The Biggest Start/Sit Decisions for Week 10 (Fantasy Football)
“Even when you have an organization brimming with talent, victory is not always under your control. There is no guarantee, no ultimate formula for success. It all comes down to intelligently and relentlessly seeking solutions that will increase your chance of prevailing. When you do that, the score will take care of itself.”
– Bill Walsh
Willkommen, Footclan! Welcome to Week 10 of the Start/Sit series where we’ll identify and discuss your most commonly asked “Who should I start?” questions for the week.
The projections between any two players on your roster may appear similar, but this “simple” choice could be the difference between your team’s victory or defeat. Luckily, the Fantasy Footballers have created the Start/Sit tool to easily compare any two (or more) players with insight from the Ballers themselves, and trust me — it’s an extremely valuable asset that will help you make these crucial lineup decisions that could ultimately lead you to your #FootClanTitle. Please note that the Footballers’ rankings are constantly being updated as news breaks, so make sure you check out the tool yourself to catch any last-second changes.
So without further adieu, let’s kick things off with the most popular Start/Sit questions for Week 10:
Pat Freiermuth (PIT) or Noah Fant (DEN)?
| EXPERT PROJECTIONS | ||
| Proj. Points | 9.3 | 9.1 |
| Andy Rank | TE #8 | TE #9 |
| Mike Rank | TE #11 | TE #9 |
| Jason Rank | TE #9 | TE #11 |
| MATCHUP DETAILS | ||
| Opp. Rank | 11 | 32 |
| Home/Away | Home | Home |
| Over/Under | 43 | 45.5 |
| Line | -8.5 | -2.5 |
I don’t know if you’ve heard or not, but it’s official: THE MUTH IS LUTH. Rookie TE Pat Freiermuth has been unstoppable lately, finishing as the TE1 last week and the TE2 the week prior. Since their Week 7 bye, he’s the number one TE in fantasy points — by a long shot — clearly benefitting from the absences of WR JuJu Smith-Schuster (shoulder) and fellow TE Eric Ebron (hamstring). He’s firmly established his role on the offense and has quickly become Big Ben’s second-favorite option (19.8% target share since Week 6).
But with Ebron expected to return this week, many are concerned that Freiermuth will see less work as he’ll contend with Ebron for touches. While it’s certainly possible that he siphons a few passes, Ebron was hardly a factor in the passing game this year when healthy, seeing only two targets each game except in Week 3 where he saw three. More importantly, he’s only been used in the red zone twice, failing to capitalize on both opportunities. Meanwhile, Freiermuth has already seen twice as many red-zone targets in just the last two weeks and managed to convert all but one of them for a score.
While Freiermuth’s stock has risen, Noah Fant‘s has equally plummeted. In his last three games, Fant finished as the TE1, TE18, then TE39 before testing positive for COVID-19 in Week 9. He’s now been cleared and ready to return this Sunday against the Eagles, a.k.a. the league’s WORST defense against opposing TEs. While it’s an ideal matchup on paper, you can never feel confident starting Fant as he’s attached to a run-heavy offense that would rather win through the ground than the air, especially in what Vegas projects to be a low-scoring victory.
The Verdict
STAY LUTH WITH THE MUTH.
Carson Wentz (IND) or Russell Wilson (SEA)?
| EXPERT PROJECTIONS | ||
| Proj. Points | 20.6 | 20.5 |
| Andy Rank | QB #9 | QB #10 |
| Mike Rank | QB #9 | QB #10 |
| Jason Rank | QB #11 | QB #9 |
| MATCHUP DETAILS | ||
| Opp. Rank | 23 | 9 |
| Home/Away | Home | Away |
| Over/Under | 47.5 | 49 |
| Line | -10.5 | +3.5 |
Carson Wentz has balled out recently, scoring three TDs in EACH of his last three games. He’s scored multiple TDs in every game since Week 4 and is the overall QB7 in that timespan. The entire Colts offense has been electric, surpassing Vegas’ implied team total each week with an impressive 31.5 average points per game. Wentz’s gameplay is buoyed by a strong O-line with legit playmakers like Michael Pittman Jr. and Jonathan Taylor, not to mention the return of T.Y. Hilton. Now he gets a juicy matchup against a vulnerable Jaguars defense at home. The only concern is that the matchup might be too easy as they’re a Gigantor-sized favorite, which could lead to Wentz taking a step back in favor of running out the clock with their formidable run game.
On the other side of this decision is Russell Wilson against a middling Packers’ defense. The projections are as close as they come, but the Ballers currently expect Wentz to (barely) outscore Russell Wilson. Imagine reading this during the offseason! But the gang is understandably being cautious with Wilson as he presumably makes his return from a disturbing finger injury on his throwing hand. We already know the tale of the tape on Wilson: he’s good. Very good. If he’s as healthy as he (and his doctor) insists he is, then Wilson goes back to being an auto-start on your lineups. This is also probably the cheapest he’ll be in DFS.
Russ's Moon Ball is one of the prettiest things in sports 🔥 @DangeRussWilson @Seahawks pic.twitter.com/Ps5ko5WuUB
— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) February 16, 2021
The Verdict
If Wilson is declared active, then don’t overthink it.
Mark Ingram II (NO) or Adrian Peterson (TEN)?
| EXPERT PROJECTIONS | ||
| Proj. Points | 10 | 9.4 |
| Andy Rank | RB #34 | RB #35 |
| Mike Rank | RB #34 | RB #35 |
| Jason Rank | RB #32 | RB #35 |
| MATCHUP DETAILS | ||
| Opp. Rank | 9 | 5 |
| Home/Away | Away | Home |
| Over/Under | 44 | 44 |
| Line | +3 | -3 |
In the blue corner of this battle between traveling RB senior citizens, we have Mark Ingram II making his third appearance as a Saint after rejoining his original team. The results have been… meh. He’s failed to surpass 64 all-purpose yards or find the end zone in New Orleans this year, mostly due to a lack of usage with lead RB Alvin Kamara dominating the workload. But with rumblings that Kamara is dealing with a knee injury that could rule him out of this Sunday’s showdown in Tennessee, Ingram could find himself resurging as a high-end option if he assumes the reins of the backfield. It’s a tough matchup, but with enough volume, Ingram could have a comfortable RB3 floor with TD upside. However, it still remains to be seen whether coach Sean Payton would be willing to overload Ingram with 20+ touches. Also, make sure you monitor Kamara’s health before plugging in Ingram.
And in the red corner, we have Adrian Peterson in his second appearance as a Titan. Did you know this is his 15th NFL season? And Ingram’s 11th? If you combine their 26 years of NFL experience together, it would be the same or older than the ages of their backfield counterparts (Jeremy McNichols, 25; Alvin Kamara, 26)? That’s wild. With age comes wisdom, but also a battered body that can no longer sustain a bell-cow workload, something that head coach Mike Vrabel will avoid by splitting the backfield down the middle between Peterson and McNichols. It’s an extremely small sample size, but in their sole game together without Derrick Henry, McNichols out-snapped AD (45% to 33%) while sharing the opportunities evenly (10 to 11). Neither RB produced satisfactory fantasy numbers, and the outlook remains grim against an ironclad Saints front, but at least they get the Texans afterward!
The Verdict
I’m with the gang on Ingram, especially if Kamara is out. Just temper expectations.
Emmanuel Sanders (BUF) or Jerry Jeudy (DEN)?
| EXPERT PROJECTIONS | ||
| Proj. Points | 13.1 | 13.2 |
| Andy Rank | WR #26 | WR #25 |
| Mike Rank | WR #26 | WR #25 |
| Jason Rank | WR #28 | WR #25 |
| MATCHUP DETAILS | ||
| Opp. Rank | 8 | 5 |
| Home/Away | Away | Home |
| Over/Under | 47.5 | 45.5 |
| Line | -12 | -2.5 |
It’s been tough sledding for Emmanuel Sanders managers who’ve held onto the wideout through the bye only to be rewarded with a goose egg, followed by a disappointing 65-yard performance against a mouthwatering opponent. It’s not just Sanders, though, as the entire Bills offense has been in a funk since their thrilling victory in Kansas City last month.
While his usage last week in their upset loss against the Jaguars was encouraging (8 targets), he’s been somewhat TD-dependent as a fantasy option. If you’ve started him every week this season, then he’s more likely to have lost you your matchups rather than win them. But not all hope is lost. He still has the seventh HIGHEST aDOT among receivers with at least 20 total targets at 14.5, meaning that better days are to come. It could start this Sunday against an atrocious Jets secondary who have recently allowed the MOST fantasy points above expectation to WRs.
Slow but steady is how sophomore receiver Jerry Jeudy‘s comeback has gone thus far. During a surprise blowout victory over the Cowboys, Jeudy was peppered with 8 targets by Teddy Bridgewater, leaving Courtland Sutton in the dust with a paltry 2 targets. While Jeudy technically saw the least amount of snaps (60%) compared to Jeudy (83%) and Tim Patrick (61%), his dominating 32% target share makes him Denver’s best option at WR. It’s a tough matchup on paper against the Eagles, but they’ve been notably susceptible to slot receivers, an area Jeudy has lined up on 74% of his snaps since Week 8.
.@jerryjeudy a fool for this. 🤣
Full Mic'd Up coming 🔜 pic.twitter.com/BTduLJ8buc
— Denver Broncos (@Broncos) November 9, 2021
The Verdict
All three Ballers unanimously agree on Jeudy, though it’s extremely close. I’ll take the “security” with Jeudy, though this could certainly be a blowup week for Sanders.
Comments
^ go with Gibson or you patrick
Should I start Patrick or Ricky seals Jones at flex? Or pick up Deonte Harris and start him?
Bench.. claypool, j Wilson, r Stevenson, A Gibson, R Jones, T Patrick.
If Godwin is out then I need to start one if the above players.
12 team ppr