Following the Thursday night matchup, it’s now time for fantasy football managers to go into the weekend staring at their lineups contemplating their start/sit decisions.
Teams on a bye in Week 10 include the New York Jets, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals and New England Patriots.
Doing start/sit articles can be a little challenging. The players featured on the list below should not be taken as “must starts” or “must sits.” Instead, these are more suggestions on what we believe managers should do with fringe players heading into the weekend. The choice is ultimately up to the manager.
Just because a player is listed as a “start” doesn’t mean he should be put in the lineup over the secure, bona fide studs. Vice versa for the “sits.” If there’s no better option on the waiver wire or the bench, a manager shouldn’t automatically sit the player. That’s why these can be tricky waters to navigate.
You also can check out our start and sit bench list for Week 10:
Sit: TE Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers
It may be difficult to sit Freiermuth considering the bye weeks and injuries that are hitting fantasy managers hard. Even if you have no choice but to start him, temper expectations. The departure of Chase Claypool could mean more targets, but Freiermuth takes on a New Orleans Saints defense that has allowed the fewest PPR points per game (7.0) to the position this season along with the fourth-fewest receptions (30) and the third-fewest receiving yards (272) to the position. The tight end landscape is brutal so managers may not have a choice, but this is not an exciting matchup at all.
Start: TE Greg Dulcich, Denver Broncos
Coming out of the bye week, Dulcich will have a chance to build on the three strong games he posted since making his debut in Week 6. The rookie tight end has provided a nice boost to the position by posting TE1 finishes in each of his three games this season. Now, he gets to take on a Tennessee Titans defense that has allowed the fourth-most PPR points per game (16.0) to the position, which also included the fourth-most yards allowed (559) to tight ends as well. The Broncos offense has struggled, but Dulcich is in a strong spot to produce.
Sit: WR Brandin Cooks, Houston Texans
Cooks is back with the Texans after taking a game off to vent his frustrations with the direction of the team. While Cooks is still a strong option for the rest of the season, we may want to look at others for Week 10. The Texans offense has been committed to running back Dameon Pierce and even though Cooks is clearly the top target in the passing game, the matchup isn’t all that great. The New York Giants have allowed the fifth-fewest PPR points per game (27.7) to wideouts and have allowed just five touchdowns to the position. Cooks seems to have limited upside this week so a pivot option might be the move.
Start: WR Darnell Mooney, Chicago Bears
Mooney has been heating up for the better part of the last month. He has four double-digit PPR points in his last six games and has posted at least five receptions three times in his last four. Now, he gets a juicy matchup against a Detroit Lions defense that has allowed the fourth-most PPR points per game (38.5) to the position this season while ranking top-10 in both receptions and yards allowed to wide receivers. Mooney has yet to hit the century mark in a game, but it wouldn’t be a surprise at all if it happened this week.
Sit: WR Allen Robinson, Los Angeles Rams
There was a bit of hope that Robinson might be finding his groove going into Week 9 and then he posted three receptions for 24 yards, reminding us that this is likely another lost season. Given the fact that Matthew Stafford is in the league’s concussion protocol, there’s a chance Robinson won’t have his starting quarterback available. Even if Stafford plays, Robinson hasn’t been playing well enough or consistently enough to trust as even a flex option. The matchup against the San Francisco 49ers isn’t as terrible as it might seem on paper. They’ve allowed the fourth-most PPR points per game (39.5) to wideouts over the last five weeks, but there are better options than Robinson.
Start: WR Diontae Johnson, Pittsburgh Steelers
Maybe it’s my unbridled love for Johnson’s game that makes me always see the upside in starting him. If leagues were won on expected fantasy points, Johnson would be the WR1. It hasn’t been even a good year for Johnson, who has had to deal with constant quarterback changes and a putrid offense in general. He was already leading the Steelers with a 26% target share so the departure of Chase Claypool isn’t as significant for him as it will be for others (like our sleeper pick George Pickens). But the Steelers take on the New Orleans Saints, who have allowed the 10th-most receiving yards (734) to wideouts over the last five weeks. Johnson hasn’t finished a week as a WR2 yet this season so there is certainly risk, but the opportunity and matchup are there for a strong game.
Sit: RB Devin Singletary, Buffalo Bills
It hasn’t been the most consistent season for Singletary, who has just two weekly finishes as an RB2 despite getting the majority of work in the Buffalo backfield. Considering the concern with Josh Allen’s status, there’s a chance we need to downgrade most of the Bills’ skill players. The matchup for Singletary isn’t all that enticing, either, as the Minnesota Vikings have allowed the fewest PPR points per game (14.5) to running backs over the last five weeks. It may be best to keep Singletary on the bench this week.
Start: RB Jeff Wilson Jr., Miami Dolphins
We’ve talked about Wilson plenty this week, and he’s one of our sleepers in Week 10. Wilson was traded to the Dolphins during the middle of the week just before the trade deadline, but his experience in Mike McDaniel’s style offense already paid off with a big role in Week 9. He had more snaps and routes run than presumed starter Raheem Mostert while seeing the same amount of carries. If that split continues, Wilson will have a big role against a Cleveland Browns defense allowing the third-most PPR points per game (30.9) to the position over the last five weeks.
Sit: QB Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
Rodgers was right on the border of delivering a QB1 finish in Week 9 but, even then, only put up 13.6 fantasy points despite the favorable matchup against the Detroit Lions. Now, with a hobbled Aaron Jones in the backfield, Rodgers will be facing a Dallas Cowboys defense that has allowed the ninth-fewest fantasy points per game (13.7) to quarterbacks over the last five weeks. It’s probably best to avoid the Packers in Week 10.
Start: QB Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars
Hopefully, Lawrence will find the end zone through the air more than once against the Kansas City Chiefs, something he hasn’t done since Week 4. Even through that, Lawrence has posted three QB1 finishes in his last four games. In Week 10, he’ll be taking on a Chiefs defense that has allowed a QB1 finish in every game except for two. One of those was against Malik Willis in Week 9 and the other was against Matt Ryan, who still posted a top-15 finish at the position. With some tough quarterback matchups elsewhere, Lawrence could provide a strong outing for fantasy managers.
