Looking back at a previous week can sometimes cause us too much pain in this silly game we play. Nonetheless, if you played against Joe Mixon, Justin Fields, or Davante Adams last week, my prayers are up for you. It is unlikely my confidence plays or fades helped you avoid a loss if you faced those juggernauts, although it has been interesting to see the rare lineups that survived the onslaught.
As you may know, this article focuses on the fringe players because you don’t need my help telling you to start Christian McCaffrey. My overall record for those of you keeping score is 49-43 this season. So, I am still above .500! So, let’s try and keep the momentum going!
As I will do every week for this article, I am using the FantasyPros Expert Consensus Rankings to bring you, players, in ranges where the start/sit conundrums exist. Your RB2, WR3, and FLEX positions. Here are the ranges in which I will try to live when writing this column each week:
QB ECR: 10-20 | RB ECR: 20-40 | WR ECR: 20-40 | TE ECR: 10-20
With that, I will bring you my confidence plays and fades for this week. Again, my goal here is to give you plays and fades beyond just your obvious studs & duds. Good luck!
Week 10 Fantasy Football Start Em, Sit Em
PLAY
QB Jimmy Garoppolo ECR QB#11, vs LAC
Lost in all the talent now surrounding him is the fact that Jimmy Garappolo has strung together a rock solid 2022 campaign. Jimmy G is coming off of four straight games with two or more touchdowns and 21 or more fantasy points in those games. Garoppolo welcomes the Chargers to town, and although they are bottom-10 in points allowed to the QB in fantasy, they have surrendered the fifth-most passing touchdowns this season with 13. I like Jimmy’s odds of posting another multi-TD performance, especially with a team-implied total of 26.25, which is the 4th-highest of the Week 10 slate.
RB Devin Singletary ECR RB#25, vs MIN
The Vikings fans probably think I am picking on them with back-to-back weeks of vouching for the starting running back they are facing, but I do like Devin Singletary this week. Even though Minnesota has the 6th-stingiest defense for fantasy running backs to face, Singletary should find room to operate. He has seen 12 or more touches in three straight games now. The RB28 in PPR has had less than eight PPR points in only two games this season. I like his odds of being featured in this game with Josh Allen likely out or, at the very least, limited with the elbow injury. The Bills should lean on Singletary as home favorites in this November matchup.
RB Khalil Herbert ECR RB#28, vs DET
Before his two-point letdown against the Dolphins, Khalil Herbert had back-to-back games with over 15 PPR fantasy points. He will now face a Detroit Lions defense that has given up the 6th-most yards, 2nd-most touchdowns, and 9th-most points to enemy running backs this season. Even in a timeshare, I like Herbert’s chances of getting home against these lowly Lions, especially with the Bears boasting the fifth-highest team-implied total for Week 10.
WR Courtland Sutton ECR WR#27 at TEN
As I write this, I am also applying clown makeup to my face. It has been nearly impossible to trust Sutton over the last few weeks. He has just six catches for 50 scoreless yards over his previous three contests. Call it insanity, but I am again optimistic for our guy Courtland Sutton this week. He plays Tennessee which is a pristine matchup for opposing wide receivers, as only the Steelers and Falcons have allowed more points to wideouts in 2022. If not now, then when?
WR George Pickens ECR WR#33 vs NO
George Pickens has come on as of late, and it has been exciting to watch. Pickens has cleared 61 receiving yards in four of his last six games. I am not the only one feeling the good vibes with Pickens, either. Beat reporters have been touting the Steelers rookie as a potential focal point of the offense coming out of their bye. I like that to start this week against a Saints defense that has allowed the sixth most touchdowns to wide receivers this season.
TE Dalton Schultz ECR TE#12 at GB
Dalton Schultz has had a tumultuous season, to say the least. He has been battling a PCL injury and was without his franchise quarterback for multiple weeks. Since getting Dak back two weeks ago, however, Schultz has been coming on. He posted over 65% snap share, was targeted 12 times, and caught 11 of them for 123 yards in his two contests before the bye. In addition, he cleared 9 PPR points in both of those games. Although Green Bay has been one of the toughest matchups against tight ends, Schultz is one of Dak’s favorite targets, and with another week of rest, I am confident he will produce yet again this week.
For a few more players you can throw in your lineups for Week 10, check out Austin’s DFS Academy!
FADE
QB Kirk Cousins ECR QB#12, at BUF
I am as entertained as you all are with Kirk “Vanilla Ice” Cousins and this Vikings run, but I have to pump the brakes for his fantasy football outlook this week. Now Cousins has been solid but will face a bottom-five defense in Buffalo, and it will be the first top-tier unit he has played since Week 2 in Philly. In that game, Cousins tossed just one touchdown and threw three interceptions. The Bills boast a secondary that is bottom five in yards, touchdowns, and fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks this year, and I don’t see that changing this week, either.
RB Melvin Gordon ECR RB#33, at TEN
Gordon’s usage has been all over the place in his last three games. He was benched in Week 6, the Broncos signed Latavius Murray, and just last week, traded for Chase Edmonds. As if his usage and backfield competition weren’t enough to sway you, he faces a Titans defense that joins only the Patriots in giving up just one rushing touchdown to running backs this season. The last nail in the coffin? The Broncos have the second-lowest team implied total of the week with …gulp….17 points. Big Yikes.
RB Brian Robinson ECR RB#36, at PHI
Brian Robinson’s story is amazing. Unfortunately, his on-the-field production is not so much. Since coming back in Week 5, Robinson has not cleared four yards per carry and has yet to gain over 75 yards on the ground. He has just four catches all year and now faces a tough Philly defense on Monday night. The Eagles have allowed the 11th-fewest rushing yards to opposing running backs and are nearly 12-point favorites over the Commanders. This is not the game to force B-Rob into our lineups.
WR Terry McLaurin ECR WR#24 at PHI
Scary Terry has had a bit of a resurgence over the last three weeks, with eight or more targets and five or more catches in three straight games. But similar to his aforementioned teammate, I could not hate this matchup more. The Eagles are allowing just 24 fantasy points per game to the WR position. McLaurin will be mainly facing James Bradberry and Darius Slay, who have allowed just .72 and .63 Yards per route covered, and PFF ranks these two CB/WR matchups below average for McLaurin. So if you have another option, I would look away from McLaurin this week.
WR Michael Pittman Jr. ECR WR#33 at LV
Sometimes it is hard to write this article’s “Fade” section because it hurts my heart. Unfortunately, that is the case again here with Michael Pittman Jr. I was incredibly high on Pittman coming into the year, but like the rest of the Colts organization, this has been a dumpster fire as of late. Pittman has not cleared 60 yards since Week 6, which was with Matt Ryan. Since Ehlinger has taken over, Pittman’s yards per catch has plummeted to 6.5 yards. With only one touchdown all season, Pittman should be avoided at all costs until we see any sort of glimmer of hope.
TE Tyler Higbee ECR TE#11 vs AZ
After a hot start, it has been tough sledding for Higbee as of late. He has only three catches in his last three weeks and has gained just 22 yards in that span as well. The Rams’ offensive line issues have been so bad that Higbee has become a glorified blocker. Even in a juicy matchup against the Cardinals, I would be fading Higbee, especially with Matthew Stafford likely to miss with a concussion. You can do better, folks.
If you still have questions, Join us tomorrow and every Saturday at 11 AM EST for Start Sit, Different Day. We spend an entire hour devoted to answering your Week 10 questions!
Good luck this week. If you need some advice replacing some of Travy’s Fades, we have Ryan’s Streams of the Week to help you get that Week 10 win!