Fantasy Football Week 10: Start 'Em, Sit 'Em

For many NFL teams, the second half of the 2020 season is only just beginning. But with Week 10 here, it's already the beginning of the stretch run in the fantasy football regular season.

That means one thing: pressure.

For every team that is 7-2 and cruising toward the playoffs and every 2-7 squad already looking forward to fantasy baseball (I hear that's a thing), there are three teams that are 5-4 or 4-5 and struggling to earn a spot in the playoffs. For those squads, every week is hugely important. Every fantasy point is vital.

Every lineup decision could be the difference between victory and defeat.

That's where the pressure comes in.

The point of this article is to alleviate that pressure and to help fantasy managers make the right decisions and field a lineup that will score the most possible fantasy points.

Every week, I look through lineup questions on the Bleacher Report app and then attempt to offer answers that will assist fantasy managers in posting a high score and getting a badly needed win.

Let's start the playoff push off right.

Stopping the Skid

From the Bleacher Report App

Losing streaks are never fun. Let's put a stop to this one.

The easiest "yes" of this bunch is Chicago Bears wide receiver Allen Robinson II. Only one wide receiver in all of the NFL (Stefon Diggs of the Buffalo Bills) has been targeted more often this season, and targets equal opportunity.

The easiest "no" is Los Angeles Chargers running back Kalen Ballage. He had a fine debut for the Chargers last week, carrying the ball 15 times for 69 yards and a score. But his carry share depends on Justin Jackson's injury, and he has averaged all of 3.2 yards per carry for his career.

Last week was likely a mirage.

With both David Johnson and Duke Johnson of the Houston Texans rostered, you can afford to wait and see if the former clears the concussion protocol ahead of Sunday's road matchup with the Cleveland Browns.

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Curtis Samuel had 12 touches for 118 total yards and a touchdown last week and has found the end zone in three straight ahead of this week's tilt with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He's No. 3.

The fourth spot goes to Pittsburgh Steelers wideout Diontae Johnson, who was targeted 10 times last week for the second time in three games. This time, he hauled in six passes for 77 yards against the Dallas Cowboys.

That leaves one spot and two players: running back Ronald Jones II of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and wide receiver Sterling Shepard of the New York Giants. Both scored touchdowns in their first meetings this season with this week's opponents.

But while Jones' usage has been all over the place, Shepard has tallied at least eight targets in three straight games. The last spot is his.

The tight end call is an easy one. Hunter Henry of the Chargers hasn't lived up to expectations in 2020, but he's still been a much more reliable fantasy option than Irv Smith Jr. of the Minnesota Vikings.

This one carries a caveat, though. After Ben Roethlisberger (and his sore knee) landed on the reserve/COVID-19 list Tuesday, the possibility arose that the 38-year-old won't be available against the Bengals on Sunday. If that becomes the case, then with all due respect to Mason Rudolph, Johnson is out in favor of Jones.

The Call: Allen Robinson (DraftKings DFS Value: $7,000), Duke Johnson (DraftKings DFS Value: $5,000), Curtis Samuel (DraftKings DFS Value: $4,900), Diontae Johnson (DraftKings DFS Value: $5,200), Sterling Shepard (DraftKings DFS Value: $5,000), Hunter Henry (DraftKings DFS Value: $4,100)

Quarterback Carousel

From the Bleacher Report App

Tua Tagovailoa of the Miami Dolphins draws the best matchup of these options in Week 10 against a Los Angeles Chargers team that ranks seventh in fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks. But with just two starts under his belt, he is also the biggest unknown of this lot.

Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers is coming off his best start of the season with 306 passing yards and three scores against the Dallas Cowboys. But for most of the year, his fantasy production has been underwhelming. He ranks outside the top 20 in fantasy points among quarterbacks for the season, and as was just mentioned his status for Week 10 is up in the air.

It hasn't been pretty, but Carson Wentz of the Philadelphia Eagles has been a top-10 fantasy quarterback in 2020. Back in Week 7, he racked up 373 total yards and three scores against the same New York Giants team he will square off against Sunday.

At wide receiver, rookie Brandon Aiyuk of the San Francisco 49ers has shown flashes this year, but the whole Niners offense has been an injury-ravaged mess of late. Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings has been even better as a rookie, but he draws a brutal matchup with a Chicago Bears team allowing the third-fewest point-per-reception (PPR) points to wide receivers.

Christian Kirk of the Arizona Cardinals has been on a tear of late. Over his past three games, the third-year pro ranks fifth among all wideouts in PPR points per game.

Ride the hot hand.

The Call: Carson Wentz (DraftKings DFS Value: $5,900), Christian Kirk (DraftKings DFS Value: $5,700)

Beware of the Dreaded Overthink

From the Bleacher Report App

This time of year, a lot of fantasy managers have precious little margin for error. They need a win in the worst way, and that means milking lineups for every point possible.

Unfortunately, that can also lead to overthinking.

Don't get me wrong. Jared Goff of the Los Angeles Rams is a tempting fantasy option in Week 10. It's all about the matchup since the Seattle Seahawks defense has been well and truly terrible this season. No team has given up more fantasy points to quarterbacks this season, and it just surrendered 415 passing yards and four total touchdowns to Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills in Week 9.

However, Goff is a so-so 16th in fantasy points among quarterbacks for the season. Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers, on the other hand, is ninth even though he didn't play in Week 1.

Since taking the reins for the Chargers in Week 2, Herbert is fifth among all quarterbacks in fantasy points. He ranks in that same spot in fantasy points per game, and he has either 300 passing yards or three touchdown passes in all seven starts this year.

Goff might well have a big game this week. But Herbert has been almost robotically consistent this season, and that consistency gives the rookie the edge here.

The Call: Justin Herbert (DraftKings DFS Value: $6,600)

An Embarrassment of Riches

From the Bleacher Report App

This is what you call a good problem to have. Of course, having a bevy of solid options can also make lineup decisions that much more difficult.

One part of this query is easy-peasy, though. James Robinson of the Jacksonville Jaguars has to be in the lineup.

It's not just the fact that this year's biggest surprise fantasy star in the backfield ranks fifth among running backs in PPR points. There's also the matter of a matchup with a Green Bay Packers team that ranks second in the league in points per game surrendered to running backs.

Also, while there are some fine wide receivers listed here, they are all out.

Travis Fulgham has been great since getting his shot with the Philadelphia Eagles. Tee Higgins has emerged as the No. 2 wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals. Chris Godwin of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers has WR1 upside when healthy.

But none of them are going to touch the ball 15 times in Week 10. James Conner of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Chase Edmonds of the Arizona Cardinals probably will.

The two running backs are pretty closely ranked. At day's end, it comes down to the matchup. Of the pair, Conner's Steelers have a slightly better one, leading to better odds of a positive game script that could result in Pittsburgh playing from ahead against the Bengals.

The Call: James Robinson (DraftKings DFS Value: $6,600), James Conner (DraftKings DFS Value: $6,900)

It's a Young Man's Game

From the Bleacher Report App

We've already mentioned that Christian Kirk of the Arizona Cardinals has been red(birds) hot of late with 12 catches for 246 yards and five scores over the past three games. He's a go here.

Devin Singletary of the Buffalo Bills, on the other hand, most assuredly is not. Not only has he seemingly ceded lead-back duties to Zack Moss, but the Bills all but abandoned the run game against the Seattle Seahawks last week.

Deebo Samuel of the San Francisco 49ers is also a pass. Yes, there's a chance he will play this weekend against the New Orleans Saints. But the second-year pro's balky hamstring makes him a considerably risky fantasy option.

That leaves three players and two slots: Tee Higgins of the Cincinnati Bengals, Jerry Jeudy of the Denver Broncos and DJ Moore of the Carolina Panthers.

Higgins is playing against a stout Pittsburgh Steelers defense, but Joe Burrow will likely be forced to the air a lot Sunday. Jeudy has piled up 11 catches for 198 yards and a score on 24 targets the past two games.

Before the season, Moore would have been the highest-ranked member of the trio. But he has definitely fallen behind Robby Anderson in the pecking order among Panthers receivers. He might be behind Curtis Samuel, too.

Add in a matchup with a Tampa Bay Buccanneers team that ranks outside the top 20 in PPR points given up to wide receivers and Moore gets the week off.

The Call: Christian Kirk (DraftKings DFS Value: $5,700), Jerry Jeudy (DraftKings DFS Value: $5,600), Tee Higgins (DraftKings DFS Value: $5,500),

All Aboard the Chark Train

From the Bleacher Report App

We'll kick this one off by peeling off a couple of guys who are (relatively) easy "ayes."

If Jake Luton's first start as the quarterback of the Jacksonville Jaguars was any indication, DJ Chark Jr. will be just fine with the new guy under center. He was targeted 12 times against the Houston Texans, hauling in seven for 146 yards and a touchdown. With the Jaguars all but certain to be playing catch-up Sunday against the Green Bay Packers, he's a go.

So is DeVante Parker of the Miami Dolphins. Tua Tagovailoa was much better throwing the ball in his second pro start than his first, and Parker benefitted to the tune of six grabs for 64 yards.

The waters muddy from there.

Chase Claypool's target share has been all over the place in Pittsburgh. Justin Jefferson's fantasy matchup with the Chicago Bears isn't even a little favorable. Marvin Jones Jr. found the end zone last week against the Minnesota Vikings, but he took a clear back seat in targets to Danny Amendola.

However, Claypool has drawn 22 targets the past two games and has the best fantasy matchup for wide receivers of the threesome, so he gets the final spot against the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Call: DJ Chark (DraftKings DFS Value: $6,200), DeVante Parker (DraftKings DFS Value: $5,000), Chase Claypool (DraftKings DFS Value: $5,800)

Replacing the Irreplaceable

From the Bleacher Report App

Getting Christian McCaffrey back last week was a huge boost for his fantasy managers. Watching him suffer a shoulder injury at the end of the Week 9 contest against the Kansas City Chiefs that will apparently sideline him again in Week 10 is just mean.

This is an easy enough call.

Mike Davis has played pretty well in McCaffrey's stead the past several weeks, but he has averaged over three yards per carry just once in the past four weeks. He hasn't topped 100 total yards in a game since all the way back in Week 5. And this week, he will face a Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense that leads the NFL in run defense, allowing fewer than 78 yards per game.

Rookie Antonio Gibson of the Washington Football Team was quiet last week with just six carries for 20 yards against the New York Giants. But the week before, he piled up 20 carries for 128 yards. In Week 10, he draws a Detroit Lions team that has surrendered the most PPR points to running backs this year.

Gibson may not top 200 rushing yards as Dalvin Cook did last week, but a 100-yard effort is well within reason.

The Call: Antonio Gibson (DraftKings DFS Value: $5,600)

Bye Week Blues, Mahomes Edition

From the Bleacher Report App

There are drop-offs at quarterback, and then there's the free-fall from Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs to…this.

That said, this is an easy one.

Jake Luton of the Jacksonville Jaguars has only one professional start, but he showed at least some upside against the Houston Texans, passing for 304 yards and a score while rushing for another.  With the Jaguars all but certain to be playing catch-up against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, he could be a candidate for some tasty garbage-time fantasy production.

Meanwhile, Nick Foles helms a Chicago Bears offense that has been offensive most of the year.

The flex spot is a bit trickier.

At first glance, Adam Thielen of the Minnesota Vikings would appear the clear choice. But his fantasy production has plummeted the past two games, and the Bears are very stingy to opposing wide receivers.

Jakobi Meyers of the New England Patriots posted a huge stat line (12 catches for 169 yards) against the New York Jets last week, but he has no real track record to speak of.

That leaves Tee Higgins of the Cincinnati Bengals. The rookie's matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers isn't ideal, but he has been solid of late. He's riding a six-game streak of double-digit PPR points, and in each of the past three games, he has caught at least five passes and topped 70 yards.

He's also been targeted at least eight times in three of the past four contests.

The Call: Jake Luton (DraftKings DFS Value: $5,400), Tee Higgins (DraftKings DFS Value: $5,500)

DraftKings DFS Question of the Week

From the Bleacher Report App

First off, every quarterback mentioned in this question is an excellent fantasy start in Week 10. There really is no wrong answer here.

After Russell Wilson stubbed his proverbial toe last week, Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers may well be the front-runner to be named MVP in 2020. The ability of Kyler Murray of the Arizona Cardinals and Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills to hurt teams with both their arm and legs makes them highly valuable fantasy assets.

All three are among the top five quarterbacks for the season in most fantasy scoring systems.

However, all three also carry Week 10 salaries that are $1,000-plus higher than that of Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers and Jared Goff of the Los Angeles Rams, who have similar Week 10 upside.

If you can get similar upside and floor for substantially less cheese at DraftKings, that's the play you have to make.

I was already asked about this very pair of quarterbacks earlier in this column, and in that instance, I sided with Herbert's consistency over Goff's superior matchup. However, I'm going the other direction this time, and not because Goff is $100 cheaper.

I'm going to build a stack, and it's one that could blow up against the Seattle Seahawks' miserable defense.

Stacking Goff, Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods isn't going to be cheap. It costs $20,000 on the dot, in case you were wondering. Values will need to be found at other positions.

But at the rate the Seahawks are getting scorched on a weekly basis, it's money well spent.

The Call: Jared Goff (DraftKings DFS Value: $6,500)

Rapid Fire

Danny Karnik/Associated Press

As we do every week, we'll wrap up this start/sit column by answering some more app questions with the speed of Tyreek Hill on a go route.

It's rapid-fire time.

Have more Week 10 lineup questions? Leave them in the comments. I try to spend at least a couple of hours there each Friday and Saturday to assist readers in setting their lineups.

jaredmathre likes rubbing it in: "Josh Allen or Russell Wilson? Should I trade one for a high-value RB/WR?"

To answer the second part of your question first: If you can flip one of these signal-callers for help at running or wide receiver, it's absolutely worth pursuing. So far as the quarterbacks go, both are phenomenal Week 10 options. Allen has the better fantasy matchup this week, but prior to last week's explosion, he had cooled off significantly. Russell Wilson (DraftKings DFS Value: $7,700) of the Seattle Seahawks has been a point-scoring machine in 2020, and he's the guy.

dPils6811 needs some flex help: "Tim Patrick or Noah Fant?"

Denver Broncos much? Neither of these options is especially appealing, but Tim Patrick (DraftKings DFS Value: $4,900) has more targets, catches and receiving yards over his past three games than tight end Noah Fant. Go with the wideout.

It's a wide receiver query for picklejuic8: "Pick 2 of Jerry Jeudy, D.J. Chark, Jarvis Landry and Corey Davis in PPR."

After his Week 9 vanishing act, Corey Davis of the Tennessee Titans is out. After his huge Week 9 against the Texans, DJ Chark Jr. (DraftKings DFS Value: $6,200) of the Jacksonville Jaguars is in. That leaves a pair of No. 1 receivers for their respective teams in Denver's Jerry Jeudy and Jarvis Landry (DraftKings DFS Value: $5,900) of the Cleveland Browns. It's close, but Landry has a matchup with a Houston Texans team that's seventh in PPR points allowed to wide receivers. That gives him the edge.

Another wideout two-fer from WrightBrotha: "[Tyler] Boyd, [Brandin] Cooks, [Travis] Fulgham, or [Jerry] Jeudy?"

The Cincinnati Bengals' Tyler Boyd might appear to be the obvious play here, but his matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers is less than ideal. On the other hand, Brandin Cooks (DraftKings DFS Value: $5,600) of the Houston Texans draws a Cleveland Browns secondary that has given up the fifth-most PPR points to wide receivers. The New York Giants, eighth in points allowed, haven't been much better. That makes Travis Fulgham (DraftKings DFS Value: $6,400) of the Philadelphia Eagles the second play over Jeudy, who is again the odd man out. Sorry, Jerry.

abursgov has a flex question: "Standard league. Ronald Jones vs. Carolina or Christian Kirk vs. Bills?"

In a situation like this, it's normally wise to defer to the running back, especially in a non-PPR league. But the carry share between Jones and Leonard Fournette in Tampa has fluctuated wildly this season. With the Arizona Cardinals' Christian Kirk (DraftKings DFS Value: $5,700) on a 12/246/5 tear the past three weeks, he's too hot to sit for a part-time back.

dmcguire96 needs a second starter under center: "2 QB league—start [Jake] Luton, Tua [Tagovailoa], [Joe] Burrow or [Drew] Lock?

Jake Luton of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tua Tagovailoa of the Miami Dolphins both played well in Week 9, but the rookies have three starts between then. Drew Lock's fantasy upside in Denver is only average. Cincinnati's Joe Burrow (DraftKings DFS Value: $5,700) has played like the No. 1 overall pick in the draft from the get-go. The matchup with Pittsburgh isn't great, but there's a good chance he and the Bengals will be in catch-up mode in the second half and throwing the ball on essentially every play.

Finally, neevur has a tight end question: "[Austin] Hooper or Jonnu Smith? Full PPR."

Jonnu Smith of the Tennessee Titans scored a touchdown last week, but he also has just five catches for 70 yards over his last three games and gets an Indianapolis Colts team Thursday night that has surrendered the second-fewest PPR points per game to tight ends in 2020. Austin Hooper (DraftKings DFS Value: $3,900) of the Cleveland Browns has a much more favorable tilt with a Texans team allowing the 10th-most points per game to tight ends.

DFS player salaries courtesy of DraftKings. Fantasy scoring data courtesy of FFToday. Fantasy points per game against data courtesy of My Fantasy League.

Gary Davenport is a two-time Fantasy Sports Writers Association Football Writer of the Year.

Eligibility restrictions apply. See draftkings.com for details.