The 2026 NFL trade deadline passed ahead of Week 10, shaking things up for some fantasy managers as they look to make critical start- 'em, sit- 'em decisions.
The most notable trade involved the Minnesota
Vikings acquiring quarterback Kirk Cousins to serve as an upgrade for their offense. Cousins' presence should raise the ceiling for players like Justin Jefferson, while his departure from the Las Vegas Raiders will raise questions about the viability of players like Tre Tucker and Ashton Jeanty.
Elsewhere, Jonathan Taylor remained with the Indianapolis Colts, dumping cold water on those who had been holding out in hopes of a trade that would turn Seth McGowan into the team's lead back. And fantasy managers will have to continue dealing with bye weeks that are knocking out the likes of Caleb Williams, D'Andre Swift, Bucky Irving and Saquon Barkley.
Who can you start and sit in fantasy football for Week 10 of the 2026 NFL season? USA TODAY Sports outlines 30 players to trust or fade this week:
Fantasy football players to start in Week 10
Quarterbacks
- Jared Goff, Detroit Lions (vs. New England Patriots)
There may be temptation to sit Goff after he failed to throw a touchdown pass last week against the Dolphins, but he has a favorable Week 10 matchup against the Patriots. New England has allowed a league-high 2,256 passing yards to quarterbacks this season and just struggled to contain speed threats Christian Watson and Matthew Golden in Week 9. Goff should be able to hit some chunk plays with his talented receiving corps.
- Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams (at Arizona Cardinals)
Similar to Goff, Stafford has had a couple of quiet games in a row, posting just one passing touchdown in each of his last two outings. He should be better equipped for a big-time game against the Cardinals, who have allowed the second-most fantasy points per game (FPPG) to quarterbacks this season, and against whom Stafford has thrown multiple touchdowns in three consecutive games.
- Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers (at New Orleans Saints)
After a couple of down games, Young enjoyed a strong showing against a Broncos defense that is adept at pressuring the quarterback, inspiring confidence he will continue to be a solid starter even in less-favorable matchups. The Saints have allowed the 11th-most FPPG to quarterbacks this season and Young should have plenty of opportunities to hit downfield shots off play action.
Running backs
- Audric Estime, New Orleans Saints (vs. Carolina Panthers)
Three teams have allowed at least 11 rushing touchdowns to running backs this season. The Panthers are one of them and they have surrendered at least one rushing touchdown in five consecutive games. Estime took over as the between-the-tackles leader for the Saints last week after Kendre Miller's release, so he can be trusted as a flex with touchdown upside – provided Travis Etienne Jr. remains out of the lineup.
- Ollie Gordon II, Miami Dolphins (at Indianapolis Colts)
Gordon has cooled slightly after four consecutive games with a rushing touchdown, but he gets a nice matchup against the Colts in Week 10. Indianapolis has allowed the fourth-most FPPG to running backs this season and is one of four teams to allow 1,000 rushing yards.
- Jadarian Price, Seattle Seahawks (at Las Vegas Raiders)
Zach Charbonnet figures to see more between-the-carries opportunities than Price, but the first-round rookie still saw nine carries and caught four passes for 54 yards against the Cardinals. His touch floor looks fairly solid, so he should be able to do damage against a Raiders defense that has allowed the third-most FPPG to running backs this season.
- Corey Kiner, New England Patriots (vs. Detroit Lions)
Kiner looks poised to become New England's backfield leader with Rhamondre Stevenson (knee) and TreVeyon Henderson (illness) sidelined. The 24-year-old has averaged 4.9 yards per carry and his high-volume status should be enough to make him a quality flex play even against a Lions defense that has thrived against the run.
Wide receiver
- Jameson Williams, Detroit Lions (vs. New England Patriots)
The Patriots just surrendered a combined 17 receptions, 335 receiving yards and two touchdowns to the speedy duo of Watson and Golden in Week 9. Williams should be well-positioned to use his speed to get deep against a New England defense that has allowed the most FPPG to receivers this season.
- KC Concepcion, Cleveland Browns (vs. Houston Texans)
The Texans figure to pressure Deshaun Watson often in Week 10, just as they did Justin Herbert in Week 9, but Houston is still susceptible to allowing big plays to receivers. They just surrendered catches of 58 and 50 yards to Quentin Johnston and KeAndre Lambert-Smith respectively last week and have allowed the second-most FPPG to receivers this season. Concepcion could similarly rip off some chunk plays thanks to his speed and elusiveness.
- Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers (at Dallas Cowboys)
Samuel returned to 49ers practice on Wednesday and may have a chance to suit up against the Cowboys. If he does, feel free to fire him up as a flex play against a Cowboys defense that has allowed the seventh-most FPPG to receivers this season.
- Ryan Flournoy, Dallas Cowboys (vs. San Francisco 49ers)
Flournoy has averaged 3.8 receptions and 58.2 receiving yards over his last five games while establishing himself as the clear-cut No. 3 target in Dallas' offense. The Cowboys will likely have to throw a lot to keep their matchup with the 49ers close, so Flournoy could emerge as a high-upside flex, especially if George Pickens is limited in any fashion after missing last week with a hamstring injury.
Tight end
- Darren Waller, Carolina Panthers (vs. New Orleans Saints)
Waller hasn't been consistent this season, but he remains an imposing receiving threat, as he showed in Week 9, racking up eight catches for 90 yards and a touchdown against the Broncos. The 34-year-old gets another favorable matchup against a Saints defense that has allowed the sixth-most FPPG to TEs this year, so he should threaten to score again in Week 10.
- Hunter Henry, New England Patriots (vs. Detroit Lions)
The Lions have been better against tight ends lately, but they have still given up a league-high 704 receiving yards and 11 receiving touchdowns to the position. That should give Henry a chance to emerge as a potential top-five play at tight end this week.
Defense/special teams
- Baltimore Ravens (vs. Los Angeles Chargers)
There are precious few defenses that can't be started against the Chargers. Herbert has been sacked 31 times in eight games this season and has thrown at least one interception across those contests, making Jesse Minter's stop unit a high-floor play.
- Buffalo Bills (at New York Jets)
The Bills just put together an elite defensive performance against the Vikings, intercepting Carson Wentz three times and holding Minnesota to six points. Geno Smith and the Jets may be live to perform a bit better, but the Bills should still be able to do enough to emerge as a top-10 fantasy defense this week.
Fantasy football players to sit in Week 10
Quarterbacks
- Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers (vs. Minnesota Vikings)
Love has been one of the league's most consistent quarterbacks this season and threw for 387 yards and two touchdowns against the Vikings in Week 1. Still, trusting him against a Minnesota defense that ranks No. 1 overall in pressure rate, per the NFL's Next Gen Stats, and has surrendered the fewest FPPG to quarterbacks seems like a risky proposition.
- Fernando Mendoza, Las Vegas Raiders (vs. Seattle Seahawks)
It will be fun to see Mendoza make his first NFL start after the Raiders traded Kirk Cousins to the Vikings, but don't expect the Indiana product to have a great outing. The Seahawks are allowing just one passing touchdown per game to quarterbacks this season, so Mendoza has a low floor/ceiling combination in this matchup.
- Drew Lock, Seattle Seahawks (at Las Vegas Raiders)
Lock has a solid matchup against the Raiders, but trusting him is risky. Seattle's backup quarterback is dealing with a nagging oblique injury, which could lead the Seahawks to lean more on their running game. The Seahawks may also be able to build a big lead if they can stymie Mendoza, so Lock may not have to throw too much in this matchup.
Running backs
- Tony Pollard, Tennessee Titans (vs. Jacksonville Jaguars)
Pollard posted 246 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns across his two games leading into the Titans' bye, so it's hard to recommend sitting him. Still, the Jaguars are allowing just 89.3 rushing yards per game, fifth-best in the league, so the veteran's upside is limited in an unfavorable matchup.
- Tyler Allgeier, Arizona Cardinals (vs. Los Angeles Rams)
Allgeier handled almost all of Arizona's running back work with Jeremiyah Love and Bam Knight out in Week 9, but he turned it into just 46 yards on 19 touches. Allgeier should continue to have a sizable workload in the Cardinals' backfield rotation, but he is too touchdown-dependent to trust against a Rams defense that has surrendered just three total touchdowns to the position.
- Quinshon Judkins, Cleveland Browns (vs. Houston Texans)
The Texans are an odd defense in that they are allowing 103 rushing yards per game, which ranks 13th in the league, but they have only surrendered rushing touchdowns in three of their eight games. Granted, those touchdowns have come in waves, but it nonetheless bodes well for their chances of stopping Judkins, who has averaged just 3.3 yards per carry this season, rendering him a touchdown-dependent fantasy option.
- Kaleb Johnson, Green Bay Packers (vs. Minnesota Vikings)
The Packers are without Josh Jacobs, which would ostensibly push Johnson into the team's lead running back role. That said, Green Bay has averaged a league-worst 68.2 rushing yards per game, so trusting Johnson against an elite Vikings defense doesn't seem like a great gamble.
Wide receivers
- Tank Dell, Houston Texans (at Cleveland Browns)
Dell posted four catches for 105 yards and a touchdown on a team-high nine targets and saw his snap share increase to 47.1% in the Texans' Week 9 win over the Chargers. Will he continue to get that type of snap split and target share? If so, he will become a weekly starter because of his deep playmaking capabilities. Still, we'll need more than a one-game sample size to trust him against a Browns defense that has been solid against receivers this season.
- DK Metcalf, Pittsburgh Steelers (at Cincinnati Bengals)
The Steelers may have to throw a lot to beat the Bengals, but will that guarantee a big game for Metcalf? He has posted three or fewer catches in three of his last four outings and is catching a career-low 51.6% of his passes. That makes him hard to trust even in what could be a higher-scoring game.
- Caleb Douglas, Miami Dolphins (at Indianapolis Colts)
The Colts have struggled this season, but they still have a good cornerback duo of Sauce Gardner and Charvarius Ward. That will make it hard for Dolphins backup quarterback Kyle McCord to consistently get the ball to Douglas.
- Adonai Mitchell, New York Jets (vs. Buffalo Bills)
Game script could help Mitchell rack up targets against the Bills, but it's hard to recommend trusting him after he was shut out in two of his last three games. The presence of Omar Cooper Jr. and the pending return of Garrett Wilson will only continue to erode his ceiling.
Tight end
- Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers (vs. Minnesota Vikings)
Love has focused heavily on targeting Watson and Golden this season, leaving Kraft as the offense's tertiary option. He has still posted strong outings most weeks, but he will be hard-pressed to do that in Week 10 against a Vikings defense that has been far and away the best against tight ends this season.
- T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings (at Green Bay Packers)
Hockenson's outlook should improve with Cousins joining the fold, but the impact might not be immediate. The Packers have allowed the fourth-fewest FPPG to tight ends this season, so this is probably a stay-away spot for the veteran.
Defense/special teams
- New Orleans Saints (vs. Carolina Panthers)
Some may look at Bryce Young's recent numbers (14 sacks, four interceptions over his last three games) as a reason to back the Saints in this spot. However, Young just threw for 276 yards and three touchdowns against a strong Denver Broncos defense, so he could be in for a good outing against a porous Saints stop unit.
- Indianapolis Colts (vs. Miami Dolphins)
There may be temptation to start the Colts against Miami's McCord-ed offense, but it's hard to trust an Indianapolis team that has struggled to generate consistent pressure to deliver, even in a favorable matchup.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fantasy football Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em: 30 players to start or sit in Week 10
