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Fantasy Football Start Sit Week 10: Smash Spots for Stafford and Shakir

The playoff picture is coming into focus, and lineup decisions are more important than ever. Week 10 offers a mix of dream matchups and dangerous traps. 

Here’s who deserves a starting spot and who belongs on your bench.

The right lineup decisions, powered by Draft Sharks rankings, can make all the difference.

Week 10 byes: 

• Cincinnati Bengals
• Dallas Cowboys
• Kansas City Chiefs
• Tennessee Titans

Your Draft Sharks Team Intel page will help you set your ideal lineup, applying our award-winning weekly projections to your custom scoring.

Quarterbacks

Start

Matthew Stafford should stay red hot against the ailing 49ers

Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams

Despite ranking as the QB9 entering Week 10, Stafford remains underrated. He is un-rostered in nearly 30% of ESPN leagues. The Rams have created the perfect setup for fantasy success: two elite receivers and Sean McVay calling the league’s most pass-heavy offense by pass rate over expected.

And Stafford has taken full advantage.

He ranks sixth in passing yards (2,147) and leads the NFL with 21 TD passes. He has thrown three or more TDs in four of his last five games, including nine in his past two.

This week, Stafford should stay hot against a 49ers defense that ranks 10th-friendliest in schedule adjusted fantasy points allowed to QBs. San Francisco gives up 223.7 passing yards per game (13th-most) and has yielded 15 TD passes with just 1 INT.

When these teams met in Week 5, Stafford torched the Niners for 389 yards and 3 TDs. San Francisco has since allowed multiple TD passes in three of four games.

The Rams carry the fourth-highest implied total (26.5) in Week 10. Stafford’s a top-10 fantasy option with top-5 upside.

Sit

Jordan Love, Green Bay Packers

Love followed his best game of the season in Week 8 with his worst in Week 9. Carolina held him to 273 passing yards, no TDs, and 1 INT in a 16–13 upset loss.

Love has cooled off over the past month, throwing only 5 TDs in his last four games, three of which came in that lone strong outing. He has finished outside the weekly top 15 at QB in three of his last four starts and faces another tough test this week.

The Packers host a rested Philadelphia defense that’s been stingy against the pass and just added reinforcements. The Eagles rank ninth-toughest in adjusted fantasy points allowed to QBs and have yielded the second-fewest TD passes (8) through nine games.

Love remains a fringe QB1 in season-long scoring, but the recent dip in production and a difficult matchup make him a risky start in Week 10. Treat him as a mid-range QB2, best left on the bench in single-QB leagues.

Running Backs

A pair of rookie rushers are set to thrive 

Start

Quinshon Judkins, Cleveland Browns

A shoulder injury limited him to 18 snaps in Week 8, but Judkins is off the injury report after the bye and should return to a heavy workload. From Weeks 3-7, he accounted for 81% of the Browns’ rushing attempts and averaged 16.4 PPR points per game.

That’s RB10 production over a full season.

Judkins now faces an ideal matchup against a gutted Jets defense that traded CB Sauce Gardner and DT Quinnen Williams, two of its best defenders, at the deadline. Williams -- Pro Football Focus’s top-graded interior run defender -- leaves a massive hole in a unit already allowing 135.8 rushing yards per game (seventh-most).

Even before the trades, the Jets ranked 12th-worst in fantasy points allowed to RBs. Judkins should reclaim his feature role and deliver top-tier production. 

Treat him as a strong RB2 with top-5 upside against a team in full rebuild mode.

TreVeyon Henderson, New England Patriots

Henderson finally led the Week 9 backfield, thanks to Rhamondre Stevenson’s toe injury. The rookie played 75% of the snaps, handled 56% of the carries, and earned a season-high 20 opportunities. His 18 touches translated into 12.7 PPR points, his best output of the year.

That usage makes him a solid RB2 start against a vulnerable Tampa Bay defense that allows 23.4 PPR points per game to running backs (seventh-most). The Bucs still play the run tough -- fifth-best in rush DVOA -- but have surrendered a league-high 466 receiving yards to RBs.

Henderson’s split carries almost evenly with Terrell Jennings last week (14-11) but dominated receiving work. That role gives him  top-12 PPR upside in a contest with plenty of scoring upside (48.5-point projected total).

Sit

Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints

Kamara’s days as a reliable weekly starter appear to be over. He’s averaging a career-worst 9.6 PPR points per game, ranking just 36th among RBs. New Orleans’ offensive line hasn’t helped. PFF grades it as the sixth-worst run-blocking unit in football.

Kamara’s role is shrinking, too. Last week, he played just 57% of the snaps and handled only 43% of the carries, managing seven touches for 2.7 fantasy points. He has logged only six carries in each of the last two games.

The matchup also isn’t good. Carolina has limited four quality offenses, the Patriots, Cowboys, Dolphins, and Jets,  to modest ground production. With the Saints projected for only 17 points (second-lowest total of the week), Kamara profiles as a low-upside RB3 at best.

RJ Harvey, Denver Broncos

Harvey’s 5 TDs in three games look appealing, but the underlying usage tells another story. His snap share remains lackluster: 31.1% in Weeks 1-5; 27.9% since Week 6. And he has topped seven carries just once all season, in a blowout win.

Last week, he managed only two carries for 5 yards against Houston. The Raiders present a softer matchup, but they’ve been far better against pass-catching backs, allowing just 25.5 receiving yards per game and zero receiving TDs to the position.

Denver is favored by 9.5 points, which suggests a game script favoring J.K. Dobbins’ early-down role, not Harvey’s change-of-pace duties. Harvey remains a TD-dependent flex play with a low floor.

Wide Receivers

It's a mixed bag for Buffalo's receiving corps

Start

Khalil Shakir, Bills

Buffalo enters Week 10 with the highest implied total (30 points) and will look to exploit Miami’s soft run defense behind the league’s No. 1 rushing attack. But don’t overlook Khalil Shakir and the passing game’s potential to strike early.

According to FantasyPoints Data, Shakir has the most favorable wide receiver matchup of the week. Operating from the slot on 68% of his routes, he’ll primarily face Dolphins cornerback Minkah Fitzpatrick, who has been targeted on a league-high 22.3% of routes and has allowed a league-worst 0.54 fantasy points per route run.

Shakir leads Buffalo in targets per route run (23%) and owns a 21% target share. He’s caught 15 passes over his last two games and continues to be a reliable outlet for Josh Allen.

With elite efficiency and a good  matchup, Shakir profiles as a strong WR2 in Week 10.

Alec Pierce, Colts

If you added Pierce from the Week 10 waiver wire, go ahead and deploy him. 

The Colts carry a 27-point implied total (third highest for the week) vs. the Falcons.

Atlanta has defended WRs well for most of the season, but cracks are showing. Over their last two games, the Falcons have allowed four receivers to top 12 PPR points and surrendered 4 TDs to the position. After not allowing a wideout to reach 81 yards through seven weeks, they’ve now given up 99+ yards and a score in back-to-back games.

Pierce is coming off his best performance of the season (13 targets, 115 yards)  and ranks second on the team in both route rate (86%) and target share (18%). He has topped double-digit targets in two of his last three and surpassed 67 receiving yards in five of his last six games. 

Pierce profiles as a strong WR3 with some downside risk but an attractive ceiling. His downfield game (league-leading yards per catch) means he can deliver points even on smaller target counts.

Sit

Jordan Addison, Minnesota Vikings

After averaging 16.0 PPR points per game in four outings with Carson Wentz, Addison’s first game with J.J. McCarthy under center marked a step back. Addison scored a season-low 8.4 points, and the underlying usage suggests it wasn’t a fluke.

His targets per route run rate dropped from 19% to 13%, and his overall target share fell from 21% to 17%. Jalen Nailor matched him in targets despite playing 24 fewer snaps.

The matchup with Baltimore looks decent, but the Ravens’ secondary is healthy and stingy. They haven’t allowed a wide receiver touchdown for the past three weeks -- against the Rams, Bears, and Dolphins -- and McCarthy is averaging just 148 passing yards per start.

Addison remains talented but TD-dependent. In a low-volume passing attack, he’s a risky flex at best.

Keon Coleman, Buffalo Bills

Buffalo carries the highest implied total of Week 10 (30 points), but that doesn’t guarantee production for Coleman.

Despite leading Bills wideouts in route rate (79%) and ranking second in target share (19%), Coleman hasn’t topped 45 receiving yards since Week 1 and has scored fewer than 8 PPR points in six of his last seven games.

Miami has been a brutal matchup for opposing wideouts. The Dolphins allow the fewest fantasy points to the position, largely because teams can run so effectively that they’re not passing much (27.4 attempts per game, second-fewest in the league. 

Miami gives up 145.6 rushing yards per game (third-most), while Buffalo leads the league in rushing offense (161.5 yards per game).

With the Bills favored heavily, expect a ground-heavy game script that limits Coleman’s opportunities.

Tight Ends

Start

One TE that thrived last week looks promising, while another looks like a trap

Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears

Cole Kmet’s concussion helped facilitate Loveland’s Week 9 breakout. Loveland caught six passes for 118 yards and 2 TDs, including the game-winner. He played a season-high 81% of the snaps.

If Kmet remains sidelined, Loveland should again operate as an every-down player against a Giants defense that ranks ninth in passing yards allowed (232.1) and fourth in points allowed (27.7).

Loveland lined up wide on 10 of his routes last week, creating mismatch potential against smaller New York corners. At 6'6 and 245 pounds, he’s a nightmare matchup for the Giants’ secondary.

Even if Kmet’s back, we’re betting the Bears would like to keep their first-round pick more involved. Loveland looks like a low-end TE1 in a favorable spot, especially with Chicago carrying the fifth-highest implied total (26 points).

Sit

T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings

Hockenson scored last week, but don’t let that mask his volume issues. In three games with J.J. McCarthy, Hockenson has averaged just 3.3 targets, 2.0 receptions, and 12.7 yards per game.

Baltimore’s defense, meanwhile, has rebounded from a poor start to the season. The Ravens have allowed only two touchdowns to tight ends all season, and just one player at the position has surpassed 50 receiving yards against them.

Hockenson has posted single-digit PPR totals in four of his last five games. With McCarthy under center and Baltimore tightening coverage, Hockenson is a low-ceiling, low-floor prospect for Week 10.

Next Up

Week 10 Matchups That Matter: Will Jaxson Dart Keep Rolling?

Next Article  

Jody Smith, Analyst

Jody Smith has been playing fantasy football for over 30 years, the last 15 as an analyst, writer, and editor. Jody's rankings have been among the most consistent, placing him inside the top-10 in multi-year accuracy.