Fantasy Football Week 10: Biggest Sleepers at Every Position

Some rookies will hit a “wall” in the second half of their first NFL season, and others will become fantasy football gems as they take on expanded workloads. Your objective is to dump the former and find the latter before it’s too late. This week, three of our sleepers are rookies who could be on the cusp of a breakout.

Aside from a few potential budding rookies, fantasy managers should pick up a couple of players who may take a significant leap in the second half of their third term, which can be a crucial year for development.

Lastly, we have a couple of one-off sleepers who can post a top-10 fantasy line among quarterbacks to fill a void while Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow sit on your bench in a bye week. They don’t have flashy names, but both signal-callers could move the ball up and down the field against defenses that allow big numbers in the passing game.

If you’re in a bit of a bind going into Week 10, check out our eight sleeper picks for point-per-reception scoring formats below. All players are available in at least 40 percent of Yahoo leagues as of Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET.

DraftKings DFS Price: $5,500

Through the first four weeks of the season, Jared Goff stood out as a fantasy gem. In that time frame, he threw for 11 touchdowns and just three interceptions while averaging 281.5 passing yards per contest. Since then, the Detroit Lions quarterback has cooled off, throwing for three touchdowns and four interceptions while averaging just 228.8 yards per outing.

This week, managers should hop back on Goff’s fantasy wagon. He’ll face the Chicago Bears, whose pass defense has trended in the wrong direction over the past couple of weeks, giving up 242-plus passing yards in both outings along with five total touchdowns in that span.

Over the last two weeks, the Bears have traded edge-rusher Robert Quinn and linebacker Roquan Smith, which has undoubtedly adversely impacted the club’s defense. Even though Goff lost tight end T.J. Hockenson, via trade to the Minnesota Vikings, he can still attack a unit on the decline with Amon-Ra St. Brown, Josh Reynolds, Kalif Raymond and D’Andre Swift.

Last week, against the Green Bay Packers’ second-ranked pass defense, Goff threw for multiple touchdowns for the first time since Week 4. He’ll likely do it again in a potential high-scoring matchup with the Bears, who have scored 29-plus points in three consecutive games.

DraftKings DFS Price: $5,400

Coming off a bye week, Jacoby Brissett draws a mouth-watering fantasy matchup with the Miami Dolphins.

Brissett belongs atop the list of potential sleepers because the Dolphins allow the most fantasy points to quarterbacks. Miami’s 23rd-ranked pass defense has surrendered at least 246 yards in two of the last three weeks and 304-plus yards in four out of nine contests this season.

Even though Brissett has only thrown for multiple scores once in eight games, he’s racked up 258-plus yards through the air in each of his last three outings. If the Browns signal-caller tosses a couple of touchdown passes against a vulnerable defense that’s allowed 15 scores through the air in nine games, he could finish top 10 in scoring among quarterbacks this week.

Brissett may have one of his top pass-catchers in tight end David Njoku back on the field.

Njoku missed the Cleveland Browns’ previous game and practice on Wednesday with a high ankle sprain, but he plans to play Sunday, per Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot, which would be a solid boost for Brissett’s fantasy outlook.

DraftKings DFS Price: $4,800

A few weeks ago, we highlighted Rachaad White as a sleeper who could see more touches in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers backfield. Well, The Athletic’s Greg Auman sees a pathway for him to take over the starting role.

In Week 9, White only had one fewer carry (eight) than running back Leonard Fournette (nine). Neither ball-carrier found much room to run, but the rookie third-rounder may maintain an even workload with his veteran counterpart. If that’s the case, he could have a breakout performance against the Seattle Seahawks’ 27th-ranked run defense.

On top of that, the Seahawks allow the ninth-most fantasy points to running backs.

With quarterback Tom Brady struggling to move the ball through the air, throwing multiple touchdown passes in just one game this season, the Buccaneers could make a concerted effort to jump-start their ground attack with White at the forefront or at least in a sizeable role. Perhaps he seizes an opportunity against a bottom-tier run defense in Munich, Germany.

DraftKings DFS Price: $4,900

Last week, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler dropped an important fantasy nugget in a report about the Pittsburgh Steelers offense, which is in transition with the departure (via trade) of wideout Chase Claypool and rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett entrenched in the starting role under center.

Fowler expects a bit of a workload shift in the Steelers backfield as well.

“Jaylen Warren has earned more snaps at running back, and even though Najee Harris will remain a focal point, don't be surprised if Warren is featured a little bit more,” Fowler wrote.

Fowler is a former Steelers beat reporter, so what he says holds significant weight. Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio heard something similar through the grapevine. Moreover, in a limited sample size, Warren is averaging 5.3 yards per carry compared to Harris’ 3.3 yards-per-carry average.

As a ball-carrier and pass-catcher with 12 receptions for 88 yards, Warren may be able to break off more big plays in space. Perhaps he shows some flashes against the New Orleans Saints’ 19th-ranked run defense.

DraftKings DFS Price: $4,300

Fantasy managers should consider a quarterback-receiver sleeper stack with Jacoby Brissett and Donovan Peoples-Jones. They'll play in a potential high-scoring matchup with the Miami Dolphins, who field the 25th-ranked scoring defense.

The Dolphins present a favorable matchup for Brissett, though they’re also tied for 10th in fantasy points allowed to wide receivers, which bodes well for a tandem that’s built some chemistry over the past several weeks.

In each of the Cleveland Browns’ previous five contests, Peoples-Jones has caught at least four passes for 50-plus yards. As an underrated No. 2 wideout, he can give managers a boost at the flex position in their fantasy lineups.

Keep in mind that Peoples-Jones posted those solid receiving numbers with tight end David Njoku healthy and growing into a decent role in the Browns’ passing game. Whether the latter returns from a one-game absence (high ankle sprain) or not, Peoples-Jones should be able to produce in a matchup with the Dolphins’ generous pass defense.

DraftKings DFS Price: $4,700

Because of the Los Angeles Chargers’ depleted wide receiver group, we went all in on their under-the-radar pass-catchers last week. Until Keenan Allen (hamstring) or Mike Williams (ankle) returns from injury, Joshua Palmer profiles as a near fantasy lineup lock because of his potential target share, though he’s rostered in 75 percent of Yahoo leagues as of Wednesday.

If Palmer isn’t available, managers should turn their attention to DeAndre Carter, who caught five out of his six targets for 53 yards against the Atlanta Falcons last week.

In Week 10, Carter faces the San Francisco 49ers’ stingy pass defense, which ranks eighth in yards allowed, but the NFC West club gives up the 12th-most fantasy points to wide receivers. Like Palmer, he should continue to see plenty of targets with Williams on injured reserve and Allen working his way back to full strength.

Even if Allen suits up Sunday, he’s not a lock to handle a full workload. Remember, he played just 32 percent of the offensive snaps in Week 7. Also, the five-time Pro Bowl wideout said his condition “got worse” during the Chargers’ Week 8 bye. As a backup expected to play in an expanded role, Carter has flex appeal until further notice.

DraftKings DFS Price: $3,400

Though Cole Kmet took a couple of months to find his way on to the fantasy football sleeper list, he’s worth a look this week and for the remainder of the season.

Over the last three weeks, the Chicago Bears offense went into high gear, averaging 31.3 points per game in that span, which means more touchdowns to go around. Justin Fields’ ability to rack up yards on the ground forces defenders to move toward the line of scrimmage and vacate the middle of the field where tight ends can make a living in the passing game.

Kmet has scored three touchdowns in his previous two outings. Last week, against the Miami Dolphins, he caught a season-high five passes for 41 yards to go along with two touchdown receptions.

In Week 10, Kmet faces the Detroit Lions, who are tied with the Dolphins and Las Vegas Raiders for third in fantasy points allowed to tight ends. He has a chance to put together another strong outing with a handful of catches and a score in a third consecutive game.

DraftKings DFS Price: $3,500

Cameron Brate (neck) went through a full practice Wednesday, so managers may bypass Cade Otton on the waiver wire, but the rookie could still maintain a solid role in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers passing attack with the veteran tight end back in the fold.

In Week 9, against the Los Angeles Rams, Otton caught the go-ahead touchdown pass from Tom Brady with nine seconds left in regulation. On a day in which Buccaneers receivers struggled with drops, Brady turned to the rookie fourth-rounder in the clutch—that’s a good sign for the Washington product going forward.

As for Brate, he exited his last two outings with injuries to his head (concussion) and neck. At 31 years old, with his recent bumps and bruises, the veteran tight end may not dominate pass-catching opportunities over Otton, who's played well in the former's absence, hauling in at least four passes in three of his last five outings.

Because fellow tight end Kyle Rudolph has a limited role, playing less than 15 percent of the offensive snaps in five games this season, Otton could contribute in two-tight end sets alongside Brate with wideouts Russell Gage (hamstring) and Julio Jones (knee) battling injuries.

On Sunday, at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany, Buccaneers tight ends will have the best possible fantasy matchup. They'll face the Seattle Seahawks, who allow the most fantasy points to players at the position.

Of course, Brady will have wideouts Mike Evans and Chris Godwin as his primary targets on the perimeter, but Otton has likely earned his quarterback’s trust after a game-winning grab. Brady may look to exploit the middle of Seattle’s defense with a young tight end who has a 71.9 percent catch rate this season.

Fantasy scoring and points allowed provided by FantasyPros.

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Maurice Moton covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @MoeMoton.