Sneaky Starts: Week 10

Nov 10, 2016

All but the luckiest fantasy owners need to find the proverbial diamond in the rough at some point – a waiver wire or bench player capable of putting up some points in a pinch. This weekly feature is dedicated to that part of fantasy football. It's not pretty, but it's part of the game.

Last week, Colin Kaepernick, Trevor Siemian, Tim Hightower, Mike Wallace, Kenny Britt, Rishard Matthews, Cole Beasley, Eric Ebron, Lance Kendricks, Austin Hooper and Vance McDonald were standout Sneaky Starts.

Let’s take a look at Week 10:

Quarterbacks

Joe Flacco, Ravens (vs. CLE)
The Browns pass defense is… not good. Dak Prescott, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Andy Dalton and Marcus Mariota have combined to average 269 yards and 2.3 passing touchdowns against Cleveland in the last four weeks. Flacco hasn’t had a multi-touchdown game since Week 4, but the Ravens have an implied total of 27.5 points, so there should be a couple of passing touchdowns for Flacco.

Jay Cutler, Bears (@ TB)
Smokin’ Jay has re-emerged as a viable streamer after his 252-yard, one-touchdown effort against a good Minnesota defense in Week 8. His matchup this week against the Bucs (#26 in QB aFPA) is much better. Tampa Bay has given up eight touchdowns (!!!) to Matt Ryan and Derek Carr in the last two games. Cutler is not on the same level, but he’s capable of posting a good line in Week 10.

Trevor Siemian, Broncos (@ NO)
The Saints have given up an average of 308 yards and 1.5 passing touchdowns in the last four games. Siemian has flopped in good matchups before, but there’s potential here for a shootout if the Saints can score on the Broncos in the dome.

Carson Wentz, Eagles (vs. ATL)
Atlanta has yielded an average of 306 yards and 2.3 touchdowns through the air to Jameis Winston/Mike Glennon, Aaron Rodgers, Philip Rivers and Russell Wilson. Wentz started the season with seven touchdowns in his first four games, but has only thrown two touchdowns in his last four. Positive regression coming in what should be a high-scoring game?

Alex Smith, Chiefs (@ CAR)
If he’s able to navigate through the concussion protocol, Smith’s matchup this week makes him somewhat appealing (Carolina is #27 in QB aFPA), though he may be without his top target, Jeremy Maclin, who is dealing with a groin injury.