Fantasy Football Week 10: Toughest Starts of This Week's Action

Fantasy owners should be happy that Week 9's bye week has passed, as some of fantasy football's top stars were not in action. In Week 10, there are a few more stars that are risky plays because of their matchups, and that should leave owners scrambling to pick up replacements off the waiver wire for the second week straight.

Some of the NFL's top stars have been shotty fantasy performers this season, and that has made them risky starts for the majority of the season's nine weeks. Their matchups in Week 10 don't really do them any favors, so it's best to continue to keep them inactive.

The waiver wire should be replenished a bit this week. Owners that picked up quarterbacks to replace Peyton Manning and Matthew Stafford last week have probably since released those replacements, and that should give you a few extra options to sift through at the position.

Scan the waiver wire or make some internal lineup changes this week, owners, because there are a few stars that don't deserve to be active in Week 10.

Matt Ryan

Matt Ryan has suffered from a horrible running game and depleted receiving corps this season, and his matchup in Week 10 against the Seattle Seahawks won't do anything to help his case.

Sure, Seattle was just torched for 158 yards on the ground by Mike James of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Maybe that'll lead to some production from Steven Jackson, Jason Snelling and Jacquizz Rodgers, but I wouldn't count on them going too far over 100 yards.

The presence of a decent run game will help Ryan to keep the defense honest with play-action passes and checkdowns in the flat, but it won't help his overall production all that much. As a fantasy quarterback this week, he's no more than a No. 2 option.

Seattle's secondary is fantastic. Richard Sherman has a nose for the ball, and its safeties play excellent in coverage schemes. Roddy White and Harry Douglas will struggle to find the open space necessary to pick up big yards.

Tight end Tony Gonzalez should have a nice game as a result. With all Seattle's attention down the field, don't expect their linebackers to be playing tight enough coverage to contain Gonzalez.

Ryan might be good for 200 yards and a touchdown this week, but those are numbers you can also get from guys like Jake Locker and Terrelle Pryor. Honestly, I'd start both of them over Ryan in Week 10.

Ray Rice

Going against the Cincinnati Bengals this week makes the matchup pretty unfavorable, but throw in Ray Rice's recent struggles and he's as close to a must-sit as you can get.

Rice has yet to top 100 yards rushing this season, and he has just 96 rush yards combined in his last three contests. That gets even worse when you realize that his last three opponents were the Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns—three teams not necessarily known for their run defenses.

He's going against a solid run defense in Week 10, and that won't be met with strong results. Joe Flacco and the Baltimore Ravens offense have struggled at times in 2013, and that's likely because they haven't had a strong running game to lean on. Both Rice and Bernard Pierce have been inconsistent, and their impact on the offense has become apparent.

You probably drafted Rice in the late first round or somewhere in the second round, so he's obviously not an easy player to sit. That being said, you might have to do that this week if you want to win.

Zac Stacy, Lamar Miller and Pierre Thomas are all better options, and there's a good chance that at least one of them is available in your league's waiver wire. Pick one of them up and active him. Leave Rice inactive until he turns it around.

Mike Wallace

Wide receiver Mike Wallace hasn't had the best of seasons in his first year with the Miami Dolphins, as he and Ryan Tannehill have hooked up just 36 times for 480 yards and one touchdown through eight games. Don't expect those numbers to look much better after facing the Bucs in Week 10.

Darrelle Revis will likely be lining up opposite him, and that means bad news for Tannehill and the Dolphins offense. In the past two games, Revis has held Steve Smith to four catches for 42 yards and Golden Tate to three catches for 29 yards. Wallace will be a more difficult opponent given his size, but Revis won't be giving up any easy grabs.

Wallace was probably a week-to-week play for you anyway given his lack of consistency getting into the end zone, but he's definitely not somebody you want to roll with this week. Even if Johnthan Banks lines up against him, there's no telling what you'll get from Wallace.

Picking up Nate Washington or Kendall Wright from Tennessee isn't a bad idea seeing as they'll be playing the Jacksonville Jaguars this week, and I'd recommend each of them over Wallace in Week 10.