Last week, the NFL gave us a lot of high scoring fantasy football matchups, and many fans are hoping for more of the same for Week 10. As you make your start-sit lineup decisions, keep in mind the Ravens, Broncos, Texans and Vikings are all on bye this week.
Week 9 was one of those weeks where you assumed you won, but checked your score only to realize your opponent had 200 fantasy points. It was interesting to see the stats that were put up given how many teams were on bye but there was no shortage of scoring. Not only did Michael Thomas warm fantasy owners' hearts with 12 receptions for 211 yards and a touchdown, but he did it in a highly entertaining way.
Thomas brought back Joe Horn's vintage cell phone celebration. After the game, Thomas explained that he was trying to get the crowd fired up in a major matchup against the Rams.
"I paid a tribute to him, tried to get the crowd going a little bit more, set the tone, have fun out there, giving people a show," Thomas explained to ESPN. "You gotta have fun. All these guys just catching touchdowns and celebrating with each other, having fun, getting the crowd involved. I felt like I had an opportunity to make it happen, put the game away and make a call."
While Thomas was bringing out cell phones, Patrick Mahomes continued to torch NFL defenses. Mahomes passed for 375 yards and three touchdowns marking the eighth straight game where the Chiefs quarterback has thrown for more than 300 yards.
“It’s a lot of fun," Mahomes told ESPN. “It makes my job a lot easier knowing I can trust these guys. They’re going to be in the right spot. They’re taking care of their business. They’re running the routes and making route adjustments on the fly. They’ve looked at the film and know how to do those things. Them having that much talent as well as really studying the film so much, that’s what really makes our offense so good."
The Saints-Bengals Have the Highest Point Total for Week 10
This week, there are seven games with an over-under of more than 50 points per OddsShark. The Saints-Bengals game leads the way with 54. The Seahawks-Rams, Chargers-Raiders, Redskins-Bucs, Falcons-Browns, Cardinals-Chiefs and Panthers-Steelers all made the list as well if you are looking to start players in games projected to be shootouts.
As always, feel free to reach out to me on Twitter @JonDAdams with any of your fantasy football related questions. We are not able to get to every lineup decision here, so I am happy to answer specific questions on Twitter. Many leagues are also approaching their trade deadlines, and we want to make sure you are on the right end of every deal.
Click the next arrow to see my fantasy football predictions for Week 10 in the latest edition of Start-Sit.
Start: TE OJ Howard vs. Redskins
Sit: TE Jared Cook vs. Chargers
The Bucs offense is a mess, but the one constant this season has been O.J. Howard. Whether Jameis Winston or Ryan Fitzpatrick has been the quarterback, Howard's production has remained consistent. Tampa Bay head coach Dirk Koetter believes some of the poor offensive play has been tied to the offensive line.
"We didn't communicate right, so we didn't have the right guys blocking the right guys," Koetter said per UPI.com. "On the one where we were in a two-back formation, one of our linemen made a call he shouldn't have made and that threw everybody off. We had everybody blocking the wrong guys."
Tampa Bay faces a Washington defense that looks to be on the decline. Last week, the Redskins were exposed at home by the Falcons offense. Tampa Bay is sticking with Ryan Fitzpatrick for this week. Howard noted he is confident in Fitzpatrick's ability as their quarterback.
"With Fitz, he's always going to be a competitor," Howard told ESPN. "He's a ball player, a smart guy, he can move the ball with his legs also. He does a lot of things on the field that give us a chance to win the game. We love playing with him."
Jared Cook Has Fallen Off Since His Strong Start
Cook had just two receptions for 20 yards last week against the 49ers. The Raiders tight end has just one touchdown in his last four games. Cook had been an integral part of the offense just a few weeks ago as NBC Sports detailed in early October after the Raiders-Browns game.
"Jared Cook plays a ton in coach Jon Gruden's offensive scheme. The Raiders move the tight end around some, playing him as an outside receiver, a slot man and an in-line blocker. The veteran has proven adept at all three spots, and he came up big yet again in Oakland's offensive game plan. Cook had eight catches for 110 yards and a touchdown vital to a 45-42 win over the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. He played 76 of the offense’s 92 snaps and was effective in most every role."
Oakland is essentially waiving the white flag for this season. The Raiders traded away their top offensive player in Amari Cooper and released linebacker Bruce Irvin. Oakland's offense cannot be trusted, especially against a solid Chargers defense. Keep Cook on your bench this week if at all possible.
Start: WR Sammy Watkins vs. Cardinals
Sit: WR Allen Robinson vs. Lions
Watkins has had an up and down fantasy season, but we are starting to get to the point where we can put Watkins in our lineup without worrying. Watkins has had at least seven targets in three of his last four games. Given he plays in the high-powered Chiefs offense, that counts for something.
The Chiefs take on a struggling Cardinals defense in Week 10. According to CBS Sports, Watkins limped to the locker room in Week 9, but Chiefs head coach Andy Reid expects him to be fine.
Prior to the start of the season, Watkins knew there was something different about his quarterback.
“As you see in practice, (Patrick Mahomes has) thrown great balls, and I’ve caught great balls,” Watkins explained to The Kansas City Star. “That’s the things that we’ve got to keep up. Hopefully that’s the thing that carries over in games. I know a lot of people are speculating, oh he’s not getting targets, but not to say, it’s just preseason, but there’s a lot of other things I have to learn in the offense to get used to. That’s what coach is doing a great job of letting me do.”
Last week, Watkins had five receptions for 62 yards. Watkins went off in Week 8 with eight receptions for 107 yards and two touchdowns. Look for Watkins to be in WR2 territory against a bad Cardinals defense. Patrick Mahomes has been red-hot, but Reid noted he is not worried about his quarterback regressing.
“You appreciate him when you’re around him every day and just the spirit that he brings, the attitude he has," Reid explained to ESPN. “You don’t even worry about him getting a big head or getting complacent. It’s a weird deal. He just goes out and he plays. He works hard and he loves doing it. He just goes about his business the way you’re supposed to do it."
Allen Robinson Has Struggled to Find His Footing in 2018
Robinson has been sidelined for the last two weeks with an injury, but the Bears are hopeful he can return for Week 10. Even when Robinson was playing, he struggled to be fantasy relevant. Robinson had one reception for four yards against the Patriots his last time out.
The Lions are only giving up 214 passing yards per game, the fourth fewest in the NFL. If Robinson does play, you would still be wise to keep the wide receiver on your bench. The combination of how many snaps he will play combined with a bad matchup makes him difficult to trust in your lineup.
Chicago is hopeful Robinson and Khalil Mack will play in Week 10.
“I hope so,” Bears head coach Matt Nagy explained to the Chicago Sun-Times. “But it’s going to be very similar to what it’s been the last few weeks. That’s where we’re at.”
Just because Robinson plays does not mean he needs to be in your lineup. Hold off on starting the Bears wide receiver until he finds his footing again.
Start: RB Tevin Coleman at Browns
Sit: RB Kerryon Johnson at Bears
Coleman had his best outing of the season despite facing a Redskins defense that was a bad matchup on paper. Coleman looked to have an extra gear that we had not seen earlier this season, and may have benefited from the Falcons bye week. The Falcons utilized Coleman in the passing game which added to his fantasy output.
Coleman finished with 13 carries for 88 yards along with five receptions for 68 yards and two touchdowns. This week, the Falcons take on a Browns defense that is giving up the fourth-most rushing yards in the NFL at 138.9 per game.
Falcons head coach Dan Quinn spoke about how well Matt Ryan and Coleman played against the Redskins.
"I thought both of them really shined for us," Quinn told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "I thought the line of scrimmage too, you know, with the offensive line. Matt’s ability on third down was one of the stories within this game that made a big difference. In that first half, I don’t know exactly what the numbers were, maybe there were six or eight of them that he converted in the first half – talking about the team. When those drives get extended and so many people get opportunities to catch the ball, I thought that was a real factor. We thought there was something with (Coleman) coming in this game, and we certainly thought it with the offensive line. So, I was glad to see the work they put in showed some of the benefits.”
Hopefully, Coleman's usage in the passing game is a sign of things to come. Either way, Coleman is in RB2 territory against the Browns with some upside for more.
Kerryon Johnson Has a Tough Matchup Against the Bears
Johnson was on his way to being one of the fantasy darlings of the season, but his play has hit a screeching halt. Johnson had 12 carries for just 37 yards against the Vikings. Johnson's numbers were even worse the previous week against the Seahawks with eight carries and 22 yards. Johnson's relevance relies on his usage in the passing game, and the Lions running back did have six receptions against the Seahawks.
This week, Johnson gets a difficult matchup against the Bears. Chicago's defense is giving up the third-fewest rushing yards in the NFL at 84.9 yards per game. Johnson believes he should be able to perform regardless of who the Lions face.
"That's what this league is," Johnson told The Detroit News. "No one is going to let you (run well) willingly. People are showing up, people are trying to stop our run...I don't really care. When teams play the Los Angeles Rams, who do they want to stop? Todd Gurley. When teams play the Pittsburgh Steelers, who do they want to stop? Le'Veon Bell. Do those guys care? I do not think so, and neither do I. I have to go out there and run. When they call my number, I have to gain yards. I haven't been doing that lately and that is my fault."
Start: QB Philip Rivers at Raiders
Sit: QB Derek Carr vs. Chargers
There may be some skepticism over Rivers after his numbers were a bit down against the Seahawks. Rivers had just 228 yards and two touchdowns in a tough road matchup. There is no better cure to having a bounce-back fantasy outing than playing the Raiders. Despite his lower statistics, Rivers was excited to get a win in Seattle.
“I was fired up,” Rivers explained to Chargers.com. “I was fired up for many reasons. Some personal, some just excited. I love playing here, and this is probably my last shot playing here. It’s exciting when you play in this kind of atmosphere and this environment. I think it was exciting to come out and see how many Charger fans were here. I was fired up. You like going against great defenses, especially guys like Bobby Wagner, K.J. Wright; guys that you’ve seen multiple times (that) you respect from afar. It’s just fun.”
The Raiders rank in the bottom ten in passing yards allowed at 262 yards per game. When the Chargers played the Raiders earlier this season, Rivers threw for 339 yards and two touchdowns. The Raiders defense just gave up 262 yards and three touchdowns to Nick Mullens in his first career start. Imagine what Rivers can do against the same defense in Week 10.
The Raiders Continue to Be a Train Wreck
Carr has thrown zero touchdowns in two of his last three games. Since the Raiders traded away Amari Cooper, I have even less confidence in any Raiders players for fantasy football. Carr threw for just 171 yards against the 49ers, and you should stay away from him against the Chargers.
Despite the numerous rumors swirling around his future, Carr reaffirmed his commitment to the Raiders.
"Who really wants to turn this thing around?" Carr told NFL.com. "Who really wants to do the hard things that no one wants to do? It's easy to say, 'I'd rather do it somewhere else.' That's easy. I think we figure that out, and going forward we find out who's a Raider, honestly. I love this place, and I'm not going anywhere. So I'm in for the long haul, and I want to see the men step up and say, 'I want to do that too.'"
It is difficult to start any of the Raiders players right now in fantasy. Jon Gruden's future depends on his ability to nail the future draft picks he is stockpiling. Gruden believes things are eventually going to turn around.
"I see players after every game that want to be Raiders," Gruden explained to NFL.com. "That's been the case my entire life. I think the brand of the Raiders is an exciting one, and I think a lot of players do want to play for us in the future. The Oakland Raiders is a great organization. I know it's not looking pretty right now. I've heard a lot of negativity over the last six or seven months, and rightfully so. But we're going to build a championship football team here. I know a lot of people as players, as fans, just in general, want to be a part of this."
Fantasy Football Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em: Week 10 Predictions