RealTime DFS Strategy: Week 10

Fri Nov 7 10:33am ET
By MIKE BARNER
Contributing Writer

Some of the worst defenses in the league won’t be in action during Week 10 with the Bengals, Cowboys and Titans all on a bye. That might lead to a lower-scoring slate. With that in mind, here are some of the top players to consider for your lineups, as well as some to possibly avoid.

Quarterbacks

Justin Herbert, LAC vs. PIT ($6,600): One bad defense that will take the field is the Steelers, who have allowed 24.4 points per game. Their biggest weakness has been defending the pass, which has contributed to them allowing the most passing yards per game in the league. We could get a monster stat line from Herbert, who already has four straight games with multiple touchdowns.

Davis Mills, HOU vs. JAX ($4,900): C.J. Stroud (concussion) has been ruled out for this game. Starting in his place will be Mills, who threw for 137 yards in relief of Stroud last week against the Broncos. The Jaguars have allowed the second-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, so Mills could be worth taking a chance on in tournament play at his cheap salary.

Player to Avoid

Trevor Lawrence, JAX at HOU ($5,100): Lawrence’s two rushing touchdowns against the Raiders last week salvaged what would have been a bad stat line. He threw for 220 yards, one interception and no touchdowns. That marked the fifth time over the last six games that he had one or no passing touchdowns. The Texans have one of the best secondaries in the league and limited Lawrence to 222 yards and no touchdowns in Week 3. Avoid him for this rematch.

Running Backs

Christian McCaffrey, SF vs. LAR ($9,000): McCaffrey breezed through an easy matchup against the Giants last week, rushing 28 times for 106 yards and one touchdown. He also caught five passes for 67 yards and another score. He is averaging 25.4 touches per game, has over 1,200 total yards and has scored eight touchdowns. In Week 5, he finished with 139 total yards and a touchdown versus the Rams. Expect him to have a high floor in their rematch.

Quinshon Judkins, CLE at NYJ ($6,500): The Browns having a bye last week gave Judkins enough time to be cleared from his shoulder injury that he suffered in Week 8 against the Patriots. Prior to leaving that game early, he had rushed 99 times for 406 yards and five touchdowns over his previous five games. With the Jets trading away Quinnen Williams at the deadline, Judkins might not be met with much resistance in the middle during this game.

Player to Avoid

Breece Hall, NYJ vs. CLE ($6,000): The Browns are bad because of their quarterback situation, not their defense. They have been stellar against the run, allowing the ninth-fewest rushing yards per game in the league. That has included them limiting running backs to 3.68 yards per carry. This matchup could prove to be tough sledding for Hall.

Wide Receivers

Ladd McConkey, LAC vs. PIT ($6,300): The Chargers spread the wealth against the Titans last week, giving four different players at least five targets. McConkey left the matchup with a modest four catches for 56 yards. However, with his six targets, he has now been targeted at least six times in all but one game this season. The Steelers have already had their bye week, but they still lead the league with 129 receptions allowed to wide receivers. McConkey makes for a great stacking option with Herbert.

Romeo Doubs, GB vs. PHI ($5,000): The Packers have lost tight end Tucker Kraft (knee) for the season, dealing a huge blow to their passing attack. With him leaving early against the Panthers last week, Doubs stepped up to catch seven of 10 targets for 91 yards. With the potential for more passes coming his way moving forward, he could provide value at such a cheap salary.

Player to Avoid

Chris Olave, NO at CAR ($6,100): The Panthers have been relying on their rushing attack and their defense to win games. They have been stingy against wide receivers, allowing the 10th-fewest receptions to the position. They have also given up just five receiving touchdowns to the position. Olave is already averaging only 62.2 yards per game, so this is not a good spot for him to produce one of his finer stat lines.

Tight Ends

Oronde Gadsden II, LAC vs. PIT ($5,100): After not being involved a lot in the beginning of the season, Gadsden has been targeted 27 times across the last four games. He has turned them into 24 receptions for 377 yards and two touchdowns. As far as tight ends go, his average depth of target of 8.1 yards shows big-play upside. He makes for another excellent stacking partner with Herbert.

Dalton Kincaid, BUF at MIA ($4,300): The Dolphins have given up six touchdowns to tight ends, which is tied for the second-most in the NFL. One of them came from Kincaid, who finished with five receptions, 66 yards and one touchdown against them in Week 3. Kincaid also has at least 100 receiving yards in two of his last three games, further increasing his appeal for this slate.

Player to Avoid

George Kittle, LAR vs. SF ($4,500): Kittle came away with a modest four receptions for 32 yards against the Giants in Week 9. He was targeted four times and has yet to receive more than five targets in a game this season. With his limited workload, he has yet to surpass 43 receiving yards in a game. The Rams have allowed the third-fewest yards per target to tight ends (5.72), so the sky isn’t exactly the limit here for Kittle.

Mike Barner has been covering fantasy sports since 2007. His work has appeared in Sports Illustrated, Yahoo, SportsLine and RotoWire. Mike was also a finalist for the 2018 FSWA Basketball Writer of the Year award. Follow Mike on Twitter @rotomikebarner.

RealTime DFS Strategy: Week 10

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