Fantasy Football Week 10: Fact or Fiction on Week 9's Top Superstars

With the fantasy football season now more than half over, there is still time to make a late run at a playoff spot if you are behind the eight ball, or to increase your odds of playing in the second season. 

A large percentage of the waiver wire stars have been gone for weeks, but from time to time, you will see someone pique the interest of the world with a dominant three-touchdown performance. Everyone has to scramble to make sure that they get their hands on that player, if for no other reason than to keep him away from the competition. 

At the end of Week 9, there were a lot of great performances all around the league. Some of them expected—oh, Adrian Peterson was good, shocker—while others exploded on the scene to potentially add value over the final seven or eight weeks depending on your league's schedule. 

As we prepare to put a ribbon on the first week of games in November for the NFL, here is a breakdown of whether or not you should expect greatness from the stars of Week 9 in fantasy football. 

The rules are simple: We don't tell you things about players you already know. Doug Martin has been one of the most productive fantasy players for weeks, so us telling you to start him after his incredible performance against Oakland is obvious. 

These are strictly about players who you might be able to find on a waiver wire and are thinking about adding in preparation for this week's games.

Follow @adamwells1985

Mike Leshoure, RB, Detroit Lions

Week 9 Stats

16 carries, 70 yards, 3 TDs

Fact or Fiction?

Betting on a Detroit Lions running back in fantasy football has been a lesson in futility for years. Leshoure is the latest hot-shot player to emerge from the backfield with a huge performance that gets fans excited about the future. 

Unfortunately, we are going to burst fantasy bubbles today. Leshoure's big game came against a Jacksonville team that was without its best player (Maurice Jones-Drew), can't move the ball on offense and ranks 27th against the run. 

Next week, Leshoure does have a favorable matchup against a Vikings team that is really struggling right now. Christian Ponder was a mess last week, but Adrian Peterson is good enough to put the rest of the team on his back and at least keep the ball away from Detroit long enough to prevent big plays. 

The Lions are always going to be a throw-first team. Leshoure had a great fantasy game against one of the worst teams in the NFL. He won't score three touchdowns again, but can be a good No. 2 running back against Minnesota. 

Cam Newton, QB, Carolina Panthers

Week 9 Stats

13-for-23, 201 yards, 1 TD, 8 Carries, 37 yards, 1 TD

Fact or Fiction?

After searching for answers virtually all season, Cam Newton finally dug into his suggestion box to pull out the solution that worked, for at least one week. He was not dominant against Washington, but did enough to intrigue fantasy owners and had his best game since Week 4 against Atlanta. 

Next week is a matchup with the suddenly-surging Denver Broncos, who very quietly boast a top-10 pass defense and only allow 104 yards per game on the ground. 

Plus, the Panthers defense has to contain Peyton Manning long enough to give Newton a chance to do what he does best: make plays with his feet and arm. If they are down by two or three touchdowns early, he won't have time to worry about running the football. 

And the inconsistent nature which Newton plays the game makes it impossible to expect him to be a valuable fantasy player. You love the dual-threat option he presents, but there is far more risk than reward at this stage of the season. 

Isaac Redman, RB Pittsburgh Steelers

Week 9 Stats

26 carries, 147 yards, 1 TD

Fact or Fiction?

Just when you think you have the New York Giants figured out, they go and do something like this. But unlike Jim Carrey in Dumb and Dumber, they did not totally redeem themselves. In fact, they took a step back. 

The Giants' misfortune became fantasy owners' gain, as Redman had his first 100-yard game of the season and the third straight by a Steelers running back. (Jonathan Dwyer did it the previous two weeks, but was inactive this week due to a leg injury.)

Redman is a player who I can't ever give up on, and right when I am about to, he sucks me back in with a huge game. There are concerns with the Steelers offensive line, yet it appears to be hitting its stride at just the right time. 

Don't bank on Redman as a No. 1 starter the rest of the season, but if you need someone to step in for a game or two, especially this week when he goes up against Kansas City's 22nd-ranked run defense, he can give you another solid week of production. 

Golden Tate, WR, Seattle Seahawks

Week 9 Stats

4 catches, 28 yards, 2 TDs; 2 carries, 21 yards

Fact or Fiction?

Like the rest of the Seahawks offense this season, Tate has been trying to find his place in the greater NFL landscape. There have been a few games here and there where he looks like a viable fantasy option and others where he looks lost at sea. 

Some of that is Tate's own youth showing. Some of it is just the nature of playing with a rookie starting quarterback. 

Even against the Vikings, Tate didn't light the world on fire. Four catches and 28 yards isn't exactly the stuff legends are made of, but he did make his touches count with two touchdowns, so there is value somewhere in there. 

So just how much value?

Sadly, not enough to keep Tate in the starting lineup this week. The Jets will come into CenturyLink Field on Sunday, and for all their problems on both sides of the ball this season, the one thing they know how to do is defend the pass. They are sixth in the NFL in that category. 

When the Seahawks do manage to get in the red zone, expect to see a lot more Marshawn Lynch than anything else. 

T.Y. Hilton, WR, Indianapolis Colts

Week 9 Stats

6 receptions, 102 yards, 1 TD

Fact or Fiction?

As mentioned with Golden Tate, Hilton's value is going to fluctuate on a week-to-week basis because he is a rookie and the team around him is very young. 

Yet the more you watch the Colts offense play, the more there is to like. Andrew Luck has been terrific in recent weeks, which has opened doors for more players on the offense, not just Reggie Wayne. Even Donnie Avery got in on the action, with 108 yards on five catches against Miami. 

Hilton is actually first on the team in yards per reception (14.8) and tied for second with two touchdown catches. 

Even though he is not yet at a point where you can count on him to start every week, there is no reason to expect a letdown in Week 10 against Jacksonville. It was against the Jaguars in Week 3 when Hilton had his first 100-yard game. 

I won't go so far as to say Hilton will do that again, but a solid effort with five or six catches in the 80-yard range with a touchdown is certainly within reach. 

Marcel Reece, RB, Oakland Raiders

Week 9 Stats 

8 receptions, 95 yards, 1 TD

Fact or Fiction?

If you had to look up information about Reece after Sunday's game, you are probably not alone. He is a fullback in his fourth year out of Washington. He had one rushing attempt and 18 receptions prior to his explosion this week. 

If you somehow had inside information that told you to start Reece, and you were in a Points Per Reception League, you need to stop what you are doing right now and move to Las Vegas. 

For everyone else, Reece's performance was most likely a one-time thing. He is never going to carry the ball, so you are dependent on him making big plays on short dump-off passes each week. Unless he is a world-class track star in his spare time, don't count on that happening. 

The fact that Reece had a 15-point fantasy output (per ESPN Standard Scoring) is one of the most surprising stats you will see all season. 

Joique Bell, RB, Detroit Lions

Week 9 Stats

13 carries, 73 yards, 1 TD

Fact or Fiction?

Mikel Leshoure is going to be the Lions starter at running back as long as he is healthy, but at least Joique Bell gives him options and a change of pace to throw at opposing defenses. 

As mentioned earlier with Leshoure, the Lions are going to air it out as much as humanly possible, or until Matthew Stafford's arm falls off. Yet they did have a nice balancing act going on against Jacksonville with 34 runs and 33 passes. 

Going up against Minnesota this week, a team that struggles to defend the run but does quite well against the pass, don't be surprised to see Jim Schwartz take a few more chances on the ground than he usually does. 

Bell will have to fight Leshoure for carries in the red zone, so his scoring chances are going to be limited. But if he is able to get 12-15 carries again, he might be able to break a big run to find the end zone. 

This is a good matchup for the Lions and Bell. Give him a look as a No. 3 running back or flex player if you are shorthanded.