We’re getting awfully close to the fantasy playoffs and if you are reading this I am guessing you fighting for your playoff lives… or at least playing for seeding. Hopefully my Week 10 positional rankings can help get you an important victory and keep you in the hunt!
Week 10 Fantasy Football Player Notes
- Maurice Harris is definitely the player I am highest on among rankers. Harris saw 12 targets last week and hauled in 10 of them for 124 yards. Most importantly, he ran the most routes from the slot for the Redskins. That bodes extremely well for him as he faces a Bucs team that has been torched by slot receivers all season long. Harris is a WR3 for me and he may rise even higher.
- Dez Bryant found a new home signing with the Saints. He is going to be overvalued in fantasy cause of his name, but you should take advantage of that. Add him and instantly start shopping him. Sell people on the idea of a healthy and well-rested Dez and Drew Brees. Make people forget that Dez looked like a tight end last season. If no one takes the bait then you can stash him on your bench and see what he has left to offer. But there is a good chance someone else would buy the Dez Bryant Lottery ticket.
- To me the biggest impact of the Dez signing is that it limits the value of Tre’Quan Smith. Smith had a lot of upside as the number 2 WR in the Saints offense, but that is now gone as Bryant will take away a lot of targets. But having Dez, who even at his declining play is an upgrade over Austin Carr, will require more of the defense’s attention. Also, having two legit outside WRs in Smith and Bryant allows the Saints to use Michael Thomas even more in the slot. If so, Thomas could see an uptick in value, which is pretty hard to imagine.
- With A.J. Green out for a couple of weeks I have taken a few fliers on John Ross. I am in no way defending the pick of him, but Ross was a first round pick and does have blazing speed. I expect that he will get the first shot at replacing Green and if he is seeing regular playing time I do think he has a lot of upside as he can take the ball the distance at any point. The only real question is can he stay healthy for an entire game?
- Duke Johnson is a great play this week. While I do not expect him to replicate the touchdowns, I do think he can replicate the nine catches he had last week. In fact, that would just be an average game against the Falcons defense. That’s right, the Falcons allow 8.5 catches per game to running backs this season, the most in the NFL. They allowed the most catches to running backs in each of the past two seasons. Fire Duke up with confidence this week.
- Doug Baldwin ran a season-high 31 routes from the slot and to no surprise, had his best game of the season. This week he takes on a Rams team who, not only have been vulnerable to slot receivers, but have given up the most touchdowns to receivers since Week 5. Baldwin has been a disappointment this year, but fire him up this week.
- Add Jeff Heuerman despite the fact that he is on bye. Much like with Jack Doyle last week, if you wait there is a good chance that you miss out on him. Even if you don’t you will likely have to pay more next week when people are in need of a tight end given all the byes. Heuerman led the Broncos in targets and receptions in the first game without Demaryius Thomas. He also scored a touchdown, which is not surprising since he leads the Broncos in end zone targets. Given the state of tight end this season, he is easily worth taking a shot on.
- We got the answer to who will be the Golden Tate replacement as the Lions slot receiver. It was T.J. Jones who ran 27 routes from the slot… Brandon Powell got zero. But it was not Jones who saw the production. No, it was Theo Riddick, just like Matt Modica said on Wide Right Fantasy Football last week. Riddick ran 24 routes and led the team in targets. He is a strong play in PPR leagues.
- Josh McCown is back in our lives stepping in for the Jets with Sam Darnold on the sidelines. Last year Robby Anderson connected with McCown for 848 yards and 7 TDs. He was his top target and finished the season as a WR2. McCown also made Jermaine Kearse, Matt Forte and Austin Seferian-Jenkins into valuable fantasy pieces. The switch will give the Jets weapons an uptick in value, but the Bills matchup is a tough one as that secondary is very strong. Anderson though is definitely in the flex discussion.
As always make sure to download Wide Right Fantasy Football with Matt Modica and me! Follow me on Twitter @MichaelFFlorio.
Week 10 Positional Rankings
2018 Fantasy Football Rankings powered by FantasyProsECR ™ – Expert Consensus Rankings
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