Start 'Em, Sit 'Em: Early Fantasy Lineup Advice for Matchups of Week 10

Nine weeks are down and nine remain in the 2021 NFL season. We're officially at the halfway point, and the back nine will begin with a Thursday night matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and the Miami Dolphins.

By this point in the year, fantasy managers are largely not starting the same squads they drafted. Injuries to players like Christian McCaffrey, Russell Wilson and Saquon Barkley affected many early-season lineups. Players like Nick Chubb and Denzel Mims are on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

Oh, and the Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Houston Texans and New York Giants are on bye this week.

When plug-and-play starters aren't available across the lineup, managers are wise to know the matchups. Here, we'll run down some of the best and worst plays of Week 10 based on those matchups. To avoid obvious sits, we'll be looking specifically at players rostered in at least 50 percent of Yahoo and/or ESPN leagues, according to FantasyPros.

All picks are based on point-per-reception (PPR) scoring.

Start 'Em

Matt Ryan, QB, Atlanta Falcons

Carson Wentz, QB, Indianapolis Colts

AJ Dillon, RB, Green Bay Packers

Leonard Fournette, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Mike Williams, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

Dalton Schultz, TE, Dallas Cowboys

Sit 'Em

Russell Wilson, QB, Seattle Seahawks

Jalen Hurts, QB, Philadelphia Eagles

Antonio Gibson, RB, Washington Football Team

Damien Harris, RB, New England Patriots

Jakobi Meyers, WR, New England Patriots

Adam Thielen, WR, Minnesota Vikings

Jared Cook, TE, Los Angeles Chargers  

We've seen over the past couple of weeks just how bad the Dallas Cowboys defense can be when it isn't racking up interceptions. Last week against the Denver Broncos, Dallas allowed 407 yards of offense and 30 points—to a team ranked 22nd in scoring.

The Cowboys have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this season.

While the Atlanta Falcons offense is missing star wideout Calvin Ridley, it's still capable of running roughshod over the Cowboys defense. The only real question is whether Matt Ryan will reinvigorate Dallas' turnover machine.

Ryan may throw an interception in Week 10, but he shouldn't be viewed as a risk-reward play. He'll get enough out of Kyle Pitts and Cordarrelle Patterson to keep the chains moving and find the end zone multiple times.

Last week against the New Orleans Saints, Ryan threw for 343 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for a third.

Multiple players may miss Sunday's game between the Cleveland Browns and the New England Patriots—and it's a game I'm largely avoiding in fantasy. The Browns may not have star runner Chubb, who is on the reserve/COVID-19 list. The Patriots may be without Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson, who are in the concussion protocol.

"It's a big question mark," Patriots running backs coach Ivan Fears said, per Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald. "Definitely a big question mark."

Harris managers should start looking for an alternative now. Even if Harris is cleared, he isn't a strong play. The Browns have been solid against the run, and Harris rarely brings a lot of PPR upside to the table. He has not caught more than two passes in a game this season, and he has not seen more than two targets in a game since Week 1.

The Browns have allowed the sixth-fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers missed last week's game after testing positive for COVID-19. Rodgers may be back for Week 10, but regardless of who is under center for the Packers, running back AJ Dillon is a quality fantasy play.

Dillon is starting to emerge as a big piece of the Packers offense. He still must split time with starter Aaron Jones, but Dillon was the more involved of the two in the passing game last week.

Jones is typically a must-start because of his PPR upside. With four targets, four receptions and 90 scrimmage yards against the Kansas City Chiefs, Dillon could soon find himself in that territory.

We're not there yet, as Dillon had zero targets in two of the last four games. Jones is still the preferable Packers back, given a choice of the two. However, Dillon will be a strong play against a Seattle Seahawks defense that has struggled to defend the run.

Seattle has allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing running backs this season. With Jones and Dillon on the docket this week, the Seahawks' ranking isn't likely to improve.

*Fantasy points against from FantasyPros. Advanced statistics from Pro Football Reference.