The Fantasy Footballers’ Starts of the Week for Week 10

Thursday’s episode of The Fantasy Footballers Podcast featured the guys’ Starts of the Week for Week 10. A brief overview of who they picked and additional information on why they chose those players is found below. If you have yet to check out the podcast, you can find it here. Also, give JoinTheFoot.com a visit as it provides a ton of additional resources exclusively for #FootClan members.  

Andy’s Starts

QB: Dak Prescott vs. ATL
Dak is back! Atlanta gives up plenty of fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks, allowing 23 fantasy points per game to the position when on the road. The Falcons have no pass rush, and Prescott will deliver in the entire game, not just the last four minutes. Prescott has many weapons at his disposal, so look for him to have a bounce-back this week.

RB: Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams vs. PHI
Melvontè! These two running backs are Andy’s Starts of the Week (yes, he’s saying play them both). There have been three weeks this year where they both have been in the top-24 of fantasy football running backs. Williams is a good football player, and Andy wants to make the end-of-season investment on him. He is still scared, but this week will be a great one. These runners take on Philadelphia this week, a team that is 29th against the run with the fourth-most rushing yards allowed. The Eagles are additionally allowing the third-most running back fantasy points, mainly to non-elite running backs. Chubba Hubbard went for 133 total yards, Josh Jacobs and Kenyan Drake scored, and Leonard Fournette gained 127 total yards and two touchdowns against Philly.  

WR: Marquez Callaway @ TEN
Andy is going deep here with his WR start. He also mentioned Deonte Harris in this section, as he feels they could both be good plays this week. Tennessee is dead last against the wide receiver position, allowing the highest opponent wide receiver target share. Callaway’s number of routes run has picked up as of late. In the last three weeks, Callaway has seen 40, 32, and 38 routes run. Andy thinks Trevor Siemian gets the start this week, bringing a consistent passing offense versus what Taysom Hill would bring.  

TE: Mike Gesicki vs. BAL
Baltimore is 31st against the tight end position. Some of the tight ends who have had success against the Ravens include Noah Fant (6 for 46 and a touchdown), CJ Uzomah (3 for 91 and two scores), and Jared Cook. Gesicki has been averaging 70 receiving yards per game since the third week of the season. DeVante Parker has been on IR for multiple weeks. No matter if Jacoby Brissett or Tua Tagavailoa get the start at QB, Gesicki will contribute to your fantasy team this week.

Jason’s Picks

QB: Jalen Hurts @ DEN
Hurts will not be good, but that does not matter for fantasy purposes. It has been like that with Hurts all season. The matchup might look scary against Denver, but Hurts’ floor is much better than anyone you will find on waivers. Trevor Lawrence is someone Jason likes, but he is not going to start him over Hurts. In games where the Eagles have been three-point plus underdogs, dating back to last year, Hurts has averaged 27 fantasy points per game. 

RB: Darrell Henderson @ SF
This player is a smash play for Jason. Jason believes Henderson will be a top-5 running back this week. He is an elite RB for fantasy purposes. Last week, the Rams had an off day, and Henderson was the RB37. Still, Henderson is second in the NFL in touchdown expectation behind Jonathan Taylor. Henderson is also tied for second-most touches within the five-yard line. Last week, James Conner gashed San Fransisco on the ground. The 49ers are allowing the fifth-most 10+ run yards and rank 28th in yards before contact. Don’t be afraid of what happened last week and focus on the game he’s about to have.

Getty Images / Joel Auerbach

WR: Julio Jones vs. NO
Another smash play for Jason this week is Jones. The Saints have not been that great against the pass, giving up 34 points per game to wide receivers. Jones looked good last week, even though his fantasy finish doesn’t look like it. Marshon Lattimore will be on the Titans WR1, which opens up opportunities for Jones since he is not the number one. New Orleans is allowing the sixth-most fantasy points to wide receivers and the fourth-highest opponent completion rate. The Saints were beaten by the Falcons, Giants, Patriots, Panthers. Jones has been a Saints killer over his career, with 90 receiving yards per game on average against the team.  

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TE: Dan Arnold @ IND
Jason is going with the Postman himself. Arnold has delivered since joining Jacksonville, averaging 7.5 targets and 55 receiving yards a game. The Colts are allowing the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends. In the last two weeks versus the Colts, Tennessee saw 9+ targets to tight ends and a Jeff Swaim touchdown, while the Jets had 12 targets to tight ends and a Ryan Griffin touchdown. Arnold should come through in a big way this week.

Mike’s Picks

QB: Ryan Tannehill vs. NO
In the last two weeks, the Saints have allowed big QB fantasy performances, with Matt Ryan and Tom Brady putting up QB4 numbers. New Orleans has the third-lowest pressure rate in the league, and Tannehill will be able to get it done through the air. The Saints have not looked good against the pass. The Titans QB should be a high scorer out of the pocket this week.

RB: D’Ernest Johnson @ NE
The Cleveland running back was Mike’s top pickup of the week. Johnson got it done against the Denver Broncos in Week 7, with 22 attempts for 142-yards and two rushing touchdowns. Johnson takes on the Patriots this week, a team that looks scary on paper. Mike notes that New England has given up top-12 points to the running back position for three straight weeks. If Nick Chubb is active, Mike states he isn’t playing Johnson. But if you held on to him or grabbed him off the waiver wire, you play Johnson as an RB2 if Chubb doesn’t play.

WR: Michael Pittman Jr. @ JAX
Grab the keytars. Fire up the synthesizers. We’re going on vacation, and there’s only one city Mike wants to visit these days. That place is Pitty City. The Jaguars are giving up top-11 production to wide receivers in five of the previous six games. Jacksonville additionally gives up the third-highest expected points per pass attempt. Sure, the Jaguars just beat the Buffalo Bills, but Mike doesn’t care. He is firing up Pittman this week with complete confidence.

TE: Ricky Seals-Jones vs. TB
Mike wants to highlight whoever is playing TE for the Washington Football Team. At this point, it does not seem like it will be Logan Thomas coming off of IR. If Thomas is out, Seals-Jones is in a decent position to be a streaming tight end. In six of the previous eight games, Tampa Bay has conceded top-12 points to the TE position. RSJ has seen six targets a game and the second-most routes run by a tight end since he has taken over as the starter at the position. Washington should have to throw against Tampa Bay as they try to stay in the game, and this benefits Seals-Jones, who is the number two receiving option for the team.