We’re in the double digits! Yes, the fantasy football is flying along, as we’re in Week 10 and Thanksgiving is right around the corner. Heck, your trade deadline is getting close, so as always with the fantasy football rankings, don’t forget about the buys and sells, the 101 piece (links below), helping you with trade decisions and lineups (find me in the comment section) — plus, this week’s fun ranks: football party food!
*** Oh! And, we might have found a solution to the rankings widget issue by using Fantasy Nation (via Football Diehards). All three scoring formats work and are editable by me (unlike before), and the widget will let you scroll on Android (browser) without using two fingers! YAY! ***
#CheckTheLink-age
Waivers | True SOS (APA — Wednesday update)
Fantasy Football 101 (starts, sits, trading, more)
All in Football (video pod)
2022 Week 10 Fantasy Football Sleepers
🚨 HEADS UP 🚨 These are sleepers. They will not mimic my rankings 100%. This is chasing upside and often carries more risk.
QUARTERBACK
POSSIBLY START: Daniel Jones, NYG — Jones had his worst game of the season heading into the bye, but it came against a sneaky decent defense (Seahawks). With a week off to reset and plan for the Texans matchup, Jones should rebound… well, mainly for the matchup and not so much Jones’ passing ability. It’s truly Jones’ legs that boost his fantasy value, with three games of 68+ rushing yards and his two 20+ points games coming with a rushing touchdown (or two). Hopefully, Jones doesn’t choke like in Week 8.
RUNNING BACK
POSSIBLY START: Rachaad White, TB — Reports are the Buccaneers could lean on White more as the season approaches the end, and against the Seahawks, it could start this week. While the Seahawks defense against receivers is better than assumed, they are highly susceptible to pass-catching running backs, as Austin Ekeler annihilated them with a 12-12-96-1 line, Alvin Kamara had 6-6-91 receiving, Javonte Williams went 12-11-65-0 in Week 1, and even James Conner put up 5-5-19 in his return last week.
HAIL MARY START: Isiah Pacheco, KC — As mentioned on the podcast, I don’t want anything to do with the Chiefs, Broncos, Rams and Bills backfields… if possible. Yes, we’ll likely have to use someone each week, particularly with the Chiefs and Bills offenses, and this time, we can shoot for Pacheco’s upside. That lies with hope for a touchdown and run while holding a lead. The backfield is a true committee with Jerick McKinnon out-snapping the others, but Pacheco would likely see more run (no pun intended) with a healthy lead, which the Chiefs should have against the Jaguars.
WIDE RECEIVER
POSSIBLY START: DeAndre Carter, LAC — The Josh Palmer advice is paying off well, so let’s turn to Carter this week. He was a good option in Week 9, but there is upside for more against the 49ers, despite what it might look like on paper. The 49ers are near the top of the league in receptions of 20+ yards allowed and, yes, a few of those have gone to Cooper Kupp alone, but even the Panthers had four such receptions in Week 5. Carter has big-play potential with 10.4 Air/TGT and 20.8% of his receptions going for 20+ yards, despite playing mainly out of the slot. There is a great chance Carter comes up big and doesn’t flop.
POSSIBLY START: Wan’Dale Robinson, NYG — From Weeks 6-8, Robinson is tied with Darius Slayton for the team’s lead in target percentage (17.6) and has the most receptions (11) while being just one of three players to catch a touchdown. That’s all with his down game of 3-2-15-0 before the bye (thank you, Daniel Jones). It’s the two prior games we’re hoping he mimics, as the matchup is favorable (Texans), as long as the Giants don’t get out too big too early and run out the clock.
HAIL MARY START: Donovan Peoples-Jones, CLE — Strangely, Amari Cooper dominates at home and struggles a bit on the road, which is where DPJ has shown up. The Browns have had three road games to five at home, and yet, Peoples-Jones has 20-13-215 on the road and 26-17-202 at home. The Browns also head to Miami in what we can hope is a shootout and Jacoby Brissett’s second game attempting 40+ passes this year.
TIGHT END
HAIL MARY START: Cade Otton, TB — Even if Cameron Brate returns, I’m willing to gamble on Otton, who is third on the team in TmTGT% since Week 4 (Brate played in Weeks 4 and 6). Otton is also second in Red Zone and End Zone targets during this stretch, turning in a line of 30-22-242-1. What truly helps is the matchup with the Seahawks. No opponent has failed to score at least 5.2 points at tight end — T.J. Hockenson destroyed them in Week 4, Zach Ertz had a nice 5-40-1 last week and even Tanner Hudson for the Giants managed 3-58-0.
Fun with Rankings!
Best Football Party Food
It’s back to food this week, and I have a big appetite fighting this flu… or whatever it is. I’ve always gone the hungry route when sick — some people don’t want to eat anything — so I thought, “Why not rank the Top 10 football party foods?” It’s the middle of the NFL season, after all, so let’s dig in… to the ranks… and some great eats. Happy to hear your suggestions too. I always love trying new food/snacks.
- Pizza — Why even have a football party if you don’t have pizza? I’ll even take multiple variations of pizza — bites, rolls, bread, etc. — in addition to regular pizza.
- Buffalo Chicken Dip — I can only assume this is what the streets of heaven taste like. I have to portion it onto my plate or I’d gorge on the entire bowl.
- Wings — Would rank higher if not for the unending need for napkins/wipes. Louisiana flavor is my go-to (Wingstop or my own).
- Sliders — It’s a category of its own really, but whether it’s burgers, BBQ, chicken, etc., these are a must, particularly for the ease of eating them versus a full-sized burger.
- Soft Pretzel — I might be crazy, but I absolutely love some soft pretzels — whether it’s a giant pretzel “log” everyone shares, bites, or full-on pretzels — and there are so many variations, from salt to cinnamon sugar to everything and more.
- Buffalo Chicken Rolls — They are kind of like spring rolls (size and makeup) but just filled with buffalo chicken. Easy to make, eat and love.
- Chips — Utz over Lays!
- Pigs in a Blanket — Did you know the plural is pigs in blankets? Cute, huh?
- Mac and Cheese — Easy side, super delicious, and you can add different spins on it.
- Taco/Layer Dip/Nachos — You could argue this should rank higher, and I won’t argue back much, but the buffalo chicken dip is far better, and I hate beans, especially the refried glop in dip. If you leave out beans, I’ll dive in!
BONUS: Monkey Bread — If you’ve never had it (maybe you didn’t realize this is what it was called), do yourself a favor and make some next time. Like chicken wings, it involves plenty of hand cleaning afterward, but these are what the clouds in heaven taste like. Imagine the middle of a Cinnabon — you get that in every bite!
BUYS AND SELLS
Buys
- Justin Herbert, QB, LAC — I’m far from a Herbert apologist, but he hasn’t had a full complement of weapons this year, and if Keenan Allen and/or Mike Williams can return, the Chargers have a middle-of-the-road schedule, as Herbert still has plenty of upside.
- Michael Carter, RB, NYJ — Yes, splitting the backfield, but a favorable schedule, and managers might think about “selling high” coming off a good game.
- Gus Edwards, RB, BAL — Ravens on a bye, Edwards is the lead when healthy and should return in Week 11.
- Courtland Sutton, WR, DEN — Was here last week, as Jerry Jeudy had a bad stretch earlier this year, and now Sutton is in the midst of his. I don’t expect Top 20 ROS for Sutton, but managers are outright dropping him.
- Diontae Johnson, WR, PIT — Also here last week, as Chase Claypool leaving narrows the passing tree for Kenny Pickett, and the volume was already high with Johnson anyway.
- Michael Pittman, WR, IND — Sam Ehlinger at quarterback is concerning, but Pittman is still in the WR3 conversation along with the likes of other boom/bust options like a Gabriel Davis.
- Pat Freiermuth, TE, PIT — As with Johnson, Freiermuth will benefit from Claypool being out of the equation.
Sells
- Justin Fields, QB, CHI — We discussed Fields ROS on The Athletic Fantasy Football pod, and he’s pushing close to the Top 5 at QB, but some already put him there. I’d still take Tua Tagovailoa, so if others in your league see him as better than Joe Burrow/Kyler Murray/etc., you’re getting peak return value — even if Fields continues this… run.
- Joe Mixon, RB, CIN — Not just because of all of those touchdowns in Week 9, but the Bengals have one of the worst schedules for running backs in the fantasy playoffs.
- Josh Jacobs, RB, LV — Might be hard to sell Jacobs right now, but you could argue it’s just a rough stretch for the Raiders, when in actuality, the schedule doesn’t look great from Weeks 14-17, and the Raiders could start looking to 2023.
- Tyler Boyd, WR, CIN — Seems obvious, but there are plenty of inexperienced leagues with managers who might bite with Ja’Marr Chase out.
- Darnell Mooney, WR, CHI — Fields took quite a few shots with Claypool in his first game with the Bears. Mooney was fine as the volume king in the Bears’ passing game, and Mooney dropping even five percentage points in TmTGT% would be a big ding to his value.
Week 10 Fantasy Football Projections
🚨 HEADS UP 🚨 These can differ from my rankings, and my ranks are the order I’d start players outside of added context, such as, “Need highest upside, even if risky.” Also, based on 4-point TDs for QB, 6-point rest, and Half-PPR
Projections Download Link
***These are NOT updated Sunday morning, FYI***
Week 10 Fantasy Football Rankings
🚨 HEADS UP 🚨
- We might have found a solution to the rankings widget issue by using Fantasy Nation (via Football Diehards). All three scorings work and are editable by me (unlike before), and the widget will let you scroll on Android (browser) without using two fingers! YAY!
- Updated regularly, so check all the way up to lineups locking.
(Photo by Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)