Sleepers at Quarterback

Tua Tagovailoa, Miami (at LA Rams)

Tagovailoa hasn't had a big fantasy outburst yet this year, but that should change in Week 10. The Rams offense is clicking and should be able to move the ball somewhat easily against a vulnerable Dolphins pass defense. Miami loves to run, but the game script may not allow them that luxury. Tagovailoa is going to have to air it out in a potential shootout against Matthew Stafford, and now he has Jonnu Smith and a fully unleashed De'Von Achane in the passing game to complement Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.

Daniel Jones, NY Giants (vs Carolina - Germany)

Jones is coming off a game when he accounted for three touchdowns, and he faced a tougher defense than the Panthers, which is who he'll face in Week 10. Jones added value as a runner - including a touchdown, and while he might not have Darius Slayton, Jalin Hyatt can replace Slayton adequately in the deep passing game. Only two passing games have failed to post at least two scores against the Panthers, and one was Derek Carr last week when he lost Chris Olave early in the game.

Russell Wilson, Pittsburgh (at Washington)

The Steelers have played one of the weakest schedules in the NFL in the first half of the season. They will play one of the most difficult in the second half, beginning with Washington in Week 10. That should force them out of their shell as a run-first offense and put more on the shoulders of Wilson, who has already had a strong QB1 game this year in one of his two starts. The Steelers added Mike Williams at the trade deadline, who just gives Wilson another downfield target in a game that will force him to trade punches with Jayden Daniels.

Aaron Rodgers, NY Jets (at Arizona)

Rodgers got on the same page with Garrett Wilson and Davante Adams in Week 9, which is a good sign that the trio is the core of the game plan against the Cardinals. The Cardinals pass defense flustered an inconsistent Caleb Williams last week, but Justin Herbert threw for 349 against them in Week 7, and Jordan Love threw for four scores against them in Week 6, so there are flaws to exploit.

Sleepers at Running Back

Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh (at Washington)

As mentioned above, the Steelers should have to pass more in Week 10, which means more of Warren. His season was slowed down by a knee injury in Week 3, but he's back to full speed now, and has had at least 10 touches and 50 total yards in the two games before the Steelers Week 9 bye. He should be ready to break some big plays as a runner and receiver against the Commanders. Unless the Steelers surprise and control this game on the road, expect Warren to be on the field more than Najee Harris.

Cam Akers, Minnesota (at Jacksonville)

Akers outlook as the Vikings backup running back just got a lot brighter when it was announced that Trevor Lawrence is unlikely to play in Week 10. The Vikings may win this one going away, which would mean a lot of Akers on the field in the second half. Akers looked strong giving Aaron Jones a breather last week, and the Jaguars defense has to be weary after dealing with Saquon Barkley last week.

Tyler Allgeier, Atlanta (at New Orleans)

Allgeier is another backup running back who could see a lot of work as a closer in a lopsided matchup. The Saints and Falcons rivalry could fuel New Orleans to play over their heads, and they could get a ding dong the witch is dead bump after Dennis Allen was fired. But the reality is that they just traded away their best corner and are dealing with too many injuries on both sides of the ball to be competitive for a whole game. Expect Allgeier to be the boa constrictor as the game gets out of hand late.

Jordan Mason, San Francisco (at Tampa Bay)

We probably won't know if Christian McCaffrey is playing until Sunday morning, and we won't know the size of his workload until we see a few drives. Mason is practicing in full after leaving Week 8 with a shoulder injury aggravation, so even though the 2024 third-round Isaac Guerendo was impressive after Mason left, Mason should be the presumptive starter if McCaffrey isn't ready. There's also the chance that McCaffrey is active but splits work with Mason or that McCaffrey can't take on the planned workload due to a setback during the game.

Samaje Perine, Kansas City (vs Denver)

Perine is for the truly desperate, but he scored last week and is facing a Broncos defense that has trouble covering running backs. They gave up a 5-73-1 line to Ravens backs last week, 9-53 to Panthers backs in Week 8, eight catches to Saints backs in Week 7, and a wheel route long score to Kimani Vidal in Week 6.

Sleepers at Wide Receiver

Joshua Palmer, Quentin Johnston, LA Chargers (vs Tennessee)

Palmer and Johnston scored long touchdowns on busted coverages last week against the Browns. While some could see that as a fluke, the fact that they both had good fantasy showings in a game that never forced the Chargers to be aggressive through the air is a great sign. The Titans pass defense is likely to be without shutdown corner L'Jarius Sneed yet again as he missed practice to open the week. They have given up three passing scores to Jared Goff on only 15 attempts, and over 200 passing yards to Malik Willis on only 19 attempts. Justin Herbert won't have to pass too much to make Palmer and/or Johnston hits as what-the-heck flex plays for the second week in a row.

Wan'Dale Robinson, NY Giants (at Carolina - Germany)

Darius Slayton didn't make the trip to Munich, so Jalin Hyatt will be the #2 outside receiver against the Panthers. That should just funnel more targets to Robinson in the short passing game, as Robinson had at least nine targets in each of the games that Hyatt started earlier this year. Robinson posted 6-36-1 and 5-50 lines in those games, and he has a better matchup this week than he had then.

Sterling Shepard, Tampa Bay (vs San Francisco)

Shepard is nursing hip and hamstring injuries, but he was sighted at practice on Thursday and should be ready to play Sunday against the 49ers. We'll be monitoring the situation for you, but as long as Shepard is active, he should be the top wide receiver target. The Bucs also got the ball in his hands as a runner last week, adding 21 yards on two carries. He also had 31 yards on four carries earlier this year. With the Bucs likely passing all day, Shepard has a high PPR floor.

Jauan Jennings, San Francisco (at Tampa Bay)

Jennings is on track to return from a hip injury that cost him two games. It will be his first game without Brandon Aiyuk on the field. In Jennings' other game as a starter, he posted an 11-175-3 line when Deebo Samuel Sr. missed Week 3. Brock Purdy clearly trusts him, and the Bucs pass defense has been one of the most generous units in the league. Jennings is a strong play as long as he's looking good on the injury report, which we will monitor for you.

Noah Brown, Washington (vs Pittsburgh)

Brown is emerging as the #2 receiver in the Commanders offense just in time for a matchup with the Steelers secondary. #2 receiver Darius Slayton posted 4-108 against them last week. Allen Lazard was the #2 in Week 8 and put up a 4-58 line. Jalen Tolbert, Josh Downs, and Quentin Johnston all scored against the Steelers despite not being the #1 receiver in their offenses. Terry McLaurin is scary indeed, so the Steelers should put more attention on his side of the field and allow Brown to flourish against single coverage.

Sleepers at Tight End

Zach Ertz, Washington (vs Pittsburgh)

The Steelers pass defense has had trouble containing tight ends this year. Tyler Conklin scored and had four catches against them in Week 7, Raiders tight ends combined for 12-95 in Week 6, and Cowboys tight ends combined for 9-98 in Week 5. If Noah Brown isn't the secondary target that gets open frequently, then Ertz is a good candidate to move the sticks on passing downs when the Steelers try to take away Terry McLaurin. 

Ja'Tavion Sanders, Carolina (vs NY Giants - Germany)

Sanders has actually been the most dangerous downfield target for the Panthers, and he accounted for over half of Bryce Young's passing yards last week. The Panthers have returned to Young this week in Germany, so Sanders should be able to build on the chemistry he established with his old/new quarterback in Week 9.

Jonnu Smith, Miami (at LA Rams)

The Dolphins should have to air it out this week, and they'll be facing a Rams defense that has given up huge games to tight ends this year. Brock Bowers had ten catches against them, and Tucker Kraft had two touchdowns, including one that traversed 66 yards. They even allowed four catches each of the last two weeks to tight ends on teams missing their starters at the position.

Charlie Kolar, Baltimore (vs Cincinnati) **Thursday**

If you have to dig deep, consider Kolar, who will get more snaps as the #2 tight end this week with Isaiah Likely sitting due to a hamstring injury. Kolar is a good two-way tight end and has turned nine targets in 7-121-1 this year. The first time the Ravens played the Bengals, their tight ends combined for 10-132-3, including a 3-64-1 line from Kolar. With Mark Andrews sure to draw more attention in coverage, Kolar could hit as a longshot for teams that have to get their Brock Bowers/Tucker Kraft/David Njoku fill-in from a thin waiver wire.