Introduction
Welcome back, IDP Nerds. Week 10 of the NFL season is here, and I’m back with all your start and sit player recommendations for your viewing pleasure. There were some very good games on the schedule last week. We are happy to announce we came in at 69% for the week and avoided any big injuries. The ‘Man Coverage’ series stands at 56.19% for the season as we continue to deliver a player from each game every week to help make your lineup decisions that much easier.
As the fantasy postseason draws closer, we are dedicated to giving you all the information necessary. The goal is for you to get the most out of the players on your roster. I won’t lie to you. This week is a rough slate of games, but let’s take a look at what we came up with for week 10.
Check out the teams putting together the start/sit columns this season. Follow us, friend us, and tweet us. We look forward to hearing from you!
- QB: Mike Hicks (@DroptheMikeFF) – Changing the Call
- RB: Jake Oliver (@DarthDbacks) – The Cutback
- WR: Tristan Cook (@THEtristancook) – Slant Pattern
- TE: Steven Pintado (@CoachStevenP) – 12 Formation
- FLEX: Evan Brown (@FFEVanlution) – Let’s Talk About Flex
- IDP: Jon Glosser (@Glosser13) – IDP Start/Sit
NOTE: Rankings are based on a 12-team PPR league. So, saying WR2 means top 24, or TE1 means top 12, etc., and are pulled from Fantasy Pros consensus expert rankings.
Indianapolis Colts @ New England Patriots
Start – Jabrill Peppers DB, NEP
We start week 10 with another game from Germany featuring old rivals, the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts. The legendary quarterbacks that used to be featured in this rivalry are long gone, and this one is shaping up to be a defensive battle. Former Michigan Wolverine Hybrid DB Jabrill Peppers has had a very consistent season in Bill Belichick’s defense this season. He’s the DB18 on the season through the first nine games but is still flying under the radar. Kyle Dugger is the highest-regarded DB in the PAtriots’ secondary, but it will surprise some people to know Peppers has matched Dugger in defensive snap shares (100%) this season.
Peppers only has two games under double-digit fantasy points this season. He has a nice matchup to start our Sunday morning with an Indianapolis Colts offense that’s allowing just shy of 70 tackles per game to opposing defenses. The Colts have allowed the third most tackles to the safety position this season. Don’t overthink this one, fire up Jabrill Peppers in your lineup and get your NFL Sunday started the right way.
Cleveland Browns @ Baltimore Ravens
Start – Anthony Walker LB, CLE
The Cleveland LB rotation has been aggravating, to say the least, for IDP managers this season. The Browns have been playing championship-level defense this season, but unfortunately, that hasn’t given us a true clear-cut LB1 in fantasy scoring. Most weeks, I’m looking to fade here because you just can’t seem to figure out what the Browns are going to do from week to week. However, this matchup is just too good that it’s worth taking a shot here.
The Baltimore Ravens have allowed four LB1 weeks through the first nine games. They are allowing over 20 tackles per game to the LB position and rank as the most favorable matchup this season. Walker has played at least 59% of snaps in all games he’s finished this season, the most of any Cleveland LB this season. If you need to classify one of these LBs as ‘The Guy’ it would be Walker for me. The Browns’ veteran LB has averaged 18.5 fantasy points in each of his last two starts against the Ravens. I’m aligned with taking the chance that Walker turns in a solid performance this week.
Houston Texans @ Cincinnati Bengals
Sit – Will Anderson DL, HOU
I hate to do this because I’m a huge fan of Anderson, but this matchup is brutal. The Cincinnati Bengals have allowed the second-fewest tackles (99) to the DL position this season. They are also the only team yet to allow a DL1 week. The former Alabama EDGE rusher has just four 10+ point games this season and has yet to put together back-to-back weeks.
Anderson is coming off a 12-point performance in Week 9 thanks to his second career NFL sack. As much as I believe in the talent of the player, the numbers just shy me away from this one. Anderson has proven to be a low-volume tackler at the DL position halfway through his rookie season. This week, with him playing a team that doesn’t allow many tackles to that position, is enough for me to fade here. There will be better days for the stud pass rusher.
San Francisco 49ers @ Jacksonville Jaguars
Start – Rayshawn Jenkins DB, JAX
This is one of the most exciting games of the weekend. The red-hot Jacksonville Jaguars playing a slumping San Francisco 49ers offense that will get some much-needed players back after their bye week. I was scrambling to find a guy here, as most of the projected top performers in this one are your weekly IDP studs. I settled on Jenkins, who continues to be one of the most slept-on defensive backs over his career.
The former Miami Hurricanes DB has averaged 13.3 fantasy points per game this season. He has finished with 10+ fantasy points in 75% of his starts this season. This is a plus matchup for the Jaguars DBs, who face a San Francisco offense that allows the second-highest average tackles per game (16.1) to the safety position. This should be a bounce-back performance for Jenkins, who scored just six fantasy points in his last performance before the bye week.
New Orleans Saints @ Minnesota Vikings
Start – Pete Werner LB, NOS
This one makes me nervous as well; Pete Werner has been borderline unstartable the past month of the season. He’s being outplayed by veteran Demario Davis regularly, which has been disappointing for IDP managers after what Werner showed last season. I’m confident the former Ohio State LB will bounce back in Week 10 with a strong matchup against the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings have allowed five LB1 performances this season and are allowing 18 tackles per game to linebackers this season. After three subpar performances from the Saints linebacker, I’m banking on him returning to form this week against the second most turnover-prone starting QB in the NFL in Josh Dobbs.
Green Bay Packers @ Pittsburgh Steelers
Start – Isaiah McDuffie LB, GBP
The Green Bay Packers are struggling to find a way to keep both of their starting LBs on the field for a full game this season. Luckily for IDP managers, the Packers have a high-volume tackler ready to step up and deliver at a moment’s notice. Isaiah McDuffie has been a great find for IDP managers this season. He’s collected six tackles in all five of his starts this season. This isn’t a great matchup on paper, but the numbers are there for McDuffie. When he plays, he’s delivering double-digit fantasy performances. The Green Bay LB has five straight games of 10+ points, averaging 16 points per game during that stretch. Quay Walker has been listed as doubtful, which should see McDuffie earn his sixth start of the season, and you can expect another solid performance from a waiver wire find.
Tennessee Titans @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Start – Kristian Fulton DB, TEN
It’s time to show love to the CB-required leagues in IDP fantasy football. Fulton is on a nice run for IDP managers, and he has a nice matchup this week, which should keep his hot streak going. The Titans cornerback has four straight games of 10+ points, including 25 tackles over that stretch. The Buccaneers offense is surrendering 13.3 tackles per game to the CB position this season. Fulton gets another unexpected bump with his teammate Sean Murphy-Bunting being ruled out in Week 10. If you need to start a CB in your leagues, this is a solid matchup that should give you good production.
Atlanta Falcons @ Arizona Cardinals
Start – Josh Woods LB, ARI
Woods continues to be a very underrated LB this season. He’s struggled with injuries this season, but when he’s healthy, he’s putting up respectable numbers for IDP managers. Woods has been a frequent player I’ve been recommending to start over the past few weeks. The message hasn’t been received by all because as early as this week, I’ve still been able to acquire him on waiver wires. The Cardinals linebacker has played greater than 83% of the team’s snaps in three of his last five games while working himself back from injury. He’s had at least four tackles in all five games and has produced double-digit fantasy points in three of those games.
The Atlanta Falcons are a plus matchup for linebackers this season. They have allowed six LB1 weeks while allowing the fifth most tackles to linebackers this season. If you’re looking for free LB production with injuries and bye weeks affecting your lineup, this is a solid week to have Josh Woods in your lineup.
Detroit Lions @ Los Angeles Chargers
Start – Brian Branch DB, DET
It seems like so long ago, we were talking about Branch taking a Patrick Mahomes pass to the house after an interception in his first career game. The Alabama rookie DB has struggled with injuries but is back in the team’s lineup for Week 10. Branch logged his second 100% defensive snap share in Week 8 before the team’s bye last week. He should be a full go in one of the top games of the weekend as the Lions and Chargers square off.
The Los Angeles Chargers rank as the 12th most favorable matchup to safeties this season. The Chargers have already surrendered three top-12 performances to defensive backs this season. I love this spot for the rookie DB and expect a big performance from him this week. We saw what he’s capable of from a fantasy perspective, with a 20.25 fantasy points per game average over his first four games. Branch is back to full health should be huge for IDP managers down the home stretch of the season.
New York Giants @ Dallas Cowboys
Start – Dorance Armstrong DL, DAL
There’s not much to see here guys; the New York Giants are an awful football team. Between injuries and a poor roster build, they are going to be lucky to beat anyone for the remainder of the season. The Giants are starting an undrafted rookie QB against one of the league’s best defenses. I imagine the Giants will look to run the ball, but at some point, they will have to pass, and this Cowboys front will get after them.
The Giants have allowed eight DL1 weeks this season, including one to Armstrong in Week 1. The Dallas pass rusher has averaged 20 fantasy points per game in his last three games against the Giants. He also has recorded four sacks in his last three games against them, including two in Week 1. I’m riding the hot hand and expecting another top performance from Dorance Armstrong this week.
Washington Commanders @ Seattle Seahawks
Start – Jarran Reed DL, SEA
The Seahawks’ interior defender gets the nod this week for our DT-premium managers. Jarran Reed has had a solid season for the Seahawks on the interior. While most of his job is freeing up space for Bobby Wagner and Jordyn Brooks to make tackles, he has put up some stats himself. The nose tackle has four sacks this season and is on pace for a career-high in tackles. He has a good opportunity to increase those numbers with a great matchup against the Washington Commanders. Washington is allowing just shy of five sacks per game this season. Sam Howell is under pressure nearly every time he drops back. That should bode well for IDP managers looking for a DT to start this week.
New York Jets @ Las Vegas Raiders
Sit – Bryce Huff DL, NYJ
This is one of the ugliest primetime games we’ve dealt with all season. There’s very little to look forward to for dynasty managers as the Sunday Night game approaches. I had Bryce Huff as a sell high in the mid-season IDP report, so I’m doubling down here. Huff has been extremely effective on limited snaps for this top-tier New York Jets defense.
Huff has four sacks in his last five games, and there’s reason to believe that can continue going forward. He’s having a great year playing for a contract, but he’s not being started in many lineups across the vast majority of IDP dynasty leagues. The Las Vegas Raiders are allowing the seventh fewest per-game tackle average to the DL position this season. This is a sack-dependent situation only if you’re starting Huff this week. I would be looking to fade if you have better options.
Denver Broncos @ Buffalo Bills
Sit – Justin Simmons DB, DEN
The Denver Broncos are in the midst of a brutal stretch of their schedule, coming off playing Patrick Mahomes twice in the past month. The team will now head to Buffalo to face another top-tier QB, Josh Allen. Simmons currently ranks as the DB96 on the season. He has two 20+ point weeks over his last three games. Those two games have accounted for over 50% of his total fantasy points for the season.
The Buffalo Bill offense has allowed four DB1 performances this season but is right around league average at allowing tackles to the DB position. Justin Simmons is a really solid player, but with two high-volume tacklers at LB in Josey Jewell and Alex Singleton, he’s relegated to an impact play-dependent DB. He’s not a complete fade in this situation, but expectations should not be high in this primetime matchup.
The Wrap-up
Alright, IDP Nerds, that wraps up our Week 10 breakdowns. The season is winding down, and those lineup decisions are becoming more stressful. Feel free to use all the tools the IDP community offers you to help you make the best decision for your team that you can. You’ll never be perfect, but having data points that support your lineup decisions does make it easier at times when a player disappoints. I hope you all enjoy a good weekend of football, and until next week, keep building those dynasty powerhouses.
