Flex Options for Week 10 (Fantasy Football)
Despite getting my vote of additional confidence (I’m always somewhat confident in my flex options), the plays from last week’s article did not go according to plan. Josh Downs paid off with a TD for his fantasy managers, but Bam Knight, Zach Charbonnet, Kayshon Boutte, and Tre Tucker all busted. Boutte pulled a hammy, and his replacement scored two TDs, but I definitely won’t try to leverage that when rationalizing why everything went wrong. Let’s just say the ‘Ballers are good at what they do, and these guys are ranked outside of starter range for a reason. With that said, I’m feeling pretty good about my picks again this week.
Here they are:
Aaron Jones Sr., RB, Minnesota Vikings
When healthy, Jones appears to be the RB you want for fantasy in this Vikings offense. He was very effective against Detroit on Sunday, totaling 98 yards from scrimmage on 11 touches before exiting the game early with a sprain to his AC joint. His injury status will be one to monitor as the week progresses, but initial indications are that he will be good to go this week. If he is, I love his matchup against a Baltimore defense that is ranked 28th against opposing RBs. I expect the Vikings offense to continue to build off the success they found against Detroit last week, presenting Jones with ample opportunity to score fantasy points. If Jones can’t play this week because of his shoulder injury, Jordan Mason would slot in nicely as a must-start for fantasy in his place.
Kenneth Walker III, RB, Seattle Seahawks
To the surprise of many, Walker has played himself right out of every-week starter territory for fantasy. His 9.8 fantasy points per game are by far the lowest of his career, as he has found himself in a 50/50 split with Zach Charbonnet and ceded 100% of the goal line work to him as well.
Efficiency-wise, Walker has remained productive, but he’s just not seeing enough work this year to even return RB2 numbers. With all that said, he is still an explosive player, and I like his chances to pop one this week against an Arizona defense that is mediocre against the run. Between Walker’s talent and the effectiveness of Seattle’s offense, I find it statistically improbable for Walker to continue to stink as much as he has for fantasy. Hopefully, he hasn’t already ruined your season, because I am calling my shot that this is the week he turns it around.
Christian Watson, WR, Green Bay Packers
Like most Packers, Watson didn’t do much last week against Carolina’s (suddenly good?) defense. His usage, however, trended up from 56% in his first game back to 66% last week – a sign that he is truly healthy for one of the rare times in his career. He’s a boom/bust option in a Packers’ offense that likes to spread the ball around, but Jordan Love will need to look his WRs more often with Tucker Kraft suffering a season-ending knee injury. Philadelphia’s secondary is not especially daunting, so Watson could find some room to make a big play or two this week. He’s not a must-start, but certainly an okay option with top-10 upside.
Darius Slayton, WR, New York Giants
I am generally pretty anti-Darius Slayton for fantasy. It seems like every year he has one or two big explosion games when you least expect it, and then goes back to being irrelevant. The good news for fantasy managers is that he has not had that explosion yet this year, and the matchup he’s got on tap is a dreamy one.
The Giants travel to Chicago to take on a Chicago Bears defense fresh off a game where they allowed 42 points on 470 passing yards to Joe Flacco and the Bengals. The over/under for this game sits at 48.5, and I’m taking the over. There is certainly no meaningful floor for Slayton, but I think the ceiling is a week-winning performance from him in this matchup. I’m talking 100 yards and two TDs if this game breaks the way it did for the Bears last week. Fire him up in your flex spot for a chance to look brilliant, and if it hits, trade him away immediately.
Parker Washington, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
Washington drew an enormous 27% target share last week in the absence of Travis Hunter and Dyami Brown. Brian Thomas Jr. was also banged up in the game, and his status is up in the air for Week 10. The Jaguars made a trade for Jakobi Meyers at the trade deadline, but I don’t expect him to be fully ramped up yet this week, paving the way for Washington to once again see a high volume of targets.
Of the three flex options I have mentioned at WR, he probably has the highest floor. He isn’t a high ceiling option like Watson or Slayton, but you can flex him if you have explosive players at other positions and just need someone to lock down your flex spot for the week. Count on him to get you 8-12 points in half PPR.