Making the Call on Week 10's Toughest Fantasy Lineup Decisions

We had such a nice run of quality games on Thursday Night Football until the Cincinnati Bengals turned into pumpkins on prime time yet again. Hopefully this Sunday will offer a better slate.

With it comes our usual tough decisions in the fantasy football realm, made more difficult by the fact there are six teams and a ton of high-profile fantasy scorers on a bye this week. The pressure is on as fantasy teams jockey for playoff positioning or fight for a spot in the postseason.

Here are some of Week 10's toughest lineup decisions.

Start: Mark Sanchez, QB, Philadelphia Eagles

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

There's a knock on the door. It's coming from Mark Sanchez. Do you answer? In this case, the answer is a resounding yes, if only for Week 10.

For better or worse, Sanchez is your new Philadelphia Eagles starting quarterback thanks to a clavicle injury to Nick Foles. Had this still been New York, there wouldn't really be much talk about starting him in fantasy football.

Being that this is head coach Chip Kelly's Eagles and that offense, however, Sanchez has become a hot commodity. He has also sparked debate.

Should you start him this week?

Well, yes.

The Sanchez we knew no longer exists, and that is because he is a product of his surroundings. He has the tools to be a passable NFL quarterback, at the very least, but he hardly received a chance to succeed with the Jets.

He has bona fide weapons now with the Eagles, not to mention a great offensive mind orchestrating it all. Sanchez stepped into the game for Foles last week and delivered a 52-yard strike to receiver Jeremy Maclin on his first pass. That's what you get with a Chip Kelly offense, as Sanchez hinted at to Bob Ford of the Philadelphia Inquirer:

"

I was expecting a handoff or a screen, maybe ease my way back in. I felt prepared, but you're a little nervous. You want to get that first throw out of the way. Of course, with Chip, it was down the field.

"

He wound up with 202 yards and a pair of touchdowns, though he did throw two interceptions. He'll be at home this time, and his opponent is a softie.

If that wasn't enough, the Carolina Panthers have given up the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks.

Fantasy Prediction: 21-of-33, 250 yards, three TDs, one INT; two carries, 15 yards, zero TDs

Final Verdict: Sanchez is in a great situation and has a nice matchup. He should put up a great fantasy line.

Sit: Ryan Tannehill, QB, Miami Dolphins

Alan Diaz/Associated Press

He was a quality option last week, and he proved it with a masterful performance that included 288 passing yards, three touchdowns and 47 rushing yards in three quarters of domination against the San Diego Chargers.

So why bench Ryan Tannehill now?

The Miami Dolphins quarterback has been on a roll, after all. Last week was the culmination and conglomeration of a lot of good things going on offensively in Miami.

The problem this weekend is the Dolphins are headed for a road battle against the No. 1 defense in the land. The Detroit Lions have given up the fewest fantasy points per game to QBs thus far this season, despite having faced Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers, Atlanta's Matt Ryan, Carolina's Cam Newton and New Orleans' Drew Brees.

That is not to say Tannehill won't play well and perhaps lead his team to victory. It's simply going to be tough sledding for the third-year quarterback.

In terms of fantasy football, the risk is too great to reliably start him if you have other good options.

Fantasy Prediction: 22-of-35, 225 yards, one TD, one INT; four carries, 35 yards, zero TDs

Final Verdict: This week's matchup is too tough for Tannehill to be trusted.

Start: Bobby Rainey, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

David Richard/Associated Press

The Charles Sims hype train is running full steam ahead for some unknown reason, especially considering the Tampa Bay Buccaneers still have a healthy Bobby Rainey starting at running back.

That's not to say Rainey is a better overall player, but expecting a lot of out of a rookie who missed half the season with a broken leg is a tad wishful.

Meanwhile, Rainey gets another crack at a plus matchup, one he didn't fully exploit the last time around. The Atlanta Falcons—this weekend's opponents once again—have featured an awful run defense, but Rainey nearly fumbled his opportunity away against Atlanta in Week 3.

He wound up with a decent line—particularly in points per reception (PPR) formats—mostly during garbage time in a 56-14 loss.

The Falcons haven't gotten particularly better, and Rainey looks like he will have another start. Sims will get playing time for the first time in his career this week, as tweeted by Buccaneers beat writer Greg Auman, but how much can a first-year player coming off a broken leg really cut into Rainey's playing time?

Fantasy Prediction: 15 attempts, 60 yards, one TD; five receptions, 40 yards, zero TDs

Final Verdict: Rainey has a great matchup, and he should still garner the majority of the touches in the backfield.

Sit: Montee Ball, RB, Denver Broncos

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After an eternity awaiting his return this season, fantasy owners can finally breathe a sigh of relief, as Denver Broncos running back Montee Ball seems poised to take the field once again versus the Oakland Raiders.

The former starter has been practicing this week after a long layoff, even looking trimmer—Ball says he is down to 212 pounds in a bid to regain agility, per ESPN.com's Jeff Legwold. That's all fine and dandy, but there is one big problem here: Ronnie Hillman.

The third-year back took over the starting gig once Ball was injured and never looked back. He has been effective as a runner and pass-catcher, something we didn't see out of Ball earlier this season.

Hopefully the weight loss will help Ball improve upon his average of 3.1 yards per carry this season, but he will have to get on the field first. Perhaps the coaches like Ball enough to let him have serious run regardless, but we won't know until Sunday.

The best he can likely hope for is the Broncos getting out to a huge lead and trying to grind out the clock with Hillman and Ball. That is if Ball is even active—he returned to practice this week, but he hasn't been cleared yet.

Fantasy Prediction: nine attempts, 40 yards, zero TDs; one reception, 10 yards, zero TDs

Final Verdict: Assuming he even plays, there are no guarantees for actual playing time for Ball.

Start: Torrey Smith, WR, Baltimore Ravens

Gene Puskar/Associated Press

Inconsistency is maddening, particularly so from a guy with top-flight speed and a starting job at wide receiver.

That describes Baltimore Ravens receiver Torrey Smith, who has put up several stinkers to go along with a few big games. Last week he had a pretty good one thanks to a 35-yard touchdown reception, but he didn't do much else outside the big play.

This week, the Ravens face the Tennessee Titans at home, a team that features one of the league's worst-rated cornerbacks according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required)—second-year man Blidi Wreh-Wilson. This is what Rotoworld's Evan Silva had to say about the matchup on Yahoo.com:

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I don't pretend that Torrey's stats or usage is predictable, but this game does set up well for him. Torrey runs most of his routes at right cornerbacks, and Titans RCB Wreh-Wilson has been the weakest link in DC Ray Horton's defense. Torrey is just a dart-throw WR3 at this point, but this would appear to be a good week to gamble on him.

"

It's a bit of a risk, as is every week with Smith, but he should have a nice game.

Fantasy Prediction: Five receptions, 95 yards, one TD

Final Verdict: Smith is a big-play receiver with a couple of those in him this weekend against the Tennessee Titans.

Sit: Odell Beckham Jr. and Rueben Randle, WR, New York Giants

Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

Garbage time is a life-saver.

Just ask fantasy owners of New York Giants receiving options last week. It looked like they were on their way to miserable nights before the Indianapolis Colts took their collective foot off the gas with a huge lead.

Suddenly receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and tight end Larry Donnell sprang to life, salvaging what was otherwise an abhorrent fantasy line. The same might have been the case for Rueben Randle had the Giants not insisted on getting rookie Corey Washington some playing time.

This week, the Giants may not be so lucky. Oh, there might be garbage time in Seattle if the Seahawks have their way with New York's best team, but that is the best these two will be able to hope for.

New York has fallen back to its inefficient ways on offense, and the Seahawks still have a quality defense that plays better at home.

Beckham Prediction: Five receptions, 55 yards, zero TDs

Randle Prediction: Three receptions, 45 yards, zero TDs

Final Verdict: The Giants offense hasn't been very good against quality opposition, and the Seahawks qualify.

Start: Kelvin Benjamin, WR, Carolina Panthers

MIKE MCCARN/Associated Press

For some reason this has become a flash point of discussion on social media, not to mention a topic of discussion from radio callers looking for some advice.

Kelvin Benjamin is a must-start this week.

The Carolina Panthers receiver has had a bad run the past couple of weeks, to be sure—enough to incite a minor panic among his fantasy owners. You mustn't lose faith, however.

If Benjamin was ever going to put up a huge week, it was this one.

Not only is the rookie garnering a ton of targets this season, but he will be getting them against one of the worst pass defenses in the league when the Panthers visit the Philadelphia Eagles.

It's a game that figures to be a shootout—at least if the oddsmakers are correct in setting the over-under at 48, per Odds Shark. Even better is the fact the Eagles are favored by six points—a deficit means more passing for a team that is already deficient in the running back department.

Fantasy Prediction: Seven receptions, 125 yards, one TD

Final Verdict: Benjamin has a great matchup, and he should bounce back in a big way given all the targets he's getting.

Start: Derek Carr, QB, Oakland Raiders

Stephen Brashear/Associated Press

Having a bye-week emergency? Looking at slim pickings on the waiver wire? May I interest you in a like-new quarterback from Oakland?

Derek Carr has certainly not had a great rookie season for the Oakland Raiders, but he has had his moments. That hasn't been the case in the fantasy realm for the most part, but he has had a couple of big games against the San Diego Chargers and Houston Texans.

The game script from the Texans game figures to be similar to the one we will see this Sunday—Houston got out to a 27-0 lead, and Carr got most of his fantasy scoring done in the fourth quarter. The Broncos feature a potent offense and a good defense that is probably going to want a pound of flesh after the shellacking it took in New England last week.

Once there is a big lead, however, Carr will be forced to throw the ball plenty, and he might see some soft defense late in the game if it's out of reach. That's where he will pay off.

Fantasy Prediction: 26-of-40, 275 yards, two TDs, two INTs; two carries, 15 yards, zero TDs

Final Verdict: Carr may not be a sexy name, but the game flow should help him get to a nice fantasy score on the day.

Start: Heath Miller, TE, Pittsburgh Steelers

Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Boom or bust.

That phrase can be applied in many ways or to many players, and Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Heath Miller is one of them.

The past few healthy seasons have seen Miller do a bit more booming, but his outbursts tend to come infrequently, especially when compared to the heavy hitters like New Orleans' Jimmy Graham or New England's Rob Gronkowski.

Nobody expects Miller to be those guys, but he has an opportunity to match that kind of output this weekend against the New York Jets.

Pittsburgh's lowly opponent has been a sieve when it comes to stopping quarterbacks, and wide receivers haven't been the only beneficiaries. The Jets allow the second-most fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends this season, something Miller owners should be ecstatic about.

With so many deadly options to worry about—running back Le'Veon Bell and receivers Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant—the Jets defense is sure to let Miller get loose a handful of times. All quarterback Ben Roethlisberger—the man who has thrown 12 touchdown passes in the past two weeks—has to do is find him.

Fantasy Prediction: Five receptions, 75 yards, one TD

Final Verdict: Miller has a fantastic matchup, and Roethlisberger is hot.

Start: Reggie Bush, RB, Detroit Lions

Matt Dunham/Associated Press

Another week, another revenge game.

This time it's Detroit Lions running back Reggie Bush taking on his old team the Miami Dolphins, who didn't see fit to extend him a decent offer when he hit free agency a couple of years ago.

Bush has had success in Detroit, but this season has been filled with disappointment. Much of that has had to do with injury, but the veteran running back seems to have been bogged down along with the rest of the offense for much of the season.

With receiver Calvin Johnson coming back this week, Bush could be on track for a return to fantasy prominence.

Granted, it won't be easy.

The Dolphins have one of the best defenses in the league, and they have only gotten stronger over the past couple of weeks. It's not easy pitching a shutout in the NFL, and they did just that to Philip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers last week.

Still, this is a home game for the Lions, and Bush is going to be a big contributor. Don't expect an explosion, but don't shy away from him either. He should wind up in the double digits, and a touchdown could be in store to make it a really nice day.

Fantasy Prediction: 13 attempts, 50 yards, zero TDs; four receptions, 50 yards, one TD

Final Verdict: Bush gets to exact revenge on his former teammates this weekend, and he should deliver a decent game even if he can't get into the end zone.

All fantasy scoring and rankings courtesy of FFToday.com. All betting information courtesy of OddsShark.com.

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