Week 10 Fantasy Football Sneaky Starts

We are in the back half of the Fantasy Season. How’s your team holding up? We are getting to the make-it-or-break-it period, where each week could decide if you’re playoff-bound or you should start prepping for next season. With each and every roster spot meaning so much, make sure that your lineup looks its best with our Week 10 Sneaky Starts.

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Week 9 Recap

We took some big swings in Week 9, but unfortunately, only one of the four paid off well.

Christian Watson didn’t quite live up to our lofty expectations. For someone who started with a 52-yard reception in the first quarter, 58 total yards is a major disappointment. Better days should be on the horizon, though, with Tucker Kraft out for the season and Matthew Golden banged up.

Bam Knight also disappointed. The Cardinals couldn’t be stopped through the air, but found little running room against the Cowboys. Knight wasn’t even the best Cardinals back in this one. It’s too hard to predict this rotation; you can stay away.

Kyle Pitts wasn’t as rough as our other calls, but he still didn’t make the top half at the position. He’s still extremely involved and gets enough work that he won’t lose you your week. There’s just a limited opportunity for him to win it.

Our lone bright spot was Darius Slayton. He didn’t light up the boxscore, but he did hit double-digit points and finished as a Top-36 WR. Slayton has a better matchup this week. He should be a WR3/4 in most matchups as the likely top target for the Giants.

Sneaky Start Season Tally: 16-18

Let’s see if we can get back into the winning column with our Week 10 Sneaky Starts.

Check out all of our Week 10 Rankings: Flex Rankings | QB Rankings | RB Rankings | WR Rankings | TE Rankings

Week 10 Sneaky Starts

Jameson Williams, Detroit Lions WR vs. Washington Commanders

Based on his draft capital, Jameson Williams has been a major bust for Fantasy this season. He’s failed to surpass 19 PPR points in any game this season. His four receptions in Week 9 were tied for his second-best outing of the year. While he scored, it was only his 3^rd TD of the season.

Still, the fact remains, he has the potential to blow up that few other players possess. While he only has one game with five or more receptions this year, he had eight such games in 2024. He has one game over 100 yards so far; he had three of those last season.

The hope is that the team starts utilizing him more in the second half of the year.  After his zero-catch game in Week 8, the Lions’ coaches said publicly they would work to get him more involved. That seemed to be the case in Week 9, when he caught four balls for 66 yards and a score.

Detroit gets to face a banged-up Commanders team this week. Washington just lost Jayden Daniels for the foreseeable future, and Marshon Lattimore is now out for the season. This will hurt them on both sides of the ball.

If Washington can’t keep their offense on the field, that will mean more scoring opportunities for the Lions. We know that Detroit does not take its foot off the gas, no matter how much they are up.

Without Lattimore, Washington will have a hard time containing the passing attack. Most of the focus will go to Amon-Ra, so Williams should get plenty of openings for a big play.

I understand it’s hard to trust a player as volatile as Williams, but this is a great shot to take, especially if you’re an underdog. If you think you will need a boom game to be competitive, he is one of the more likely candidates to go off.

Parker Washington, Jacksonville Jaguars WR vs. Houston Texans

Parker Washington might be Trevor Lawrence’s favorite receiver. That’s not exactly hyperbole. Parker has outscored Brian Thomas Jr. in Fantasy 3 times this season. Both of these were true in the team’s previous two games.

Travis Hunter’s emergence has been stalled, for now, due to injury., He’ll miss the next few weeks for sure. In the meantime, it’s entirely possible that Parker is the top receiving option in Jacksonville.

I doubt other teams will immediately recognize that now. I expect BTJ to still be the main defensive focus, and he could see a lot of double teams in the near future. The Week 10 matchup with the Texans is not something I would normally target, but the Jags will need to throw more against them. Houston will pressure Lawrence the entire game, so a lot of quick passes in Washington’s direction could be in order.

The team did just acquire Jakobi Meyers at the trade deadline, which might mean that BTJ is more banged up than they are letting on. I don’t think Meyers gets much work in his first game, but he could hurt Washington’s future value.

I wouldn’t expect any monster plays from Washington. He’s not some athletic freak who is going to outrun defenses or blow past coverage. He is a reliable pass-catcher with good hands, who can have a great volume-based week.

With so few options in Jacksonville, Parker will need to be involved. He won’t provide the upside of a downfield burner, but he will have a floor that few other mid-tier options can match.

Kyle Monangai. Chicago Bears RB vs. New York Giants

This would have been a much more sneaky start if I had made it before Week 9, but we didn’t know that Swift would be out until the weekend. Monangai made the most of his opportunity, though, rushing for 176 yards and catching 3 passes for 22 additional yards. He was extremely efficient, averaging 6.8 yards per carry with a long of 39.

Even if Swift comes back this week, I can’t see the team moving away from Monangai after that performance. Yes, it was against the Bengals, but Monangai showed just how effective he can be on this team.

We have watched as Ben Johnson tries to recreate his formula from Detroit with the Bears. He wants to use two backs just like he did with the Lions, and it now seems that he’s found his duo. Monangai’s carries were already increasing in the prior weeks. Unless he’s back out there alone, I don’t see him getting back to 26 carries, but it’s also hard to see him dipping below the 12-15 range.

While he won’t be able to face the Bengals defense again, the Giants are the next best thing. Currently, the Giants allow for the second-most rushing yards per game in the league.

If Swift misses more time, Monangai is a roster lock. If he comes back, don’t sweat it. Both players will be startable in this matchup regardless.

Juwan Johnson, New Orleans Saints TE vs. Carolina Panthers

At the beginning of the season, Juwan Johnson was looking like a league winner.  During the middle weeks, he was dealing with injuries, and his production fell off, and so did the hype surrounding him. In the last three weeks, however, Johnson has returned to his early-season form and is back in the Sneaky Start territory.

Since Week 6, Johnson has had either five catches with 50+ yards or a touchdown in every game.

While he’s not exceeding 90% of snaps like he was at the start of the year, he’s still never dropped below 70%. The loss of snaps is directly attributable to Taysom Hill’s return.

Rookie QB Tyler Shough didn’t look great in his first start, but he did still look Johnson’s way often, and the two did connect for a touchdown. He seems more likely to complete the quick, short yardage passes than Spencer Rattler did, which should help Johnson in PPR leagues. We saw far fewer attempts from Shough than Rattler, but that was probably just the script for his first game and should change. Under Kellen Moore, the team is still going to prioritize the pass, regardless of who the QB is.

Tight End is one of those positions where you chase any volume that you can. Outside of the elite options, it is hard to find a reliable starter that you can play every week. Johnson has proven to be a focal point on the offense. He gets designed plays and a healthy dose of the team’s high-value targets. Sometimes, that’s all you can bank on.

Make sure to check out all of our Week 10 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!