In what was a relatively lower-scoring fantasy week in Week 9, numerous highly touted fantasy stars fell flat on their faces. In PPR leagues, Travis Kelce, Cooper Kupp, DK Metcalf, Bijan Robinson, DJ Moore, and Chris Godwin all scored fewer than seven fantasy points, likely leading to their fantasy owners catching an "L" in an uber-important week. Although each player remains a must-start, another set of underwhelming fantasy days from "sure-fire" starters is inevitable this week. Our Week 10 fantasy bust list attempts to point out potential pitfalls like James Conner, Tank Dell, and Will Levis.
Of course, even "must-starts" can have off-days (Turns out, having Taylor Swift in attendance is truly the secret sauce for Kelce), but you won't see those types of players among our bust picks unless we legitimately advise benching them. We're looking for players on the start-sit bubble -- not obvious starters and not players owned in just a small percentage of leagues. You might not have enough depth to bench the players below -- or you might just disagree with our picks -- but either way, it's your team, so make the decisions that work best for you.
Unfortunately, several of our Week 9 bust picks didn't go as planned. However, Geno Smith, Daniel Jones (get well soon), Marquise Brown, Romeo Doubs, the Eagles' D/ST, Jets' D/ST, and Buccaneers' D/ST all disappointed this past week. We're focusing on hitting our busts at an even higher clip this time around.
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Proceed with caution when it comes to these prime bust candidates.
WEEK 10 FANTASY ADVICE: Sleepers | Projections | Start 'em, sit 'em
Fantasy RB Busts Week 10
Kareem Hunt, Browns @ Ravens (Nick Musial). Despite ending Week 9 as a top-20 fantasy RB, Hunt's day was salvaged by a garbage-time TD. Even in a favorable matchup against a weak Cardinals run defense, Hunt was inefficient on the ground (14 carries, 38 yards), and he had 11 fewer touches than Jerome Ford. For an RB whose fantasy value was mainly derived from his receiving abilities, Hunt's seen just three targets in the past three weeks. A challenging task against the league's No. 8 run defense awaits, likely resulting in a subpar fantasy day.
James Cook, Bills vs. Broncos (Vinnie Iyer). The matchup by the numbers is fantastic, but expect the Broncos’ defense to keep improving overall after a bye. Cook’s usage is weird, as he gets vultured near the goal line and isn’t needed much in the passing game with more intermediate targets emerging.
James Conner, RB, Cardinals (Matt Lutovsky). Conner (knee) is set to return after a four-game hiatus, but we're not as excited about him as his returning teammate Kyler Murray. Conner was running well before the injury, but there's bound to be some rust. For all of Atlanta's faults, they actually contain RBs, allowing the sixth-fewest fantasy points per game (FPPG) to the position.
WEEK 10 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Fantasy QB Busts Week 10
Deshaun Watson, Browns @ Ravens (Musial). Watson's recently injured shoulder didn't appear to bother him in Cleveland's 27-0 rout last week, leading to one of his best fantasy days of the season (219 yards, two TDs). Replicating his Week 9 showing against a Ravens defense allowing the fewest FPPG to QBs feels unlikely. Relegate Watson to bench duties this Sunday.
Will Levis, Titans at Buccaneers (Iyer). Don't chase his first start or what C.J. Stroud did to the Buccaneers’ defense last week. Levis isn’t at the same rookie level as Stroud, and the Bucs' defense should play better at home to rattle the rookie into an underwhelming game with mistakes
Russell Wilson, Broncos @ Bills (Lutovsky). Wilson is coming off a three-TD game against Kansas City’s elite defense, but that came with just 114 yards. He hasn’t topped 200 passing yards since Week 4, so even in deep leagues, he’s not a great option against a Buffalo defense allowing the fifth-fewest FPPG to QBs.
WEEK 10 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Fantasy WR Busts Week 10
Odell Beckham Jr., Ravens vs. Browns (Musial). Beckham Jr. reached paydirt for the first time as a Raven in Week 9, but a brutal matchup's in store against an elite Cleveland pass defense that allows the fewest FPPG to WRs. Baltimore's receiving game is way too volatile for our liking, so we have no interest in starting Beckham fresh off his best game of 2023.
Jakobi Meyers, Raiders vs. Jets (Iyer). As good as Sauce Gardner can be to contain Davante Adams, Meyers should struggle inside-out more in this brutal matchup at home. This time, he won’t have a random rushing TD to bail him out.
Tank Dell, Texans @ Bengals (Lutovsky). Dell showed out in a big way last week, but keep in mind that in his previous three games, he had just seven catches for 89 yards. Nico Collins and Dalton Schultz are clearly ahead of him for targets, and against a Cincinnati defense allowing the 12th-fewest FPPG to WRs, we’re not overly excited about Dell’s prospects this week. (UPDATE: With Collins out in Week 10, Dell's outlook is better, but Robert Woods is expected to return and Noah Brown is more of a direct "Collins replacement," so we're still worried about Dell's floor and ceiling.)
WEEK 10 DFS:
DK lineup | FD lineup | Best values | Best stacks
Fantasy TE Busts Week 10
Evan Engram, Jaguars vs. 49ers (Musial). While Engram's been one of the few reliable TEs in fantasy, totaling at least four receptions in every game this season, there's a chance that streak ends this Sunday. Engram's likely to see a heavy dosage of Fred Warner, who's been one of the best LBs in coverage this season per Pro Football Focus. San Francisco's second-ranked TE defense likely limits his production.
Luke Musgrave, Packers at Steelers (Iyer). He did score last week and looks more involved and healthier, but he’s hard to trust and Pittsburgh limits the position.
David Njoku, Browns @ Ravens (Lutovsky). Njoku continues to defy our “bust” predictions, but he was only saved last week by a short TD. His 26 yards are more in line with what we expect this week against a Baltimore defense allowing the second-fewest FPPG to TEs.
Fantasy Defense Busts Week 10
Indianapolis Colts vs. Patriots (Musial). Kenny Moore's pair of pick-sixes helped the Colts finish as the overall D/ST2 in Week 9, but we don't expect the Colts to boast a +2 turnover margin this week. Mac Jones' ability to negate sacks is likely to lead to an average-at-best performance from Indy's defense.
San Francisco 49ers at Jaguars (Iyer). Their pass rush has underwhelmed, and Chase Young can do only so much at first on the road against a sharp passing offense with dangerous wide receivers.
Detroit Lions @ Chargers (Lutovsky). The Lions have struggled in most unfavorable matchups this year, and this is another one. Even coming off a bye, we’re not taking the bait on the road against a solid offense.
