Fantasy Football: Ryan Mathews Leads 'Start-or-Sit' Battles for Week 10

The following countdown details start-or-sit scenarios for Week 10, factoring in competitions at quarterback, running back, wide receiver and tight end.

For the most part, the rushing and receiving conundrums were broken down with standard-scoring leagues in mind.

But, as routinely stated on The Fantasy Blog, it's hard to make rational decisions about wideouts and tight ends without factoring in receiving targets.

Enjoy the show!

Start: QB Josh Freeman, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

2012 Stats: 2,047 Yards Passing, 16 TD (1 Rush) 

Week 10 Opponent: San Diego (Home) 

Fantasy Reasons To Start Josh Freeman Over Ryan Fitzpatrick

1. In his last five games, Josh Freeman boasts per-outing averages of 309 yards passing and 2.4 touchdowns.

2. How's this for positive spin: On a day in which Bucs rookie tailback Doug Martin rushed for 251 yards and four touchdowns against the Raiders (Week 9), Freeman still accounted for 269 total yards (247 passing) and two touchdowns.

3. Of his last six games (dating back to Week 2), Freeman has tallied at least 19.8 fantasy points five times.

Sit: QB Ryan Fitzpatrick, Buffalo Bills

2012 Stats: 1,674 Yards Passing, 15 TD 

Week 10 Opponent: New England (Away) 

Fantasy Reasons To Bench Fitzpatrick (For Freeman)

1. Ryan Fitzpatrick has failed to register a touchdown pass in three of his last four games.

2. Fitzpatrick notched 350 yards passing and four touchdowns against the Patriots in Week 4, but that came at a time when the notoriously hot-and-cold passer was riding a productive streak.

3. The weather in Massachusetts could be dicey this weekend as the Northeast prepares for an early winter storm.

Start: RB Ryan Mathews, San Diego Chargers

2012 Stats: 566 Total Yards (421 Rushing), 1 TD 

Week 10 Opponent: Tampa Bay (Away) 

Fantasy Reasons To Start Ryan Mathews over Jamaal Charles

1. In three road games this year, Ryan Mathews boasts robust averages of 108.3 total yards and 0.33 touchdowns.

2. The Bucs may have the NFL's No. 1 rush defense, but that shouldn't decimate Mathews' chances for 100 yards and maybe one score. He already has three games of five-plus targets.

3. A top-10 fantasy back heading into the season, Mathews (1,546 total yards, six TDs last year) appears to be fully recovered from an August collarbone injury.

Sit: RB Jamaal Charles, Kansas City Chiefs

2012 Stats: 792 Total Yards (634 Rushing), 3 TD 

Week 10 Opponent: Pittsburgh (Away) 

Fantasy Reasons To Bench Charles (For Mathews)

1. In his last three games, Jamaal Charles has collected only 123 total yards (and zero scores). It's a far cry from his dominant run of Weeks 3-5—racking up an NFL-best 564 total yards (among tailbacks) and three touchdowns.

2. The Chiefs offense is in shambles right now, and Charles and receiver Dwayne Bowe are paying a huge fantasy price for the implosion.

3. Pittsburgh has a top-10 defense against the run and pass.

4. As a tireless supporter of Jamaal Charles since his college days at Texas, this may be the first and only time I'll recommend sitting him.

Things are that bad in Kansas City.

Start: WR Titus Young, Detroit Lions

2012 Stats: 28 Catches, 324 Yards, 3 TD 

Week 10 Opponent: Minnesota (Away) 

Fantasy Reasons To Start Titus Young Over Danny Amendola

1. Of his last six games, Titus Young has collected five-plus targets five times. And since Nate Burleson's season-ending injury, Young has averaged seven-plus targets.

2. For Weeks 6 and 7, Young combined for 15 catches, 181 yards and two touchdowns—a spurt that secured his weekly status as a flex consideration.

3. As the No. 2 receiver in one of the NFL's most aggressive passing offenses, Young will be counted on for big numbers against the Vikings.

4. When compared to Danny Amendola, a vast majority of fantasy owners would prefer Young and Matthew Stafford over Amendola/Sam Bradford.

Sit: WR Danny Amendola, St. Louis Rams

2012 Stats: 32 Catches, 395 Yards, 2 TD 

Week 10 Opponent: San Francisco (Away)

Fantasy Reasons To Bench Amendola (For Young)

1. I'm a big-time supporter of Danny Amendola in points-per-reception leagues...when he's playing at home. But on the road, particularly outdoors on grass, it's a different story:

A. Amendola hasn't played since Week 5 (shoulder injury).

B. Amendola's five-game track record of outdoors games on grass averages out to 4.6 catches, 45.4 yards and 0.4 touchdowns.

Start: RB Vick Ballard, Indianapolis Colts

2012 Stats: 360 Total Yards (266 Rushing), 1 TD 

Week 10 Opponent: Jacksonville (Away) 

Fantasy Reasons To Start Vick Ballard Over Marcel Reece

1. Vick Ballard has racked up 98 total yards and/or one touchdown in each of his last three games.

2. In the Colts' win over the Dolphins (Week 9), Ballard logged the majority of touches over Delone Carter and Donald Brown.

3. The steadily improving Ballard (53 touches since Week 7) could be Indy's feature back for the foreseeable future, regardless of Brown's health and Carter's contribution.

4. The Jaguars surrendered 140-plus rushing yards and four touchdowns to Lions tailbacks Mikel Leshoure and Joique Bell last week.

Sit: RB Marcel Reece, Oakland Raiders

2012 Stats: 272 Rushing Yards, 1 TD 

Week 10 Opponent: Baltimore (Away) 

Fantasy Reasons To Bench Reece (For Ballard)

1. In four NFL seasons, Marcel Reece has never logged more than seven carries in a game.

2. The Raiders are a pass-oriented club, especially when getting behind early. And this Sunday, they will fall behind early against the Ravens.

3. The brawny Reece seemingly lacks the speed and explosion to be an every-down back. Of course, that may work to his advantage around the goal line.

4. Ailing Oakland tailbacks Darren McFadden and Mike Goodson haven't been ruled out for Sunday action.

Start: TE Dustin Keller, New York Jets

2012 Stats: 16 Catches, 173 Yards, 1 TD

Week 10 Opponent: Seattle (Away)

Fantasy Reasons To Start Dustin Keller Over Jacob Tamme

1. In his two healthiest games of the season (Weeks 7 and 8), Dustin Keller caught 14 balls for 160 yards and one touchdown. He collected 18 targets, as well.

2. Keller has 16 receptions on just 20 targets for the season, a proficiency rate of 75 percent.

3. With a pedestrian receiving corps, Keller and tailback Shonn Greene are the Jets' top playmaking options.

4. Brandon Pettigrew, Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez each posted at least six receptions against Seattle this year.

5. A top-10 tight end during the preseason, it's not too late for Keller (hamstring problems in August/September) to reclaim that lofty standing among his positional brethren.

Sit: TE Jacob Tamme, Denver Broncos

2012 Stats: 29 Catches, 253 Yards, 1 TD

Week 10 Opponent: Carolina (Away)

Fantasy Reasons To Bench Tamme (For Keller)

1. In the last three weeks, Jacob Tamme has only collected 10 targets from Broncos QB Peyton Manning, who's in the middle of a hot streak.

2. Receivers Demaryius Thomas and Eric Decker command the lion's share of Manning targets. Of equal importance, tight end Joel Dreessen (four TDs) has incurred a targets bump of late.

3. Tamme hasn't found the end zone since Week 1.

4. Despite two outings of double-digit targets, Tamme hasn't recorded 51 or more receiving yards at any time this season.

Start: QB Alex Smith, San Francisco 49ers

2012 Stats: 1,659 Yards Passing, 12 TD 

Week 10 Opponent: St. Louis (Home) 

Fantasy Reasons To Start Alex Smith Over Matt Schaub

1. Alex Smith has enjoyed a minimum completion mark of 61 percent in his last four games, spotlighted by the 18-of-19 effort against the Cardinals in Week 8 (for 232 yards and three touchdowns).

2. At home against the Rams last year, Smith accounted for 284 total yards (274 passing) and two touchdowns.

3. The St. Louis defense has allowed 300-plus yards passing in its last two outings. (To be fair, Green Bay and New England were the opposition.)

Sit: QB Matt Schaub, Houston Texans

2012 Stats: 1,918 Yards Passing, 12 TD 

Week 10 Opponent: Chicago (Away) 

Fantasy Reasons To Bench Schaub (For Smith)

1. Through eight games, Matt Schaub has failed to register a 300-yard passing day.

2. For the season, Schaub has only one game of three or more touchdowns (Week 3 against Denver).

3. Let's face it: Schaub has been a rock-solid quarterback for the 7-1 Texans, but the Bears defense has crushed all comers this season.

For one weekend, It makes sense to look elsewhere for a middle-tier QB option.