Derek Dimino, Staff Writer
| Start’em | Sit’em | |
| Quarterback | Jameis Winston – If he is able to play, which looks likely, Jameis Winston is a worthy start in Week Ten. He has been more than convincing in the last three games, throwing for 710 yards and eight touchdowns while only turning the ball over twice, one of which was an interception. Although he may be without star receiver Mike Evans due to a concussion and will be going up against a little stiffer of a defense in Chicago, Winston will find ways to extend plays and produce on the scoreboard. He can easily hit the one-touchdown, 200-yard mark through the air, while keeping the ball out of the defense’s hands. Help on the ground from Peyton Barber, and a doubtful to play Doug Martin would only pay Winston fantasy owners’ dividends. | Blake Bortles – In the last two games, Blake Bortles has turned it up a notch; scoring five touchdowns while only turning the ball over once. While Blake has been pretty productive the last two weeks, it is difficult to see him continue his streak against the difficult Houston defense in Week Ten. His biggest target, Allen Robinson, has been held to only 18 receptions for 204 yards and a touchdown off of 40 targets in the last four games. With Hurns possibly out in Week Ten, until Robinson and Bortles can get on the same page, Bortles is legitimately a sitable option.
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| Running-Back | Darren Sproles – The backfield in Philly is starting to take a similar shape as the previous year. Much like the 2015 season where reigning rushing yards leader Demarco Murray took a backseat to Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles, this year expected starter Mathews has played second fiddle to Sproles. Mathews has even seen his reps delegated to rookie Wendell Smallwood. Sproles has rushed 28 times for 143 yards with an additional eight receptions on 16 targets for 31 yards in the last two games against above average run-stoppers. Going up against a weak Atlanta defense in Week Ten, look for Sproles to be the cornerstone of the ground game and a steady target through the air. | T.J. Yeldon – In his Week Nine performance against Kansas City, T.J. Yeldon rushed for 33 yards on seven rushes, adding an additional five receptions for 32 yards and a touchdown. While Yeldon managed to put up fantasy relevant numbers, outscoring starting RB Chris Ivory, he should not be trusted as anything more than a high-end RB4. Yeldon holds value in the passing game; unfortunately, he cannot be counted on to real in a touchdown pass in each game. Chris Ivory remains the lead back, rushing 18 times for 107 yards in Week Nine. As long as Ivory is healthy, T.J. Yeldon is nothing more than a bench stash with upside. |
| Wide-Receiver | Michael Thomas – Out of a strong rookie receiving class, Michael Thomas has built a pretty strong resume for why he is the best. Sure, some of the reason why his numbers are where they are is because the New Orleans offense is the most pass-heavy in the league with one of the best passers in history under center. In the four games since the bye, Thomas has hauled in 26 receptions for 344 yards and three touchdowns. He has been putting up numbers superior to Willie Snead and competitive with Brandin Cooks. Even against the demoralizing Denver defense in Week Ten, look for Thomas to be a major factor alongside Cooks. | Cordarrelle Patterson – Prior to their bye week, the Vikings looked like a team that could keep opposing coaches up at night trying to find schemes, both offensively and defensively, to contain the Minnesota talent. With an abysmal rushing attack, even before legend Adrian Peterson went down, the Vikings have turned towards their passing game to save the day. Stefon Diggs, Kyle Rudolph and Cordarrelle Patterson leading the receiving core have not resulted in any wins in the last three games. As the clear number two receiver in the Vikings offense with a strong armed Sam Bradford there is a high upside. Unfortunately, going up against a strong Washington defense, the Vikings will most likely lean on Diggs and Rudolph in the passing game while trying to kick start their rushing attack. |
| Tight-End | Zach Miller – After a rocky past couple of weeks of varied receiving production, Zach Miller has maintained his value due to his high level of targets. In the last two out of three games before the Week Nine bye, he was targeted ten times. In Week Eight against one of the top defenses in the league, he was able to haul in seven receptions for 88 yards. Coming off a bye week, facing Tampa Bay in Week Ten, Quarterback Jay Cutler should use Miller as a crutch for check down passes.
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Gary Barnidge – With so much fluctuation this year for the Browns at Quarterback, it’s extremely hard to judge where the passing game will be from week to week. With Cody Kessler’s lack of deep throw accuracy, you would expect a good amount of his short throws to go to his tight end. Kessler has not only had trouble finding Barnidge, but Barnidge has also had trouble breaking the short yardage passes into big plays. Over the last two games, Gary Barnidge has been targeted ten times, catching six for 65 yards. Going up against a strong Baltimore Defense in Week Ten, expect Kessler to have continued struggles finding his tight-end a season after Barnidge’s breakout season. |
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