Fantasy football advice, Week 10: Who to start/sit for Denver Broncos vs. New Orleans Saints

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 Broncos and Saints square off on Sunday, a few notable fantasy options present themselves.

Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders draw a fabulous matchup against the Saints’ bottom-ranked pass defense and can safely be penned into lineups as usual. The intrigue amid their lineup lies with Devontae Booker, who, despite being the unquestioned workhorse at the moment, hasn’t provided fantasy owners with much of a return. That could change on Sunday against a Saints defense that has surrendered 12 touchdowns on the ground so far in 2016. Booker is a volume-dependent RB2 with touchdown upside for Week 10.

The Saints’ miserable pass defense warrants streaming consideration for Trevor Siemian. With the exception of a four-touchdown performance against the Bengals, Siemian hasn’t been a reliable option for fantasy owners to have, despite having favorable matchups for much of the season. For daring fantasy owners, Siemian could be justified as a QB1 for Week 10, but his low floor cannot be overlooked.

Virgil Green, Kapri Bibbs, and the rest of the Broncos’ role players can keep out of fantasy lineups.

Drew Brees is one of the best that the Broncos will face all season, but after shutting down Andrew Luck, Derek Carr and Philip Rivers twice, fantasy owners don’t have any reason to doubt the Broncos’ capabilities. Brees remains a QB1 option, but he is far more volatile than he usually can be considered, even at home.

The Broncos have continued to struggle stopping the run, but a tandem approach in the backfield with Mark Ingram and Tim Hightower makes projections difficult for fantasy owners. Both were more than serviceable in Week 9’s dismantling of the 49ers, but banking on similar results against the Broncos would be bold. Both can be considered boom or bust flex options.

The receiving corps of Brandin Cooks, Michael Thomas and Willie Snead are all capable enough to be inserted into lineups, but their ceilings cannot be considered high at all against such an imposing secondary, even one that won’t have Aqib Talib. All three can be considered volatile flex options who will likely need to find pay dirt in order to present fantasy value for Week 10.

With Coby Fleener failing to eclipse 34 percent of his offense’s snaps in each of the last two weeks, he can remain on benches throughout all fantasy formats.