Welcome to Week 10 of the NFL season! We have four teams bye this week, so your start/seating decisions may be a little tougher than usual. Hopefully we can help you with some advice below.
If you like my advice, it won’t be difficult to turn these thoughts into lineup decisions. I will use as a base FantasyPros PPR expert consensus rankings rankings as my guide. Here are your crucial scheduling decisions for week 10.
Sam Darnold, Vikings at Jaguars
It’s usually not a difficult task to start a quarterback facing the Jaguars’ poor defense. Darnold has played well enough this season and this will likely be a nice peak week, especially with TJ Hockenson likely ready to play a full set of snaps to accompany a full stable of healthy wide receivers led by Justin Jefferson.
The Jaguars have allowed two or more touchdown passes to six quarterbacks this season. They also rank last in the EPA in pass defense and are second-worst at allowing fantasy points to quarterbacks. Start Darnold!
Brock Purdy, 49ers at Buccaneers
Purdy continues to post good efficiency numbers, but has had trouble finding the end zone and avoiding turnovers. The 49ers are coming off their bye and should be as healthy as they have been in a while. Christian McCaffrey is the big name likely to return and his abilities as a receiver and runner make Purdy’s life so much easier, especially around the goal line.
The 49ers should also get Jauan Jennings back, who will have to play a bigger role with Brandon Aiyuk out for the season. Add in Deebo Samuel and George Kittle, and you have a group ready to put up numbers against the Buccaneers, who have allowed the most fantasy points to quarterbacks this season.
Drake Maye, Patriots at Bears
Maye has shown to be a good option, despite the weak squad around him. Sure, he has rookie problems, but he makes up for a lot of that with his legs, as Maye can scramble with the best of them. That rushing ability keeps his upside higher than you might think, but this week he faces a Bears team that has allowed the fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks this season. He might still be able to run enough to give him a decent fantasy floor, but I’m on Maye in Chicago unless I’m desperate.
CJ Stroud, Texans vs. Lions
Stroud hasn’t been good this season, but it’s largely not his fault. His offensive line is terrible and his receivers can’t stay on the field. Offseason addition Stefon Diggs is out for the season, while top receiver Nico Collins missed the last four weeks with a hamstring injury. The hope was that Collins would return this week, but after not practicing Wednesday or Thursday, it appears he will be out again.
The Lions also rank fifth in pass defense EPA and have not allowed a quarterback to throw more than one touchdown pass in a game. On the season, they have allowed six touchdown passes and eleven interceptions in eight matchups. I’ll stay away from Stroud.
Tyrone Tracy, Giants vs. Panthers
Tracy didn’t practice much last week as he recovered from a concussion, so Devin Singetary took over all those practice reps. But in the end it didn’t matter as Tracy was acquitted and went on to dominate the workload as the lead back. If you’re worried about Tracy, you’re probably thinking about it too much this week.
The rookie gets to face the Panthers, and if you have a back facing the Panthers, you start with that back. The Panthers have allowed the most rushing yards and most touchdowns to running backs this season and they are not getting any better as the season progresses.
Chuba Hubbard, Panthers vs. Giants
We’re still waiting to see if running back Jonothan Brooks will be active this week, but what we do know is that Chuba Hubbard will be after just landing a nice new contract.
Brooks has been slow to get going as he returns from his ACL injury in college and even if he plays this week, I would still start Hubbard like you have been all season. This Panthers team isn’t going to give their starting running back a big workload in his first game of a lost season – I’m confident about that. The Giants also rank 27th in rush defense EPA this year.
Tony Pollard, Titans at Chargers
Pollard didn’t practice all week last week, but ended up playing and playing well. He even racked up 30 turnovers against a weak Patriots defense. Unfortunately, he has a much tougher matchup against the Chargers this week. Jim Harbaugh’s group has given up just one rushing touchdown this year.
Tank Bigsby & Travis Etienne, Jaguars vs. Vikings
The Jaguars’ running backs are all healthy again, and that means their touches are falling apart. The good news for Tank Bigsby is that he has taken over the lead role, but unfortunately he needs a head start to stay fed. That was difficult for the Jaguars because they were mediocre on offense and poor on defense.
Additionally, it appears that Trevor Lawrence will not be able to play against the Vikings. That should push Mac Jones into the lead, which isn’t good for the offense as a whole. Add in the Vikings’ tough defense, and I don’t like anyone on the Jaguars offense, including both running backs.
Jauan Jennings, 49ers at Buccaneers
All signs point to Jennings returning this week after parting ways with the 49ers. That’s good news for the 49ers running backs, as Jennings has shown tremendous upside when targeted this year. The 49ers are healthier than they have been in a while, but wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is out for the year, which should give Jennings plenty of work to be a fantasy contributor. And with the Buccaneers passing defense near the bottom in all categories, I like his chances to put up good numbers.
Rome Odunze, Bears vs. Patriots
It’s sad to see, but Keenan Allen is not the player he once was. And DJ Moore? What do you do while leaving the field? I blame the BEars coaching for a lot of their problems, but I do think Caleb Williams and fellow rookie Rome Odunze are starting to get into a rhythm. Last week, Williams targeted him seven times, and he caught five for 104 yards. This week they face a Patriots team that ranks 30th in the pass defense EPA.
Calvin Ridley, Titans at Chargers
Ridley is getting too many targets to fully capitalize on him, but he has been extremely inconsistent. Now he heads to Los Angeles to face a Chargers pass defense that ranks third in fantasy points allowed to receivers. He’s still worth starting where the bye weeks make things tough, but I don’t have much confidence in him this week.
Marvin Harrison, Cardinals vs. Jets
Harrison has been inconsistent all season, but over the last five games he has only had one where it was worth starting with fantasy. That was a great game, racking up 111 yards and a touchdown against the Dolphins two weeks ago, but you don’t want to talk about the rest.
So far this season, he has been a Top 10 fantasy receiver twice and is averaging just 6.1 goals per game. This week he faces a Jets secondary that has allowed five wide receiver touchdowns through nine games all season and the fewest overall receptions by a good margin.
Taysom Hill, Saints vs. Falcons
The Saints are hurting this week with Chris Olave – and maybe even more – with another head injury, Rashid Shaheed done for the season, and then a lot of depth pieces at receiver and running back missed time. Taysom Hill should put that to good use again this week. And when he gets a lot of snaps, he’s usually involved at the goal line.
Hunter Henry, Patriots vs. Bears
The Bears defense is tough on wide receivers, but they let the tight ends get their checkdowns. Drake Maye has realized early on that Henry is his safe spot and I expect him to lead the team in goals this week as the Bears defense protects against the big play.
Sam LaPorta, Texans Lions
The Texans lead the league in receptions and yards allowed by tight ends this season. Additionally, Jameson Williams is returning from his suspension, and Sam LaPorta is averaging just 3.3 goals per game this season. None of this looks promising.
Ja’Tavion Sanders, Panthers vs. Giants
Sanders has been putting up some decent numbers lately and it makes sense to watch him with so many good goals ahead of him. The good news is that he is hitting big winners and proving that he should continue to see more goals every week. But I’m concerned about this game as the Giants lead the league in sacks and Bryce Young has been brutally pressured this season. I think the connection between Young and Sanders will take more time than Young will find in the wallet this week.