Fantasy Fallout: Week 10

By: Billy Gabelman (StatATL) and Mike Johnson (Mjohnson86)

Welcome to the Monday edition of the Daily Dose newsletter, our “Fantasy Fallout” day. In this article, you will get a quick rundown of the relevant things we learned from the week’s games from Thursday through Sunday. 

We won’t talk about every single player and we usually won’t spend time on studs who go nuts (no one needs to be told to start CeeDee Lamb right now!), but rather, the idea is to update you on usage trends, injuries, and other relevant things to help your decisions with your teams.

Bengals at Ravens

• Ja’Marr Chase exploded for 264 yards and 3 TDs on 17 targets. Through 10 games, the opposing WR1 has averaged 24 PPR fantasy points against BAL and it continues to be a spot to exploit. 

• Chase Brown saw 24 opportunities and amassed 94 total yards and a TD in a 35-34 loss to the Ravens. With Zack Moss on IR, Brown is a trade target even with the acquisition of Khalil Herbert from the Bears. 

• Tee Higgins missed his third straight game, which led to more opportunities for both Mike Gesicki (nine targets) and Tanner Hudson (seven targets). Gesicki is viable any week Higgins misses.

• Recently acquired Diontae Johnson saw two targets in his second game with the Ravens, while only playing 8% of the offensive snaps. He’s likely unplayable until he learns the playbook.

• Ravens WR Tylan Wallace produced a complete outlier game of 115 yards and a TD, however this is not a stat line to chase as he has only recorded a reception in two of 10 BAL games this season. 

Giants at Panthers

• Rookie RB Jonathon Brooks failed to make his NFL debut, leaving Chuba Hubbard to continue his dominance of the CAR backfield by rushing for 153 yards and a TD. The backfield is his until further notice.

• Tyrone Tracy has secured the primary share of the Giants’ backfield, out-touching Devin Singletary, 19-9. Tracy rushed for over 100 yards and scored a TD, however, he fumbled on the first snap of overtime. 

• It’s now back-to-back weeks rookie Jalen Coker has led the Panthers WRs in yardage. He’s an intriguing waiver add for teams looking for WR depth. 

Falcons at Saints

• Bijan Robinson has finally looked like a first-round pick the past few weeks, with his fifth straight game of 20+ fantasy points. Bijan has 20 or more touches in four straight games.

• Kirk Cousins threw for 300 yards for the second time this season, with both Drake London and Darnell Mooney accounting for 90+ yards in a game ATL trailed throughout.

• Marquez Valdes-Scantling exploded for 109 yards and two TDs, yet only saw three targets. He’s an extremely volatile receiver who only has four targets on the season.

• The Saints kept their season alive with a 20-17 win over the Falcons. Usually reliable kicker Younghoe Koo missed three FGs in one of the worst games of his NFL career.

49ers at Bucs

• CMC saw 20 opportunities in his return, handling 13 of 18 designed runs. He should be viewed as an elite trade target for teams in a comfortable playoff position.

• Brock Purdy became the sixth QB this season to either throw for 300 yards or have at least three passing TDs against the Buccaneers. Tampa Bay continues to be a defense to target QBs against.

• Bucky Irving amassed 87 total yards and a TD on 16 touches. He has become a viable every-week starter.

• Cade Otton saw eight targets and now has 39 targets over the past four weeks with Evans and Godwin out/injured. He remains an every-week starter at TE.

Steelers at Commanders

• In the best real-life game of the day, Russell Wilson led the Steelers to a 28-27 win with three passing TDs.

• Najee Harris left the game with an injury and didn’t return. A situation to monitor. Jalen Warren would step into an expanded role if Najee is unable to play. 

• George Pickens had a highlight-reel TD on his way to 91 yards on five catches. Next week, the Steelers face the Ravens, who have allowed monster games to most WR1s they’ve faced this season.

• Noah Brown has seen 19 targets the past three weeks and has established himself as the WR2 in the Washington offense. He’s a viable option for teams needing WR depth through the bye weeks.

Bills at Colts

• Keon Coleman and Amari Cooper both missed for the Bills, leading Mack Hollins to lead BUF in receiving with 86 yards on four receptions. 

• James Cook remained the unquestioned lead back, turning 20 touches into 85 yards and a TD. 

• Dalton Kincaid left the game with a knee injury in the first half. A situation to monitor as Kincaid’s involvement in the offense had gradually increased as the season progressed. The Bills play the Chiefs next week but have their bye in Week 12 and may opt to hold Kincaid out through their bye.

• Jonathan Taylor saw 21 rushes and eclipsed the century mark (100 yards) for the fourth time in JT’s seventh game of the season. 

• With Michael Pittman inactive for the first time, rookie WR Adonai Mitchell had his best game of the year with 71 yards on a season-high six targets. If Pittman were to miss extended time, Mitchell would be an intriguing waiver pickup.

Patriots at Bears

• Caleb Williams struggled once again. His 120 yards marked the fifth time this season he’s failed to exceed 175 passing yards. He should remain on your bench the next few weeks as the Bears face the Lions (x2), Vikings (x2) and 49ers in five of their next six games. 

• Despite a poor fantasy output, Rhamondre Stevenson saw 21 touches in a game the Patriots controlled throughout. 

Vikings at Jaguars

• Aaron Jones left the game after taking a massive hit, but he returned late in the fourth quarter to help close the game out. Despite the injury, he was able to account for over 100 total yards on 19 touches.

• Sam Darnold struggled mightily in the red zone, tossing three interceptions. The Vikings were able to defeat the Jaguars, 12-7, despite failing to score a TD.

• T.J. Hockenson led the Vikings in receptions and receiving yards, producing 72 yards on eight receptions. After missing the first half of the season, he’s locked in as a weekly starter at TE.

• Mac Jones got the start for the Jags with Trevor Lawrence sidelined with a shoulder injury, and he struggled to get much going. Expectations will need to be tempered on all JAX offenses pieces if Lawrence were to miss extended time. 

Broncos at Chiefs

• Audric Estime led the Broncos backfield with 14 rushes. Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin only combined for three rushes. Estime saw increased usage last week and is a priority waiver pickup. 

• Kareem Hunt amassed 100 total yards on 21 touches. He remains locked in as a weekly starter at RB or Flex with his steady role.

• The Chiefs remained undefeated, blocking a potential game-winning 35-yard FG as time expired. Travis Kelce led the team with 64 yards and a TD on 12 targets, his third straight game leading the team in targets (40 the past three weeks).

Titans at Chargers

• Calvin Ridley had his best game of the season with six receptions for 84 yards and two touchdowns. He now has been targeted 32 times in three games since the DeAndre Hopkins trade. With that kind of volume and a lot of trailing game scripts, Ridley is getting close to “must-start” territory.

• Titans RB Tyjae Spears returned from injury and the Titans backfield turned into the timeshare it was when the season began, as Spears had 10 touches to 13 for Tony Pollard. Both are tough to start in upcoming games against the Vikings and Texans.

• Los Angeles returned to a run-heavy game plan after a few weeks with an elevated pass rate. Justin Herbert threw only 18 passes, while the team had 39 rushing attempts. RB Gus Edwards returned and had 10 carries for 50 yards, cutting into the workload for J.K. Dobbins.

• All of the Chargers’ wide receivers struggled due to the spread-out nature of the offense and the low volume of pass attempts, demonstrating the low floor that all of them possess depending on matchup and game script.

Eagles at Cowboys

• The Eagles started a little slow but eventually blew out the Cowboys, as expected. Jalen Hurts was the main engine of the offense, rushing for two TDs and throwing for two more.

• Saquon Barkley only handled 15 touches, as the Eagles worked their other RBs earlier in the game than usual against an inferior opponent and ended Barkley’s night early once things got out of hand. Don’t panic, in competitive games they will give him a ton of work.

• Tight end Dallas Goedert returned from his hamstring injury and caught two passes for 25 yards and a touchdown. 

• Cooper Rush struggled in his season debut as the Cowboys starting quarterback and was relieved late by Trey Lance. It was announced this weekend that Dak Prescott is done for the season, so you can drop him if he’s still on your roster. The Cowboys’ season appears to be a lost cause, and it wouldn’t be surprising if Dallas turns to the young Lance as its starter in the next few weeks.

• No Dallas skill player besides CeeDee Lamb is currently a no-doubt starter. Rico Dowdle and Jake Ferguson depend on what other options you have, and anyone after them is just a hope and a prayer.

Jets at Cardinals

• The Jets’ offense took a big step back this week and was dominated by Arizona. The Cardinals appear to be a serious contender to win the NFC West and enter their bye week with a 6-4 record. 

• Kyler Murray, James Conner, Trey McBride, and Marvin Harrison Jr. are weekly starters at their positions for the Cardinals. No one else deserves consideration for your fantasy teams as long as the core four stay healthy.

• Garrett Wilson, Davante Adams, and Breece Hall once again dominated the Jets' usage with roughly 75% of the team’s opportunities. The main issue was that they weren’t able to do anything with that usage. Adams was targeted 13 times but managed only six receptions for 31 yards.

Lions at Texans

• Lions tight end Sam LaPorta picked up a shoulder injury and his status for Week 11 should be followed closely by fantasy managers. 

• David Montgomery, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Amon-Ra St. Brown dominated the team’s touches along with LaPorta. All are weekly starters, with Jameson Williams and Jared Goff being dependent on the week’s dynamics.

• Goff and C.J. Stroud took turns throwing interceptions, with Goff turning the ball over five times while Stroud threw it to the wrong team twice.

• Texans WR Nico Collins once again sat out, but he has a good chance to return in Week 11 against the Cowboys on Monday Night Football. His return will be a big hit to the usage of the rest of the Texans receivers and tight ends, as he was dominating the league prior to his hamstring injury.

Join us Tuesday for Week 11 Waiver Targets!