Week 10 Fantasy Football Start/Sit Candidates: Wide Receivers
Wondering whom to start and sit at wide receiver this week? Below are two top-notch start and two sit options at the wide receiver position for Week 10 of the 2022 NFL season.
Week 9 Review – half-PPR scoring
Starts
- WR Rondale Moore (Arizona Cardinals) vs. Seattle Seahawks – 10.9 fantasy points (WR21)
- WR Jakobi Meyers (New England Patriots) vs. Indianapolis Colts – 4.9 fantasy points (WR37)
Sits
- WR Brandin Cooks (Houston Texans) vs. Philadelphia Eagles – 0.0 fantasy points (WR N/A)
- WR Michael Pittman Jr. (Indianapolis Colts) @ New England Patriots – 3.7 fantasy points (WR48)
Wide Receiver – Starts
Terrace Marshall (Carolina Panthers) vs. Atlanta Falcons
Wide receiver Robbie Anderson was traded away from the Carolina Panthers ahead of their Week 7 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It then took another week for second-year wide receiver Terrace Marshall to assert himself as a starter but over the last two weeks, the man who looked like a 2021 bust has strung together a pair of promising performances, starting with Carolina’s Week 8 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, the very same team they play this week.
Marshall’s two-week showing earned him 23.5 half-PPR points, tied for 15th most at the position overall. Among 37 NFL wide receivers with at least 10 targets during that span, Marshall’s hefty 25.0% targets per route run rate has him tied for 13th best and his 2.33 yards per route run are a hair inside the position’s top 12, per 4for4's NFL Player Stats Explorer.
Atlanta’s 36.7 half-PPR points allowed per game are tops in the league, per 4for4's Schedule-Adjusted Fantasy Points Allowed, and their 9.4% explosive pass plays allowed rate is top-five.
JuJu Smith-Schuster (Kansas City Chiefs) vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Kansas City Chiefs free agent signee wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster got off to a ho-hum start but has recently strung together a trio of strong performances, averaging 18.5 half-PPR points per game during that span, good for the overall WR5 spot.
Smith-Schuster’s 19.0% targets per route run rate should facilitate mild-to-moderate excitement but his top-15 2.44 yards per route run signal both efficiency and high-scoring potential against Jacksonville’s forgettable slot coverage. Jacksonville’s top-12 6.48 men-in-the-box average allows for slot receivers to match up against coverage-deficient safeties and linebackers far too frequently.
Jacksonville’s 29.9 half-PPR points allowed per game to opposing wide receivers are fifth most in the NFL.
*Check out the full WR rankings here.
Wide Receiver – Sits
Adam Thielen (Minnesota Vikings) @ Buffalo Bills
Sell low on Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Adam Thielen if possible. Week 9 trade-acquisition tight end T.J. Hockenson immediately asserted himself as Minnesota’s No. 2 passing-game weapon, earning top-two marks in 23.1% team target share, a 25.0% targets per route run rate, and 1.94 yards per route run despite joining the team late on Tuesday of last week.
Thielen must now fight wide receiver K.J. Osborn and running back Dalvin Cook for scraps versus a four-week gauntlet against the Buffalo Bills (24.6), Dallas Cowboys (24.6), New England Patriots (24.4), and New York Jets (21.4). All four teams are among the top 12 toughest teams versus opposing wide receivers in half-PPR points allowed per game.
Allen Lazard (Green Bay Packers) vs. Dallas Cowboys
To Allen Lazard’s credit, he has surpassed expectations this year, producing top-20 rates, among NFL wide receivers with at least 30 targets, in both targets per route run (25.0%) and yards per route run (2.04). Playing less than 100.0% (shoulder) against a Dallas Cowboys defense almost tailor-made to stop quarterback Aaron Rodgers bodes poorly for Lazard this week though.
Dallas’ maniacal 26.5% quarterback pressure rate leads the league by a 1.0% margin, harassing enemy quarterbacks with a 24.2% rush-five blitz rate, top 10 in the NFL. Rodgers’ -0.233 expected points added per play versus the blitz is the sixth worst among 36 NFL quarterbacks with at least 100 dropbacks.
Dallas is allowing just 24.6 half-PPR points to opposing wide receivers, tied for the 12th fewest in the NFL.
