Week 10 Fantasy Football Rankings: Top Players at Every Position

It's Week 10 of the 2012 NFL season, which brings with it both good news and bad news.

The good news is that we've almost reached the end of the dreaded bye weeks, and soon enough, fantasy owners will once again have a foll complement of players from which to select their starting lineups.

The bad news is that is may come too late for some teams, as many fantasy squads are hanging on to their playoff aspirations by a thread right now, making every week a "must-win" scenario.

With that said, whether you're cruising at 8-1 or trying to play spoiler at 2-7 every fantasy owner wants to field the best lineup possible, and to help you do just that, here's a look at the top options at every position for Week 10 in point-per-reception (PPR) fantasy football leagues.

Matt Ryan and the Top 20 Quarterbacks

Quarterback Matt Ryan is enjoying an MVP-caliber season at the helm of the undefeated Atlanta Falcons, as the fifth-year pro has completed nearly 70 percent of passes for 2,360 yards and 17 scores with only six interceptions.

The 27-year-old is also enjoying a fantastic fantasy season, ranking among the top five options at his position in fantasy points per game, and Ryan should once again post big numbers this week against a New Orleans Saints defense that is absolutely awful.

1. Matt Ryan - ATL at NO

2. Drew Brees - NO vs. ATL

3. Tom Brady - NE vs. BUF

4. Peyton Manning - DEN at CAR

5. Matthew Stafford - DET at MIN

6. Cam Newton - CAR vs. DEN

7. Ben Roethlisberger - PIT vs. KC

8. Andrew Luck - IND at JAX

9. Michael Vick - PHI vs. DAL

10. Josh Freeman - TB vs. SD

11. Tony Romo - DAL at PHI

12. Ryan Fitzpatrick - BUF at NE

13. Eli Manning - NYG at CIN

14. Joe Flacco - BAL vs. OAK

15. Andy Dalton - CIN vs. NYG

16. Carson Palmer - OAK at BAL

17. Philip Rivers - SD at TB

18. Ryan Tannehill - MIA vs. TEN

19. Jay Cutler - CHI vs. HOU

20. Alex Smith - SF vs. STL

Adrian Peterson and the Top 20 Running Backs

Were it not for the 251-yard outing turned in by running back Doug Martin of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week the talk of the NFL may well have been Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings, who gashed a stout Seattle run defense for over 170 yards and two touchdowns on the road.

The sixth-year pro has made a remarkable recovery from last December's ACL tear, and with over 100 rushing yards and at least one touchdown in each of his past three games, the NFL's leading rusher has regained his title as king of the mountain at his position.

1. Adrian Peterson - MIN vs. DET

2. Ray Rice - BAL vs. OAK

3. Doug Martin - TB vs. SD

4. Arian Foster - HOU at CHI

5. Chris Johnson - TEN at MIA

6. LeSean McCoy - PHI vs. DAL

7. Marshawn Lynch - SEA vs. NYJ

8. Frank Gore - SF vs. STL

9. Ryan Mathews - SD at TB

10. Matt Forte - CHI vs. HOU

11. Willis McGahee - DEN at CAR

12. C.J. Spiller - BUF at NE

13. Michael Turner - ATL at NO

14. Reggie Bush - MIA vs. TEN

15. Jamaal Charles - KC at PIT

16. Stevan Ridley - NE vs. BUF

17. Rashad Jennings - JAX vs. IND

18. Pierre Thomas - NO vs. ATL

19. Vick Ballard - IND at JAX

20. Ahmad Bradshaw - NYG at CIN

Brandon Marshall and the Top 20 Wide Receivers

The Chicago Bears sit at 7-1 and atop the NFC North, and while a large part of the credit for that hot start goes to the Bears' formidable defense, the impact of wide receiver Brandon Marshall's arrival in the Windy City has also played a huge role.

The seventh-year veteran ranks fourth in the National Football League in receptions, second in receiving yards and second in touchdowns, and most importantly, no wide receiver has cracked 200 fantasy points threshold so far this year besides the 28-year-old.

1. Brandon Marshall - CHI vs. HOU

2. Victor Cruz - NYG at CIN

3. A.J. Green - CIN vs. NYG

4. Reggie Wayne - IND at JAX

5. Marques Colston - NO vs. ATL

6. Roddy White - ATL at NO

7. Eric Decker - DEN at CAR

8. Wes Welker - NE vs. BUF

9. Mike Wallace - PIT vs. KC

10. Calvin Johnson - DET at MIN

11. Julio Jones - ATL at NO

12. Steve Smith - CAR vs. DEN

13. Miles Austin - DAL at PHI

14. Demaryius Thomas - DEN at CAR

15. Vincent Jackson - TB vs. SD

16. Dez Bryant - DAL at PHI

17. Andre Johnson - HOU at CHI

18. DeSean Jackson - PHI vs. DAL

19. Torrey Smith - BAL vs. OAK

20. Malcom Floyd - SD at TB

Rob Gronkowski and the Top 20 Tight Ends

After a somewhat sluggish start to the 2012 season, fantasy owners of New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski were no doubt growing anxious, fearful that the first-round pick they spent on the third-year pro was a bad investment.

However, Gronkowski has been on an absolute tear of late, with 12 catches for 224 yards and four touchdowns over his past two games, and that hot streak should continue Sunday in a top 10 fantasy matchup with the Buffalo Bills.

1. Rob Gronkowski - NE vs. BUF

2. Tony Gonzalez - ATL at NO

3. Jimmy Graham - NO vs. ATL

4. Jason Witten - DAL at PHI

5. Owen Daniels - HOU at CHI

6. Aaron Hernandez - NE vs. BUF

7. Brandon Myers - OAK at BAL

8. Heath Miller - PIT vs. KC

9. Vernon Davis - SF vs. STL

10. Antonio Gates - SD at TB

11. Jermaine Gresham - CIN vs. NYG

12. Greg Olsen - CAR vs. DEN

13. Martellus Bennett - NYG at CIN

14. Brandon Pettigrew - DET at MIN

15. Dustin Keller - NYJ at SEA

16. Scott Chandler - BUF at NE

17. Brent Celek - PHI vs. DAL

18. Joel Dreessen - DEN at CAR

19. Jared Cook - TEN at MIA

20. Kyle Rudolph - MIN vs. DET

Lawrence Tynes and the Top 20 Kickers

Ranking fantasy kickers is like eating peas. I'll do it because they're on my plate, but I don't have to like it.

That said, Lawrence Tynes has been the top fantasy kicker to this point in the 2012 season by a fairly significant margin, and given that the Cincinnati Bengals rank in the top half of the league in fantasy points per game allowed to the position, he's as good a choice as any for the top spot in Week 10.

1. Lawrence Tynes - NYG at CIN

2. Stephen Gostkowski - NE vs. BUF

3. Shaun Suisham - PIT vs. KC

4. Matt Bryant - ATL at NO

5. David Akers - SF vs. STL

6. Garrett Hartley - NO vs. ATL

7. Jason Hanson - DET at MIN

8. Justin Tucker - BAL vs. OAK

9. Mike Nugent - CIN vs. NYG

10. Connor Barth - TB vs. SD

11. Matt Prater - DEN at CAR

12. Dan Carpenter - MIA vs. TEN

13. Blair Walsh - MIN vs. DET

14. Robbie Gould - CHI vs. HOU

15. Shayne Graham - HOU at CHI

16. Dan Bailey - DAL at PHI

17. Nick Novak - SD at TB

18. Steve Hauschka - SEA vs. NYJ

19. Greg Zuerlein - STL at SF

20. Alex Henery - PHI vs. DAL

San Francisco 49ers and the Top 20 Defenses

If we were ranking fantasy defenses based strictly off past performance, then the Chicago Bears would easily be the top option, as their nose for the end zone has made them the top "player" at the position this season by a mile.

However, matchups have a great deal of significance where team defenses are concerned, and with the Bears facing a 7-1 Houston Texans team while the San Francisco 49ers face the St. Louis Rams, it's the latter that ekes out this week's top defensive slot.

1. San Francisco 49ers - SF vs. STL

2. Chicago Bears - CHI vs. HOU

3. Pittsburgh Steelers - PIT vs. KC

4. Seattle Seahawks - SEA vs. NYJ

5. Baltimore Ravens - BAL vs. OAK

6. New York Giants - NYG at CIN

7. Houston Texans - HOU at CHI

8. Miami Dolphins - MIA vs. TEN

9. New England Patriots - NE vs. BUF

10. Dallas Cowboys - DAL at PHI

11. Philadelphia Eagles - PHI vs. DAL

12. Indianapolis Colts - IND at JAX

13. Denver Broncos - DEN at CAR

14. Detroit Lions - DET at MIN

15. Cincinnati Bengals - CIN vs. NYG

16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - TB vs. SD

17. Minnesota Vikings - MIN vs. DET

18. Tennessee Titans - TEN at MIA

19. Atlanta Falcons - ATL at NO

20. New York Jets - NYJ at SEA