RADIO
Brandon Murchison's under-the-radar starts and sits for your Week 10 fantasy football lineups - sneaky players to start, and typical starters that may disappoint.
Although we saw many surprise performances throughout the early stages of the NFL season, the cream has certainly risen to the top. Over the last few weeks, we have begun to see the more household names take their rightful place atop the leaderboards in fantasy scoring. Now some under the radar players will continue to pop big numbers from week to week, but your "studs" should be finding weekly spots in your starting lineups. Of course, you'll never be considering benching a player like Christian McCaffrey for a better matchup. But there will be some difficult choices in your lineups in the coming weeks.
Heading into Week 10, many fantasy owners should start looking to construct their most optimal lineups in preparations for the playoff push. At this stage of the season, there should be less worry about the depth of your roster and more about having fewer headaches in starting lineup decisions each week. Trades over the last couple of weeks before your league's deadline can help you shape your roster from a pretender to a title contender. It takes a little bit of risk to pull the trigger on the right moves, but the risk is what it generally takes to bring home a fantasy championship. As for the matchups this week, there will be several to take advantage of as the drive to the playoffs begin.
So let's jump into the numbers as I present to you my Woo's and Boo's for Week 10 to help you with those tough lineup decisions you may be facing.
Editor's Note: Identify fantasy football draft busts, overvalued ADPs, and key players to avoid so you can draft with confidence this season.
Woo! - Week 10 Starts
Jameis Winston vs. Arizona Cardinals
Winston can be one of the most mind-numbing players to own in fantasy. He can take a great matchup and implode on himself with multiple turnovers causing his owners to fall behind the eight ball in matchups. But the sheer volume that he can put on the board in terms of passing yardage keeps him in the conversation among QB1s each week. This week, he will yet again be faced with an extremely soft matchup against a Cardinals secondary that is currently the worst in points allowed to opposing QBs (25.0 FPPG). With both Mike Evans and Chris Godwin playing at such high levels right now, Winston is all but guaranteed a top finish for Week 10.
Jamaal Williams vs. Carolina Panthers
Since returning from injury, Williams has been a thorn in the side of Aaron Jones owners. Oddly enough, both have continued to stay somewhat fantasy viable, but it is Williams that has scored in four straight games. In Week 10, the Packers backfield will once again see the benefit of a plus matchup against a Panthers Defense that is bottom five in points allowed (23.8 FPPG). There should be enough volume in this game for both Jones and Williams to find success, but look for Williams to continue his scoring streak in this game. Putting him in the discussion as a Flex play.
Calvin Ridley @ New Orleans Saints
With the trade of Mohamed Sanu to the Patriots, many owners were expecting a big uptick in production from Ridley in Week 9. but after serving up a four catch performance, some fantasy owners were left with a sour taste in their mouths. Facing a Saints Defense that is bottom 10 in points allowed to opposing receivers (25.0 FPPG), should help alleviate lat week's sour taste. But most importantly is the matchup inside the matchup. He will be primarily covered by Eli Apple, a corner that he has had success against. I expect to see Ridley somewhat featured in this game as Julio Jones will be covered by Marshon Lattimore. Ridley could bring in a six catch day for over 100 yards and a score here. Pushing WR2 value in Week 10.
Mike Gesicki @ Indianapolis Colts
Gesicki seems to be finding his way as a part of the Dolphins offense. He will be looking to carry the momentum of a six catch game into this week's matchup. Facing a Colts Defense that has struggled against opposing TEs (8.6 FPPG), Gesicki could put together quite the week. With Preston Williams now lost for the season, look for Ryan Fitzpatrick to use Gesicki as a safety valve in this game. I expect to see him bring in five catches to go along with a score. Certainly worth a look as a streaming option in Week 10.
Boo! - Week 10 Sits
Jared Goff @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Goff is largely considered a lock play as a QB1 most weeks throughout the season. But we have seen at times this season that he can struggle on the road against above-average defenses. That will be the case in Week 10 as he is matched up against a Steelers Defense that is playing with loads of confidence. They are one of fantasy's better units in points allowed to opposing QBs (16.2 FPPG) and have played much more disciplined in the secondary sine the acquisition of Minkah Fitzpatrick. Goff will be without Brandin Cooks in this game, leaving him with one less weapon. He may very well struggle in Week 10 and I would be looking for another player to start in his place if it were me.
Nick Chubb vs. Buffalo Bills
Sure, Chubb has been one of the more reliable RB1s in fantasy throughout most of the 2019 season. But we can't ignore the fact of the return of Kareem Hunt. I view this game as the first game in the audition for Hunt as he searches for a new team in 2020. Which will easily hurt the touches that Chubb has been accustomed to seeing. Chubb will have to show that he can provide the same value with fewer snaps. He may get thrown off rhythm early in this game and it will show in his final stats for the game. You'll obviously be starting him in your lineups this week, but you should temper the expectations that you've had until this point.
Allen Robinson vs. Detroit Lions
Robinson will be looking at the double whammy in Week 10. He still will be seeing passes thrown his way from Mitchell Trubisky, who has struggled mightily to find some type of consistency this season. Also, he will be matched up opposite Darius Slay, which could mean less in terms of target share this week. As the Bears offense continues to try and find their identity, Robinson should be viewed as a matchup play only and one that I would avoid this week if I had someone to plug into his place.
Mark Andrews @ Cincinnati Bengals
After the early season excitement from Andrews as he and Lamar Jackson were lighting up the stat sheets, he has come crashing back down in recent weeks. With only four catches in his last two games, it's safe to say that Andrews may be falling from the "must start" category at the TE position. Facing a Bengals Defense that is 29th in points allowed (5.1 FPPG) will be yet another albatross in front of Andrews's success. He will be in your starting lineups for Week 10, but view him more as a low-end TE1 as opposed to the surefire top tier player he was after Week 2.
More Weekly Lineup Prep
