Start 'Em, Sit 'Em Week 10: Making the Call on Fantasy Football Fringe Starters

Everything matters now.

Bye weeks. Matchups. Trends. Your gut.

All of it.

Week 10 puts four star-studded teams out of action, so winning your fantasy football matchup will take more than setting and forgetting your lineup.

Here's a list of teams (and players) you can't count on:

• Buffalo Bills (Tyrod Taylor, LeSean McCoy, Robert Woods, Mike Gillislee)
• Detroit Lions (Matthew Stafford, Golden Tate, Marvin Jones, Theo Riddick, Eric Ebron)
• Indianapolis Colts (Andrew Luck, T.Y. Hilton, Donte Moncrief, Frank Gore, Jack Doyle)
• Oakland Raiders (Derek Carr, Amari Cooper, Michael Crabtree, Latavius Murray)

There's a good chance you'll be forced to start a player who doesn't inspire confidence. Let's quell the concerns on two such players below.

Wide Receiver

Start: J.J. Nelson, Arizona Cardinals

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Arizona Cardinals wide receiver J.J. Nelson was mentioned in last week's waiver-wire pickups article, and if you grabbed him, it's time to play him.

Head coach Bruce Arians announced Nelson was a starter after the Cards got smacked around by the Carolina Panthers, 30-20, in Week 8, per Mike Jurecki of Fox Sports 910:

While this was initially conceivable to be more of a shot at Michael Floyd and John Brown than a nod to Nelson, the move does make sense. Just look at these numbers passed along by NFL Fantasy's Matt Franciscovich:

"J.J. didn't step in," Arians said after Nelson put up eight catches on 12 targets for 79 yards and two scores against Carolina, per Kyle Odegard of the Cardinals' official website. "That's his job right now, and somebody is going to have to take it back from him."

In his first game as a starter, Nelson gets the laughable San Francisco 49ers defense, which will surely be ravaged by running back David Johnson. But at some point, head coach Chip Kelly will have to overcommit to stop D.J., leaving the secondary burnable for the cat-quick Nelson.

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The Niners are allowing the 19th-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers in ESPN half-point-per-reception leagues. They allowed 200 yards and two scores to the New Orleans Saints in Week 9, one of six times opponents have gone for north of 150 yards.

Nelson seems poised to make at least a big play or two, given that he's already been doing so in limited playing time. He's a worthy flex fill-in with matchup-winning upside should he keep finding the end zone.

Sit: Brandin Cooks, New Orleans Saints

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The New Orleans Saints' pint-sized big-play receiver, Brandin Cooks, gets his yards—and fantasy points—in chunks.

The Denver Broncos don't give up chunks.

Ranked as the No. 1 overall defense against wideouts, Denver is fresh off shutting down arguably the best one-two punch in the NFL with Oakland's Cooper and Crabtree.

Michael Thomas is startable with lower expectations, but keep Cooks on the bench, even at home, where he's been dominant. If you play Cooks, you're simply chasing a touchdown, as he's got little chance of tearing off a bomb.

Running Back

Start: Chris Thompson, Washington Redskins

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Oh, no.

Lock the doors. Close the windows. Set the alarms.

The Minnesota Vikings are coming.

While head coach Mike Zimmer's defense has tormented opposing offenses for much of the season, it's been exploited in recent weeks.

Chicago Bears rookie Jordan Howard ran rampant for 153 yards and a score on 26 carries against the Vikings in Week 8, and the Detroit Lions ran for 96 yards last week. Those were the highest rushing totals Minnesota has surrendered all year.

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While the Washington Redskins rely on Kirk Cousins' arm more than their ground game, running back Chris Thompson will play a huge role in pulling off the home upset.

According to NFL Fantasy, the Vikings have allowed 386 receiving yards to opposing backs, 10th-worst in the NFL. They've also allowed two scores through the air, again tied for 10th-worst. While they've been an elite 23rd against between-the-tackles runners, speedy pass-catchers have found success.

The shifty Thompson ranks 33rd at RB in ESPN half-PPR leagues but ranks 13th in receiving yards and 12th in catches, per Yahoo Sports.

A daunting matchup on paper is exploitable for Thompson, who's owned in just 31.1 percent of ESPN leagues and 33 percent of Yahoo leagues coming off Washington's bye.

The 26-year-old isn't worth the risk in standard leagues, but in ones that award catches—both PPR and half-PPR—Thompson is start-worthy as an RB2 this week.

Sit: Peyton Barber, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

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Peyton Barber is a fantasy asset by default.

Dating back to Week 2, the Buccaneers have watched helplessly as their running back depth has dwindled away.

First it was Doug Martin. Then Charles Sims. Then Jacquizz Rodgers. Then Antone Smith.

Now, Barber looks like the last man standing. But is he worth a fantasy start?

Tampa Bay hosts Chicago this week, and in doing so, it welcomes the second-stingiest defense against the run to Raymond James Stadium. The Bears have allowed one rushing touchdown since Week 3, and it's difficult to count on the rookie to break the trend.

While an RB2 performance is certainly possible since we've seen some serious spark from Barber already, it's far from reliable.

Or likely.