Fantasy Football, Week 10: These 4 players should be in your starting lineup

Week 9 is in the books, highlighted by Bears Talk picks Cole Kmet and Jahan Dotson having solid outings, while Tua Tagovailoa and Alvin Kamara were serviceable pieces that should have helped you win.

It was a surprising week for other players, with many automatic plug-and-play Seahawks players cowering in a corner against the Baltimore Ravens.

The Rams couldn’t put up a fight against the Packers, Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson isn’t getting carries, and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce had another below-average week.

Rolling into Week 10, it’s time to start thinking about “playoffs” for your Fantasy leagues (if you weren’t already). This is the push. This is the time to take that risk on a bold waiver wire pickup if you’re hovering around a .500 record.

And we’ve got a couple of those suggestions coming up.

QB: CJ Stroud (HOU) vs. CIN

I was shocked to see Stroud rostered in just 75% of Yahoo leagues. Sure, it’s a majority … but what are 25% of these leagues doing?! Stroud should have been an automatic pickup weeks ago, and coming off of his historic day against the Bucs, he should be in your starting lineup this week.

Stroud’s Week 10 opponent, the Cincinnati Bengals, are playing much better football with a healthy Joe Burrow. But it’s hard to envision a significant dropoff for Stroud, who torched Tampa Bay’s defense for five touchdowns.

While it’s unlikely that Stroud matches that output this week, he can certainly do enough to put up top-tier starter’s fantasy points. And if you’re in one of those leagues where he is available, thank your lucky stars and pick him up … now.

WR: Amon-Ra St. Brown (DET) vs. LAC

The Chargers’ decimation of the New York Jets on Monday Night Football still wasn’t enough to convince me that they’ve solved all their defensive problems.

With a secondary that has improved (a little bit), the Chargers’ defense still isn’t consistent enough to take seriously. And that’s why I think Amon-Ra St. Brown gets his first touchdown in three weeks.

St. Brown has notched 100+ receiving yards in most of his games in the 2023 season, and this matchup against the Chargers is the perfect opportunity for him to boost his stats and be a catalyst in a Lions win.

I like the matchup and the bang-for-buck value on St. Brown. I’ll take him with 105 yards, 10+ receptions, and a touchdown.

RB: Kenneth Walker III (SEA) vs. WAS (‘Gamble of the Week’)

This is as big of a gamble as it gets. Kenneth Walker was far from impressive in his Week 9 outing with nine carries for 16 yards, an abysmal 1.8 yards per carry. It was his worst outing of the season.

That said, I’m taking the gamble here that it won’t happen again. The Seahawks need a bounceback game after getting destroyed 37-3 by the Ravens. They have an opportunity against the struggling Commanders, and Walker could be a significant factor in their offensive production.

The Commanders’ run defense ranks in the bottom 12 in the NFL, which screams a big day for Walker.

TE: Taysom Hill (NO) vs. MIN (‘Under the Radar’ Selection of the Week)

Depending on how your scoring is set up, Taysom Hill may be a prized possession of your league. If not, then you’re likely in one of the 35% of leagues that he isn’t rostered.

But with the potential for quarterback and running back numbers padding his points, Taysom Hill has strung together four consistently strong outings over the last four weeks. And there’s no reason to think it will change against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 10.

With the tight end position being a toss-up week in and week out, check your scoring settings and strongly consider Hill for your Week 10 matchups.

And if he lets you down, you can always go back to Cole Kmet.