Fantasy football advice, Week 10: Who to start/sit for Cincinnati Bengals vs. New York Giants

To the fantasy owners who survived 12 teams going on bye over the course of Week 8 and Week 9, good news — help is on the way. With just four teams taking a break in Week 10, and with several injured players on track to make their return, fantasy owners can breathe a little easier, even as their seasons evolve into must-win weeks down the stretch.

When the Bengals and Giants square off on Monday night, a few notable fantasy options present themselves.

With A.J. Green annihilating his competition, and with Tyler Eifert reaffirmed as a TE1, Andy Dalton can be talked about as a consistent QB1 option, as well, even in matchups that aren’t the most favorable. Dalton is averaging the 14th-most fantasy points per game among quarterbacks, but with Eifert back in action, expect Dalton’s totals to trend upwards. Dalton draws a Giants defense that has allowed the eighth-most passing yards per game and needs to be in lineups for Week 10.

Eifert’s return hasn’t meant good things for Gio Bernard, who has just three targets over his last two games. It doesn’t provide enough reason for fantasy owners to be excited about him, and his split with Jeremy Hill also throws a wrench into both of their overall value. Both running backs can be considered uninspiring flex options until further notice.

Tyler Boyd and Brandon LaFell aren’t seeing enough looks to make them fantasy relevant for Week 10 and beyond.

Odell Beckham has been reliable on his home turf, and now that Victor Cruz is looking unlikely to suit up, expect Beckham to be in multiple spots of the formation as he was coming out of the bye in Week 9. With the Giants having virtually no running game to speak of, and with the Bengals proving capable of stymying ground games of teams not named the Cowboys, expect Eli Manning to air it out early and often. He can be considered a low-end QB1.

Sterling Shepard and Will Tye can expect extra looks if Cruz is absent, as the duo accounted for 13 targets in Week 9’s victory. Tye has streaming appeal against a Bengals defense that has allowed the fourth most fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends. Fantasy owners should be cautioned, however, that those numbers are slightly skewed after matchups with New England and Washington.

Rashad Jennings, Paul Perkins, and the rest of the Giants’ backfield should have no part in fantasy lineups of any format.