Fantasy Football Week 10 Cheat Sheet: Waiver, Rankings, Projections and More

When it comes to fantasy football, it is not cheating if everybody is doing it.

Now that Week 10 is upon owners, a critical stretch to the playoffs begins, and that demands careful decisions in each avenue. Whether that is start 'em, sit 'em questions, trade talks or waiver-wire adds, owners need to be on the top of their game.

Thanks to the normal ebbs and flows of a typical NFL season, there is both plenty of data to consume and emerging players to add to the pile of consideration. It is quite the challenging environment, so a go-to resource is certainly not a bad thing to have handy.

Below, let's craft a Week 10 cheat sheet that covers all of the important hurdles owners must overcome to stay in the playoff race.

Skill Position Rankings

Rank	QB	RB	WR	TE
1	Peyton Manning, DEN	DeMarco Murray, DAL	Demaryius Thomas, DEN	Jimmy Graham, NO
2	Aaron Rodgers, GB	LeSean McCoy, PHI	Antonio Brown, PIT	Julius Thomas, DEN
3	Drew Brees, NO	Marshawn Lynch, SEA	Calvin Johnson, DET	Greg Olsen, CAR
4	Ben Roethlisberger, PIT	Jamaal Charles, KC	A.J. Green, CIN	Martellus Bennett, CHI
5	Matt Ryan, ATL	Andre Ellington, ARI	Julio Jones, ATL	Delanie Walker, TEN
6	Cam Newton, CAR	Le'Veon Bell, PIT	Randall Cobb, GB	Travis Kelce, KC
7	Carson Palmer, ARI	Ronnie Hillman, DEN	Dez Bryant, DAL	Jason Witten, DAL
8	Matthew Stafford, DET	Matt Forte, CHI	Emmanuel Sanders, DEN	Larry Donnell, NYG
9	Jay Cutler, CHI	Mark Ingram, NO	Jeremy Maclin, PHI	Heath Miller, PIT
10	Andy Dalton, CIN	Jeremy Hill, CIN	Sammy Watkins, BUF	Scott Chandler, BUF

By now, owners who are fortunate to have some of the best players in the NFL thanks to some fine drafting or outrageous trading are sitting pretty, as the tops at each position are quite obvious.

Look at running back, where DeMarco Murray continues to churn out production and also defy past injury issues. His streak of eight games with 100 rushing yards ended last week, but the man is as reliable as it gets at the position, having scored a minimum of 16 points in every game before Week 9.

Brandon Wade/Associated Press

Now Murray gets to square off against a Jacksonville Jaguars defense that allows the 10th-most points to backs this season and just last week gave up 30 points, as a rookie bulldozed his way to a pair of touchdowns.

Obviously some of the names on the above list should make owners cringe.

Take Philadelphia Eagles running back LeSean McCoy, for example. Shady has just four games in double digits this year, but he continues to improve and will see a heavy workload next week with Nick Foles out of the picture due to injury. His opponent is a Carolina Panthers defense that surrenders the third-most points to backs this season.

Rotoworld.com's Adam Levitan put it best:

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan probably gives owners some pause, too, but it would be wise to keep in mind that he has six straight games in double digits. That streak started in Week 3 thanks to a date with Tampa Bay's miserable defense, which allowed him to score 23 points. 

Guess what? Ryan once again meets Lovie Smith's team, which is still horrendous against quarterbacks, allowing the sixth-most points to the position.

Owners will also notice the return of Cincinnati Bengals receiver A.J. Green to the top 10. All he did upon his return from injury last week was score 10 points, thanks to three grabs for 44 yards and a score—but keep in mind he had a second touchdown wiped out due to a flag.

Now Green gets to encounter a shaky Cleveland defense that allows the 10th-most points to wideouts on short notice this Thursday. He is the epitome of what makes up top rankings such as this—elite player, solid situation and superb matchup.

Sleeper Projections

Pos.	Player	Team	Opp.	Projection
QB	Carson Palmer	ARI	STL	290 Pass Yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
RB	Steven Jackson	ATL	TB	95 Rush Yds, 1 TD
WR	Anquan Boldin	SF	NO	99 Rec. Yds, 1 TD
TE	Owen Daniels	BAL	TEN	66 Rec. Yds, 1 TD
D/ST	Broncos	DEN	OAK	4 Sacks, 3 Turnovers

Sleepers have been difficult to find this season, as they should be.

This week, though, things seem quite simple at face value. Whether owners want to acknowledge it, Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer has been absolute money this year when in the lineup and healthy.

Palmer has been just that in recent weeks and, as a result, has scored 18, 16, 21 and 19 points. As Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports 1 opines, Palmer's arm looks just fine:

Ryan's main running back remains Steven Jackson, although many surely consider him a lost cause at this point.

It is a fair point, as the veteran has just three double-digit outings this season. But keep in mind that, like his quarterback, Week 3 against Tampa Bay was one of his best performances of the season. The Buccaneers rank as one of the worst against backs this season, and no team has failed to reach double digits.

Speaking of veterans who have seemed to fade this season, San Francisco 49ers wideout Anquan Boldin certainly qualifies. He has just two outings in double digits this season as the offense filters the production to other wideouts such as Michael Crabtree.

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

Still, one of those outings came last week, giving him two 15-point outbursts on the season. Boldin is a great play against the New Orleans Saints this week considering Rob Ryan's defense allows the sixth-most points to wideouts this season, including five occurrences of 27 or more points.

Veteran sleepers seems to be the way to go this week, and for good reason. It is imperative to not forget about Baltimore Ravens tight end Owen Daniels, who returned from a minor knee surgery last week and right away led the team in targets and caught six passes.

Like the rest of the sleepers, Daniels is a proven contributor in a favorable matchup who will have plenty of opportunities to do right by owners.

Waiver-Wire Targets

Pos.	Player	Team	ESPN Ownership percentage*
QB	Ryan Tannehill	MIA	40.5
QB	Carson Palmer	ARI	42.8
RB	Jonas Gray	NE	17.7
RB	Matt Asiata	MIN	27.0
RB	Tre Mason	STL	49.1
RB	Bobby Rainey	TB	42.7
WR	Taylor Gabriel	CLE	0.7
WR	Mike Evans	TB	31.2
WR	Martavis Bryant	PIT	21.9
WR	Allen Hurns	JAC	10.9
WR	Jordan Matthews	PHI	10.9
TE	Owen Daniels	BAL	28.3
TE	Mychal Rivera	OAK	2.0
D/ST	Vikings	MIN	37.3
D/ST	Ravens	BAL	29.4

Those who enjoy streaming quarterbacks each week have a waiver-wire target who will actually effectively end the strategy outright—quarterback Ryan Tannehill. 

Tannehill has very quietly been one of fantasy's most reliable overall players this season, reaching double digits in every single game. He is hot, though, after throwing for three scores and tallying a season-high 27 points, so nab him as soon as possible.

As the above shows, it is clearly fun to pick on the Buccaneers. But while at it, make sure to grab running back Bobby Rainey. He burned owners a while back with fumble issues, but he now has three trips to double-digit land this season, thanks to 11 points last week.

Rainey is a good long-term add, even with the impending arrival of Charles Sims, but is especially good in the short term considering the Falcons surrender the absolute most points to backs this season. 

It is mostly all about rookies when it comes to wideouts. Jacksonville Jaguars wideout Allen Hurns exploded for 23 points last week. He will not score 23 points each week—even though he has done it twice this season—but he is one of Blake Bortles' favorite targets.

Mike Evans is another Buccaneers player to know, as he now has three trips to double digits after a Week 9, 24-point outburst. As Bleacher Report's Luke Easterling notes, he is well on his way to quality fantasy production:

Do not be slow to the Martavis Bryant party, either.

Since making his debut three weeks ago, the former Clemson star has scored 10, 20 and 16 points. The deep threat in the pass-happy Pittsburgh attack looks great as defenses throw attention at Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell in the backfield, so be sure to take advantage regardless of matchup.

It seems like a lot of rookies, but such is the nature of the NFL this time of season when the first-year players are finally comfortable enough to contribute on a consistent basis.

Owners who are comfortable enough with the right rookies are often much better off than those who choose to shy away.

All scoring info courtesy of ESPN standard leagues, as is points-against info and ownership stats. Statistics courtesy of ESPN.