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Week 9 has come and gone (minus Monday night's impending dumpster fire between the Patriots and Jets) and teams just keep hitting their offensive stride. After a slow Week 8, NFL offenses erupted once again with one 400-yard passer (Josh Allen) and 10 different 300-yard passing efforts. Additionally, two quarterbacks had four passing touchdowns with five others going off for three passing scores.
Looking to Week 10, we will likely have another game with Jake Luton featured as the Jaguars starting quarterbacks after an admirable showing (304 yards and a touchdown with a rushing score) in his debut. The Falcons, Cowboys, Chiefs, and Jets will have their bye weeks in Week 10, taking Patrick Mahomes and Matt Ryan out of starting lineups and leaving fantasy managers searching for options. Luckily, this article will break down all the options to consider filling those voids this week (and potentially going forward).
In this article, I will be focusing on players who are under 65% rostered in fantasy leagues while adding a couple of deep sleepers for two-quarterback leagues (less than 20% rostered).
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Jared Goff, Los Angeles Rams
Yahoo: 62% rostered ESPN: 33.7% rostered
Jared Goff and the Rams offense went into the bye week with a bad taste in their mouths, losing to the Dolphins 28-17 in Tua Tagovailoa’s NFL debut. Goff aired it out in that game, throwing the ball 61 times and completing 35 attempts for 355 yards and a touchdown with an interception. The Dolphins have had a strong secondary this season, so it shouldn’t be too surprising that they were able to put together a good game.
Goff isn’t the best fantasy quarterback this year, surpassing 20 fantasy points in just three of eight games this season. He is racking up yards through the air though, throwing for over 250 yards and multiple touchdowns in five matchups. Goff is going to be slinging the ball once again in Week 10, drawing a matchup against a Seahawks secondary that hasn’t shown the ability to stop anyone this season. Josh Allen just went off for 415 yards and three touchdowns in a surprising Week 9 beatdown of this same secondary.
Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns
Yahoo: 33% rostered ESPN: 18.3% rostered
This selection is going to require some monitoring as Baker Mayfield was placed on the COVID list before the games kicked off on Sunday. However, Mayfield was deemed a close contact, which explains his inclusion on the list. If Mayfield winds up testing positive, Case Keenum would also be considered a solid pickup as the Browns' backup quarterback.
Mayfield’s last week before the bye week was a forgettable one, completing 12 of 25 passes for 122 yards and zero touchdowns or interceptions. However, it was the game in the gale-force winds that plagued numerous teams throughout the league. Mayfield will have a shot at redemption assuming he is healthy with the Houston Texans rolling into town. Houston has struggled against quarterbacks this season by allowing an average of 21 points per week coming into Week 9. That held true once again with Jake Luton throwing for 304 yards and a touchdown and scoring 23.46 points in the sixth-round rookie’s debut.
Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
Yahoo: 24% rostered ESPN: 20.3% rostered
Don’t look now, but the Miami Dolphins are 2-0 and in a position to make noise in the AFC East with Tua as the starting quarterback. After a rough debut against the Rams, Tua bounced back in a big way against the Cardinals. The rookie quarterback completed 20 of 28 passes for 248 yards and two touchdowns while adding seven carries for 35 yards on the ground. Tua has looked the part of an efficient passer and has several weapons that he can utilize in the passing game.
Tua is set up well for the next few weeks, getting matchups at home against the Chargers, at Denver, at the Jets, and at home against the Bengals. His Week 10 opponent, the Chargers haven't been able to stop anyone through the air, most recently being exploited by the Raiders passing attack. Derek Carr was able to score 16 fantasy points thanks to 165 passing yards and two touchdowns. With Miami looking like a legitimate offense with a strong defense, Tua could make some noise for teams gunning for the fantasy playoffs.
2QB League Options and Stashes
Drew Lock, Denver Broncos
Yahoo: 20% rostered ESPN: 13.3% rostered
Drew Lock has learned how to thrive in garbage time. For the second consecutive week, Lock used a big fourth quarter to break the 20-point threshold for fantasy quarterbacks, throwing for 313 yards and two touchdowns in a loss to the Falcons. He also added a late rushing touchdown. Lock has attempted at least 40 passes in each of the Broncos' last three games and has had five touchdowns in the last two weeks. The results haven’t necessarily been pretty, but he has been effective throwing the ball and racking up fantasy points. Lock’s offense has all the makings of an explosive unit thanks to weapons like Jerry Jeudy, Tim Patrick, and Noah Fant.
Lock and the Broncos will have a chance to build upon their clicking offense against the Las Vegas Raiders. Heading into Week 9, Las Vegas was allowing 21.1 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks thanks to a 17 to 1 touchdown to interception ratio. On Sunday, the Raiders continued that trend, allowing Justin Herbert to throw for 327 yards and two touchdowns with zero interceptions. Given the upward trend of Lock the past few weeks, he could have a big day in Vegas this week.
Alex Smith, Washington Football Team
Yahoo: >1% rostered ESPN: >1% rostered
It won’t feel good, but Alex Smith is back on the fantasy radar thanks to the brutal ankle injury that Kyle Allen suffered against the Giants in Week 9. Smith didn’t have a stellar day, scoring only 13 fantasy points, but he did show that he is still highly efficient. Smith completed 24 of 32 passes for 325 yards and a touchdown with three interceptions. Smith doesn’t really have the arm to push the ball down the field, but he should be able to be a serviceable starter thanks to Terry McLaurin, Logan Thomas, and Antonio Gibson.
Smith comes into a beautiful fantasy schedule as he takes over for the Washington Football Team, getting the Lions, Bengals, and Cowboys his first three weeks back. The Lions are fresh off allowing Kirk Cousins to throw for 220 yards and three touchdowns in a convincing Week 9 victory. Prior to that, Detroit was allowing an average of 19.7 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks.
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