The 2026 NFL season is rolling into Week 10, and fantasy football managers will have to deal with a critical bye week for four teams.
The Chicago Bears will not be in action in Week 10 as Caleb Williams and Co. get a midseason week off. As a result, top-tier producers like Williams, D'Andre Swift
, Luther Burden III and Colston Loveland will be out of fantasy lineups, along with Chicago's defense, which has shaped into a top fantasy unit since the Jeffery Simmons trade.Fantasy managers will also have to navigate byes for the Denver Broncos, Philadelphia Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which will knock out a few high-quality running backs: Bucky Irving, Saquon Barkley and Jonah Coleman.
Those absences will leave fantasy managers searching for
depth on the waiver wire and potential plug-and-play starters who can be elevated from their respective benches.
Who can you start and sit in fantasy football for Week 10 of the 2026 NFL season? USA TODAY Sports outlines eight players to start and eight to sit:
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.
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 this season.
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.
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.
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.
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.
- Kirk Cousins, Las Vegas Raiders (vs. Seattle Seahawks)
Cousins came back to earth in Week 9 against the 49ers, throwing three interceptions and logging just one touchdown while struggling to consistently distribute the ball to his top playmakers. The Seahawks are allowing just one passing touchdown per game to quarterbacks this season, so Cousins has a low floor/ceiling combination 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.
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.
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.
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.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fantasy football Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em: 16 players to start or sit in Week 10
