The Biggest Start/Sit Decisions for Week 10 (Fantasy Football)
Welcome to Week 10, FootClan. We’re past the halfway mark now. If you are staring at your lineup and wondering how things got so wild, you are definitely not alone. The Start/Sit tool has been flooded with questions this week, so I have picked out the most common dilemmas and broken down the toughest choices.
Week 10 brings some tough Start/Sit choices, so let’s jump right into the matchups:
Tyler Shough or Bryce Young?
The Saints host the Panthers, and both teams rank in the top two for neutral pace and combined plays per game. Translation: lots of snaps, lots of chances, and probably a few gray hairs for both defensive coordinators. Vegas is on board, too. The total opened at 47.5, the Saints are slight 1.5-point favorites at home, and the over has hit in five of New Orleans’ eight games. Both teams are 3-5, and neither defense has really stopped anybody in about a month. That is exactly the kind of game we want our QBs playing in.
As Kurt Mullen pointed out in his Week 10 Streamers to Consider article, last week was Shough’s fifth top-10 QB finish of the season. It came after a rough month where he averaged just 14.1 fantasy points per game and finished as the QB15 or better only once. That slump dropped him to 69% rostered, so go check your waiver wire. Seriously, right now. I will wait.
We are so back 🔥 💪 pic.twitter.com/gwBr2abiK7
— Fantasy Footballers (@TheFFBallers) November 13, 2026
Shough’s case looks even better when you dig in. Kellen Moore uses the no-huddle at the third-highest rate in the league and calls passing plays 65% of the time. Shough also ran the ball 10 times last week. Now he gets a Carolina defense that ranks 26th in points per drive, 29th in EPA per rush, and last in sack rate. A QB who stays upright and picks up yards with his legs has a nice, safe floor.
Bryce Young came out of nowhere to finish as the QB7 against a tough Denver defense. He completed 28 of 39 passes for 276 yds, three TDs, and one INT in a 26-21 loss, and added 13 yds on his only carry. This is not a fluke offense, either. Carolina throws for 261 yds a game, fourth-most in the NFL. The downside? His shot at a game-winning drive ended with a Nik Bonitto strip-sack and a lost fumble, and this week he has to deal with Chase Young. Chase put up a career-high 10 sacks last season and is on pace to top that this year, so Bryce is going to feel some heat.
The Verdict: Tyler Shough. This one is close, and I would not be shocked to see someone go with Young. Shough has the rushing floor, a pass-happy play caller, and a matchup against a pass rush that has struggled to get home. Young has a legit pass rusher coming at him from the other side.
Audric Estime or Corey Kiner?
Ah yes, the classic “guys you grabbed off waivers on Wednesday” matchup. We love some “nasty boys.”
Audric Estimé got cut by Cleveland, claimed by New Orleans, and then immediately ran all over the Browns. Petty? Maybe. Effective? Absolutely. He carried the ball 15 times for 72 yards and a TD, and caught his only target for five yards, leading the Saints with 16 touches to Alvin Kamara‘s nine. The matchup is a dream, too. Carolina ranks 29th in EPA per rush and has given up the second-most fantasy points to RBs this season. And Estimé is still rostered in only 7% of leagues. Somebody in your league is sleeping on him. The problem is the crowd forming behind him. Travis Etienne Jr. (hamstring) is lurking on IR. The good news for Estimé, is that Etienne still has not been cleared to practice as of Week 9, and the Saints have not opened his 21-day window. He is probably not a Week 10 problem, but he is coming.
Corey Kiner carried the ball eight times for 55 yds and scored his first career TD in New England’s 45-27 loss to the Packers. The catch? Almost all of it came in garbage time. Green Bay was already up 45-21 when Kiner got his shot, so he was running against a defense that was more focused on the postgame handshake than on tackling him. Fun to see, but I would not read too much into his efficiency numbers. What matters more is who is left standing. Rhamondre Stevenson was “present but not in uniform” for Friday’s practice, and with a bye next week, I think the Patriots sit him and let him heal up through the bye. TreVeyon Henderson is out as well, which leaves Kiner and Lan Larison to take over the reins. If last week is any hint, Kiner is the guy. Kiner is an early-down guy, and the Lions are 6-2 and favored in this one. If New England falls behind early, his work could dry up fast.
The Verdict: Audric Estimé is the play. Kiner has the clearer path to touches, but his big day came in garbage time; he does not catch passes, and the game script in Germany could leave him on the sideline by halftime. Estime gets the dream matchup against a Carolina defense that has been handing out fantasy points to RBs all season. He already out-touched Kamara in his first game, and Etienne is still at least a week away. Give me the guy with the better matchup, the better game script, and the hot hand.
Germie Bernard or Jordyn Tyson?
Germie Bernard has not made much noise since his big 87-yd, one-TD game in Week 6. In his last two games, he caught eight of 10 targets for 57 yds and no TDs. Not exactly highlight material, but Sunday night in Cincinnati could be just what he needs to bounce back. And what a Sunday night it is. Both teams are 6-2, both are riding four-game win streaks, and first place in the AFC North is on the line. Cincinnati also leads the league at 286 passing yards per game, so if Joe Burrow gets cooking, Pittsburgh will have to keep throwing to keep up.
The Bengals play man coverage at one of the highest rates in the league and ask DJ Turner to go man on the opposing top WR. It works: opposing WR1s average just 41.7 yds per game against them, the lowest in the league. The way to beat them is the slot, where they allow 28 PPR points per game to opposing pass catchers (fourth-most in the league). Bernard runs 48% of his routes from the slot, and his 23% targets per route run against man coverage is just a smidge ahead of DK Metcalf. When these teams met in Week 3, slot man Roman Wilson had three catches for 60 yards and a TD. Wilson is on IR now, so that slot work belongs to Bernard. There is one thing that could trip him up. Cincinnati allows 5.04 yds per carry, the worst mark in the league, and Jaylen Warren ran for 127 yds in that Week 3 meeting. If the Steelers decide to just run it right down the Bengals’ throats, Bernard’s volume takes a hit.
Jordyn Tyson‘s regular-season debut was up and down. He played only 18 snaps and lost a fumble on his very first catch. The good news is that he still drew five targets on just 16 routes, which is a lot of looks for such a small workload. Even better, Saints coach Kellen Moore said Tyson should get “a healthy dose more” snaps against the Panthers this week. That is exactly what you want to hear, because Carolina just let the Packers duo of Christian Watson and Matthew Golden rack up almost 200 receiving yds. Chris Olave is going to get his, but there is plenty on the table for Tyson to eat too.
The Verdict: Germie Bernard is the safer start. He has a near full-time role, a slot matchup built for him, and a game script that could force Pittsburgh to throw. Tyson is the more exciting rookie in the more exciting game, but I want to see the snaps before I trust him in a season-long lineup. If you need a ceiling game, I would pivot to Tyson. If you need a good floor, Germie will get it done.
Darren Waller or Juwan Johnson?
Juwan Johnson caught the game-winning TD in overtime last week and scored 11.4 fantasy points, but his volume just is not there. He has played 51.4% of the snaps, with Noah Fant close behind at 47.2%. That’s not ideal for a starting TE. As Jordyn Tyson gets more comfortable each week, Johnson’s snaps could drop even more. Tyson already has a 15.6% target share compared to Johnson’s 13.2%, and he is averaging 1.88 yards per route run to Johnson’s 1.27. Johnson averages 9.86 fantasy points per game and just 0.35 fantasy points per route run. He is projected for 8.8 points as the TE18 against a pretty average Carolina defense.
TE1 on the week right now: Darren Waller 👀
10 targets
8 catches
90 yards
1 TD
23.0 PPR pts pic.twitter.com/jsT5OuAbyZ— RotoWire (@RotoWire) November 8, 2026
The verdict: Darren Waller. He can boom or bust, that’s for sure. But in a 10-target game against a defense that is not great at dealing with TEs, that is going to be better than chasing a TD from a guy who is splitting snaps with Noah Fant and is going to lose targets to a rookie. I would rather take the bigger role.
Keep an eye on the late injury report and go with your gut. If you are still undecided on any of the final Start/Sit calls, message me on X or come in on Mike’s Sunday morning pre-kickoff show before lock. Set those lineups, say your quick prayer to the fantasy gods, and get that win.