There are only four weeks left in the fantasy football regular season and every decision matters for managers still alive in their league's playoff picture. While Week 9's fantasy advice admittedly didn't age too well, there are still plenty of noteworthy observations to take away from the latest slate of NFL games as owners try to navigate the last set of bye weeks and work towards a playoff spot.
There were plenty of good performances in Week 10 but a few key issues that could cause problems from a fantasy perspective going forward. Let's take a look at some key players who should be bench considerations in Week 11, beginning with a heavy dose of the Vikings offense.
Fantasy Stars Who Should Be Benched After Week 10
RB Jordan Mason, Minnesota Vikings
While no one can deny that Mason is a talented runner, his situation has become much more complicated since Aaron Jones returned from IR. The two have become a committee thanks to Mason's strong work while Jones was out, but head coach Kevin O'Connell has installed Jones as the head, meaning Mason receives less work each week.
The situation is even messier since Jones has left each of the past two games due to injury, leaving Mason to carry the load down the stretch ... only for the promise of Jones to come back the following week. Jones has been productive when healthy, racking up 47 yards on nine carries in Minnesota's loss to Baltimore, and Mason ended Week 10 with just four carries for 25 yards.
Mason is also less involved in the passing game than Jones, receiving just one target compared to six for Jones, so this is a clear 1A/1B situation when both players are healthy with Mason on the short end of the stick. Keep an eye on Jones' shoulder injury this week, but if both backs are healthy, Mason will have little fantasy value.
All Vikings pass catchers not named Justin Jefferson
While the Ravens defense is improving, the Vikings offense has been off all year long. The organization's decisions to let go of both Sam Darnold and Daniel Jones have backfired as J.J. McCarthy has predictably struggled through growing pains while Carson Wentz didn't have much more success while McCarthy missed time with a high-ankle sprain.
With Wentz gone for the season it is McCarthy's show now, and he offered little reason for optimism against the Ravens while completing just 20-of-42 passes for 248 yards with a touchdown and two inteceptions. The bad quarterback play is dragging down all of Minnesota's pass catchers: T.J. Hockenson was non-existent while Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison delivered middling stat lines.
With a matchup against the resurgent Bears looming on Sunday it is hard to trust any Vikings outside of Jones for fantasy purposes. There is no world where anyone should be benching Jefferson, who can carry a fantasy team if he is fed the football, but any other Vikings are risky plays while McCarthy figures out how to make plays in the NFL.
RB Kyle Monangai, Chicago Bears
Speaking of those Bears, there were fewer hotter fantasy pickups after Week 10 than rookie running back Kyle Monangai, who had the backfield to himself in Week 9 and gashed the hapless Bengals defense for over 150 yards on the ground. While the New York Giants provided a favorable matchup for Monangai in Week 10, the complication for him was that starter D'Andre Swift returned and re-assumed his lead role in the Bears backfield.
Chicago head coach Ben Johnson likes to rely on his running game and is copying his Detroit model with the Bears, having Swift assume the Jahmyr Gibbs role of Sonic while Monangai cosplays as David Montgomery's Knuckles. Just like in Detroit, Sonic (Swift) out-carries Knuckles (Monangai) for the Bears, with Swift turning 13 carries into 80 yards while Monangai turned his seven into 28.
A touchdown did offer a saving grace for those who started Monangai in fantasy but, much like Tyler Allgeier in Atlanta, he only offers standalone fantasy value in matchups where Chicago can rush over 40 times or if Swift is out. Neither of those things appears likely in Week 11 against a stout Vikings run defense, so Monangai should head back to your bench for the time being.
RB Jacory "Bill" Croskey-Merritt, Washington Commanders
The man known as Bill won hearts and minds by stealing Washington's running back job in training camp, but the regular season has been a struggle for Croskey-Merritt. The continued loss of Commanders skill-position players to injury has put more of a burden on Croskey-Merritt to carry the Washington offense, which he has continually showed he isn't capable of.
Sunday's loss to the Detroit Lions was the latest mediocre effort for Bill, who rushed for just 30 yards on 13 carries. Game flow was certainly an issue for Croskey-Merritt, who offers minimal value in the passing game, but coach Dan Quinn may start looking to feed more work to backups Chris Rodriguez and Jeremy McNichols in an effort to spark a struggling offense.
Things certainly don't get any better for Croskey-Merritt in Week 11 as Washington heads overseas to take on a Dolphins defense that held James Cook to just 53 yards on the ground in Week 10. Benching Bill isn't much of a question here as the bigger concern may be whether it is worth keeping Croskey-Merritt on your roster if you have a need elsewhere with Washington's bye looming in Week 12.