Week 10 Where to Put'em

This is the Fantasy Football Nerd's look at the best and worst matchups for Week 10 of the 2015 NFL season. Decisions are based upon the FFN rankings and matchup analysis. Given the known conditions, these matchups are the ones to watch and/or avoid.

This list does not generally include the elite players that you are going to start regardless of matchup. You don't need us to tell you to start Aaron Rodgers, Rob Gronkowski, or Antonio Brown. Instead, we take a look at other players on your team that we believe either have great matchups or should be avoided for multiple reasons. Factors like opposing defense, performance trending, and peer comparisons may influence our decisions.

Start 'em Blake Bortles (JAC, QB)
Blake Bortles' #7 ranking this week is not a typo. He's on a roll and facing a Ravens secondary that has given up an average of 25 points to Rivers, Palmer, Dalton, and Carr. Baltimore gives up the 3rd-most passing yards per game making Bortles a great play this week.

Start 'em Derek Carr (OAK, QB)
The Raiders offense is cooking right now. Carr comes into this week's rankings at #6 facing a Minnesota defense that can be tough, but if Matt Stafford can put up an average of 19 points in their two meetings, Carr should be able to find Cooper and Crabtree enough to put up similar numbers.

Start 'em LeGarrette Blount (NE, RB)
With Dion Lewis on IR, it is the LeGarrette Blount show. The Giants give up the 10th-most rushing yards per game, and while Doug Martin and Alf Morris failed to see double-digits, every other starting RB has. Don't be surprised to see Blount reach the century mark in yardage on Sunday.

Start 'em Justin Forsett (BAL, RB)
It seems like when the matchup is tasty, Forsett struggles. The Jaguars are a tasty matchup, but the consensus rankings this week put Forsett at #10 so the industry thinks he's going to go off. We're going to agree. Doug Martin took them for 33 points in Week 5 and Chris Ivory took them for 17 points last week.

Start 'em Allen Robinson (JAC, WR)
Coming in at #8 ahead of guys like Dez Bryant, Calvin Johnson, and Alshon Jeffery is Allen Robinson who has been incredible this year. With Allen Hurns hurting, we'd expect a few more targets to come Allen Robinson's way on Sunday which makes him an even more attractive option.

Start 'em Brandin Cooks (NO, WR)
If you're looking for a solid #2 this week, Brandin Cooks is your man. The Redskins have actually been pretty tough on wide receivers this year keeping Edelman, Decker, and Julio under 10 points (std), but they can be burned as seen by Mike Evans in Week 7 (22 pts), Marshall in Week 6 (15 pts) and Rueben Randle in Week 3 (17 pts). Brees is on fire right now and you've got to ride the hot hand.

Start 'em Jordan Reed (WAS, TE)
Jordan Reed is a guy that has to be in your lineup this week. The Saints give up almost 300 yards on average through the air per game. Delanie Walker just took the Saints for 21 points last week. With Reed healthier than he has been in quite a while, expect him to be very active in this game.

Start 'em Delanie Walker (TEN, TE)
Speaking of Delanie Walker, he's another guy that should be in your lineup this week. His monster game last week showed his rapport with Mariota, and while Mariota is not a good start this week, Walker and his 10+ expected targets certainly is.

Start 'em Philadelphia Eagles (PHI, DEF)
If you are in need of a decent defense this week and you don't have the Broncos, Panthers, or Rams available to you, the Eagles could be just what the doctor ordered. They cracked the Top 5 this week against a Tennessee offense that will likely struggle against both the run and the pass.

Start 'em Justin Tucker (BAL, K)
The Jaguars have given up double-digit fantasy points just about every week this year making Justin Tucker a great play at the kicker position. He's ranked #5 this week and has real potential to finish that way.

Sit 'em Marcus Mariota (TEN, QB)
Last week Marcus Mariota made many fantasy owners happy as he piled up the stats against the Saints; however, the Panthers are not the Saints and he's likely to struggle this week to put up decent fantasy numbers. His #24 ranking is due to the average of just 13 points that Carolina gives up to QB's this year.

Sit 'em Russell Wilson (SEA, QB)
Russell Wilson's #11 ranking this week is a bit optimistic considering his relatively poor play in relation to where we all drafted him. He's also facing an Arizona defense that gives up just 222 yards through the air and a paltry 11 fantasy points per game.

Sit 'em Ronnie Hillman (DEN, RB)
Most fantasy owners have given up hope on CJ Anderson and Ronnie Hillman. This week isn't going to boost their confidence levels. Hillman tallied just 3.4 points against the Chiefs back in Week 2 and his production hasn't gotten much better. Even Adrian Peterson was kept under 6 points.

Sit 'em Eddie Lacy (GB, RB)
With Eddie Lacy officially taking a backseat to James Starks, his #30 ranking this week shouldn't come as a surprise. While James Starks has potential to put up great numbers against Detroit, the #2 RB's are averaging less than 3 fantasy points per game. Lacy is leading the charge for Bust of the Year.

Sit 'em Larry Fitzgerald (ARI, WR)
The only knocks we have on Fitz this week are Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor. The Seahawks give up the 2nd-fewest yards through the air per game and only Randall Cobb reached double digits against them (std) and that was back in Week 2. Expect a single-digit day this week.

Sit 'em Jeremy Maclin (KC, WR)
Look all the way down the list this week and you'll find Jeremy Maclin sitting there at #38. That puts him outside of WR3/Flex territory. A tough matchup with the Broncos is going to make it a tough fantasy day for Maclin.

Sit 'em Jordan Cameron (MIA, TE)
Sorry folks - game's over on Jordan Cameron. He has been a fantasy disappointment this season and that's not likely to change against a Philly defense that hasn't allowed any tight end to see double digits this year (std).

Sit 'em Austin Seferian-Jenkins (TB, TE)
With a scratch last week nursing his shoulder and a tough matchup against the Cowboys who give up the 10th-fewest yards per game, Austin Seferian-Jenkins is not a recommended start as evidenced by his #19 ranking. Even with four teams on bye, ASF barely comes in as a TE2.

Sit 'em Houston Texans (HOU, DEF)
You'd think with guys like JJ Watt and Jadeveon Clowney (likely to miss the game again) that the Texans would be much tougher on defense. The Bengals are rolling right now and defenses have averaged the 2nd-fewest fantasy points against them this year.

Sit 'em Matt Prater (DET, K)
Coming into this week's kicker rankings at #24 is Matt Prater - historically a pretty productive player, but the Packers have been tough on kickers this year and are expected to bounce back big time against a Detroit team that is clearly struggling.

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