Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 10: Debating Difficult Fantasy Football Lineup Decisions

With a large amount of inactive teams in Week 10, fantasy owners will be faced with plenty of difficult start 'em, sit 'em decisions. Although, at this point in the season, these decisions aren't quite as horrifying—the ceilings and floors of players throughout the league are well-known.

Still, there's lots to consider when choosing your starting lineup. Teamwide matchups, current on-field trends, injuries and game-time weather conditions must all be brought into the equation. So, which players warrant a starting spot and which should be relegated to the bench this week?

Here's a look at one player to start, and one to sit, for each fantasy position to help quell those late-week debates over lineup decisions.

Quarterback

Start 'Em: Carson Palmer, Arizona Cardinals

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At first glance, it seems a little strange to give a quarterback not named Aaron Rodgers or Peyton Manning the nod to start against a St. Louis Rams pass defense ranked eighth in the league. However, the Rams' league ranking doesn't translate well to the fantasy realm, as opposing signal-callers are averaging 17.9 fantasy points per game against this unit. That's the seventh most in the NFL.

Palmer is a fantastic choice to start in Week 10. Not only is his matchup favorable, but he's been lights out since his return from a shoulder injury earlier in the season. Here's a look at his numbers in the four games he's played since his return to action:

Week	Opponent	Pass Yds	TD	INT	Fantasy Pts.
6	Washington	250	2	0	18
7	Oakland	253	2	1	16
8	Philadelphia	329	2	0	21
9	Dallas	249	3	1	19

That's pretty darn consistent.

Palmer's arsenal of weapons including Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd, John Brown and Andre Ellington will all be at his disposal on Sunday. Expect another big game from the veteran signal-caller.

Sit 'Em: Josh McCown, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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McCown gets the start under center for the Buccaneers in Week 10, and while he has a favorable matchup against an Atlanta Falcons defense that's allowing an average of 16.3 fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks, this veteran is best left on the bench.

Keep in mind, McCown was injured—and later benched—in his last outing against the Falcons. Before he exited the game, he had completed five of his 12 passing attempts for 58 yards and one interception through just under two quarters of action.

He's coming off a very lengthy layoff and we should expect to see a great deal of rust from the signal-caller. He didn't give fantasy owners any kind of a reason to start him earlier this season, and until he proves otherwise, he should not find his way into an owner's starting lineup in any format.

Running Back

Start 'Em: Justin Forsett, Baltimore Ravens

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Forsett has been quite the breakout fantasy stud this season. He's averaging an impressive 5.4 yards per carry through nine games this season. Despite sharing the workload out of the Ravens backfield, that average has propelled him to the league's No. 5 spot in rushing yards, according to NFL on ESPN:

This week, Forsett is up against a Tennessee Titans defense that ranks 29th in the league against the run, allowing an average of 134.8 yards per game on the ground. Just as bad from a fantasy standpoint, the Titans are also giving up an average of 20.0 fantasy points per game to opposing running backs.

Expect this ball-carrier to get the lion's share of the workload out of the backfield, and combined with his ability to catch passes, he should be considered a great starting option in Week 10.

Sit 'Em: Andre Williams, New York Giants

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Williams showed some flashes earlier in the season as a complement to Rashad Jennings, but he's proved over the last several weeks that he just isn't able to carry the full workload out of the backfield. Here's a look at Williams' numbers over New York's three-game losing streak:

Week	Opponent	Rush	Yds	YPC	TD	Rec. Yds	Fantasy Pts
6	Philadelphia	17	59	3.5	0	0	5
7	Dallas	18	51	2.8	0	0	5
9	Indianapolis	12	22	1.8	1	24	10

The rookie's plodding running style earned an average of just 3.0 yards per carry through eight games this season. Now, he's about to face his toughest challenge of the year against a Seattle Seahawks team that's only giving up 83 rushing yards per game.

The Seahawks have been one of the stingiest teams against opposing running backs this year, giving up an average of 13.3 fantasy points to the position. A tough matchup combined with a poorly-performing Williams does not warrant a start this week.

Wide Receiver

Start 'Em: Justin Hunter, Tennessee Titans

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This speedy wide receiver should flourish with the strong-armed Zach Mettenberger under center. The rookie signal-caller received his first career start in Week 8 against the Houston Texans, and while Hunter only came away with four receptions for 31 yards and a touchdown, he was targeted a team-high 10 times.

If Mettenberger continues to show Hunter this kind of love, a more experienced version of the quarterback coming off a bye should help those numbers increase. The matchup against the Ravens certainly helps, as Baltimore is giving up the third-most fantasy points in the league to opposing wide receivers with an average of 26.3 per game.

Even though Hunter's score in Week 8 came in garbage time, the fact that Mettenberger looked in his direction in the red zone is a very good sign going forward. Expect Hunter to continue to see a healthy amount of targets in Week 10, and he'll be given a great chance to make the most of them by the Ravens secondary.

Sit 'Em: Cecil Shorts III, Jacksonville Jaguars

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Don't let Shorts' position as the team's top wide receiver fool you. This pass-catcher hasn't been on the same page as rookie quarterback Blake Bortles, and that's shown in his recent production. Since Shorts' 100-yard outing in Week 6 against Tennessee, he hasn't put up more than 41 yards in any of his three games since.

In Week 9 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Bortles targeted both Allen Hurns and Allen Robinson more than he did Shorts. Robinson has become the quarterback's most trusted target, and Hurns has broken out as the team's big-play threat. Shorts has fallen by the wayside.

Also, the fact that Shorts has been dealing with a lingering hamstring injury doesn't bode well, via Ryan O'Halloran of the Florida Times-Union:

Making matters worse for the wide receiver is an unfavorable matchup in Week 10. The Dallas Cowboys are a difficult opponent for fantasy wide receivers. The Dallas defense is allowing an average of just 16.4 fantasy points to that position group, the fifth-fewest in the league.

If a fantasy owner must roll with a Jaguars receiver this week, one of the rookies would be a far better choice.

Tight End

Start 'Em: Larry Donnell, New York Giants

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Over the past two weeks, Donnell has begun to garner attention from quarterback Eli Manning. The tight end has accumulated 15 targets during that span, and he's translated those looks into 11 receptions for 115 yards and one touchdown.

Marcus Katkin of BlindsideFootball.com tweeted a telling statistic involving the Giants tight end:

New York faces a very good Seahawks defense on Sunday, and if the team's passing game is going to flourish at all, it must go through Donnell. After all, rookie Odell Beckham Jr. is clearly the team's top pass-catcher; however, he'll be blanketed by Richard Sherman all day. Rueben Randle has simply been too inconsistent to warrant much trust from his quarterback.

That leaves us with Donnell against a defense that is surprisingly allowing an average of 10.8 fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends. That's the third-most in the league heading into Week 10, making Donnell a solid fantasy play.

Sit 'Em: All Detroit Lions Tight Ends

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This should be an easy call for fantasy owners. Avoid starting any of Detroit's tight ends in Week 10 due to two very good reasons.

First, we have absolutely no idea which player will receive the most attention from quarterback Matthew Stafford. Brandon Pettigrew is dealing with a foot injury and rookie Eric Ebron has a lingering hamstring issue. Pettigrew is listed as questionable for Sunday's game, while Ebron is listed as doubtful, per MLive.com's Justin Rogers. Meanwhile, Kellen Davis has been getting first-team reps at practice.

While a clustered group is already an issue for fantasy owners, an impending contest against the Miami Dolphins only further hinders these players' values. Miami's defense is allowing just 6.0 fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends.

Also, Miami owns the league's second-ranked pass defense, and while that's a problem in itself, the return of Calvin Johnson and Reggie Bush will only limit the amount of targets for the rest of the offense.

Defense/Special Teams

Start 'Em: Kansas City Chiefs

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The Chiefs are given a favorable matchup against the Buffalo Bills in Week 10. Due to injuries to running backs C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson, the Bills were forced to go with Anthony Dixon and Bryce Brown out of the backfield. Neither player was able to step up in Week 8, as they combined for just 59 yards on 29 carries.

With the Bills unable to get the running game going, they will rely more on the pass. While Kyle Orton has been good under center this season, he's facing his most difficult challenge yet on Sunday; the Chiefs' top-ranked pass defense is only allowing an average of 199.4 yards per game.

BJ Kissel of KCChiefs.com elaborated on the team's pass defense:

If Buffalo can't muster a decent ground game, the offense will be completely one-dimensional, allowing Kansas City's full focus to be on stopping the passing game. That's when the Chiefs pass-rushers, who have tallied 27 sacks so far this season, will come into play.

Sit 'Em: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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Tampa Bay's defense gets a reeling Falcons team in Week 10. Atlanta hasn't been very dynamic on the offensive side of the ball of late, scoring 21 points or fewer in each of its last four contests. That's likely to change on Sunday.

Not only are the Falcons coming off a bye week—and healthier as a result—but Tampa Bay doesn't match up well against their weak offensive line. Pressure on quarterback Matt Ryan has been the root cause of the Falcons' offensive woes; however, the Buccaneers have only tallied 13 sacks through eight games this season.

If Tampa Bay can't apply pressure to Ryan, expect wide receivers Julio Jones and Roddy White to have field days against the league's 31st-ranked pass defense that is allowing an average of 285.3 yards per game.

Kicker

Start 'Em: Mason Crosby, Green Bay Packers

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Quarterback Aaron Rodgers is red-hot coming into Week 10, and that will translate into the Packers finding their way to the Chicago Bears' side of the field quite often. This will give plenty of scoring opportunities to Crosby against a team that has yielded the most fantasy points per game (10.8) to opposing kickers.

While starting a kicker is basically a crapshoot every week, Crosby certainly has plenty of upside to work with.

Sit 'Em: Ryan Succop, Tennessee Titans

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Despite the Titans coming off a bye week, we still don't know exactly what to expect from Mettenberger. Tennessee's offense is a bit of a mystery right now, and that severely decreases the fantasy value of Succop.

Fantasy owners should also be concerned about Baltimore's track record against kickers this season from a fantasy football standpoint. The Ravens are allowing an average of just 6.1 points per game to the position. You're better off looking elsewhere for a kicker in Week 10.