At this point in the season, it is a battle simply to assemble a healthy roster in fantasy, much less a good roster. There are also talented players at all positions on bye this week, especially from the Chicago Bears, who have a startable quarterback, wide receiver, running back and tight end in fantasy.
Thursday Night Football also does not have much of a factor on your fantasy team this week. Between the New York Giants and Washington Commanders, they do not have many players worthy of being in a starting lineup. So, the focus shifts to Sunday’s slate of games, which features some surprising starts and upsetting sits for this week.
So, who should and should not be in your fantasy lineup? Here are our starts and sits for Week 10:
Start: QB Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers
Bryce Young
has had an up-and-down fantasy season so far. He started off the season with back-to-back games with three passing touchdowns, then leveled off before the bye week. He hit rock bottom against the ferocious Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense and struggled against the Green Bay Packers. However, he bounced back with a solid performance against the Denver Broncos and now has an easier matchup this week against the New Orleans Saints. This seems like a game Young should have a lot of points in.
Sit: QB Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
Dak Prescott has the seventh-most points of any quarterback in fantasy, according to ESPN. However, he is not taking advantage of ideal matchups, which causes concern when he is going against a good defense. The past two weeks, he has faced the Arizona Cardinals and Indianapolis Colts, but did not manage to put up over 20 points in ESPN in either of those matchups. Going against the San Francisco 49ers, especially with how dysfunctional Dallas’ offense has looked at times, I would keep Prescott on the bench this week.
Start: RB Audric Estime, New Orleans Saints
With Travis Etienne still out for the Saints, they picked up Audric Estime ahead of their game against the Cleveland Browns. He turned out to be their top running back in that game with 72 rushing yards and a touchdown, although he does not have the PPR upside of Alvin Kamara. Still, he is getting the touches at running back and is making the most of his opportunities. If one of your starting running backs is on bye, Estime is a good substitute for this week.
Sit: RB Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts
I have a lot of concerns about Jonathan Taylor after the Colts traded away their top two receivers. On the one hand, maybe Taylor will get more receptions because there is no one else to catch the ball besides tight end Tyler Warren. On the other hand, everyone knows Taylor is getting the ball and will try to stop him at all costs. This offense is falling apart all around Taylor and it does not bode well for his performance in fantasy the rest of this season.
Start: WR DeMario Douglas, New England Patriots
Over the past few weeks, DeMario Douglas has gotten solid points in fantasy. Against the Packers last week, he had a season-high in targets with nine, as well as his first 100-yard game of the season. Especially with A.J. Brown not being at 100 percent and New England’s health issues in the run game, Douglas should be in line for a lot of targets.
Sit: WR DJ Moore, Buffalo Bills
DJ Moore thrives on big plays. However, he is playing through injuries that make it difficult for him to get the big, explosive plays Buffalo relies on him for. On top of that, the Jets happen to be a bad matchup for wide receivers in fantasy football this season. Besides, quarterback Josh Allen is distributing the ball really well, so Moore is also competing with Keon Coleman, Khalil Shakir and Dawson Knox for targets, which is not helping his fantasy value either.
Start: TE Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons
Once again, Kyle Pitts is not having an amazing fantasy season. This should not surprise anyone at this point. However, he does have a good matchup this week facing the Kansas City Chiefs, who have given up the fourth-most receptions to tight ends through the first nine weeks of the season. Especially in PPR league, this could lead to a decent game out of Pitts.
Sit: TE Harold Fannin Jr., Cleveland Browns
First, Harold Fannin Jr is playing through injury, which clearly impacted his performance against the New Orleans Saints. Second, despite the Houston Texans’ defensive struggles, they have not struggled against tight ends. They even shut down Isaiah Likely earlier in the season, despite the fact that he has been one of the best tight ends in the league this season. Fannin Jr has been a solid tight end in fantasy. But this is a bad matchup, so he should be on the bench this week.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Starts and sits for fantasy football ahead of Week 10
