Last week brought more byes and injury attrition to make life rough on fantasy football owners in the middle of the 2023 season. Week 10 will feel like a carbon copy, only with higher-profile byes and higher degree of difficulty in figuring out who to start or sit at many positions.
If you have players from the Chiefs, Eagles, Dolphins, or Rams this week, you won't have access to some of the best fantasy football performers, especially at wide receiver. That overall list of players not in action includes Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Isiah Pacheco, Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, D'Andre Swift, Tua Tagovailoa, Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Raheem Mostert, Cooper Kupp, and Puka Nacua. It's not quite a "bye-mageddon," but those four teams being off at the same time "hurts" more.
That's a lot of unavailable regular starters once again, but The Decider, aka Vinnie Iyer, is back with the rankings, recommendations, information, and insight you need to make the right lineup decisions in Week 10.
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Fantasy Football Week 10 Start 'Em: Quarterbacks
Must starts
- Josh Allen, Bills (vs. DEN)
- Joe Burrow, Bengals (vs. HOU)
- Justin Herbert, Chargers (vs. DET)
- Lamar Jackson, Ravens (vs. CLE)
- Dak Prescott, Cowboys (vs. NYG)
- C.J. Stroud, Texans (at CIN)
- Jared Goff, Lions (at LAC)
Stronger starts
8. Kyler Murray, Cardinals (vs. ATL). They need him badly, and his running ability mixed with Arizona's underrated pass-catchers makes him a "yes" against a struggling defense.
9. Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars (vs. SF). He hadn't been a QB1 before the bye, but despite an improved pass rush, you can still throw on the 49ers. Lawrence should get volume in what could be a high-scoring affair.
10. Brock Purdy, 49ers (at JAX). He should be sharper after the bye and with Deebo Samuel (shoulder) back, and there's enough to exploit in this secondary vs. a limited pass rush on the road.
11. Geno Smith, Seahawks (vs. WAS). He should get it done finally at home against a limited pass rush, and this is a great spot for his talented wideouts with the running game slowed.
12. Sam Howell, Commanders (at SEA). He should throw more compared to last week in New England.
13. Baker Mayfield, Buccaneers (vs. TEN). He's cooking with gas again and gets another plus spot at home vs. a beatable AFC pass defense.
14. Josh Dobbs, Vikings (vs. NO). Don't doubt him doing it again even in a tough spot. It's a home start, and the weapons can lift him to solid numbers.
DFS picks
Jared Goff, Lions (at LAC, $6,400 DraftKings, $8,000 FanDuel). He returns to Los Angeles in the most comfortable of road games that will feel like Ford Field, and he should be able to destroy their secondary with good protection in a duel with Justin Herbert.
Kyler Murray, Cardinals (vs. ATL, $5,900 DraftKings, $7,500 FanDuel). Don't hesitate to deploy him right away. He can be electric and follow the lead of former teammate Josh Dobbs in this matchup, with some good running to boot.
WEEK 10 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Fantasy Football Week 10 Sit 'Em: Quarterbacks
Weaker starts
15. Russell Wilson, Broncos (at BUF). He can beat them a bit with his running and downfield passing, but there's also a real shot of more prime-time bust than boom.
16. Will Levis, Titans (at TB). You could be chasing the C.J. Stroud points, but keep in mind this is a different rookie on the road. A copycat shootout with Baker Mayfield is unlikely.
17. Derek Carr, Saints (at MIN). The Vikings' defense is getting a little tougher every week, and you can be doing better than his grind toward 200 yards and two TDs.
18. Taylor Heinicke, Falcons (at ARI). It's a desert trap! The Falcons would be crazy not to go run-heavy with mustache-less Arthur Smith needing a win badly.
19. Deshaun Watson, Browns (at BAL). He's become elementary to keep on the bench, as he won't come close to matching the action of Lamar Jackson.
20. Gardner Minshew, Colts (vs. NE in Frankfurt). He still has a mustache, but just say "nein," as Indy has found its big rushing attack and some defense again.
21. Mac Jones, Patriots (vs. IND in Frankfurt). You can't start Jones at home or abroad at this point.
22. Jordan Love, Packers (at PIT). He needs a get-well game soon, but this defense on the road doesn't feel great, as the Packers also need to go run-heavy to win.
WEEK 10 FANTASY ADVICE:
Sleepers | Busts | Projections | Start 'em, sit 'em
Fantasy Football Week 10 Start 'Em: Running backs
Must starts
- Christian McCaffrey, 49ers (at JAX)
- Tony Pollard, Cowboys (vs. NYG)
- Breece Hall, Jets (at LV)
- Travis Etienne, Jaguars (vs. SF)
- Josh Jacobs, Raiders (vs. NYJ)
- Jonathan Taylor, Colts (vs. NE in Frankfurt)
- Alvin Kamara, Saints (at MIN)
- Aaron Jones, Packers (at PIT)
- Rhamondre Stevenson, Patriots (vs. IND in Frankfurt)
- Bijan Robinson, Falcons (vs. ARI)
- Austin Ekeler, Chargers (vs. DET)
- Joe Mixon, Bengals (vs. HOU)
- Rachaad White, Buccaneers (vs. TEN)
- David Montgomery, Lions (at LAC)
- Saquon Barkley, Giants (at DAL)
- Derrick Henry, Titans (at TB)
- Javonte Williams, Broncos (at BUF)
- Najee Harris, Steelers (vs. GB)
- Kenneth Walker, Seahawks (vs. WAS)
- Jahmyr Gibbs, Lions (at LAC)
- Alexander Mattison, Vikings (vs. NO)
Stronger starts
22. Gus Edwards, Ravens (vs. CLE). Sure, the matchup is hard, but Edwards is rolling and you can run on the Browns when they're on the road.
23. Chuba Hubbard, Panthers (at CHI). He hasn't been that effective trying to hold off Miles Sanders, but the Bears can give up combined numbers to backs.
24. D'Onta Foreman, Bears (vs. CAR). Khalil Herbert (knee) is just getting back, but Foreman usually comes through in positive game scripts when his team is winning. It's also a revenge game.
25. Jaylen Warren, Steelers (vs. GB). Warren is getting key touches and can come through again in a fine matchup at home.
26. Brian Robinson Jr., Commanders (at SEA). He needs to get more work, and he's overdue for a score.
27. Tyler Allgeier, Falcons at ARI). The Cardinals can hemorrhage points to multiple backs, so he can pop into the end zone again.
28. Zack Moss, Colts (vs. NE in Frankfurt). He'll also get some trickle-down production in a good enough spot.
DFS Picks
Rachaad White, Buccaneers (vs. TEN, $5,800 DraftKings, $7,000 FanDuel). He's hot right now scoring and rushing well beyond his receiving volume, and the Titans' run defense is showing a lot more leaks vs. his type.
Joe Mixon, Bengals (vs. HOU, $6,200 DraftKings, $7,700 FanDuel). He's looking great again, and the offense is humming. He's the key closer in the red zone, and this feels like a blowup game.
WEEK 10 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Fantasy Football Week 10 Sit 'Em: Running backs
Weaker starts
29. James Cook, Bills (vs. DEN). By the numbers, this matchup looks great, but Buffalo doesn't use him enough in high leverage and it won't need him as much in the passing game.
30. Kareem Hunt, Browns (at BAL). The Ravens are downright nasty up front and are blowing out folks at home.
31. Devin Singletary, Texans (at CIN). Keep him down, as the Texans are simply not running enough or well enough with Dameon Pierce (ankle) hurting.
32. Miles Sanders, Panthers (at CHI). He looked better last week, but you can't trust him to get the key work over Chuba Hubbard anymore.
33. Jerome Ford, Browns (at BAL). Keep him parked in the garage next to Kareem Hunt.
34. Keaton Mitchell, Ravens (vs. CLE). He deserves some buzz, but he's still behind Edwards and Justice Hill.
35. Tyjae Spears, Titans (at TB). It still will take an injury to Derrick Henry to get him enough work to be viable.
WEEK 10 DFS:
DK lineup | FD lineup | Best values | Best stacks
Fantasy Football Week 10 Start 'Em: Wide receivers
Must starts
- Amon-Ra St. Brown, Lions (at LAC)
- Stefon Diggs, Bills (vs. DEN)
- CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys (vs. NYG)
- Ja'Marr Chase, Bengals (vs. HOU)
- Chris Olave, Saints (at MIN)
- D.J. Moore, Bears (vs. CAR)
- Mike Evans, Buccaneers (vs. TEN)
- Keenan Allen, Chargers (vs. DET)
- Michael Pittman Jr, Colts (vs. NE in Frankfurt)
- DeAndre Hopkins, Titans (at TB)
- DK Metcalf, Seahawks (vs. WAS)
- Brandon Aiyuk, 49ers (vs. JAX)
- Christian Kirk, Jaguars (vs. SF)
- Calvin Ridley, Jaguars (vs. SF)
- Diontae Johnson, Steelers (vs. GB)
- Terry McLaurin, Commanders (at SEA)
- Garrett Wilson, Jets (at LV)
- Adam Thielen, Panthers (at CAR)
- Deebo Samuel, 49ers (at JAX)
- Tyler Lockett, Seahawks (vs. WAS)
- Courtland Sutton, Broncos (at BUF)
- Chris Godwin, Buccaneers (vs. TEN)
- Drake London, Falcons (at ARI)
Stronger starts
24. Romeo Doubs, Packers (at PIT). He should ball against weak corners with Christian Watson (chest, back) banged up.
25. Davante Adams, Raiders (vs. NYJ). This matchup is brutal with a rookie QB, but he can always come through with a score, so don't be silly and sit him.
26. Jordan Addison, Vikings (vs. NO). He will be just fine with Josh Dobbs and no K.J. Osborn (concussion).
27. Jahan Dotson, Commanders (at SEA). He's finally delivering as their key scoring and big-play threat, and this matchup is beatable.
28. Demario Douglas, Patriots (vs. IND in Frankfurt). He's the one guy from their passing game you can trust as a high-floor play against a cornerback group that's weak beyond Kenny Moore.
29. Amari Cooper, Browns (at BAL). The matchup is awful, but he can get it done with volume from Deshaun Watson.
30. Marquise Brown, Cardinals (vs. ATL). He can use his speed to get open away from A.J. Terrell. Michael Wilson (shoulder) may miss another game, too.
31. Rashid Shaheed, Saints (at MIN). The Vikings struggle in the slot, and he's due for a big-play TD.
32. Jayden Reed, Packers (at PIT). He should get more run here if Watson is out, and his youthful quickness can give Patrick Peterson problems.
DFS picks
DK Metcalf, Seahwks (vs. WAS, $6,800 DraftKings, $7,300 FanDuel). He is also due for a big TD game, and he'll catch much more than one this week, as Geno Smith will have more time to get the ball downfield to him often.
Chris Olave, Saints (at MIN, $6,400 DraftKings, $7,400 FanDuel). He got going a little more when moved around last week, and this could be a blowup yardage and TD spot.
DeAndre Hopkins, Titans (at TB, $6,000 DraftKings, $7,100 FanDuel). The Bucs' secondary fell apart last week with the Jamel Dean injury at corner, and Hopkins should plenty more love and target volume from Will Levis downfield.
Fantasy Football Week 10 Sit 'Em: Wide receivers
Weaker starts
33. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seahawks (vs. WAS). The matchup is fantastic in general, but DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett will do most of the damage.
34. Zay Flowers, Ravens (vs. CLE). This matchup stinks, and they aren't forcing it to him here. This also could be an OBJ-fed revenge game.
35. George Pickens, Steelers (vs. GB). He's been the squeaky wheel, but you can bet they won't force it to him with the running game, defense, and Diontae Johnson working better.
36. Gabe Davis, Bills (vs. DEN), Kincaid and Khalil Shakir's usage after Stefon Diggs hurts his value.
37. Jerry Jeudy, Broncos (at BUF). He can't get free inside the way Courtland Sutton can outside with Taron Johnson looming.
38. Jakobi Meyers, Raiders (vs. NYJ). He can be slowed down and shut down away from Sauce.
39. Tank Dell, Texans (at CIN). Between Chidobe Awuzie, Cam Taylor-Britt, and Mike Hilton, he will be cooled off big-time.
40. Michael Thomas, Saints (at MIN). He got shut out last week, and the fade is happening as expected.
41. Quentin Johnston, Chargers (vs. DET). You can't trust his rookie usage from Justin Herbert even with Mike Williams (knee) and Josh Palmer (knee) down.
Fantasy Football Week 10 Start 'Em: Tight ends
Must starts
- Sam LaPorta, Lions (vs. LAC)
- Dalton Kincaid, Bills (vs. DEN)
- T.J. Hockenson, Vikings (vs. NO)
- Mark Andrews, Ravens (vs. CLE)
- Dalton Schultz, Texans (at CIN)
- George Kittle, 49ers (at JAX)
- Jake Ferguson, Cowboys (vs. NYG)
Stronger starts
8. Taysom Hill, Saints (at MIN). The Vikings can give it up to traditional tight ends, but even if Hill is simply a power back, he'll get his points.
9. Cole Kmet, Bears (vs. CAR). He didn't go away with Tyson Bagent, and he should keep it going with Tyson Bagent vs. a depleted defense.
10. Trey McBride, Cardinals (vs. ATL). He just couldn't get going based on matchup and poor QB play last week. That changes twofold at home.
11. Gerald Everett, Chargers (vs. DET). The matchup is awesome, and he should be targeted often in the middle.
12. Evan Engram, Jaguars (vs. SF). The 49ers are pretty good against tight ends thanks to Fred Warner, but Engram is still startable.
13. Kyle Pitts, Falcons (at ARI). Keep in mind he's really a wide receiver, and the matchup is great from that standpoint
14. Logan Thomas, Commanders (at SEA). The Seahawks are much better against the tight end, but with no Curtis Samuel (toe), he should get the key targets after Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson.
DFS pick
Dalton Schultz, Texans (at CIN, $4,900 DraftKings, $6,100 FanDuel). He is coming off a heater, and the other Dalton (Kincaid) ripped into the Bengals' weak linebacker and safety coverage last week, just like George Kittle the week before. The Bengals' corners also can contain Houston's wideouts well.
Fantasy Football Week 10 Sit 'Em: Tight ends
Weaker starts
15. David Njoku, Browns (at BAL). Thanks to Geno Stone and Kyle Hamilton, the Ravens are erasing this position.
16. Jonnu Smith, Falcons (at ARI). The Cardinals are actually pretty good vs. traditional tight ends, unlike last season.
17. Luke Musgrave, Packers (at PIT). The Steelers are much more beatable outside at corner.
18. Cade Otton, Buccaneers (vs. TEN). Don't go chasing his random two TDs.
19. Michael Mayer, Raiders (vs. NYJ). The matchup is fine, but he's just not seeing the ball anymore.
20;. Hunter Henry, Patriots (vs. IND in Frankfurt). He's not scoring again to help his value, and don't chase the big game he had a couple of years ago against them.
21. Juwan Johnson, Saints (at MIN). He's back and the matchup is OK, but he's also too TD-dependent.
Fantasy Football Week 10 Start 'Em: Defenses
Stronger starts
- Cowboys (vs. NYG)
- Ravens (vs. CLE)
- Steelers (vs. GB)
- Raiders (vs. NYJ)
- Jets (at LV)
- Seahawks (vs. WAS)
- Bills (vs. DEN)
- Saints (at MIN)
9. Colts (vs. NE in Frankfurt). They made massive plays on Bryce Young last week and get to work on Mac this week.
10. Buccaneers (vs. TEN). They got ripped by another rookie QB, but that was C.J. Stroud on the road. Will Levis will be more prone to sacks and INTs.
11. Bears (vs. CAR). They're playing better, and Bryce Young can be ripped a little here again. The Bears should get an emotional prime-time bump, too.
12. Patriots (vs. IND in Frankfurt). Gardner Minshew is getting a bit sloppy, so you can get some sacks and a pick or two here.
13. Cardinals (vs. ATL). Taylor Heinicke is still sloppy, and the Cards can make some big plays and get sacks at home.
14. Vikings (vs. NO). It's Brian Flores vs. Derek Carr, so there's always a shot at big plays for Minnesota.
DFS pick
Bengals (vs. HOU, $2,800 DraftKings, $4,400 FanDuel). The Texans don't throw many interceptions with C.J. Stroud, but he's not the same on the road. The Bengals won't mind a pass-happy attack given Trey Hendrickson, Sam Hubbard, and their three-deep cornerback corps vs. a rookie.
Fantasy Football Week 10 Sit 'Em: Defenses
Weaker starts
15. 49ers (at JAX). The Jaguars' offense is too limiting for a defense that's better in reality than in fantasy.
16. Jaguars (vs. SF). They've been great and Brock Purdy has made mistakes of late, but this feels like a shootout.
17. Browns (at BAL). Not against this red-hot division foe on the road.
18. Packers (at PIT). Kenny Pickett says "yes" but Green Bay's actual defense says "no."
19. Panthers (at CHI). The numbers say "maybe," but the injuries say "no."
20. Chargers (vs. DET). Don't chase Monday night vs. a much better offense.
21. Lions (at LAC). Justin Herbert doesn't turn the ball over too much even when he slumps.
Get more of Vinnie Iyer's weekly analysis by listening or watching the daily Locked On Fantasy Football podcast.
