Fantasy NFL Game by Game Breakdown, Week 10

We have a very nice 11 game slate in front of us for Week 10 in the NFL and we’ll be breaking it all down for you to see who the best plays are!

My goodness the options are plentiful this week. After a quick count of just the running backs I had some interest in, I realized there’s 18 backs I had some level of interest in. That’s a massive number, especially this late in the season. Let’s get into why there’s so many options this week!

Fantasy NFL – Saints at Bengals

Saints Defensive Ranks 

QB – 31st, 25.2   RB – 6th, 14.5   WR – 32nd, 36.4  TE – 6th, 5.5 

A.J. Green is out for the Bengals and DraftKings priced thing like he would miss since Tyler Boyd is basically the same exact price. I would have loved him against P.J. Williams in the slot but we’re not sure if he moves to the outside with no Green or stays in the slot.

That means I’m likely to stay away from the Bengals passing game, despite the good matchup. The Saints really held Gurley in check  last week although Malcolm Brown did sneak in a touchdown on a reception.

If they can hold Gurley in check, I’m not sure Joe Mixon in a worse offense can do any better. It’s tougher to trust Mixon without Green as well. The best rushing defense in yards per game can key in on Mixon and dare Dalton and the beat up passing game to beat them.

It’s not like C.J. Uzomah is going to scare anyone either. New Orleans D/ST could be a very sneaky option in case Dalton implodes in this spot.

Cash Options – None

GPP Options – Tyler Boyd, Joe Mixon, C.J. Uzomah, Andy Dalton

Bengals Defensive Ranks 

QB – 29th, 23.2   RB – 25th, 23.3   WR – 27th, 27.8   TE – 30th, 11.1 

The Bengals have allowed the 10th most receptions to running backs and nine total touchdowns so far. They’re also seventh in rushing yards allowed so this could be a prime spot for Alvin Kamara.

Mark Ingram is a harder sell despite his price because he’s fallen behind Kamara in about every facet of the game. The Saints were only averaging about 27 pass attempts a game after Ingram returned before this past week’s shootout and yet Ingram has had exactly one good game.

Michael Thomas is coming off one of the best games in his career and is a perfectly fine option but I won’t be using him. I’m just fearful of the run/pass ratio if the Saints are in control.

The match-up is wonderful and Thomas can’t be covered anyways but if you get 5 for 75 at his price, you’re going to be upset. Cincinnati gives up the second most points to tight ends so Ben Watson isn’t a bad GPP dart even though New Orleans could be more ground and pound this week.

Cash Options – Alvin Kamara

GPP Options – Drew Brees, Michael Thomas, Ben Watson, Saints D/ST

Fantasy NFL – Falcons at Browns

Falcons Defensive Ranks 

QB – 30th, 23.8   RB – 24th, 22.3   WR – 30th, 30.4   TE – 17th, 7.8 

The Browns offense showed some life and the first place we have to go is the running backs. Duke Johnson is one of my locks already as he finally was unleashed in this offense last week, leading the team with nine targets.

Atlanta continues to lead the league in giving up receptions to running backs at right about eight receptions a game. Johnson and Baker Mayfield are pretty good together as well-

The good thing about last game for the Browns is that Nick Chubb still saw 23 touches and received six red zone chances. This happened in a game that the Chiefs were ahead through a lot of it so Chubb’s role is safe as well.

Jarvis Landry should be able to have a nice day against Brian Poole and a game script that is conducive to passing the ball. The ceiling hasn’t been what I thought it would be for Landry but he’s a perfectly fine cash play.

If we like some of the weapons, that means Mayfield is a very solid salary saver in a good matchup. Even Alex Smith passed for 300 yards against this Falcons defense.

Cash Options – Duke Johnson, Nick Chubb, Jarvis Landry, Baker Mayfield

GPP Options – David Njoku 

Browns Defensive Ranks 

QB – 15th, 16.8   RB – 30th, 25.6   WR – 22nd, 25.5   TE – 23rd, 8.4 

The Falcons were impressive out of the bye and Cleveland’s defense has slowly gotten worse and worse this season. It’s not all their fault since they lead the league in snaps against but the cracks are stating to show.

I’m not sure that there’s a bad play among the main cogs of the Falcons offense. Tevin Coleman is a prime value this week given how high the other running backs are priced and even in a split, he’s seeing more than 12 touches a game.

Ito Smith is a cheaper pivot who should get 10 touches or more. The Browns are allowing the fourth most rush yards per game and the third most points to running backs. It’s gone very unnoticed, but Matt Ryan is coming very close to matching his output from his MVP season.

The fantasy points are even higher right now than in 2016 and there’s nothing that scares me here. The Browns could be without Denzel Ward and they scratched safety Damarious Randall last week.

Fire up Julio Jones with plenty of confidence and now that the touchdown streak has broken, maybe he goes on a binge.

Cash Options – Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, Tevin Coleman

GPP Options – Ito Smith, Calvin Ridley, Austin Hooper

Fantasy NFL – Jaguars at Colts

Jaguars Defensive Ranks 

QB – 4th, 15.4    RB – 9th, 15.9   WR – 1st, 17.5   TE – 10th, 6.4 

I’m a little nervous here for the Colts with the Jaguars coming out of the bye. That defense has not played up to what their standard really is so far and they might come out on fire. Many of the Colts are just GPP options for me and I’m probably looking elsewhere for passing game elements.

The Jags are still allowing the fewest passing yards per game in the NFL so Andrew Luck and his weapons take a hit. What’s interesting is Jacksonville has been getting ripped up on the ground, giving up 123 yards rushing per game.

Part of the reason that hasn’t translated to fantasy points against is because they’ve only given up five touchdowns to the position all season. Given the $6,000 price tag for Marlon Mack, nobody is going to look at him and he represents a great GPP play.

I’m likely to pass on T.Y. Hilton or the tight end combo of Jack Doyle and Eric Ebron this week, although I will say Doyle is in play despite the matchup. He’s among the top five for tight ends in snaps and routes run per game.

Cash Options – None

GPP Options – Andrew Luck, T.Y. Hilton, Marlon Mack, Jack Doyle

Colts Defensive Ranks 

QB – 19th, 18.0   RB – 16th, 17.9   WR – 9th, 21.9   TE – 24th, 8.5 

The Jaguars should welcome back Leonard Fournette this week but DraftKings did us no favors with a $6,300 price tag. Coming off a very long lay-off with capable T.J. Yeldon and Carlos Hyde behind him doesn’t seem to be the right spot to use Fournette.

The Colts have allowed the third most receptions to running backs so this could be a very sneaky spot for Yeldon and his 37 receptions on the season. It would be a super low-owned player in GPPs that could make the difference, especially if Fournette got hurt again.

The passing game is far too clustered and inefficient to have any faith in the pass catchers or Blake Bortles himself.

Bortles always has upside with his rushing ability and uncanny knack for garbage time production but the Colts defense has played better than a lot of us thought this year. It doesn’t seem necessary to take this path on this slate, even with Bortles at a $4,900 price tag.

Cash Options – Blake Bortles if you’re punting quarterback

GPP Options – Leonard Fournette, T.J. Yeldon

Fantasy NFL – Lions at Bears

Lions Defensive Ranks 

QB – 12th, 16.6    RB – 28th, 23.9   WR – 10th, 22.2   TE – 18th, 7.9 

The Bears offense has a better chance at being able to produce some numbers since they have to square off against a competent offense this week. The Lions should score more points than the Bills on a normal day so could that mean more touches for Tarik Cohen?

He’s only seen seven touches in each of the past two games but the Bears have controlled the scoreboard through those matchups. It’s possible Cohen and Jordan Howard both have pretty good days since the Lions give up the fourth most rushing yards and eighth most points to backs so far this year.

We should see Mitchell Trubisky get right back to being a solid quarterback option after a bit of a dud in Buffalo last week.

One factor that might give you pause is Detroit has given up the fewest rushing yards to a quarterback so far, which has been a boon to the fantasy value of Trubisky. However, they’ve also only faced two quarterbacks with any notable rushing chops in Dak Prescott and Russell Wilson, neither of who have been running.

They did face Aaron Rodgers but that was when his one was banged up. Take the rushing yards to quarterbacks with a grain of salt. I’m not really interested n the pass catchers against a solid secondary and an average passer at best.

Cash Options – Jordan Howard, Tarik Cohen, Mitchell Trubisky

GPP Options – A Chicago pass catcher of your choice

Bears Defensive Ranks 

QB – 8th, 16.1   RB – 1st, 16.1   WR – 17th, 23.4   TE – 15th, 7.5 

After the performance of the Lions offense this past week, you have to be a little skittish about using any Lions player. Chicago has 24 sacks and might have Khalil Mack returning to the lineup this week.

The Lions won’t give up 10 sacks again(I think)and the offense should put up more than nine points. Marvin Jones is going to be the first place many look since Kenny Golladay has pulled a disappearing act for three weeks.

While I do think Jones is a fine cash play with his eight targets last week, Golladay sets up for a great GPP play. I can’t exactly explain why he’s seen seven targets in the past three games but I also don’t expect it to continue. With Golden Tate out of town, it’s just a matter of time before the young receiver gets on track.

The running game is frustrating with the return of Theo Riddick. The game script got out of hand quickly but Kerryon Johnson saw his snaps drop by near 30 percent down to 51 this past week. Riddick saw 55 percent and co-led the team with eight targets alongside Jones.

I don’t have total faith that the Bears offense will force Riddick to be used so both Johnson and Riddick could be considered GPP options only. The positive for Johnson is he still did 15 touches but the matchup doesn’t get much worse. With limited upside on paper, I’m not likely to roster Lions running backs this week.

Cash Options – Marvin Jones

GPP Options – Matthew Stafford, Kenny Golladay, Kerryon Johnson, Theo Riddick

Fantasy NFL – Cardinals at Chiefs

Cardinals Defensive Ranks 

QB – 2nd, 13.9   RB – 31st, 26.8   WR – 6th, 20.6   TE – 7th, 5.7 

Let’s be honest, the defensive ranks don’t serve much purpose here. The Cardinals are just next in line for the buzz saw and Kareem Hunt has my attention again in yet another smash spot. The Cardinals give up the second most rushing yards per game and only the Browns have allowed more rushing touchdowns.

That’s a good mix for Hunt, who leads a top-2 offense in red zone chances with 31. The price on Travis Kelce is likely to scare folks of on DraftKings but just keep in mind he’s really a receiver. Only nine receivers have more than his 79 targets on the season. Tyreek Hill is super cheap relatively thinking, coming off two straight very play games and should see Patrick Peterson in coverage.

That’s a great spot to deploy him in GPP because as good as Peterson is, Hill can dust any corner in the league and that could basically pay him off. Hill does have the weird split where he only has eight touchdowns at home to 20 on the road but that’s just an odd stat.

Sammy Watkins is always in play and if you think Peterson negates Watkins, he’s even more attractive. The Chiefs offense is one of the best and I would never really talk you out of anyone. I’d rank the skill players Hunt, Kelce, Hill and then Watkins. The only reason you’re not playing Patrick Mahomes is price and even then, he’s cheaper than he should be.

Cash Options – Patrick Mahomes, Kareem Hunt, Travis Kelce

GPP Options – Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins

Chiefs Defensive Ranks 

QB – 27th, 20.5    RB – 32nd, 26.9   WR – 15th, 23.1  TE – 26th, 9.7 

It’s in the realm of possibility that David Johnson is a top-3 points per dollar running back on this slate. The top end guys are wildly expensive and Johnson is at least $1,900 cheaper than the top three backs.

We saw what the combo of Nick Chubb and Duke Johnson just did to Kansas City – 10 receptions, 176 total yards and three touchdowns. Now, I wouldn’t expect Johnson to replicate those numbers on his own but DJ is the only back in the Arizona offense.

The Chiefs have taken over as dead last against running backs he should touch the ball at least 15-18 times.

Past Johnson, you could certainly use Larry Fitzgerald or Christian Kirk. Fitzgerald rose from the fantasy dead under new OC Byron Leftwich last time we saw him for 8/102/1 on 12 targets. Kirk saw seven and found the end zone himself.

Josh Rosen threw the ball 40 times in a game that combined for 33 points. There’s no reason to think he won’t replicate that total against a team that likely will score 30 on their own.

Cash Options – David Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald

GPP Options – Christian Kirk

Fantasy NFL – Patriots at Titans

Patriots Defensive Ranks 

QB – 25th, 19.5    RB – 15th, 17.7   WR – 13th, 22.5   TE – 27th, 10.3 

The Titans offense actually showed some life this past week against a tougher-than-you-think Dallas defense. Marcus Mariota sort of woke up a little bit and was buoyed by his three total touchdowns.

His price is incredibly low and is a reasonable punt option to take to fit everyone else in a lineup. It’s hard to have much faith pairing him with any passing weapon as Corey Davis leads the team in targets but hasn’t done a lot with him.

It’s not all his fault as the quality of targets has been lacking through most of the season. I would assume the Patriots would focus their attention on Dion Lewis. He out-touched Derrick Henry this past week 23-6 and was in on the field for over 80 percent of the snaps.

The price tag is pretty appealing because Lewis is clearly the pass catching back and should be in line for another big-time workload regardless of the score. On an 11 game slate, I wouldn’t dig too far into an offense that has only scored 16.8 points a game this season, 29th in the league.

Cash Options – Marcus Mariota, Dion Lewis

GPP Options – Corey Davis

Titans Defensive Ranks 

QB – 6th, 15.5   RB – 5th, 13.3   WR – 24th, 25.7  TE – 1st, 3.4 

Has anyone noticed Tom Brady has eight touchdowns in his past five games? That’s a real thing and there’s definitely other quarterbacks I’m interested in. The one player I want a good bit of is Josh Gordon.

Malcolm Butler has been awful this season, surrendering 26 receptions on 39 targets for four touchdowns and a 127.5 passer rating. I have a feeling Bill Belichick might want to prove that Butler deserved to not be starting the Super Bowl and Gordon is coming of a game with double-digit targets and 130 yards plus a touchdown.

Don’t be surprised if he gets close to that again, especially since those two players should square off a decent amount.

Sony Michel is also due back and I’m interested despite the tough matchup because he should still see enough scoring chances to help offset anything else. Michel was third in the league in red zone opportunities before his injury and still has a 33 percent market share.

You pretty much know what you’ll get from Julian Edelman since he’s one of Tom Brady‘s favorites but he needs almost 21 points to hit 3x. I want no part of Rob Gronkowski not matter what. He’s quietly been pretty poor this season, even when he was healthy. He has just one touchdown all season and has two red zone targets on the season.

Cash Options – Josh Gordon, Sony Michel(if active)

GPP Options – Tome Brady, Julian Edelman

Fantasy NFL – Redskins at Buccaneers

Redskins Defensive Ranks 

QB – 23rd, 19.1   RB – 11th, 16.8   WR – 23rd, 25.5  TE – 10th, 6.4

One of the bigger questions of all the value players this week might be can you go right back to Adam Humphries after his monster game last week? I’ve not really been excited to jump on him but he’s seen 27 targets in the past three weeks.

He might also present a direct pivot of a player on the other side of this game. With the Bucs, their offense is going to be pass heavy basically every game because they can’t stop anyone on defense. The Redskins offensive line is really in poor shape with injuries but I don’t expect the Bucs defense to be able to take advantage.

All of the pass catchers for Ryan “Crazy Eyes” Fitzpatrick are on the table. O.J. Howard catches your eye because he’s been such a rock in the offense. He’s hit at least 50 yards in every game he’s played in and finished so the price is still good if you don’t want to spend all the way up.

The main trio of pass catchers is volatile. Mike Evans is the clear number one but could see a little of Josh Norman this week. That doesn’t bother me that much and Fitzpatrick is going to throw regardless. DeSean Jackson and Chris Godwin are GPP options with a 14 percent target share each.

Cash Options – Adam Humphries, O.J. Howard

GPP Options – Any of the three receivers, Crazy Eyes

Buccaneers Defensive Ranks 

QB – 32nd, 25.6   RB – 27th, 23.7   WR – 31st, 30.7   TE – 31st, 11.9

People will be on board with Alex Smith and potentially Maurice Harris as the primary options this week. I’m not sure if I can go there, despite Harris having a monster game last week. If he seems like he’s going to be chalk, I’ll likely just eat it in cash since he’s so cheap and extreme chalk is irrelevant in cash games.

Harris does occupy the slot role that has tormented the Bucs all season so the matchup and targets are likely going to be there for him. It’s just a little difficult to put your faith in a passing attack that is averaging 222 yards per game, despite the matchup.

Adrian Peterson destroyed any lineup he was in last week and I’m not willing to go back with the injuries the Redskins offensive line has suffered. Peterson is still generally a one-dimensional back and needs the right game script to do well.

I’m not convinced that’s the case in this spot. There’s likely to be some chatter about Jordan Reed and Tampa does rank 30th against tight ends. He is questionable this week and Vernon Davis becomes chalk if he misses. It’s kind of the same concerns we just went over.

I’ll be honest in saying I haven’t decided where I’m headed with the Redskins yet this week.

Cash Options – Alex Smith, Maurice Harris if chalky

GPP Options – Jordan Reed, Adrian Peterson

Fantasy NFL – Bills at Jets

Bills Defensive Ranks 

QB – 3rd, 14.2    RB – 23rd, 20.8   WR – 4th, 18.9   TE – 12th, 6.8 

The only Jet options that are remotely interesting is the defense and Elijah McGuire and the defense. The D/St should be fairly obvious at this point in the season because the Bills offense is one of the worst in the league. McGuire is where things get fun.

He came off the injured reserve and out-snapped Isaiah Crowell by a fairly wide margin, which is quite the show of faith from the Jets coaches. He saw 10 touches and most importantly five targets.

In a sputtering Jets offense, McGurie could be a major part of the passing game and he has the ability to pop a big play. He’s still just $3,400 and should see double-digit touches against a defense that has allowed nine total touchdowns.

Cash Options – Elijah McGuire, Jets D/ST

GPP Options – None

Jets Defensive Ranks 

QB – 13th, 16.7   RB – 18th, 19.1   WR – 19th, 25.1   TE – 5th, 5.4 

I believe I said this last week, but don’t get cute on this slate. The only play from this side of the game is the Bills defense, which actually is a pretty solid play. Sam Darnold has been responsible for 15 turnovers already this year and the Jets are in the bottom 10 in points scored.

They’ve only exceeded 17 points twice and Buffalo could be a nice pivot off the wildly popular Jets D/ST. Some may want to play LeSean McCoy since he’s so dirt cheap but I will not fall for the trap.

Cash Options – Bills D/ST

GPP Options – None

Fantasy NFL – Chargers at Raiders

Chargers Defensive Ranks 

QB – 20th, 18.1   RB 17th – 18.1    WR – 16th, 23.2   TE – 16th, 7.6 

I want nothing to do with the Raiders after their frightfully bad performance against the 49ers in their last game. It sure looked like this team quit and about the only player you might be able to talk me into is Jalen Richard.

The issue with him is his price tag, which is approaching $5,000 on DK. If things really go his way, that’s not a bad price and he could be a nice pivot off the more popular Duke Johnson. I flat refuse to play someone like Brandon LaFell, despite him leading the team in snaps the past two weeks. Other than that, I’ll take a hard pass on the Oakland offense.

Cash Options – None

GPP Options – Jalen Richard

Raiders Defensive Ranks 

QB – 26th, 19.8   RB – 29th, 24.8   WR – 26th, 26.7   TE – 29th, 10.9 

This is actually a spot where I think the triple stack of Philip Rivers, Melvin Gordon and Keenan Allen could work out great. Those two players are seeing 48 percent of the targets from Rivers and Gordon looked plenty healthy this past game.

Gordon is going to see 20 touches every week and is seventh in red zone chances despite having at least one game fewer than any player in the top 10. The Raiders have given up 19 passing touchdowns, which is tied for the second most in the league.

You can play Mike or Tyrell Williams in this spot since the Raiders are so bad but keep in mind they’re nothing more than GPP darts since they only see 13 and 12 percent of the targets in this offense. The Chargers boast a great trio and a defense that you can use for cash games this week.

Cash Options – Philip Rivers, Melvin Gordon, Keenan Allen, Chargers D/ST

GPP Options – Mike or Tyrell Williams

Fantasy NFL – Dolphins at Packers

Dolphins Defensive Ranks 

QB – 6th, 15.5   RB – 26th, 23.6   WR – 11th, 22.2. TE – 22nd, 8.3 

This is kind of an odd spot for the Packers and Aaron Rodgers. When you see Rodgers at only $6,400 on DK, it draws your attention. However, of the five highest salaried quarterbacks, Rodgers is fifth in DK points per game.

Miami is allowing the 11th most yards per game through the air but they also lead the NFL in interceptions. That’s usually not an issue for Rodgers so I think he’s still plenty viable and I might lean towards pairing him with Marques Valdes-Scantling instead of Davante Adams. MVS will likely see very little of Xavien Howard which is a good thing for the emerging rookie.

The running game is interesting here as well since Aaron Jones is only $5,000. He just missed a 60 percent share of the snaps last week and had four red zone chances, leading the team.

Miami is top five in points allowed to running backs so the elusive “Aaron Jones Breakout Game” could finally be here this week. He’s even seen six targets the past two weeks which is a good sign as well. The Packers offense should be able to have their way this week with Miami.

Cash Options – Aaron Rodgers, Aaron Jones

GPP Options – Jimmy Graham, Davante Adams, Marquez Valdes-Scantling

Packers Defensive Ranks 

QB – 18th, 17.7   RB – 19th, 19.5  WR – 29th, 28.6   TE – 4.8 

The Miami offense is one one of the most frustrating in football. When they insist on giving Frank Gore 20 carries for 2.7 yards a carry and throw the ball at DeVante Parker twice after a big game, it just leads me to believing they don’t know what they’re doing.

The most tilting part was Adam Gase saying after the game that it wasn’t part of the plan to get Kenyan Drake just seven touches. If only there was someone who was calling plays and could design ways for Drake to touch the football… the NFL should look into creating a position like that for coaches on the sidelines or something.

The prevailing wisdom might be that Drake and Parker will be more involved since the Dolphins should have to score in this contest. For Drake, just remember the Texans game when the Dolphins got destroyed and he saw all of two targets.

As far as Parker goes, I’m not convinced Adam Gase even wants him around so this whole team is an avoid for me.

Cash Options – None

GPP Options – Kenyan Drake, Danny Amendola, DeVante Parker

Fantasy NFL – Seahawks at Rams

Seahawks Defensive Ranks 

QB – 1st, 13.5    RB – 12th, 16.9   WR – 18th, 24.4  TE – 2nd, 4.3

Much like the Chiefs, I care very little for the ranks here with the Seattle defense. We’re talking about the Rams offense. Any of the five core players are great options. This might be the first week I don’t have Todd Gurley everywhere, just due to the immense amount of running backs that I could play. He’s still Gurley and a great play.

Jared Goff is coming off a monster game and any of his receivers are solid options. Brandin Cooks is the GPP guy while Robert Woods holds the highest floor and Cooper Kupp likely will score a touchdown. It’s really that simple with the Rams.

Cash Options – Todd Gurley, Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods

GPP Options – Brandin Cooks, Jared Goff

Rams Defensive Ranks 

QB – 14th, 16.7   RB – 14th, 17.2   WR – 21st, 25.2    TE – 19th, 7.9 

I’m hoping we know the status of Chris Carson by Friday and don’t have to wait out a game time decision on Sunday. If Carson is out, Mike Davis is one of the primary values of the slate. He would inherit a major workload and some people may shy away due to game script concerns.

Not only do the Seahawks and Rams always seem to play each other tough but Davis had seven receptions last week. Even in a negative script, Davis should be fine. The biggest issue is your options are limited if you have to wait until 3PM to see about Carson.

We’ll see how that situation unfolds.

Russell Wilson continues to haunt me every week as he finds ways to score fantasy points with an insane amount of touchdowns. If you look at the first meeting and see the Seahawks scored 31 points, you might get excited for Wilson.

However, a closer look shows that Wilson only attempted 21 passes and threw for 198 yards. That doesn’t sound appealing at all and I will continue my anti-Russ stance and know that the touchdowns will abandon him at some point. I also don’t have much interest in his pass catchers since Doug Baldwin is a little expensive.

Cash Options – Mike Davis if Carson is out

GPP Options – Russell Wilson

Sample Lineup 

QB – Philip Rivers

RB – Melvin Gordon, Duke Johnson

WR – Keenan Allen, Josh Gordon, Marques Valdes-Scantling

TE – Vernon Davis

Flex – David Johnson

D/ST – Saints

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