Fantasy Football Matchup of the Week – Week 10

When you stop and think about the fantasy football season so far, most of us can remember moments of glorious victory and crippling defeat, heightened elation and sobering sadness, or lightened relief and unnerving panic. Week 10 is shaping up to deliver all those emotions rolled into one action-packed weekend. We are getting some big fantasy names back from injury, like Kyler Murray, Khalil Herbert, James Conner, and David Montgomery.  Conversely, we are seeing the Chiefs, Dolphins, Eagles, and Rams head to a bye, neutralizing a whole host of fantasy football studs in the process.

Thankfully, I’m here to lead you into the unknown, pointing you in the direction of the week’s best. Week 10 features a handful of games with epic potential, like San Francisco at Jacksonville, Denver at Buffalo, and Detroit at Los Angeles Chargers. There’s one game in particular, though, that intrigues me; one game with two offenses that are starting to gel at the right time. My Fantasy Football Matchup of the Week is none other than the…

Houston Texans vs. Cincinnati Bengals

For years, the Texans have been in rebuild mode, trying to find some combination of coach, offensive coordinator, and quarterback that worked. DeMeco Ryans, Bobby Slowik, and CJ Stroud just might be the trio they’ve been looking for. On the other side of the field, Cincinnati are winners of four straight, the latest two against the powerhouse 49ers and the prolific Bills. The Texans and Bengals both have surging offenses ready to light up the scoreboard, and middling defenses to try and stop them. Let’s see how each position breaks down:

Quarterbacks

The Houston Texans drafted CJ Stroud second overall back in May in the hopes of finally finding a franchise quarterback. Nine weeks in, and the football world thinks that they may have hit the jackpot. Stroud set the NFL rookie single-game record with 470 yards and 5 TDs on the back of a 75-yard, game-winning touchdown drive against Tampa Bay.  He looked like a seasoned veteran the way he drove down the field in under a minute. I’m convinced of his talent.

Moving forward, he won’t do this every game, but knowing this is in his range of outcomes makes him an enticing play in a good matchup. The Bengals are middle-of-the-road against quarterbacks, so I have no problem rolling him out there among the solid options. I’d play Stroud over Kyler Murray, Geno Smith, and Lamar Jackson this week.

Maybe not to the same extent, but Joe Burrow has had his own run of success of late, surprisingly against two of the NFL’s better defenses. He’s shown great awareness and mobility, quelling any concerns over his bum calf. He’s thrown 10 TDs over his last four games, and now he faces the 11th friendliest matchup for quarterbacks. I’ve had my reservations about Burrow in the past, but he’s been playing like the top-end QB we knew he could be all along. Burrow should be a full go in fantasy lineups.

Running Backs

Dameon Pierce missed last week with an ankle injury and has already missed Wednesday’s practice. Unless he’s able to log some practice time over the next few days, he’s not likely to play against Cincinnati’s 16th-ranked rush defense. If he manages to suit up, he’d be an extremely risky option with a potential timeshare and reinjury on the table in front of him. I’d keep him on the bench, even if he plays.

Devin Singletary would be the primary beneficiary of Pierce’s absence, should it come to it. Unfortunately, we saw this show just last week, and it nearly made my eyes bleed. He trudged along on 13 carries for 26 scoreless yards. If that efficiency wasn’t good enough, how does 2 catches for 2 yards sound? The saving grace, if there is one, is that we knew going in that Tampa Bay had a stout run defense, so maybe he deserves a pass. The Bengals being a bit softer against the run, coupled with pure volume should place Singletary in the desperation flex category. Just don’t expect fireworks from Houston’s backfield. If Pierce does play, then that takes Singletary out of starting consideration.

Joe Mixon has quietly had a solid fantasy football season so far. He’s not flashy like Breece Hall or dominant like Christian McCaffrey. He goes to work, does his job, and goes home. He’s as reliable as they come, particularly in PPR leagues.  He’s receiving nearly 19 touches a game on an offense that’s finding its groove, and I’m very happy to start him as a foundational RB2 in my lineup. I’d play Mixon over Tony Pollard, Bijan Robinson, and Josh Jacobs.

Wide Receivers

Houston Texans

All season, the leader of the Texans wide receiver pack has been Nico Collins. He’s been all over the board with a couple of duds, a couple of mediocre games, and a couple of monster performances. Sadly, Collins only had 54 of Stroud’s 470 yards last week. This tells us that it doesn’t have to be him. Still, it could very well be him this week, or any given week for that matter. You have to take the good with the bad with a player like Collins. I’d deploy him as a high-upside, backend WR2 option.

Tank Dell is Houston’s other rookie sensation. If Collins’ range of outcomes is like a dimmer switch, capable of finishing anywhere, then Dell is the standard, toggle switch; he’s either on or off. Dell has had four games of 3 or fewer catches for 57 yards or less, but he’s also had three games of 5+ catches and 4 TDs total. The question is, “Will Dell’s switch be flipped on or off in this matchup?” No one can say for certain, but I’ll be playing him like he is. There’s risk, for sure, but you can’t win a week without taking a risk. Imbue your lineup with volatility and play Dell as a boom-or-bust WR3.

One of this week’s hotter waiver priorities had to be Noah Brown after his 6-153-1 performance last week. Prior to this breakout, he had only amassed 8 catches for 114 yards in three games. Players can have single-game breakouts from time to time, but if they’re not a core part of their offense, it’s more reasonable to think that it may have just been a one-week stand. It’s hard to have confidence in starting him when you’re essentially chasing points. Consider Brown a deep desperation play.

Robert Woods has missed the last two games with a foot injury and has already logged a DNP for Wednesday. Healthy or not, he is not a start-worthy consideration.

Cincinnati Bengals

Normally this would be a short write-up telling you to play your stud, Ja’Marr Chase. Instead, attention needs to be drawn to the fact that Chase missed Wednesday’s practice with a back injury he sustained this past Sunday when he went up for a ball and came down hard. Chase is the kind of player who doesn’t need many practice reps to play in a game, but it would certainly bring fantasy managers some relief if he was able to log meaningful time on the practice field. If I had to project, I’d bet he plays. If he suits up this Sunday, then he suits up in my WR slot.

Chase’s fellow outside receiver, Tee Higgins, is one to watch in practice as well this week. He kicked off Wednesday as a limited participant with a hamstring injury. These injuries are the peskiest in the game as they continually cause players to miss time and be reinjured. It’s rendered even more unfortunate for Higgins because he was just starting to play well with Burrow, accumulating 13 catches on 15 targets for 179 yards over his last two games.  Given the reinjury possibility, he’s a risky option if he plays. However, he also has WR1 upside, especially if Chase sits. Playing him will be dependent on your other options, but personally, I’d play him over Terry McLaurin, Tyler Lockett, and the aforementioned Nico Collins.

Rounding out the Bengals trio is slot receiver Tyler Boyd. Boyd is almost exclusively a PPR option, having caught 36 passes over the first 9 weeks, but never topping 56 yards receiving in any game. On the plus side, his only two touchdowns of the season have come in the last three games, just as Burrow is starting to play well and win ballgames. If one or both of Chase or Higgins miss this game, Boyd will have a sizeable opportunity to contribute for fantasy football purposes.  In that situation, I’d play Boyd as a flex with WR2 upside. In the event both of his teammates play, Boyd is a deep-league dart throw, on par with his matchup counterpart, Noah Brown.

Tight Ends

Dalton Schultz has been a revelation this last month and a half. In four of his last five games, he’s scored a touchdown, which is pretty much all you’re looking for at the TE position. Not only that, but he’s also getting a substantial amount of targets — 36 over that five-game stretch.  I love Schultz this week. The Bengals are the most generous defense to tight ends on the year. In the barren, fantasy wasteland of tight ends, Schultz is the oasis ready to quench your thirst for TE production. I’d play Schultz over Jake Ferguson, Evan Engram, and Cole Kmet.

In an offense that runs primarily three wide receiver sets, having Irv Smith Jr., Drew Sample, and Mitchell Wilcox all vie for tight end snaps and targets is not a recipe for fantasy success. Sure, one of these guys might catch a touchdown against the 5th best matchup for tight ends, but I’m not risking my TE spot trying to guess which one. I’d rather play  Luke Musgrave, David Njoku, or Hunter Henry, all of which could probably be claimed off of waivers.

Another thing that could be claimed this weekend is your victory, but only if you visit Faceoff Sports Network and keep up to speed on all the latest news, rankings, and tools that you need to succeed. Don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @fffaceoff. Good luck and high scoring!

---