Fantasy & Betting

11/6/24

4 min read

NFL Week 10 Fantasy Football Rankings: Predictions For Every Position

By C.H. Herrmann

Fantasy Writer

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Rankings Last Updated: 11/9/24

The deeper into the season we get, the more crucial the lineup choices are in fantasy leagues.

Plenty of managers are either fighting to keep their playoff hopes alive or fending off others to hold onto one of the precious final postseason spots. Understandably, most people are reading this content in November.

As cool as it would be for everyone who plays in a league to stay active all season, I understand it feels pointless when you’re mathematically eliminated. But if I can make a plea to those whose interest is fading, remember that playing spoiler can also be a ton of fun!

But to all who are still competitive and vying for the big prize, welcome to Week 10.

Headed into this weekend’s gridiron action, the NFL has scheduled each of the following teams to go on bye:

• Cleveland Browns
• Green Bay Packers
• Las Vegas Raiders
• Seattle Seahawks

Hopefully, those absences won’t hinder any rosters too much, but it’ll be challenging to replicate the contributions of stars like Jayden Reed and Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

At any rate, here’s to trying to overcome and pushing forward. Here are the rankings:

Week 10 Fantasy Football Rankings

Week 10 Quarterback Rankings

Quick Takeaways

• Based on matchups and recent statistical trends, the quarterback position is really deep for fantasy purposes this week (some of which will be covered here, obviously). My "green zone," or level of comfort with starting a player, this week strays down to about QB17.
• The 2024 quarterback class is shaping up to be even more fantasy-relevant than expected. In addition to the high-end contributions managers have received from Jayden Daniels and Caleb Williams, a couple of other first-year signal-callers are beginning to heat up.
• As I shared in my Week 10 waiver article, Drake Maye has been averaging 49.3 rushing yards per game, higher than any quarterback other in that span, including Lamar Jackson (35.5) and Kyler Murray (45.0). Fellow rookie Bo Nix ranks third among quarterbacks in rushing yards per game (44.0) in that same span and has posted at least 15 fantasy points in four out of the past six weeks. This information bears repeating in this rankings write-up because, by the time you’re reading this, it’s still feasible that one (if not both) Maye or Nix will still be available on your league’s waiver wire.

Trending Up

• Per Fantasy Points Data, the Los Angeles Chargers have had a Pass Rate Over Expectation (PROE) of at least +5.2 percent since Week 7. To put that increase in context, the offense’s PROE stood at -7.3 percent cumulatively before that point. 
• Why does this matter? Amid this uptick, Justin Herbert ranks seventh among quarterbacks (excl. the benched Justin Fields) in fantasy points per game (19.4) in four-point per passing touchdown scoring over his last three contests, according to FantasyData. 
• The offseason hirings of head coach John Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman, both known for their run-heavy philosophies and schemes, are beginning to put the ball more into the hands of their multi-million dollar arm. Now would be an excellent time to consider adding Herbert if you need QB help, particularly because the Chargers have already had their bye week.

Trending Down

• The Houston Texans’ passing attack has greatly suffered since losing WR Nico Collins (hamstring) in Week 5. In the four games following his injury, C.J. Stroud has thrown for more than 200 passing yards and multiple touchdowns once. Frustratingly, those two occurrences didn’t even take place in the same game, and Stroud has netted a mere 11.9 points per game during this window. It’s best to sit the sophomore for a while.
• It might be a bit unfair to categorize this player as “trending down,” but it’s worth mentioning that Jared Goff has thrown more than 30 passes in a game just once this season. Per NFELO, the Lions’ offense ranks 23rd in PROE (-5.5 percent), so the production you’re banking on is predicated mainly on how effective you think Goff will be in a particular matchup touchdown-scoring-wise — not saying this to dissuade anyone from using Goff, although contextualizing how to approach his value can be helpful.

Week 10 Running Back Rankings

Quick Takeaways

• The Cincinnati Bengals acquired RB Khalil Herbert from the Chicago Bears via trade on Tuesday. That addition to the backfield will make a difference. However, it’s important to note that the team is on a short week, playing on Thursday night against the Ravens, so there’s no guarantee Herbert will make a significant impact right away. Also, Chase Brown has played on at least 50 percent or more of the Bengals’ snaps since Week 6. 
• The general argument to be made here for fantasy purposes is less about it being “bad for Brown” now that Herbert is around and more about replacing Zack Moss, who will reportedly miss the remainder of the year due to a neck injury. Dinging Brown’s fantasy value after this news would be unwise.
• Washington Commanders RB Brian Robinson Jr. has been ruled out for Sunday's contest vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers due to a hamstring injury. This same ailment is what prevented the former Alabama back from suiting up last week. Those in need of RB help could look toward Chris Rodriguez Jr., a player who received an equal number of carries (11) as Austin Ekeler in Week 9 when Robinson Jr. was last ruled out.

Trending Up

• Per David Newton of ESPN, Jonathon Brooks (ACL) is expected to make his professional debut in Week 10 vs. the New York Giants in Munich, Germany. The former Texas standout has been the source of a great deal of irritation for managers who’ve held him in IR spots, so congratulations on continued patience. Who knows what to expect from the second-round pick right away? The team may ease him into a steady workload as the season continues, but I’d still consider Brooks a flex option with bye weeks and injuries. Sometimes, availability is the best ability.
• De’Von Achane is going absolutely nuclear with Tua Tagovailoa in the lineup. You won’t believe how effective the second-year speedster has been in four healthy games with his starting quarterback. Achane is performing at an extremely high level just by receiving contributions alone, but rather than listing the facts here, just take a look at this tweet:

Trending Down

• I spent a good amount of October arguing on behalf of the fantasy viability of Alexander Mattison. To some degree, that praise was warranted, and the veteran provided some flex-worthy performances for managers in a pinch. However, now that offensive coordinator Luke Getsy has been fired, the remaining staff will be left to clean up one of the league’s biggest messes regarding rushing attacks.
• Just look for yourself. No matter who takes over play-calling (Scott Turner, son of long-time head coach Norv Turner, is reportedly the favorite), they’ll have one heck of a time turning things around. It’s best to ignore this backfield from here on out, but don’t drop Mattison just in case conditions improve.

Week 10 Wide Receiver Rankings

Quick Takeaways

• New Orleans Saints WR Chris Olave (concussion) has been placed on IR. This is a massive blow to the Derek Carr-led offense and leaves the pass-catching corps relatively depleted of viable options for fantasy purposes. The highest-ranked Saints receiver I have is Mason Tipton (WR48), although it would be best for managers to avoid the offense altogether outside of RB Alvin Kamara and TE Taysom Hill.
• Indianapolis Colts WR Michael Pittman Jr. (back) will not be suiting up on Sunday against the Buffalo Bills. The veteran's absence gives a unique opportunity for rookie Adonai Mitchell to step up and perform in his place, although the Bills secondary isn't exactly the easiest matchup for opposing perimeter wide receivers (560 yards allowed to receiver lined out wide, third-lowest in the NFL).

Don’t Believe The Hype

• To keep this article at a decent-sized quick read, we’ll close this section by explaining why Quentin Johnston is a bit of a mirage. This isn’t to suggest that the sophomore wideout isn’t deserving of a spot on benches, but don’t be fooled into starting him in your lineups just yet.
• Indeed, all of the points I made earlier about Justin Herbert and the Chargers’ offense skewing more pass-happy are still true. There is room for benefit for the likes of Johnston and teammates WR Ladd McConkey and TE Will Dissly, just to name a couple. However, as evidenced again in Week 9 vs. the Cleveland Browns, Johnston’s significant contributions for fantasy have come from busted coverage and his ability to make much easier, wide-open receptions.
• Don’t believe me? The level to which this is true is actually almost shocking in nature:

Week 10 Tight End Rankings

Quick Takeaways

• There’s still time to buy in on Ja’Tavion Sanders. As I shared in my waiver article, the fourth-round pick from Texas is averaging 5.8 targets and 52.5 receiving yards per game dating back to Week 5 (excluding his disappearing act in Week 8 against the Broncos). As this offense grows and builds rapport with QB Bryce Young, this is probably the cheapest tight end of value still broadly available in most season-long leagues.
• For as frustrating as he can be sometimes, one of the biggest lessons learned from this year is that Mike Gesicki is a bit of a life hack whenever teammate Tee Higgins is out of the lineup. In Week 9, Gesicki ran a season-high 61 percent route participation en route to securing five catches for 100 receiving yards and two touchdowns vs. the Raiders.
• We now have a sample size of four games without Higgins, and here’s how significant Gesicki’s role is in those circumstances: 19.1 percent target share, 25.2 percent air yards share (leads team), and 15.1 points per game in point-per-reception (PPR) scoring. For context, such a PPR average would extrapolate out to ranking second among all tight ends this year, behind only San Francisco 49ers TE George Kittle (18.0).

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C.H. Herrmann

Fantasy Writer

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C.H. 'Herms' Herrmann is a fantasy writer for The 33rd Team, leveraging his extensive experience from previous roles as a fantasy analyst and NFL writer at Draft Sharks, FantasyPros, ClutchPoints, and SB Nation. A respected voice in the fantasy football community, Herms' insights and accuracy have earned them the distinction of being the No. 1 most accurate DST ranker in FantasyPros’ ECR Draft Rankings in the 2023 season. Herms has worked in media since 2020.