Week 10 Fantasy Football Rankings: Saquon Barkley in a Blow-Up Spot

You survived bye-mageddon just to lose the Ravens and Bengals to bye this week? Well, that’s not so much fun for me. And yeah, I guess the Jets and Patriots are on bye as well this week. Without a ton of great options on the waiver wire this week, it is even more important to head to John Daigle’s Waiver Wire Watch for advice. We’ve hit Michael Bandy week which feels a lot like rock bottom, but here we are. It’s the playoff push and that means only a few more weeks to get enough wins to get into the dance.

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What Stands Out: Justin Fields is on fire and now it reflects in the projections.

Analysis: Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes are atop the rankings with Jalen Hurts not far behind. There’s a slight drop and then Justin Fields checks in within the top four. The matchup against Detroit doesn’t hurt, but he’s been an incredible fantasy asset for the last few weeks culminating in his performance against Miami last week setting the regular season record for rushing yards by a quarterback. Kyler Murray gets a tough matchup against the Rams and if there is one guy in the top five I could see underperforming this week, it would be Murray.

There are no signs Tua Tagovailoa is slowing down these days and a matchup against Cleveland isn’t challenging enough to be concerned about. Dak Prescott is back off a bye and hopefully should be another week healthier. A matchup against Green Bay isn’t great but is beatable. Hopefully, a trip out of the country is what Tom Brady needs to clear his head and start putting up big fantasy days again. Outside of the top 10, Trevor Lawrence is going to have to throw a lot to keep up with the Chiefs. He’s been better lately, but it hasn’t translated to fantasy points. Maybe this is the week?

Check out the full QB Rankings here

What Stands Out: Saquon Barkley gets the Houston Texans. Could he have a monster week?

Analysis: Yeah, Barkley is going to have a monster week and his projection is MASSIVE. Christian McCaffrey has a great matchup as well and while the projection isn’t as high as Barkley’s he has a substantial ceiling as well this week. I know the Titans can’t run Derrick Henry 40 times a game, but they could certainly try throwing him a couple of passes instead of taking him out on third downs. It’s going to be hard for Tennessee to do anything offensively that doesn’t involve Henry, so he’ll get the work. Austin Ekeler has a tough matchup against the Niners so receptions will be the name of the game to get him a big day. Nick Chubb is in line for a big day against the Dolphins and he’s a guy I could see outperforming his projection here and making a run for the top three.

After Monday night it’s tough to say if Andy Dalton will retain the starting QB spot, which could hurt Alvin Kamara’s receiving prospects, but the offense struggles when he isn’t involved so something has to give. Ken Walker has a tough matchup against Tampa Bay, but he’s been getting fed lately. Travis Etienne feels like he’ll need a big receiving day to get there this weekend as the Jaguars will try to keep up with the Chiefs and playing catch-up seems like the way that will happen. Outside of the top 10, we saw Cordarelle Patterson return to the majority of the backfield work, and with another week to get healthy he could have another big week.

Check out the full RB rankings here

What Stands Out: Cooper Kupp has another tough matchup and it (probably) doesn’t matter.

Analysis: Kupp is the only thing working in the Rams' offense and while everything around him is on fire, he continues to put up WR1 weeks as if nothing is happening. Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle both remain in the top 10, but Hill’s projection is significantly higher this week over his teammate. I kinda like Waddle as a buy-low option versus his teammate this week. Stefon Diggs seems to be the one constant in the Bills receiving corps. Gabe Davis is wild week-to-week, but Diggs is churning along with big performances. On the flip side of the matchup this weekend, Justin Jefferson gets a tough matchup against the Bills. A.J. Brown has had some huge days and a matchup against the Commanders shouldn’t be much of a problem as they have been vulnerable to WR1s, but Devonta Smith did have his biggest game of the season against Washington in the first matchup.

Amon-Ra St. Brown has had a few quiet weeks since coming back from injury, but a matchup against the Bears could be a get-right spot. DeAndre Hopkins has been seeing 10.7 targets per game since returning, but is coming off a week with just five, and should see a return to double-digit targets this week. Outside of the top 10, JuJu Smith-Schuster seems to be the alpha of the Chiefs receivers and a matchup against the Jaguars isn’t daunting.

Check out the full WR Rankings here

What Stands Out: Without Mark Andrews this week, the position looks rougher than normal.

Analysis: Travis Kelce is obviously the top option and it isn’t close. The difference between him and George Kittle is 4.5 points. That same difference from George Kittle to the 20th-ranked TE this week in Juwan Johnson. It’s a massive gap and on a week like this Kelce offers upside no one else is capable of. Kittle and Dallas Goedert are fine options this week and while Goedert’s matchup looks tough against Washington, T.J. Hockenson just had 9-70-0 with three days with the Vikings playbook. Pat Friermuth gets a tough matchup against the Saints that just shut down Isaiah Likely and the Ravens' tight ends. Greg Dulcich has been playing well since assuming the top role. Hockenson has a tough matchup again this week against Buffalo but should see his snaps increase. Taysom Hill remains in the top 10 as a massive boom or bust option. David Njoku feels like a solid bet to overperform his top 10 position this week. Outside of the top 10, Tyler Higbee can’t be held without a catch, right?

Check out the full TE rankings here