Fantasy Football Week 10 Starts, Sits: Advice For Tough Lineup Decisions

Week 9 reinforced the notion that in the NFL, anything can happen on any given Sunday. The same can be said for fantasy football on a week-by-week basis.

This unpredictability factor makes for exciting viewing, but it can cause headaches for fantasy players. In hopes of alleviating some of those stresses, here are our lineup tips for Week 10.

STARTS
Derek Carr, QB, Las Vegas Raiders
Carr wasn’t particularly sharp in the Raiders’ unexpected loss to the New York Giants, but he still managed to throw for nearly 300 yards. A bounce-back spot awaits the veteran quarterback Sunday when Las Vegas hosts AFC West rival Kansas City. The Chiefs currently are allowing the second-most fantasy points per game to signal-callers. Not to mention, Carr threw three touchdown passes in both of the Raiders’ matchups with Patrick Mahomes and Co. last season.

Melvin Gordon III, RB, Denver Broncos
Gordon will be riding somewhat of a hot streak into Sunday’s game, as he found the end zone in each of Denver’s last two contests. The veteran back very well could keep it going against the Eagles, who allowed six rushing TDs over their last four games. Philadelphia enters Week 10 allowing the fourth-most fantasy points to RBs per game.

Brandon Aiyuk, WR, San Francisco 49ers
This admittedly is a momentum play. Aiyuk was one of the biggest fantasy flops in the first quarter of the season, but he’s shown improvement in recent weeks. The uber-athletic wideout hauled in a combined 10 catches for 134 yards with a touchdown in San Francisco’s last two games. The Rams have defended wideouts pretty well this season, but we expect Aiyuk to make some noise in what effectively is a must-win game for the 49ers.

SITS
Baker Mayfield, QB, Cleveland Browns
We really don’t like the spot Mayfield is in this week. For starters, the Patriots currently are allowing the second-fewest fantasy points per game to QBs. New England very well could force Cleveland to win with Mayfield throwing Sunday, as the Browns’ top two running backs both tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday. This challenge doesn’t bode well for a quarterback who only has thrown for over 250 yards twice through eight games.

Adrian Peterson, RB, Tennessee Titans
One might be inclined to give Peterson a look this week, potentially as a FLEX play. The seasoned veteran was designated as Tennessee’s starting running back last Sunday night and he found the end zone in his Titans debut. But we’d advise steering clear of Peterson against the New Orleans Saints, who only allowed one rushing touchdown over the last three weeks. Peterson also is a virtual non-factor in the passing game.

D.J. Moore, WR, Carolina Panthers
After a fairly strong start to the season, Moore now is amid a brutally cold streak. You’d have to go all the way back to Oct. 3 for the last time the Panthers wideout scored a touchdown. He also hasn’t amassed more than 75 receiving yards in a game since that tilt against the Dallas Cowboys. Carolina will meet a defensively sound Arizona Cardinals team this weekend, and its backup quarterback will be under center for Week 10 (and beyond).