By MIKE HERNDON

Three of the NFL’s best offenses are sitting at home this week, as Kansas City, Philadelphia and Miami are all on their bye week along with Cooper Kupp, Puka Nacua and the Rams. Meanwhile, several injured players that we were hoping might be back this week, like Justin Jefferson and Justin Fields, are being held out at least another week.

That means most of us have holes to fill in our lineups, and precious little available on most waiver wires. With that in mind, here are Week 10’s starts and sits:  

QB:

Starts:

Will Levis, Titans: Levis’ numbers predictably came back down to earth last week in a loss to Pittsburgh after his four-touchdown debut, but he also showed during that game that his talent is no fluke. He maintained poise in the pocket and flashed that million-dollar arm. Tampa’s secondary, meanwhile, is giving up yards by the boatload. Levis could be in for another big day. 

Sits:

Deshaun Watson, Browns: This Browns-Ravens matchup should be tough for all offensive players, as these two defenses may be the best in the league right now. But the player I’d be most concerned about is Watson, especially after seeing the Ravens make Geno Smith look like a high school sophomore last week.

RB:

Starts:

Joe Mixon, Bengals: As Joe Burrow has gotten healthy and Cincinnati’s offense has ironed out its kinks, so has Mixon predictably begun to hit his stride. With Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins both ailing this week, the Bengals could reasonably be expected to lean on Mixon against Houston’s suspect run defense.

Tony Pollard, Cowboys: Yes, it’s been a frustrating slog this year for managers who are relying on Pollard, particularly the last few weeks. But Dallas should have little trouble building a lead against the Tommy DeVito-led Giants, leaving them plenty of time to run clock with Pollard in the second half.

Sits:

Gus Edwards, Ravens: Edwards has been a revelation, emerging as a touchdown machine for the potent Ravens offense. The sledding will be tougher against Cleveland’s stout defense, however, and if Keaton Mitchell isn’t sidelined with a balky hamstring, he could begin to steal some carries after last week’s breakout.

Jerome Ford, Browns: In a battle of two of the league’s top defenses, Ford should also find the yards precious and difficult to come by against the Ravens’ defense. Added to that is the fact that Kareem Hunt is getting most of the red zone work despite Ford’s sizable advantage in snap share.

WR:

Starts:  

Deandre Hopkins, Titans: He’s gotten new life with the introduction of Levis’ cannon arm into the lineup, and as noted above, Tampa Bay’s defense presents a tasty matchup.  

Tank Dell, Texans: Dell returned from an injury hiatus and immediately picked up where he left off, exploding for 114 yards and two touchdowns in the comeback win over Tampa Bay. And now, Nico Collins is expected to miss this week’s matchup with a calf injury, leaving Dell as C.J. Stroud’s likely first option.      

Sits:

Davante Adams, Raiders: If the breakout didn’t come last week against the Giants, it seems unlikely to expect it this week against a Jets secondary that is among the best in the league.  

George Pickens, Steelers: I know the squeaky wheel usually gets the grease, but I’m sitting Pickens until I see the Steelers’ targets start to even out a bit now that Diontae Johnson is back.

TE:

As always in these trying times, start whoever you can find that’s getting targets. If Taysom Hill is somehow still available in your league, rectify that situation immediately, as he is now becoming the cheat code we all thought he’d be last year.   

Categories: Fantasy Football