Fantasy Football 2020 Start 'em Sit 'em Week 10

The fantasy playoffs are a month away and the push for the playoffs is in full swing. Over the next month it becomes as important as ever to get those start ’em and sit ’em decisions correct, with Week 10 being the potential catalyst for a strong finish to the 2020 fantasy season.

Quarterback

Automatic Starts: Lamar Jackson, Russell Wilson, Josh Allen, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Kyler Murray, Deshaun Watson

start 'em sit 'em Week 10
Denver Broncos quarterback Drew Lock plays against the Los Angeles Chargers during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 1, 2019, in Denver. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

Start of the Week: Drew Lock @ Las Vegas Raiders

The Missouri product has stepped his game up in the past couple of weeks, scoring over 51 fantasy points in games against the Chargers & Falcons, and now he ends this stretch of nice matchups on the road in Las Vegas. The Raiders on average are giving up the seventh most passing yards and have only registered three interceptions. This bodes well for Lock who has also added a couple of rushing TDs in the last three games. Herbert just had a two score performance against the Raiders for over 22 points and I expect a similar output here for Lock.

Other notable starts:

Jared Goff vs. Seattle Seahawks

Not much needs to be said here other than they are playing Seattle so of course you want this QB in your lineup. Goff has been far from stellar and a few down weeks in a row has fantasy managers officially concerned. Josh Allen found his get right game against the Seahawks last week with a monster 36-point performance, this is the best chance Goff will have of putting up some big numbers.

Baker Mayfield vs. Houston Texans

Baker Mayfield has had a very strange season thus far summed up in his last three performances – 7-point game, 30-point game, 7-point game. That is the definition of boom/bust and too risky for some managers. Well the good news is there’s much less risk and much more chance of a boom game when the Browns host the Texans. Jake Luton in his first NFL start recorded a nice fantasy outing, scoring over 21 points. The Texans defense has given up nine passing TDs in the last three weeks so Baker must be licking his lips at this contest.

Tua Tagovailoa vs. LA Chargers

I’m including Tua in my starts of the week in only his third NFL start, impressive. Tua was much improved last week in Arizona from his first start and registered a very satisfactory 21.42 points. I’m backing him to put up similar numbers in his third career start, despite the loss of WR Preston Williams to IR. I was impressed by the way he targeted nine different receivers last week instead of relying on one or two, which bodes well for things going forward without Williams. The Chargers are conceding two passing TDs on average over the past two weeks and Tua is a great bet with his rushing ability to score another 20+ points.

Sits – Joe Burrow, Kirk Cousins, Matthew Stafford

Running Back

Automatic Starts: Alvin Kamara, Derrick Henry, Dalvin Cook, Aaron Jones, Chris Carson (If healthy), Josh Jacobs, James Robinson

Start of the Week: J.D. McKissic @ Detroit Lions

As far as dream matchups go this is as good as it gets. Antonio Gibson is the lead back without doubt but it’s the matchup of the pass catching king from Week 9 with 14 targets against the worst defense against receiving backs, I want some of that! Gibson is also dealing with a shoulder injury so his status is slightly up in the air right now. McKissic has yet to score a single TD in 2020 so far but I wouldn’t be surprised to see him finally find the end zone in Week 10 against the reeling Lions.

Other notable starts:

Zack Moss @ Arizona Cardinals

Moss has been slowly but surely taking over the backfield duties in Buffalo and it’s showing in his fantasy scores. Three rushing TDs in his last two outings is a great return and shows the increasing trust the organisation has in the rookie. The Bills offense looked scarily good last week and this clash against another NFC West opponent looks to be another high scoring affair. If Moss can continue to grab the role further away from Singletary then Moss can enter the RB2 conversation with a higher floor each week.

Kareem Hunt vs. Houston Texans

Hunt hasn’t become that superstar running back in the absence of Nick Chubb, who could in fact return this week. This has been disappointing for some fantasy managers who had pinned their hopes on the former Chiefs star. In fact the stats show that Hunt scored more points in the games with Chubb than without him. The matchup this week is amazing, Houston are giving up the most yards to opposing running backs and have allowed five rushing TDs in their last three contests. Whether it’s the 1-2 punch from Chubb & Hunt or whether it’s just Hunt alone you want to start both these Browns in your lineups.

Chase Edmonds vs. Buffalo Bills

Edmonds had plenty of opportunity last week rushing a total of 25 times for a disappointing 70 yards and only managed to register 11.80 fantasy points. You may say but wait isn’t Kenyan Drake coming back this week? Well maybe but don’t despair Edmonds is still a really good play this week against a Bills team who have been pretty bad at stopping the run lately. Buffalo have given up the joint most rushing TDs on the season (13) so there’s opportunities a plenty for this Cardinals team who have rushed for the second most TDs.

Sits – Jerick Mckinnon, Patriots RBs, Ronald Jones

Wide Receiver

start 'em sit 'em Week 10
Nov 1, 2020; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy (10) runs the ball on a reception in the fourth quarter against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Start of the Week: Jerry Jeudy @ Las Vegas Raiders

This is the Jerry Jeudy that everybody was so hyped to see in the NFL. A true number one target for Drew Lock, Jeudy was heavily involved, seeing a whopping 14 targets come his way which he managed to turn into 125 yards and a TD. The week previous he saw an encouraging 10 targets so we can begin to see some consistency in terms of Lock looking Jeudy’s way. This bodes well for a trip to Las Vegas who rank 26th in passing yards conceded, giving up an average of 267 receiving yards per game and two TDs over the past five matches.

Other notable starts:

Curtis Samuel vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Curtis Samuel, Curtis Samuel!! I can’t believe he’s in my starts of the week but it’s completely merited after his recent performances. Samuel followed up a big fantasy score against the Falcons (21.40) with an even bigger one in Arrowhead against the Chiefs (26.80). He’s clearly a big part of their offense now and anyone with Samuel on their roster can have some optimism at his upcoming fixture at home to the Bucs who just got destroyed by fellow division rivals the Saints. Samuel will have a low floor each week but clearly his ceiling is very high and with Samuel getting involved in all facets of the offense he can be a flex play with increasing confidence.

Christian Kirk vs. Buffalo Bills

I’m not jumping off the Kirk bandwagon anytime soon so sorry if you’re getting bored reading his name week in week out. There was those who said his two score Week 6 performance against Dallas was a one off, a big reception making his stats looked crooked, but the following two weeks have proven those doubters wrong. I managed to pickup Kirk in a lot of leagues for next to nothing at the start of the season and I’ve started to take some interesting trade offers for him. This week Arizona faces Buffalo fresh off a big win against their NFC West rivals Seattle. This looks to be a high scoring contest. With Tre’Davious White’s attention on DeAndre Hopkins, Kirk can once again have a big week under the radar.

DeVante Parker vs. LA Chargers

I’ve tipped Tua to have success this week and a big part of that success will be slinging it to DeVante Parker. With Preston Williams placed on IR the focus for moving the ball will be on Parker who can dominate this once great secondary that lately has been playing soft. Parker hasn’t had quite the success he had in 2019 but he managed to get back on track with his new QB in Week 9 grabbing six of his seven targets for 64 yards, a small sign of what’s to come over the next few weeks. The schedule for Tua is golden in the next four weeks and I expect these two to pull off some magic together as they try to keep the Dolphins fully in the playoff picture.

Sits – TY Hilton, Marvin Jones, Tyler Boyd

Tight End

Automatic Starts: Darren Waller, TJ Hockenson, Mark Andrews

Start of the Week: Eric Ebron v Cincinnati Bengals

I was excited to take Ebron very cheaply in drafts and buying low in trades. However, I have been pretty disappointed until Week 7 where it’s all started to click into gear. Ebron has now scored at least 12 points in three straight contests and this week looks set for number four. The Bengals have struggled against fantasy TEs all season and I wouldn’t be surprised to see his run of two games with a TD extended to three on Sunday afternoon.

Other notable starts:

Noah Fant @ Las Vegas Raiders

I’ve tipped Drew Lock to succeed this week alongside Jerry Jeudy and now Noah Fant has the chance to get back to being a top TE option in Week 10 with the loss of Albert O for the year. The Raiders have given up the third most points to opposing TEs over the past four weeks, which is another sign that Fant can get back to his best. Fant hasn’t scored a TD since way back in Week 2 but I will have a few quid on him finding the end zone again this week.

Jimmy Graham vs. Minnesota Vikings

This divisional matchup is a big one on Monday night, as the loser will start to feel the playoffs are becoming too far away. Graham carried on his tally of red zone targets with another score against Tennessee taking his tally to five on the season and scoring an impressive 20.50 points. I am rolling with Graham with confidence this week against a Vikings team who continue to struggle to cover any type of receivers.

Austin Hooper vs. Houston Texans

Hooper returns this week from a three week absence in what looks like a juicy plus matchup on paper. The Texans are giving up the 10th most points to the TE position and ever since Odell Beckham Jr went down with a season ending injury, Austin Hooper has helped take up the mantle and increase his workload. Hooper can be played as a low end TE1 this week with upside.

Sits – Jonnu Smith, Tyler Higbee, Texans TEs

Alastair Cook

Fantasy Football Analyst

ALASTAIR, A DIE-HARD BUCCANEERS FAN FROM NORWICH AND UP AND COMING FANTASY CONTRIBUTOR CAN BE FOUND ON HIS TWITTER PAGE The Dynasty Grill (@FFDynastyGrill)

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