NFL Players You Should Start & Sit in Fantasy Football for Week 10

The fantasy fluctuations caused by shared backfields can be maddening.

Two weeks ago, Aaron Jones absolutely went off, ranking as one of the top Week 8 running backs after an explosive showing against Kansas City. Aaron Jones has arrived! Then, the following Sunday, he was a practical no-show against the Chargers. SMH. Jamaal Williams got more shine.

Similarly, Tevin Coleman had a huge Week 8, scoring four times against the Panthers. It’s the Tevin Coleman show in San Fran! Then, in Week 9, he had a pedestrian 12 carries for 23 yards and two catches for 13 yards. Yawn. Instead, Matt Breida was a bigger part of the 49ers’ game plan.

Starting a player in a multi-back system is obviously risky and can be infuriating, but you shouldn’t rule it out. Some players in such a situation—like James White and Austin Ekeler—have proven to be pretty reliable week in and week out, and you don’t need to worry about a disappearing act from them.

Others—Jones and Coleman among them—will always be boom-or-bust prospects. Pull the trigger if you wish. The payoff may well be worth it, as we saw in Week 8. But just know what you’re getting into. How much are you willing to gamble? You might find yourself screaming at the TV as another back siphons touches.

As we look ahead at Week 10, a number of fascinating matchups, including Seahawks-49ers and Vikings-Cowboys, are on the docket. We’re here to give you a heads-up on what might unfold from a fantasy perspective.

Below, we lay out players who are must-starts and must-sits for your lineup, based on variables such as opponent strength, recent trends, and injuries.

If you’d like to keep tabs on how we’ve been performing, check out our picks for Week 9.

We told you to start Jimmy GQ last week, and he delivered. In a closer-than-expected Thursday night matchup with Arizona, the former Patriots QB had his best game of the season, completing 28 of 37 passes for 317 yards and four touchdowns. His passer rating was decent: 136.9.

We believe in Jimmy again this week as a huge Monday night matchup with Seattle approaches. The Seahawks have allowed big days to opposing QBs this season, surrendering the fifth-most passing yards in 2019. We like Seattle to edge out this NFC West matchup—putting an end to the last unbeaten NFL team’s perfect campaign—but also like Garoppolo to have a big day in defeat.

Murray has the fifth-most passing attempts this season, but only the 11th-most yards and 22nd-best passer rating. He’s shown signs of promise and still seems worthy of his No. 1 billing, but there’s ample room to improve. Nonetheless, Murray’s volume has made him a solid fantasy play throughout the season, with a high ceiling and floor.

This week he draws an opportune matchup against Tampa Bay, which has surrendered the second-most passing yards in the league and is giving up two TDs per game to opposing QBs. Though Arizona has to go on the road—and Murray has struggled in his past two road outings—the Oklahoma product is poised for a big afternoon in the Sunshine State.

After a shaky start to the season, Montgomery has entered the air of ‘must-start every week.’ Matt Nagy has fully committed to him, and the rookie has proven deserving, eclipsing 20 fantasy points in each of the past two games.

Further, he has a favorable matchup this week. The Lions rank near the bottom in practically every run-defense category. They're surrendering the most fantasy points to opposing backs. The Iowa State product should continue his hot streak on Sunday at Soldier Field.

Indy caught a tough break on Sunday when Jacoby Brissett suffered a left knee injury that may be a sprained MCL. Needless to say, losing Brissett—who had filled in admirably for the suddenly retired Andrew Luck—would be a crippling blow for the Colts, who had far eclipsed expectations early in the season.

That said, the injury could work in the favor of fantasy managers who have Indy’s running backs. Mack Mack has been the team’s featured back, with 679 yards on 159 carries (4.3 YPC). With Brian Hoyer under center, Mack should see his workload increase and he faces an atrocious Miami defense Sunday. Lock this one in!

Singletary missed three games due to a hamstring injury, and wasn’t great in his first game back, but he’s been a very solid RB option in 4/5 games he’s played. The rookie had his best day by far on Sunday, as offensive coordinator Brian Daboll turned him loose. The Florida Atlantic product got 20 carries for 95 yards and a score, and also caught three passes for 45 yards.

Buffalo goes to Cleveland this week. It’s an absolute must-win for the Browns, so you know they’ll be fired up, but their defense has been exploited by opposing backs, allowing 163.29 rushing yards per game. The numbers say the third-round pick is a good play in Week 10.

Thielen only played one series on Sunday, receiving one target, before returning to the sideline to nurse his injured right hamstring. He was deemed questionable to return but never did, as the Vikings fell 26-23 to the Chiefs in one of the best games of the weekend.

It’s hard to advocate for benching a player as good as Thielen, but his health is such a huge question mark right now, and the Vikings have to play at Dallas. The Cowboys have a dominant pass defense and have allowed the fourth-fewest fantasy points to opposing WRs. You should still start Stefon Diggs since he's too good to bench, but the combination of health concern coupled with the matchup means Thielen should sit.

Fresh off the bye, the Falcons are expected to get Matt Ryan back—and just in time for a daunting matchup with New Orleans. Atlanta is 1-7, and if the Falcons want to have any hope of making the playoffs, they’ll have to win this one. Meanwhile, the Saints are in the opposite predicament: 7-1 and at the top of the NFC South as opposed to the basement.

Freeman has had a good-but-not great fantasy season. His last performance typified his campaign: 13 carries for 39 yards, eight catches for 63 yards. OK, but uninspiring. New Orleans has locked down opposing backs, allowing the second-fewest fantasy points. Sit the FSU alum this week.

The 2019 second-round pick is another guy who’s had a good-but-not-great season. That said, he’s young and we should give him time. But what about right now? We’re talking crunch time in the fantasy season—all that matters is right now!

Well, Brown’s numbers have picked up slightly since Ryan Tannehill stepped in for Marcus Mariota, but the Titans’ offense goes against Kansas City this week. The Chiefs have been stout against opposing WRs, allowing the sixth-fewest yards. It’s a tough draw for Brown.

Dolphins fans got excited when Walton’s role in Miami’s offense picked up, thinking he could be the savior at RB. The Hurricanes alum had promising outings against the Redskins and Bills in Weeks 6 and 7, but he wasn’t able to consistently post fantasy points once he moved into the featured role. For example, he received 12 carries on Sunday, but he only accrued 29 yards (2.4 YPC) in the Dolphins’ surprising AFC East win over the Jets.

And now Walton is suspended for four games, so Ballage gets the opportunity to step in. Though he’ll be motivated to prove himself, Ballage has been downright bad in his limited opportunities this season. Adding to the reason for pessimism, it’ll be tough sledding against Indy’s strong run defense, led by Darius Leonard, in Week 10, and this should be a low-scoring affair with Jacoby Brissett potentially out. You can’t trust any Miami RBs at this point.

It was a heartbreaking loss for the Lions on Sunday, as Oakland and Detroit battled down to the buzzer. In that 31-24 defeat, Jones was targeted 10 times—his second game this season with double-digit targets—and caught eight balls for 126 yards and one TD. His surprising season continued. Talk about a career renaissance.

The 29-year-old has had several no-show performances, though (most notably Week 6 at Green Bay and Week 8 versus the Giants), and he’s lined up for another this week. Detroit heads to Chicago, where the Bears will trot out one of the best pass defenses in the league. Chicago has allowed the fifth-fewest fantasy points to opposing WRs. Don’t expect another explosive performance from Jones.