Fantasy football start 'em, sit 'em: 16 players to start or sit in Week 10

The 2023 NFL season has been one of the most difficult to predict in recent memory, much to the dismay of fantasy football players everywhere. Injuries are running amok, star players are having down seasons everywhere, even players we thought matchup-proof are struggling to string together consistent performance. Looking at you, Travis Kelce. Four points? You better come out of the bye with a renewed sense of purpose or something.

Regardless of who you're angry with this week, we're here to make sure you aren't angry with any of your decisions in Week 10. Here's who to start and sit at every position in your next matchup.

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Quarterbacks to start in Week 10

Denver Broncos QB Russell Wilson

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The Buffalo Bills are not the same team that dominated every game they played in just a few years ago. They're still a great team, don't get me wrong, but their defense has struggled to limit opposing quarterbacks on the stat sheet. They've surrendered at least 20 fantasy points to quarterbacks in three straight games, and two of those quarterbacks were Baker Mayfield and Mac Jones.

Not only are the Denver Broncos coming off of their bye – meaning Wilson and the rest of the Broncos' defense should be feeling refreshed and having had two weeks of preparation for the Bills – but Wilson has scored at least 17 points in three of his last five games. Furthermore, the Bills' offense could also get off to a hot start and put Denver behind early, forcing them to pass often. Playing on the road in Buffalo is always tough, but the situation is perfect for a strong performance from Russ.

Detroit Lions QB Jared Goff

The Lions are also coming off their bye. In Week 10, they'll face a Los Angeles Chargers squad that ranks 25th in pass yards allowed and that's before they've played their Monday Night game this week.

The biggest problem with Goff's fantasy outlook has been the success of running backs David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs. When they do well, Goff tends to take a back seat. That said, Goff has still sored 20 or more fantasy points in two of his last four games. When game script favors a heavy pass attack, Goff can still get good work done. He has reached at least 270 passing yards in three straight games, and this matchup with the Chargers is sure to be a shootout, meaning the Lions should be in a position to pass early and often.

Quarterbacks to sit in Week 10

San Francisco 49ers QB Brock Purdy

Even when the San Francisco 49ers were on top of the world and dominating every team they came across, Brock Purdy's fantasy output was not what you'd expect from an MVP candidate. He reached 20 points a few times but needed rushing touchdowns in others to even get to double digits.

In Week 10, Purdy and the Niners face the Jacksonville Jaguars, who have allowed 11, 19, and 12 points respectively to opposing quarterbacks over their last three games. Since Week 6 against Cleveland, Purdy has thrown just one touchdown in every game he's played and has scored more than 15 points just once.

While wide receiver Deebo Samuel did return to practice on Monday, there is no guarantee that he will play this weekend against the Jaguars. Furthermore, if left tackle Trent Williams misses Sunday's game as well, which seems likely considering he was not at the team's practice on Monday, Purdy's ceiling drops tremendously. Per Player Profiler, when Purdy is pressured, only 50.8 percent of his passes are deemed catchable. That's 22nd in the league. Even worse, this season the Jaguars have 84 quarterback pressures, which ranks 7th in the NFL.

Minnesota Vikings QB Joshua Dobbs

Yes, yes, yes. I know everybody loves Dobbs for taking down the Falcons on a short week in come-from-behind fashion. Hurrah! He's awesome, but Arizona Cardinals fans will be the first people to tell you that Dobbs probably isn't that guy. Sure, he's been a decent fantasy option most weeks, but that hasn't been due to his passing prowess.

Dobbs has thrown for more than 250 receiving yards just once all season, and while that doesn't matter as long as you throw touchdowns, those could be hard to come by in Week 10 as Justin Jefferson, KJ Osborn, and TJ Hockenson are all dealing with injuries. At least in Arizona, Dobbs had Marquise Brown and either Zach Ertz or Trey McBride each week. He'll be playing with a skeleton crew on Sunday.

Dobbs also scores many of his points with his feet. He's a great mobile quarterback. In fact, he's secured a rushing touchdown in three straight games. That streak might come to an end this weekend though. The Saints have not allowed a quarterback to rush into the endzone since Week 2. They did surrender 70 yards on the ground to Tyson Bagent in Week 9, but they also forced three interceptions, which obviously isn't great.

Running backs to start in Week 10

Atlanta Falcons RB Tyler Allgeier

Why not, right?

As long as Arthur Smith refuses to use his generational talent, Tyler Allgeier will continue seeing the goal-line carries. Against an Arizona defense that has allowed five halfback scores in their last four games, the Falcons should be near the goal-line plenty, which gives Falcons' head coach Arthur Smith ample opportunity to use Bijan Robinson. He won't though. Allgeier will get those carries for some godforsaken reason.

Allgeier has had as many or more carries than Bijan in three of the last four games, but Allgeier gets the important carries. It will be ugly, but Allgeier's ceiling is higher than Bijan's at the moment.

Dallas Cowboys RB Tony Pollard

Cowboys halfback Tony Pollard has two rushing touchdowns on the season. Both came in Week 1 against the New York Giants.

With Big Blue's top two options at quarterback both sidelined with injuries, this game will likely be a slaughter, similar to what we saw in Week 1, and that's exactly what Pollard owners are hoping for. Game script should be heavily in Pollard's favor, and while that could mean Pollard doesn't see the field much in the fourth quarter, he should have a big enough performance when he is on the field.

Running backs to sit in Week 10

Los Angeles Chargers RB Austin Ekeler

Sure, Chargers running back Austin Ekeler just had his first big game of the season in Week 8, but he still wasn't very efficient on the ground, putting up just 1.93 yards per carry. Now, the Chargers get the Detroit Lions who, including their horrendous Week 7 showing against Baltimore, have allowed double digit fantasy points to running backs in just two of their last six games.

Of course, a lot of Ekeler's value comes through the air. Well, the Lions have that covered as well. Since Week 4, the Lions have allowed just three or fewer receptions by running backs in all but one game, and that one game saw the Ravens' halfbacks record only five receptions on five targets. All around, just not a great matchup for Ekeler. It's hard to sit last year's top fantasy player in any situation, but it's more likely Ekeler busts this week than booms.

Baltimore Ravens RB Gus Edwards

Gus Edwards is on a touchdown streak that would make even 2021 Austin Ekeler jealous, but if Week 9 was any indication, head coach John Harbaugh will be shifting gears in the near future, looking to rookie Keaton Mitchell instead.

The East Carolina product made the most of every opportunity he had in Week 9, turning nine carries into 138 yards and a touchdown. Edwards only had five carries, and both were outcarried by Justice Hill. Hill was undoubtedly the least efficient of the bunch though, and it's hard to imagine a future where Hill serves as the lead back.

There is, of course, a chance that Edwards' usage in Week 9 was not indicative of his usage in the future. At the very worst, he would still serve as the team's goal-line back, which was the only reason he scored double digit fantasy points in Week 9. But in Week 10, against the Cleveland Browns stout run defense, it's best to leave him on the bench.

Wide receivers to start in Week 10

Washington Commanders WR Jahan Dotson

Labeled a fantasy bust at the start of the season, Dotson has turned his campaign around the last two weeks, racking up 24.8 and 16.9 points respectively over the last two weeks. Sure, there is some worry that those point totals lean heavily on Dotson's two touchdowns, but the biggest takeaway is Dotson's volume.

Through the first six games of the season, Dotson tallied eight targets just once. He's reached that mark in each of his last three games. He's still the number two option in this offense behind Terry McLaurin, but the Commanders are starting to realize what they have in the former first-round pick and we're starting to see flashes of the potential he showed at the end of last season.

In Week 10, the Commanders face the Seattle Seahawks. Recently, the Seahawks allowed just 14 points to Ravens' receivers, 11 points to Browns' receivers, and nine points to Cardinals' receivers. That shouldn't dissuade you though. The Ravens got out to a big lead early and barely had to pass the ball at all. The Browns were trotting PJ Walker under center against Seattle, and the Cardinals...well, they're the Cardinals. The last time the Seahawks really had to buckle down against wideouts was Week 6 when they surrendered 26 fantasy points to Bengals wide receivers. In fact, the Seahawks had allowed 20 or more fantasy points to opposing wide receivers in four of five games to that point, and 35 or more in two of those games.

New Orleans Saints WR Chris Olave

Chris Olave has been a disappointment this season. Although he salvaged his Week 9 performance by getting into the endzone for just the second time this season, Olave's six catches for 48 yards were underwhelming to say the least. In Week 10 though, Olave faces the abysmal Minnesota Vikings defense, who surrendered 22 points to the atrocious Packers' wide receiver room in Week 8. Olave still gets the most targets of anyone in this Saints offense not named Alvin Kamara. He should eat in Week 10.

Wide receivers to sit in Week 10

Las Vegas Raiders WR Davante Adams

It sucks to say this, but yeah, Adams is not a must-start anymore. He hasn't scored 15 or more fantasy points in five straight weeks. In that same span, he's only received eight or more targets once, and he hasn't found the endzone at all. Adams is still tremendously talented but the Raiders are in a stage of figuring out what their offense should be, and Adams unfortunately isn't that big a part of their current scheme.

In Week 10, the Raiders face the New York Jets. They've allowed ten or more fantasy points to opposing wide receivers just once in their past five games barring anything big happening during Monday Night Football.

Cleveland Browns WR Amari Cooper

The Baltimore Ravens are tough, and this game between two of the top defenses in the NFL is sure to be a low-scoring, grind-it-out affair. Time of possession will be a monumental factor in determining the winner of this game, and with that in mind, starting anyone on either team, outside of Lamar Jackson, is probably not a wise decision.

Cooper is a great wide receiver and has still put up tremendous games this year, but that won't happen in Week 10 against a Baltimore defense that hasn't allowed 20 points to opposing wide receivers in four straight weeks and has surrendered just one touchdown through the air in that span.

Tight end to start in Week 10

Houston Texans TE Dalton Schultz

Much like Derek Zoolander, CJ Stroud is so hot right now. As he heats up, his top targets are heating up as well. Dalton Schultz earned 11 targets in Week 9 en route to season highs in receptions and yards. Stroud was forced to throw a lot with Tampa Bay keeping pace on offense and keeping Dameon Pierce out for the Texans. A similar situation could be on tap for Week 10. Pierce is still questionable, and the Texans play the Bengals, who are sure to light up the score sheet every time they touch the field. Schultz could be in for another big week come Sunday.

Tight end to sit in Week 10:

Cleveland Browns TE David Njoku

Much like Amari Cooper, Njoku has been good and sometimes great this year, but he faces the Baltimore Ravens in Week 10. Nobody should get the nod when a game between two defensive titans hits the gridiron.

The Ravens defense has been especially great against tight ends this year too, allowing five or fewer fantasy points to opposing tight ends in all but one game this season. Njoku has received 23 targets over his last three games, sure. But he won't get much success with his work in Week 10.

Defense/special teams to start in Week 10

Chicago Bears

In their last two home games, the Bears defense, which came into Week 9 ranking 29th in fantasy scoring among defenses, scored 18 and 11 respectively. Now, they return home to face a Carolina offense that not only just allowed the 31st-ranked defense, Indianapolis, to put up 30 points on them, but has also allowed ten or more points to opposing defenses in more than half of their games.

Montez Sweat did not light up the stat sheet in his first game with the Bears, but he did still cause problems for the New Orleans Saints offensive line. He should only become more disruptive with a full week of practice with Chicago under his belt. There's a lot to like about this matchup if you're a Chicago fan.

Defense/special teams to sit in Week 10

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Green Bay Packers are not a good offensive team, so why worry about the Steelers? Aaron Jones. That's why. Even though Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said that Week 9 would be the week they unleash Aaron Jones, Jones still did not look like he was at full strength. Normally one of the most efficient backs in the NFL, Jones averaged less than four yards per carry against the Rams. There's a decent chance that Jones could be even better in Week 10, and that is scary news for a Steelers defense that has allowed 18 or more fantasy points to opposing running backs in six of their eight games this year.

The injury to Cole Holcomb won't help either. Holcomb ranks 20th in the NFL in run stuffs for 2023 (7). Without him in the middle of the field, Aaron Jones' day will be much easier.