Phinsider Week 10 Fantasy Football Rankings

The quarterback position continues to take hits this season, leaving many fantasy football players rushing to the waiver wire, only to find that the number of viable streaming options is dwindling quickly. After losing Aaron Rodgers, Carson Palmer, and Deshaun Watson to devastating injuries, the NFL has now finally said a permanent goodbye to Andrew Luck for the season, and Jameis Winston is now looking at an extended absence as well. On top of those losses Sam Bradford done for the year after missing multiple weeks with a lingering knee issue. At least Teddy Bridgewater is finally ready to make a comeback, and he may be worth a flyer pickup if you have the roster space.

Each week of the NFL season, I’ll be giving an updated look at where the top players at each fantasy position stand, with matchups and injury concerns taken into account. For the sake of continuity, I’ll only be using standard scoring when constructing the rankings, so be sure to consider that when setting your lineups.

Quarterback

1. Tom Brady - @ Den
2. Drew Brees - @ Buf
3. Russell Wilson - @ Ari
4. Matthew Stafford - vs Cle
5. Dak Prescott - @ Atl
6. Ben Roethlisberger - @ Ind
7. Matt Ryan - vs Dal
8. Cam Newton - vs Mia
9. Kirk Cousins - vs Min
10. Eli Manning - @ SF
11. Philip Rivers - @ Jax
12. Jared Goff - vs Hou
13. Marcus Mariota - vs Cin
14. Josh McCown - @ TB
15. Tyrod Taylor - vs NO
16. Jacoby Brissett - vs Pit
17. Andy Dalton - @ Ten
18. Jay Cutler - @ Car
19. Case Keenum - @ Was
20. Ryan Fitzpatrick - vs NYJ

As I stated above, it’s getting increasingly difficult to find reliable quarterback streaming options on the waiver wire this season. If you’re one of the unlucky teams who drafted a quarterback that now finds themselves on the sideline, Tyrod Taylor and Josh McCown are two solid options to look towards this week. Jay Cutler, while wildly inconsistent this season, will likely be more relied on to carry the load with Jay Ajayi now in Philadelphia. He played well against a banged up Raiders secondary and threw the ball over 40 times. Cutler faces a much stiffer test in Carolina this week, but is acceptable as a desperation play.

Running Back

1. Le’Veon Bell - @ Ind
2. Todd Gurley - vs Hou
3. Leonard Fournette - vs LAC
4. Melvin Gordon - @ Jax
5. LeSean McCoy - vs NO
6. Jordan Howard - vs GB
7. Devonta Freeman - vs Dal
8. Carlos Hyde - vs NYG
9. Mark Ingram - @ Buf
10. Adrian Peterson - vs Sea
11. Alvin Kamara - @ Buf
12. Jerick McKinnon - @ Was
13. Matt Forte - @ TB
14. Aaron Jones - @ Chi
15. Lamar Miller - @ LAR
16. Christian McCaffrey - vs Mia
17. Duke Johnson - @ Det
18. Chris Thompson - vs Min
19. James White - @ Den
20. Frank Gore - vs Pit

Kenyan Drake and Damien Williams both had their moments against a limp Oakland defense with Ajayi now an Eagle, but are not quite ready to hit my top 20. If they are productive against a fearsome Carolina defense this week, then they may be in the discussion moving forward. This week, Jordan Howard and Matt Forte are two of my favorite plays. Green Bay’s play as a whole has fallen of a cliff since Aaron Rodgers went down, while Tampa Bay’s defense has been like swiss cheese when it comes to plugging holes at the line of scrimmage. Look for the Jets running game to build off of last week’s impressive performance.

Note: As of the publishing of this article Ezekiel Elliott’s availability is still in question for Sunday’s game against the Falcons. For the purposes of these rankings, I am omitting him from this list.

Wide Receiver

1. Antonio Brown - @ Ind
2. DeAndre Hopkins - @ LAR
3. Julio Jones - vs Dal
4. Michael Thomas - @ Buf
5. A.J. Green - @ Ten
6. Golden Tate - vs Cle
7. Jarvis Landry - @ Car
8. Doug Baldwin - @ Ari
9. T.Y. Hilton - vs Pit
10. Adam Thielen - @ Was
11. Marvin Jones - vs Cle
12. Brandin Cooks - @ Den
13. Stefon Diggs - @ Was
14. Dez Bryant - @ Atl
15. Larry Fitzgerald - vs Sea
16. Demaryius Thomas - vs NE
17. Keenan Allen - @ Jax
18. DeVante Parker - @ Car
19. JuJu Smith-Schuster - @ Ind
20. Jordy Nelson - @ Chi

Antonio Brown is the easy pick as the top receiver this week, as he faces a weak Colts defense that has allowed wide receivers to roam free in recent weeks. Golden Tate and Marvin Jones are two solid plays that are rising up my rankings, especially given their matchup against the lowly Browns this week. JuJu Smith-Schuster is another receiver to keep an eye on, as he’s likely earned a larger share of his team’s targets after his impressive performance during Martavis Bryant’s absence.

Tight End

1. Rob Gronkowski - @ Den
2. Evan Engram - @ SF
3. Kyle Rudolph - @ Was
4. Jimmy Graham - @ Ari
5. Jack Doyle - vs Pit
6. Delanie Walker - vs Cin
7. Austin Seferian-Jenkins - @ TB
8. Cameron Brate - vs NYJ
9. Hunter Henry - @ Jax
10. Vernon Davis - vs Min
11. Tyler Kroft - @ Ten
12. Charles Clay - vs NO
13. Jason Witten - @ Atl
14. Austin Hooper - vs Dal
15. Julius Thomas - @ Car
16. Eric Ebron - vs Cle
17. Jesse James - @ Ind
18. A.J. Derby - vs NE
19. Ed Dickson - vs Mia
20. David Njoku - @ Det

The top two scoring tight ends of 2017 are on bye this week, meaning Rob Gronkowski has no competition for the top spot on this list. Cameron Brate takes a hit with Jameis Winston out for the foreseeable future, but Ryan Fitzpatrick is capable of getting his receivers the ball, so Brate doesn’t fall too far. Julius Thomas came on strong last week for the first time, giving Dolphins fans a brief glimpse of what he’s still capable of, but the Panthers linebackers are nothing to be laughed at, so it will be interesting to see if he’s productive for the second week in a row.

Defense/Special Teams

1. Seattle - @ Ari
2. Jacksonville - vs LAC
3. Los Angeles (Rams) - vs Hou
4. Pittsburgh - @ Ind
5. Detroit - vs Cle
6. Carolina - vs Mia
7. Chicago - vs GB
8. Minnesota - @ Was
9. New England - @ Den
10. New York (Giants) - @ SF
11. New York (Jets) - @ TB
12. New Orleans - @ Buf
13. Cincinnati - @ Ten
14. Los Angeles (Chargers) - @ Jax
15. Arizona - @ Sea
16. Tennessee - vs Cin
17. Miami - @ Car
18. Houston - @ LAR
19. Denver - vs NE
20. Buffalo - vs NO

Detroit, Chicago, and both New York teams are some of the best matchup based plays of the week that may still be available to stream in your league. Houston and Denver are two previously strong defenses that I’d avoid this Sunday given the offenses they are facing. The same goes for Buffalo and Arizona.

Kicker

1. Greg Zuerlein - vs Hou
2. Matt Prater - vs Cle
3. Stephen Gostkowski - @ Den
4. Ryan Succop - vs Cin
5. Kai Forbath - @ Was
6. Chris Boswell - @ Ind
7. Mike Nugent - @ Atl
8. Josh Lambo - vs LAC
9. Chandler Catanzaro - @ TB
10. Matt Bryant - vs Dal
11. Will Lutz - @ Buf
12. Stephen Hauschka - vs NO
13. Brandon McManus - vs NE
14. Graham Gano - vs Mia
15. Robbie Gould - vs NYG
16. Cody Parkey - @ Car
17. Adam Vinatieri - vs Pit
18. Mason Crosby - @ Chi
19. Aldrick Rosas - @ SF
20. Connor Barth - vs GB

If you’re in need of a kicker, Josh Lambo is my favorite pickup of the week. After being signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars two weeks ago, he hasn’t missed a kick and is facing a Chargers defense that is middle of the pack in fantasy points allowed to kickers. Jacksonville’s offense has been productive when Leonard Fournette takes the field, as he’s expected to do this week. More scoring means more opportunities for Lambo to rack up points.