Week 10 is here ... and every win is crucial at this point. There are only five more games until the playoffs. Make all of them count with a 'W' to inch one step closer to sealing a playoff berth and solid postseason position. With every game having severe postseason ramifications, you may want to follow these tips, so you're raising your arm in victory by the end of Monday Night Football. Let's build a game-winning drive.
Bye-Week Teams: Atlanta Falcons, Indianapolis Colts, San Diego Chargers, San Francisco 49ers
Starters You'll Need to Replace
Falcons: Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan, running back Devonta Freeman, and wide receiver Julio Jones could use a break after losing to the lowly San Francisco 49ers last week. Still, that doesn't do fantasy owners well. Look to replace them.
Colts: Sure, Andrew Luck led the Indianapolis Colts to a win over the Denver Broncos last week, handing Denver its first loss of the season. But it cost the Colts QB dearly, as he's scheduled to miss two to six weeks with a lacerated kidney. You'll need to replace him this week and beyond. If you have running back Frank Gore and wide receiver T.Y. Hilton, they too need to be benched this week.
Chargers: Quarterback Philip Rivers has had a rough go at it this season for the San Diego Chargers. Bench him and look for a viable replacement ... that's if you've been using him at all. Ditto for running back Melvin Gordon.
49ers: You shouldn't be starting anyone from the San Francisco 49ers — they're just that bad. But that being said, you might have running backs Kendall Gaskins, Pierre Thomas and Shaun Draughn stashed deep on your roster on the bench. Keep them there this week and beyond. It's just too hard to put faith in a player on a terrible team sometimes.
Need a Running Back? Claim Them Off Waivers Now: James Starks, Matt Jones, James White, Brandon Bolden
Let's call it like it is — Eddie Lacy has been a fantasy bust this season, only managing double-digit points in the first game of the season. Last week against Carolina, the Green Bay Packers running back rushed for 10 yards on five carries, before leaving the game with a groin injury. In his absence, fellow Packers rusher James Starks had himself a game, rushing for 39 yards and racking up 83 receiving yards and a touchdown reception for 17 fantasy points in non-points per reception leagues.
Now, Starks is owned in 62 percent of CBS Sportsline leagues. If your league falls in the minority, where Starks is available, do your best to snatch him off waivers this week. There's a great chance that Starks will continue to produce better than the banged-up Lacy. After dropping two straight games on the road, Starks and the Packers also have a favorable matchup at home against the NFL-worst Detroit Lions.
Matt Jones is another running back to zero in on in free agency. He's owned in 54 percent of Sportsline leagues, but it's worth your while to check if he's available, especially considering that the New Orleans Saints are not a good defensive team, having given up an absurd 83 points in the past two games. Jones could put plenty of numbers on the board Sunday.
Still undefeated, the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots were hit with their only loss of the year Monday, when it was announced that stud running back Dion Lewis suffered a season-ending torn ACL. Now, LeGarrette Blount is more than equipped to shoulder the Patriots' load out of the backfield, but New England will still need a change-of-pace running back and that's where either James White or Brandon Bolden could be of service.
If this was any other team, there probably wouldn't be much of a need to bother with a back up — especially considering Blount can be a workhorse — but the Pats tout such a high-powered offense that White or Bolden could wind up being valuable. Give White a slightly higher priority than Bolden when searching the free-agent waiver.
Need A Wide Receiver? Claim Them Off Waivers Now: Davante Adams, Dorial Green-Beckham, Cole Beasley, Devin Funchess
A season-high 11 targets turned into seven receptions for 93 yards and a two-point conversion for 11 fantasy points in non-PPR leagues last week, makes Green Bay Packers wide receiver Davante Adams a hot grab this week against the Detroit Lions and beyond. That's if you could get him, as he's owned in 67 percent of Sportsline leagues.
If you're in a bind with a T.Y. Hilton or Julio Jones on the bye this week, consider Tennessee Titans rookie Dorial Green-Beckham as a possible one-week fix. The 22-year-old wideout was targeted 10 times, hauling in five receptions for 77 yards and seven fantasy points in non-PPR leagues last week. The bad news about that performance was it came against the New Orleans Saints, which seemingly allows anyone to go off. He'll be hard-pressed to repeat that kind of performance against the undefeated Carolina Panthers, but at least owners could be comfortable knowing that Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota will be looking for Green-Beckham.
As solid of a game that Dez Bryant turned in last week via 104 receiving yards and a touchdown, teammate and fellow wideout Cole Beasley had himself a better outing with 112 receiving yards and two TDs for 23 fantasy points. It's no coincidence that Beasley had his big game with Bryant on the field, getting plenty of attention. That could make Beasley a viable fantasy option moving forward during this stretch run. Don't be surprised if he delivers another solid game at Tampa Bay this Sunday.
The Carolina Panthers might just be the best the best team in the NFL. With that, rookie wideout Devin Funchess is getting opportunities to shine on the field. Last week, he cashed in via 71 receiving yards and a touchdown for 13 points in non-PPR leagues. Give him a shot if you can get him.
Anticipated Letdowns: Antonio Brown, Carson Palmer, Larry Fitzgerald
Am I crazy to mention Antonio Brown as an anticipated-letdown candidate following his off-the-charts' 17-reception game for 284 receiving yards and 28 fantasy points in non-PPR leagues? No and hear me out why. Ben Roethlisberger sprained his foot and might not play in Week 10, when the Pittsburgh Steelers host the Cleveland Browns.
Yes, the Browns, at 2-7, are awful, but a wide receiver is only as good as the quarterback throwing to him. While 50 receiving yards and a TD for 11 fantasy points would be a solid outing for most wide receivers, it's a letdown for the dynamic Brown. Still, he's a start no matter what.
Carson Palmer and the Cincinnati Bengals are absolutely rolling at 8-0, heading into their Week-10 clash against the Seattle Seahawks. But Carson has reason to have sweaty palms this week. As this ESPN infographic illustrates, Palmer hasn't fared well playing at Seattle's CenturyLink Field and the Seahawks secondary, having thrown three touchdowns to a whopping eight interceptions and touting a 1-2 record.
And if Palmer has another sleepless in Seattle kind of day, his top target Larry Fitzgerald will suffer, too. The Seahawks did hold Fitzgerald to 33 yards receiving last December for what it's worth.
Sleeper Picks: Kirk Cousins, DeSean Jackson, Terrance Williams
Would you trust Kirk Cousins with the fate of your season? Well, rolling the dice on the Washington Redskins quarterback this week can lead to paydirt for your team. That's because the Redskins are at home against an awful New Orleans Saints.
With DeSean Jackson back in Washington's lineup, this Sunday could mark an excellent game for both Cousins and Jackson.
Why would Terrance Williams be a sleeper pick this week? Well, because the attention on Dez Bryant could free up his Dallas Cowboys' fellow wideout just like that for big plays.
Confusion By Committee: New York Giants Running Backs Rashad Jennings and Shane Vereen
On paper, you'd see that Rashad Jennings is the New York Giants' featured running back. Dig a little deeper, though. Using last week as an example, Jennings rushed for 48 yards on 13 carries compared to Shane Vereen's 14 yards on six attempts. But Vereen wound up with more fantasy points, as he added 29 yards receiving and a touchdown reception. The way the Giants have been using him this year, he's a constant threat receiving from the backfield, making him more valuable than Jennings in most games. Still, there's a factor of each back cutting into the other's production.
Trade Value For Dez Bryant
The trade deadline is rapidly approaching in most leagues — November 18 in Sportsline, for example. And perhaps there's no better trade value — and trade bait — out there better than Dallas Cowboys stud wideout Dez Bryant. The star wide receiver more than redeemed himself, returning from his foot injury, by hauling in five catches for 104 yards and a touchdown, equalling 16 fantasy points in non-PPR leagues.
To be frank, Dez's trade value cannot get higher. Do your best to trade him for high needs, even getting two players in return because Dallas's QB situation continues to look shaky at best. Seeing that Eli Manning, my QB, has nothing but a rough patch ahead, I'm actually offering up Dez for Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr, who has been lighting up fantasy scores recently. This being said, you can decide to hold onto Dez if you'd like as well ... and that's not such a bad thing.
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