The NFL Trade Deadline has passed, so at least that drama and speculation is behind us. It doesn’t mean we can exhale, though, as roster decisions become increasingly stressful the further we go into the season. Fantasy managers can’t leave any stone unturned each week. With that in mind, heading into Week 10 of the NFL season, let’s take a look at some fantasy football sneaky starts.
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Sneaky Starts for Week 10 of Fantasy Football
Drew Lock, QB, Seattle Seahawks
Yes, Jaxon Smith-Njigba did have his worst game of the season last week with Lock under center. That can’t be disputed, but neither can Smith-Njigba’s talent as the best receiver in football.
Against the Arizona Cardinals last week, not much was required from Lock as he threw for 175 yards and a touchdown in securing the victory. I’m not sure how much more effort Seattle will have to put into defeating the Las Vegas Raiders this week, but it will be an interesting matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders. Fernando Mendoza is making his first career start, but it’s not exactly a soft landing spot.
While Sam Darnold is still sidelined with injury, Lock will get another start. The expectation is that he’ll be able to better work Smith-Njigba into the action. After all, the Raiders rank in the top five in most fantasy points allowed to opposing receivers, so this is a prime opportunity.
I’m looking for the 235 yards and three touchdowns that Lock registered in Week 2.
Deshaun Watson, QB, Cleveland Browns
After missing last week with a concussion, Watson is back in action this week. He’s looking for his third straight game of at least 300 passing yards, and that’s not even the headline. You can pick your narrative, but Watson is facing his old team, the Houston Texans.
That matters beyond just the revenge factor. The Texans rank toward the bottom of the league in fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks this season. We have a quarterback playing at a high level facing a defense that has struggled at pass defense all season.
Rookie wide receivers KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston are now starting to come into their own. With 1,806 yards and seven touchdowns this season, Watson has been surprisingly successful. Now we count on the matchup and his weapons to help that continue.
Corey Kiner, RB, New England Patriots
I’m not sure how sneaky this truly is, but the percentage of rosters that Kiner is on does make that case. With Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson both unlikely to play, Kiner is the New England backfield.
Yes, the Detroit Lions are allowing 3.9 yards per carry to opposing running backs this season, but we need quantity. If we combine quantity with a touchdown, then it’s a successful week for Kiner. On 50 carries so far this season, Kiner is averaging 4.9 yards per carry. Now though, he’s being counted on to play a critical role. When making your start/sit decisions, it’s helpful not to have to worry about competition for playing time here.
Audric Estime, RB, New Orleans Saints
Kendre Miller was released, Travis Etienne is still injured, and Alvin Kamara hasn’t been able to turn back the clock. That means, once again, we should see a lot of Estime this week. Prior to last week, Estime had just nine carries for 19 yards on the season. All of those came in Week 6, but based on what we saw last week, you would have never known it.
Estime took advantage of his opportunity in a large way and gained 72 yards on 15 carries while scoring a touchdown. The backfield still belongs to Estime this week, and you could argue that against the Carolina Panthers, his matchup is even better this week. Estime faces a Carolina Panthers team that has allowed the second most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season. Now, it’s time to capitalize.
Konata Mumpfield, WR, Los Angeles Rams
We are at that point in the season in which anything goes. With both Davante Adams and Puka Nacua out this week, someone has to play wide receiver for the Rams. It’s not like they are joining a rough situation, as the Rams offense is high-functioning, as they are led by Matthew Stafford. But now, the veteran just needs someone to go deep and to catch his passes.
With 11 catches for 162 yards and a touchdown this season, can we really trust Mumpfield? If not, though, other than Tutu Atwell, then who? Mumpfield is talented and showed some flashes as a rookie last year. There should be a level of comfort present, and facing Arizona also helps. So far this season, the Cardinals are allowing the second most touchdowns to wide receivers (11). The thought is that Mumpfield makes it 12.
Jordyn Tyson, WR, New Orleans Saints
The rookie receiver has been sitting on your bench all season; now it’s time to secure that value. Tyler Shough targeted Tyson five times last week, and the results were shaky at best. Tyson caught four of those passes for 30 yards, but he also lost a fumble.
More importantly, though, Tyson’s NFL debut, and the nerves associated with it, are now out of the way. Shough attempts a lot of passes, 38.5 per game, so the first-round pick should be busy. It also helps that Carolina’s secondary is far from healthy, so this could be a situation to exploit.
Darren Waller, TE, Carolina Panthers
After Waller caught eight passes for 90 yards and a touchdown last week, how much will he really be sneaking up on people? However, he is readily available across a lot of leagues as we look for him to continue the positive momentum.
In each of the last three games, Waller was targeted two times each before receiving 10 targets last week. The Saints have struggled against opposing tight ends this season, and if we end up with a high scoring game, it could be beneficial to Waller.
Make sure to check out all of our Week 10 Fantasy Football Rankings and Analysis!
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