Five Under-the-Radar Fantasy Football Options for Week 10

We're getting close to the start of the fantasy football playoffs, and owners everywhere are scrambling to patch holes in their every-week lineups.

Whether you are looking for a late addition on the waiver-wire or trying to guess which player on your bench is going to go off, you no doubt have some last-minute decisions to make.

Now let's take a look at some under-the-radar players who may just provide you with the boost you need to win your matchup this weekend.

QB Mark Sanchez

Sanchez has had his ups and downs this season, but from a fantasy standpoint, he's actually been fairly consistent.

He's registered between 13 and 18 fantasy points in five of his eight games this season and—with the exception of a 26-point outburst in Week 3 against Oakland and a negative-four- point implosion in Week 4 against Baltimore that set offensive football in the NFL back 20 years—Sanchez has been a nice option all season. 

His upside is capped by his lack of arm strength and average talent, but he gets a boost this week going against the laughable Patriots secondary. Look for a respectable number of passing yards and maybe even a few rushing yards this week from Mediocre Mark.

RB Roy Helu

Trying to predict which RB coach Mike Shanahan will deploy as his No. 1 ball carrier can be maddening. He rarely tips his hand at all before the game starts and will change course at the drop of a hat if one back looks stronger than the others.

But in Sunday’s game against the stout 49ers run-defense, Shanahan went with one guy.  He handed off to Helu just 10 times, but QB John Beck completed an astonishing 14 passes to the halfback for 105 yards. 

This looks like a trend moving forward because Beck loves to check-down to the running back—as he regularly exhibits all of the arm strength of a little league right fielder—making Helu a solid option the rest of the way.

I’ve tried guessing with Mike Shanahan before and lost, but when one guy accounts for 67 percent of your carries and 48 percent of your team’s receptions, I feel pretty good about guessing with him this time.

WR Antonio Brown

Brown has quietly produced double-digit fantasy points in each of the past three weeks and established himself as Ben Roethlisberger’s No. 2 WR behind Mike Wallace.

Don’t be scared off by this weekend’s matchup against a solid Bengals secondary, because Brown figures to stay away from the blanket-coverage of Leon Hall, facing the much more beatable Nate Clements instead. 

Even if he doesn't score in the game, his big-play ability helps make him a very nice play with huge upside this weekend.

TE Visanthe Shiancoe

When searching for a spot-start TE in fantasy, all you really need is someone to score a TD.

When the Vikings and Packers met in Week 7, Shiancoe scored for only the second time all season. His lack of consistency has made him a risky play all season, but against a Green Bay secondary who has allowed the opposing TE to score in five of their eight games this season, he looks like a solid play this weekend.

You don't want him in your lineup every week, but he belongs in there this week.

Cleveland Browns' Defense

Quiz time: Which team allows the fewest passing yards (165.3) in the NFL?

Well, since you undoubtedly saw the picture next to the question, I'm sure you correctly guessed the Cleveland Browns.

I would also be willing to bet that unless you actually play defense for the Cleveland Browns, you wouldn’t have guessed that they are No. 1 in the league.

Now, sometimes stats like this can be a little fluky, but one thing it should tell you is the Browns obviously have a good secondary. Cornerback Joe Haden is quickly becoming a shutdown corner and has inserted himself into the discussion among the best CBs in the league not named Darrelle Revis.

The Browns have to be salivating at the thought of Sam Bradford and the Rams coming to Cleveland this Sunday. The highest scoring defenses in fantasy either have a defensive TD or pitched a shutout, and neither of those outcomes are out of the question for Cleveland in this matchup.