Fantasy Football Week 10 Cheat Sheet: Identifying Sleepers for Deep Leagues

You can circle Week 12 on your Fantasy Football schedules. That week, which coincides with three games on Thanksgiving Day, signals the return to full 16-game schedules in the NFL.

Until then, fantasy owners must continue to deal with two more bye weeks. Four more teams are off in Week 10, including the Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders and the Philadelphia Eagles.

Fantasy rosters may be somewhat depleted due to those byes and the numerous injuries that have tormented teams this year. 

Fantasy general managers know that making adjustments to the roster is always a critical maneuver when it comes to making the playoffs and winning regular-season games. It may be even more important this year.

The adjustments will not bring about well-known superstars, as those players were spoken for long ago. Instead, fantasy owners have to look for deep sleepers who have a chance to provide at least a temporary upgrade in your roster and improve your chances of winning this week's matchup.

Here's a look at our deep sleepers for Week 10, with the percentage owned in Yahoo fantasy leagues next to each player's name. For the purposes of this article, deep sleepers are defined as players who have ownership rates of 25 percent or less.

If you are in a 12- or 14-team league, keep these players top of mind.

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Deep Sleepers

QB Drew Stanton, Arizona Cardinals (4.0 percent)

QB Case Keenum, Minnesota Vikings (10.0 percent)

QB Jay Cutler, Miami Dolphins (14.0 percent)

RB Devontae Booker, Denver Broncos (4.0 percent)

RB Thomas Rawls, Seattle Seahawks (14.0 percent)

RB Rex Burkhead, New England Patriots (8.0 percent)

WR Terrance Williams, Dallas Cowboys (11.0 percent)

WR Marquise Goodwin, San Francisco 49ers (12.0 percent)

WR Deonte Thompson, Buffalo Bills (r.0 percent)

TE Coby Fleener, New Orleans Saints (24.0 percent)

TE Julius Thomas, Miami Dolphins (16.0 percent)

QB Jay Cutler, Miami 

Few fantasy owners want to be on the same side as Cutler, and that's understandable considering his long run of mediocrity during his previous tenures with the Denver Broncos and the Chicago Bears.

Cutler, of course, had decided to head off to retirement during the offseason, but he came back to the NFL when Miami head coach Adam Gase needed a quarterback following the training camp injury suffered by starter Ryan Tannehill.

Cutler's overall numbers have been decent, as he has completed 147 of 222 passes for 1,306 yards with 10 touchdown passes and five interceptions. He is coming off one of the best games of his career in Miami's Week 9 loss to the Oakland Raiders. Cutler completed 34 of 42 passes for 311 yards with three TD passes while keeping it clean in the interception category.

The Dolphins are back in the national spotlight Monday night against the Carolina Panthers, and while Ron Rivera's team has the top-ranked defense in the league, it is well worth giving Cutler an opportunity to start if you are desperate for a quarterback.

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RB Devontae Booker, Denver

Booker would appear to be the third option at running back for the Broncos after C.J. Anderson and Jamaal Charles, but Denver head coach Vance Joseph is giving Booker an opportunity to get in the lineup and prove himself.

Booker was involved in 22 of Denver's 64 offensive snaps in last week's loss at Philadelphia, and he appears to be an attractive option on passing downs for the Broncos. Booker ran six times for 40 yards and scored against the Eagles, and he caught all three of the passes he was targeted on for another 14 yards.

The Broncos host the Patriots Sunday, and New England has been vulnerable on defense this year. The Patriots rank 32nd in yards allowed and 32nd against the pass, so it might be worth taking a chance on Booker. 

Booker played just one snap fewer than Anderson last week and three more than Charles, so he is climbing the ladder in the Denver offensive game plan, per Rotoworld.com.

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WR Marquise Goodwin, San Francisco

Goodwin is likely to become an important player for the 49ers in the second half of the season since Pierre Garcon (neck) is out for the season.

Goodwin could have been a stronger option by now because he has been targeted 54 times, but he has just 22 receptions for 417 yards and no touchdowns. However, he had a 55-yard reception on a pass from QB C.J. Beathard against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 9, and he was also wide open on another deep throw but the quarterback overshot him.

The 49ers are still looking for their first victory, and they should be primed to play their best game of the year as they host the disappointing New York Giants this week. New York ranks 29th in pass defense, and their defense was awful against the Los Angeles Rams last week. The Giants' secondary could prove fertile ground for Goodwin.

Winslow Townson/Associated Press

TE Julius Thomas, Miami

The Dolphins' big tight end Thomas can be quite a weapon, and Cutler needs to use him against the Carolina Panthers. 

Thomas was a big factor against the Raiders, as he caught six passes for 84 yards and a touchdown, and he has caught 23 passes for 252 yards and just the one scoring catch.

The Dolphins have a number of receiving options in Jarvis Landry, DeVante Parker and Kenny Stills, so fantasy owners may be hesitant to count on Thomas. However, at 6'5" and 262 pounds, he can wall off defenders with his size and strength, and it would not be a surprise if the Dolphins decided to look in Thomas's direction on third-down plays and in the red zone.