Fantasy Football Week 10: Flex Rankings and Sleepers to Start During Byes

With several stars having up-and-down seasons, the 2014 NFL season has been incredibly unpredictable thus far, but some patterns have finally started to emerge.

Unfortunately, many owners might already be looking at a difficult path to winning a fantasy title.

Decisions on who to start each week can sometimes mean the difference between a win or loss. At this point, it might also separate an owner from a playoff spot and competing for the toilet bowl.

Six teams will enter their bye weeks, including the Indianapolis Colts and New England Patriots. With both of those teams containing several trustworthy starters, owners have to put their faith in unfamiliar hands.

Prior to the start of Week 10, here's a look at the full flex rankings and players to trust this weekend.

Pos.	Player	Matchup
1	DeMarco Murray	vs. Jaguars
2	Jamaal Charles	at Bills
3	Le'Veon Bell	at Jets
4	Demaryius Thomas	at Raiders
5	Marshawn Lynch	vs. Giants
6	Eddie Lacy	vs. Bears
7	Antonio Brown	at Jets
8	Jordy Nelson	vs. Bears
9	Andre Ellington	vs. Rams
10	Dez Bryant	vs. Jaguars
11	LeSean McCoy	vs. Panthers
12	Jeremy Maclin	vs. Panthers
13	Giovani Bernard/Jeremy Hill	vs. Browns
14	Randall Cobb	vs. Bears
15	Jimmy Graham	vs. 49ers
16	Emmanuel Sanders	at Raiders
17	Kelvin Benjamin	at Eagles
18	Lamar Miller	at Lions
19	Ronnie Hillman	at Raiders
20	Calvin Johnson	vs. Dolphins
21	Alshon Jeffery	at Packers
22	Golden Tate	vs. Dolphins
23	A.J. Green	vs. Browns
24	Brandon Marshall	at Packers
25	Mark Ingram	vs. 49ers
26	Joique Bell	vs. Dolphins
27	Frank Gore	at Saints
28	Julius Thomas	at Raiders
29	Julio Jones	at Buccaneers
30	Steve Smith	vs. Titans
31	Chris Ivory	vs. Steelers
32	Denard Robinson	vs. Cowboys
33	Larry Fitzgerald	vs. Rams
34	Mohamed Sanu	vs. Browns
35	Greg Olsen	at Eagles
36	Odell Beckham	at Seahawks
37	Rueben Randle	at Seahawks
38	Vincent Jackson	vs. Falcons
39	Doug Baldwin	vs. Giants
40	Torrey Smith	vs. Titans
41	Mike Evans	vs. Falcons
42	Travis Kelce	at Bills
43	Sammy Watkins	vs. Chiefs
44	Tre Mason	at Cardinals
45	Justin Forsett	vs. Titans
46	Jason Witten	vs. Jaguars
47	Darren McFadden	vs. Broncos
48	Kendall Wright	at Ravens
49	Ben Tate	at Bengals
50	John Brown	vs. Rams

Carson Palmer, QB, Arizona Cardinals

Andrew Luck, Tom Brady and Philip Rivers—those are the quarterbacks fantasy owners will desperately need to replace this weekend. Thankfully, Carson Palmer is here to save the day.

Not only has Palmer been solid every time out, he hasn't dipped below at least two touchdowns in a single start. His most recent performance came against the Dallas Cowboys and resulted in three passing touchdowns.

ESPN Stats & Info noted just how consistently great Palmer has been for fantasy owners:

Coming off one of the toughest matchups of the season for Palmer, he now faces a defense he can exploit. The St. Louis Rams might have limited Colin Kaepernick in Week 9, but they have given up 18.83 fantasy points to quarterbacks this year.

For owners in need of a start with a tough matchup or quarterback on a bye, Palmer is the quarterback to target. Though he has several difficult tests ahead, the Cardinals' signal-caller will excel against the division-rival Rams this weekend.

Ronnie Hillman, RB, Denver Broncos

USA TODAY Sports

Dominating on a weekly basis, Ronnie Hillman has become a consistent option already for smart fantasy owners. Yet he's still owned in only 73.9 percent of NFL.com leagues, making him a potential waiver-wire option.

In most cases, however, he's already been a flex play over the last several weeks in starting lineups. This weekend, Hillman might have RB2 value with players like Alfred Morris and Arian Foster having the week off.

Frank Schwab of Yahoo offered his take on the newest Denver Broncos back to succeed:

Given his matchup in Week 10, Hillman is not only a spot start for owners but might post his best numbers of the season.

The Oakland Raiders don't have a win for a reason, and the rush defense has been one of the worst in the league. In fantasy terms, the Raiders have allowed 24.16 points per week while giving up a total of 11 touchdowns to running backs.

Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Just when it seemed like Mike Evans might not have a breakthrough fantasy season, he finally shined, playing well against the Cleveland Browns. Heading into Week 10, fantasy owners should expect more of the same.

Evans likely won't end up with two touchdowns and might not even eclipse 100 yards, but he'll certainly have the opportunities. After collecting 11 targets from Mike Glennon against the Browns, he might be blossoming into Glennon's favorite option over Vincent Jackson.

There's also the matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. Atlanta's porous defense has allowed 24.26 points per game and eight total touchdowns to receiving corps. If Evans gets the same chances in Week 10, look for him to shine in place of other consistent stars.

All fantasy stats courtesy of NFL.com.

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