Week 10 Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Tom Brady and Elite QBs That Will Struggle

With the amount of passing teams do today in the NFL, quarterbacks are more important than ever. The same can be said for your fantasy teams, as quarterbacks seem to produce both the most consistent and highest weekly totals on a regular basis.

If you have an elite fantasy quarterback, then it is safe to say that you are ahead of the curve. Not even the best of the best are immune to a tough outing every now and then, though. Here are three burgeoning fantasy quarterbacks that will have uncharacteristically rough outings in Week 10.

Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers

Carolina Panthers rookie quarterback Cam Newton has been a revelation in his first NFL season and is already one of the league's best quarterbacks, both in real and fantasy terms. Not only has Newton utilized his big arm with 2,393 passing yards and 11 touchdowns, but he is also a threat with his legs as his seven rushing scores attest to.

While turnovers have been a bit of a problem, it is a small price to pay for his incredible production. While it is tough to completely contain Newton due to the dual-threat nature of his play, a few teams have been able to slow him down a bit and force him into some miscues.

One team that may be able to do that is Carolina's Week 10 opponent, the Tennessee Titans. Tennessee is in the middle of the pack against the pass, but the Titans tend to play some hard-nosed games that aren't particularly good from a fantasy perspective. I think the Titans will be able to keep Newton's passing yardage low and that will limit his potential this week.

Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers

As much as the Pittsburgh Steelers have been known as a smash-mouth running team for much of the past decade or more, that is no longer the case. In fact, the Steelers and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger like to air it out about as much as any team around right now.

Big Ben has gone over 300 passing yards in three consecutive games and he routinely meets or exceeds 40 pass attempts per game. Roethlisberger is also finding the end zone with 15 passing scores this season.

Things may not come so easily for Big Ben this week, though, as the Steelers take on the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals are one of the better teams in the league against the pass and they love a good low-scoring, hard-nosed game. That doesn't bode particularly well for Roethlisberger as he is unlikely to match his usual totals.

Tom Brady, New England Patriots

Few quarterbacks in the game are better or more consistent than the New England Patriots' Tom Brady and that continues to be true this season. Brady has over 2,700 yards and 20 touchdowns this season, and he is a must-start player every week, but your expectations should be tempered in Week 10.

Brady will have to contend with the New York Jets, who feature perhaps the league's best secondary. In Brady's first matchup against the Jets this season, he threw just one touchdown and had his lowest fantasy output of the season. I would expect a similar game against the Jets on the road.

That isn't to say you should bench Brady, but he certainly won't have a Brady-esque performance. Brady has been hit-and-miss against the Jets with Rex Ryan at the helm, so it is difficult to predict how he will do. The Jets have been playing much better of late, though, and I think they will get some pressure on Brady and disrupt his game.