Another 10-game Monday morning slate greets us for week 10, with thankfully the split in early window (6) and late window (4) being a little more even. There are some cracking games, with the Ravens/Browns, Texans/Bengals, and 49ers/Jaguars all on during the early window, whilst the late window will be highlighted with the Lions and Chargers matchup. With half the games currently totalled at 43 points or higher, there should be some great attacking play to help us in DFS.
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Quarterbacks
Jared Goff - $14,050
Goff should kill it this week in fantasy, coming up against a Chargers defence that has allowed the most points per game this season to opposing quarterbacks. He will also welcome back offensive lineman Frank Ragnow and Jonah Jackson and running back David Montgomery. Goff has been very tidy this season, ranking fourth in passing grade, ninth in yards per attempts, and leads the league in adjusted completion rate. The Chargers’ defence meanwhile, have allowed the sixth-highest yards per attempt, fourth-highest adjusted completion percentage, and third-highest completion percentage over expected. Should be a big week for Goff.
Brock Purdy - $12,790
Purdy is a little bit of a flyer here at a cheaper price, as I expect the 49ers to bounce back this week after three straight losses. Purdy ranks top of the league in yards per attempt, second in passer rating, and third in fantasy points per dropback. He takes on a Jags defence that has given up the 10th most fantasy points to opposing QBs, as they have allowed the third-most passing yards per game since week 5. Purdy should get you a solid score through pure volume, and if he can get 2+ passing touchdowns, a very solid score for the price will be coming your way.
Running Backs
Tony Pollard - $13,200
Whilst Pollard has been an overall disappointment so far this season, he could be ready for a big game this week against the Giants. In week 1, Pollard managed to rush for 70 yards and 2 touchdowns, on his way to a solid 22.2 score. With the likelihood of another blowout, the Cowboys will surely lean on the run game. The Giants have been poor against the run, and it’s not getting any better since the trade of run stuffer Leonard Williams, as they have allowed the 12th-highest explosive run rate, eighth-lowest stuff rate, and concede the highest yards before contact per attempt, indicating their defensive line is getting bullied in the run game. High floor, solid ceiling for Pollard this week.
Jahmyr Gibbs - $11,510
Gibbs comes with risk this week, given the return of David Montgomery, but given how explosive he was in the two games without Montgomery, it’s going to be hard for Head Coach Dan Campbell to keep him out of the game. Gibbs ranks number 1 in the league in explosive run rate, fifth in missed tackles forced per attempt, whilst also ranking 7th in receiving grade, 13th in missed tackles forced on passing plays, and 17th in yards per route run. Gibbs will look to get it done through the air this week against the Chargers defence, who allow the second-most receptions and receiving yards to running backs. A high upside play here, however the floor isn’t as high as you might like.
Najee Harris - $10,730
Credit where it’s due, Harris has been more impressive this season, particularly of late, with three straight 10+ scores, and four out of his last five matchups. Whilst he doesn’t have huge upside, he has a healthy floor for a RB2 in your squad this week. He gets a great matchup against the Packers, who allow the ninth-highest explosive run rate, and tenth-highest missed tackles per attempt and yards after contact per attempt in the NFL. They also concede the 11th most fantasy points to opposing running backs. Back Harris in for a 10-15 score again this week.
Wide Receivers
CeeDee Lamb - $16,210
Lamb has been killing it lately, and if anyone is going to torch this Giants defence through the air this week, it’s him. Since week 6, Lamb leads the league in target share (34.3%) and yards per route run, ranks 7th in air-yard share (45.8%), and 6th in first read share (37.7%). Also, since week 6, the Giants have led the league in man coverage, which Lamb has been smoking. In his last three matchups against man coverage, Lamb has a 38.9% target share, 52.9% air-yard share, 44.4% first read share, and a huge 5.51 yards per route run. Get him in.
Amon-Ra St. Brown - $15,470
St. Brown has been so consistently good this season, and this week he should once again have a big game. He commands solid numbers across the board, with 28.3% target share, 32.3% air-yard share, 2.71 yards per route run, and a 35.7% first-read share. He gets a matchup against a poor Chargers pass defence, that has struggled to stop slot receivers this season, allowing the fourth-most receiving yards and ninth-highest fantasy points per target to slot receivers. I’m looking to stack Lions this week, and ARSB is one to have in your squad.
Tank Dell - $9,060
Dell had a huge game last week against the Buccaneers, reeling in 6 receptions for 114 yards and two touchdowns. This week, Nico Collins is out for the Texans, so expect Dell to get even more love from C.J. Stroud. Dell leads the team in target share (20.1%), air-yard share (33.5%), and is second in first-read share (24.2%). Dell has torched single high safety looks this season, of which the Bengals have deployed at the 11thhighest rate in the league. Dell is ultra explosive, and it will only take one or two big plays for Dell to well and truly earn his place in the team at $9k. WR1 upside, at near bottom dollar.
Tight Ends
Sam LaPorta - $9,340
Another Lion added to the stack, with rookie Sam LaPorta looking for another big performance this week against the Chargers, who have struggled against tight ends all season. The Chargers are giving up the 2nd-highest receiving yards per game, and 7th-highest fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends. LaPorta ranks 6th in both target share (20.1%) and yards per route run (1.97), and eighth in first-read share (20.7%).
Dalton Schultz - $6,830
Schultz absolutely smoked it last week, catching 10 balls for 130 yards and a touchdown. For mine, he is being criminally underrated here at the TE position. Schultz ranks fifth among all tight ends in redzone targets, first in endzone targets (8), 10th in yards per route run (1.76), 12th in target share (16.8%), and 14th in first-read share (16.6%). The Bengals have given up the third-most fantasy points and receiving yards per game to opposing tight ends. An easy selection here or as a cheap as chips FLEX.
D/ST
Baltimore Ravens - $6,980
The Ravens have potentially the best defence in the league, and with a special team’s unit that is always well prepared, selecting the Ravens D/ST unit is never a bad idea. The Ravens lead the league in sacks, and with the Browns losing their two starting offensive tackles, expect Deshaun Watson to be running for his life during this game. The Ravens also rank 9th in takeaways, whilst the Browns have given the ball away the second most in the NFL this year. In week 4, the Ravens D/ST managed 17 points on the road against this Browns team.
Minnesota Vikings - $4,960
The Vikings D/ST units have been sneaky good this year, and they shape to be a solid option at a cheaper price this week against the Saints. Whilst the Saints have shown some flashes on offense, I still don’t really trust it to torch a defence as good as this one. The Saints are about middle of the pack when it comes to sacks allowed, whilst the Vikings are around league average. This is about the same for takeaways on both sides, so I’d be surprised if the Vikings got us a monster score this week, but for the price they should get you a solid enough score.
Suggested Draftstars Lineup
