Week 10 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Fantasy Football Stars to Play and Bench

While the NFL's trade deadline was fun, it's in the rear view, and it's time to focus on Week 10. The action will kick off on Thursday night with an AFC West showdown between the Las Vegas Raiders and Denver Broncos.

While Denver has been a decidedly better team this season, the Raiders found new life in Week 9 thanks to the return of Brock Bowers. The star tight end racked up 12 catches for 127 yards and three touchdowns in his return. He'll be a must-start this week, even in a difficult matchup with Denver.

Not every call in Week 10 will be as easy, though. Let's dive into some of the best and worst point-per-reception (PPR) plays of the week.

Quarterback

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Lions QB Jared Goff

Start: Jared Goff, Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions have a habit of running up the score on lesser opponents. They'll probably be eager to do so after suffering a disappointing loss to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 9. This week's matchup with the Washington Commanders—who have a suspect secondary and won't have Jayden Daniels—could become lopsided fast.

Washington has surrendered the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks, meaning Jared Goff managers could be some of the biggest beneficiaries.

Goff threw for 334 yards and five touchdowns the week after Detroit's loss to the Green Bay Packers.

Sit: Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jacksonville Jaguars will also face a team without its starting quarterback, as C.J. Stroud suffered a concussion in Week 9 and has already been ruled out for week 10. However, Trevor Lawrence should still be avoided against the Houston Texans.

Houston has surrendered the fewest fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks, and Jacksonville has issues at receiver. The team just traded for Jakobi Meyers, but Travis Hunter is also on injured reserve.

Against a much more vulnerable Raiders defense in Week 9, Lawrence managed to salvage a 220-yard, one-interception outing with two rushing touchdowns. He's unlikely to get those against Houston.

Running Back

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Packers RB Josh Jacobs

Start: Josh Jacobs, Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers lost star tight end Tucker Kraft to a torn ACL last week, which obviously hurts their passing attack. Expect the Packers to compensate by getting Josh Jacobs more involved in both the passing game and the overall game plan.

Jacobs had four catches, 100 scrimmage yards, and a touchdown last week.

Green Bay will need to play to its strengths against a Philadelphia Eagles team coming off the bye. That should mean plenty of Jacobs against a defense that has surrendered the ninth-most fantasy points to RBs.

Sit: Nick Chubb, Houston Texans

While Houston's defense is much more potent than Jacksonville's, the Jaguars should be able to clamp down on the Texans' ground game if Stroud doesn't play. That's part of the problem with running back Nick Chubb.

Jacksonville has already surrendered the ninth-fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs this season.

The other issue is that Chubb simply doesn't have the same burst he had before his 2023 knee injury. Whether he ever regains it remains to be seen, but he's a pure grinder at this point who is steadily losing touches to rookie Woody Marks.

Wide Receiver

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Chargers WR Ladd McConkey

Start: Ladd McConkey, Los Angeles Chargers

The Los Angeles Chargers have lost star tackle Joe Alt to a season-ending ankle injury, which will obviously impact their passing attack. While L.A. traded for Trevor Penning at the deadline, he probably won't make an immediate impact.

This could be problematic against a Pittsburgh Steelers defense that just forced six turnovers. However, managers should trust Ladd McConkey to come through once again.

McConkey has reestablished himself as Justin Herbert's go-to target. That's big in a game that could involve frequent quick passes. The Steelers, meanwhile, have surrendered the third-most fantasy points to WRs.

Sit: Chis Olave, New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints traded away Rashid Shaheed on Tuesday, which, theoretically, should mean more targets for Chris Olave. The problem is that Olave still may not be fed the ball by Tyler Shough as he was by Spencer Rattler.

Olave had three catches for 57 yards in Week 9 but was only targeted four times.

The other side of the equation is that, without Shaheed stretching the field, the Carolina Panthers may have an easier time taking Olave out of the game plan. Carolina has already surrendered the fifth-fewest fantasy points to opposing receivers.

Tight End

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Chargers TE Oronde Gadsden II

Start: Oronde Gadsden II, Los Angeles Chargers

If Bowers is a must-start in a tough matchup, what do we call Chargers tight end Oronde Gadsden II?

Gadsden might not have the same floor as Bowers, but he's become a massive part of the Chargers' passing attack recently. Over the last four games, he's logged no fewer than five receptions or 68 receiving yards.

Like McConkey, Gadsden should be a heavily-utilized outlet receiver against Pittsburgh, which has surrendered the third-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends.

Sit: Zach Ertz, Washington Commanders

The Lions have been a middle-of-the-road team against opposing tight ends, surrendering the 13th-fewest fantasy points to the position. However, it's impossible to trust Commanders tight end Zach Ertz without Daniels in the lineup.

Ertz has had some good outings in 2025, but he has largely been touchdown-dependent. He's topped four receptions twice and has surpassed 50 receiving yards only once.

With Marcus Mariota behind center, Ertz is unlikely to hit either mark this week.

*Fantasy scoring information from FantasyPros.