We are in Week 10 of the fantasy football season and the playoff races are now getting serious. There are also a handful of bye week teams owners still have to account for. These next few weeks will make or break your season, so choose your starters wisely.
Fantasy football start/sit advice, Week 10: Wide receivers
We take a look at which receivers belong in fantasy lineups and which ones should be avoided this week.
Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports
This week’s bye teams are the Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts, and Oakland Raiders. That will thin out the wide receiver pool a bit with Amari Cooper, Michael Crabtree, T.Y. Hilton, Marvin Jones, and Golden Tate unavailable. So what players should fantasy owners turn to in order to fill out their lineups, and which players should they be avoiding? Let’s take a closer look.
Start
Tyrell Williams, San Diego Chargers (vs. Miami Dolphins)
Travis Benjamin is out with a knee injury, so Williams assumes the spot as the de facto No. 1 receiver in Philip Rivers’ offense. We’ve been waiting for Williams to put together consistent production, but he had a solid day last week with six catches for 65 yards and a touchdown. Williams should be in line for more targets and could easily build on that performance against the Dolphins.
Jordan Matthews, Philadelphia Eagles (vs. Atlanta Falcons)
Matthews can be a hard player to watch due to his drop problems, but he tends to produce in the right spot. He’ll get a really sweet spot this week when the Eagles take on the Falcons, who have the 31st-ranked pass defense and are missing top corner Desmond Trufant. Matthews is a frustrating player to own, but fantasy players can fire him up as a WR2 for this week.
Sterling Shepard, New York Giants (vs. Cincinnati Bengals)
Victor Cruz is questionable with a knee injury, but he didn’t practice all week so it’s likely that he sits out Monday night’s game. That could open up more opportunities for Shepard, who’s been kind of a disappointment this year. He did score his first touchdown since Week 2 against the Eagles last week, and should be on the flex radar against the Bengals’ 21st-ranked pass defense.
Sit
Quincy Enunwa, New York Jets (vs. Los Angeles Rams)
Enunwa was on a little hot streak with a touchdown in two straight games, but that came to a screeching halt against the Miami Dolphins, when he caught just one of four targets. Enunwa has big-play ability, but he’s way too volatile to trust as an every-week WR3, especially with Ryan Fitzpatrick dragging down the whole offense. Enunwa can sit on your bench when he faces the Rams’ ninth-ranked pass defense.
Willie Snead, New Orleans Saints (vs. Denver Broncos)
It seems counter-intuitive to sit a Saints receiver in the Superdome, but that’s where we are with Snead. He hasn’t found the end zone since Week 2 and is averaging just 67.9 yards per game, while falling behind Michael Thomas on the depth chart. Snead might still be worth a look in PPR leagues (the Broncos’ defense isn’t the same without Aqib Talib and Derek Wolfe), but standard-league owners should probably look elsewhere for a WR3.
Allen Hurns, Jacksonville Jaguars (vs. Houston Texans)
Hurns is in the concussion protocol and got just limited practices. Even if he’s cleared to play, he won’t be a viable option against the Texans’ second-ranked pass defense. Hurns has been a fantasy bust this season, scoring just two touchdowns in eight games one year after getting 10. He no longer has to be owned in 10-team leagues.
