playing from behind. Herbert is the obviously better rusher but that is not a priority when Chicago has to play catch up.

This week's matchup against the Lions presents Chicago's best matchup in weeks. The Lions' record is atrocious and so is their defense. Detroit ranks 26th against both the run and pass yet was respectable against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers last week. Unfortunately, there were some lucky bounces on defense that led to interceptions, and the Packers lost top WR Romeo Doubs early in the game.

Herbert and Montgomery are both worth starting this week as a rough projection of 15-18 touches should be available each.

Wide Receiver Concerns - Sit 'Em for Week 10?

Joshua Palmer, Los Angeles Chargers @ San Francisco 49ers

Josh Palmer just had his best game of the season against the Falcons in Week 9 but that does not tell us much given that Atlanta is ranked 29th against the pass and was without top corner A.J. Terrell. If need be, Palmer can be started due to projected volume but he is best left on fantasy benches even as the lone starting WR left for LAC given Mike Williams and Kennan Allen's injuries.

Palmer is a poor athlete who has trouble getting open and should struggle against a very good 49ers defense fresh off of their bye. Justin Herbert will likely be under duress for most of this game due to the Chargers' leaky OL that lost multiple key pieces to injury this season. Even if playing from behind, it is unlikely Palmer is of use in lineups.

What To Do

Wan'Dale Robinson, New York Giants vs Houston Texans

Robinson fell short in his most recent outing but now, the Giants just had their bye and will look to keep him heavily involved in the passing game just like in Weeks 6 and 7. The rookie WR has essentially replaced Kadrius Toney (who is now in KC) and looks to be the top option in the passing game moving forward alongside Darius Slayton and Saquon Barkley.

Robinson has not cracked 70% of the snaps in any of his 4 games played this season but did play exactly 69% back-to-back between Weeks 7 and 8. We should expect his snaps, routes, and targets to go up and with his skillset, provide usable fantasy lines weekly. The Houston Texans' pass defense is nowhere close to being as atrocious as their run defense, however, it does remain below average and presents a good opportunity for managers with Robinson.

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