If you have Josh Allen on your team, you've been mercifully spared from the mess that is the QB position. But your luck may have run out this week, as Allen is dealing with an elbow injury that has his status for Week 10 against the Vikings up in the air.
The good news is, though Allen is dealing with a UCL injury in his elbow, it isn't expected to be a long-term injury. Bills coach Sean McDermott was non-committal about his star's chances of playing this week, but told reporters he is "day-to-day," with a decision on his status likely coming Friday. That means you need to make sure you have an alternative ready to go just in case.
Go check if Jimmy Garoppolo is available in your league -- he's 81% rostered now, so he probably isn't. If not, Russell Wilson is 64% rostered and has a great matchup against the Titans on the way. Failing that, maybe Andy Dalton (@PIT) can help, though T.J. Watt's looming return makes that one a risky option. Truth is, there's no good choice to replace Allen right now; if there were, Allen wouldn't be one of the most valuable players in Fantasy.
So, hopefully Allen will play, because injuries to Kyler Murray and Matthew Stafford could make the QB position even shallower than usual this week. I have all the latest on injuries from around the NFL in today's newsletter, and if you have any other questions you need answers to, make sure you subscribe to the Fantasy Football Today YouTube channel and join Adam Aizer and me at 2 p.m. ET for our start/sit live stream. We'll be discussing all of the latest news and answering your toughest lineup questions there.
In tomorrow's newsletter, I'll have previews of every game on the Week 10 schedule, including the latest injury updates, plus all of the key takeaways from tonight's game. Get ready for Week 10 with all of our preview content here:
- Week 10 Start 'Em & Sit 'Em: QB | RB | WR
- Starts, sits and sleepers for every game
- Week 10 Position Previews: QB | RB | WR | TE
- Week 10 Rankings: Jamey | Dave | Heath
- My rankings: QB | RB | WR | TE
Here's what else today's newsletter will cover:
- 🔟Dave Richard's Week 10 Preview
- 🆚TNF Preview: Falcons at Panthers
- 🚑Week 10 Injury Watch
🔟Dave Richard's Week 10 Preview
There are the obvious calls, and then there are the ones you need help with. Dave Richard goes through each game to identify the most interesting matchups and biggest lineup dilemmas for Week 9. Here are some of his top picks for this week. You can find the rest of his advice for Week 10 here:
Starts
Geno Smith -- "It feels like Smith has a great shot for a stat line close to what he had against the Giants -- just over 200 yards passing with a couple of scores and some rushing yards. Given how quarterbacks are in 2022, that's enough to call him a top-10 passer, even if the Seahawks are unapologetically a run-first offense (bottom-12 in pass rate). Smith is a start ahead of Justin Herbert and Kyler Murray, both of whom are in tough matchups, but not ahead of high-upside passers Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Fields."
Chris Godwin -- "If you're cool with Godwin hitting 14 PPR points as Rondale Moore did against Seattle last week, start him. Hey, that's flex territory after all. But no one should expect a breakout game given how ineffective Godwin's been, especially near the end zone. I'd rather start DeVonta Smith, Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy and Rondale Moore."
Sits
Kyle Pitts -- "Pitts' utilization near the end zone is really what keeps his Fantasy stock afloat. No one should expect the Falcons to take many deep shots with him after he couldn't connect on five such tries last week. No one should expect the Falcons to throw 28 times as they did in their OT win over the Panthers in Week 8, either. Pitts remains a starter in Fantasy but is more of a touchdown-or-bust TE, just as he's pretty much been all year. I'd rather start Pat Freiermuth, Greg Dulcich and Gerald Everett."
Adam Thielen -- "The matchup really isn't that bad for Thielen. The worry is that he'll be deployed similarly to last week and may have to deal with more volatility. Losing middle-field targets to T.J. Hockenson all but shrinks his Fantasy baseline for a decent game. I don't mind starting Thielen as a flex, especially in PPR, but I'm nervous he'll need to come through on deep plays, which this defense is good at not allowing."
Sleeper
Tyler Allgeier -- "Allgeier isn't expected to lead the Falcons in rushing, but he is coming off a game where he split snaps pretty evenly with Cordarrelle Patterson and was stunningly efficient. I always like to use running backs on Thursday nights, especially against tired defenses that got stomped four days prior. Allgeier is a good flex I'd use in non-PPR over Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Allen Robinson, Taysom Hill and Brian Robinson."
Bust Candidate
Tom Brady -- "It's hard to get excited for Brady when he's been underperforming for five straight games. The silver lining remains the same, though: The Bucs throw more than any team in football and Brady is far from washed as far as accuracy and arm strength go. He just wants to get the ball out ASAP, ruining his chances at making big plays. He's startable but not with optimism. Use him over Matthew Stafford or Russell Wilson, but definitely go with Kirk Cousins or Dak Prescott over him."
🆚TNF Preview: Falcons at Panthers
All lines from Caesars Sportsbook
- Line: Falcons -2.5; 42.5 O/U
- Implied totals: Falcons 22.5-Panthers 20
The weather could play a role in this one, and given that both of these offenses create pretty marginal Fantasy appeal in the best of circumstances, it's actually worth keeping an eye on reports today. I usually don't downgrade players much for weather-related reasons, but if the forecast is calling for 20-plus mph winds, that could be enough to scare me off Kyle Pitts and D.J. Moore in this one. They're fringe-y enough starting options that poor weather could be a tie-breaker, to their detriment.
Toughest lineup decision: D'Onta Foreman -- Sit. Look, if you're desperate, go ahead and start Foreman and hope he gets into the end zone. But, unless Chuba Hubbard is unexpectedly ruled inactive for this one, I think it's going to be tough for Foreman to be worth using. The only game Foreman and Hubbard played after Christian McCaffrey was traded was in Week 7 against the Buccaneers, and Foreman was largely a non-factor until Hubbard left the game with an ankle injury -- he had just four carries in the first three quarters while playing 14 of 35 snaps; Hubbard had eight carries and played 22 snaps. Foreman has been good enough to think the split might be a bit more even, but in a bad offense, being in an even split backfield and not being a pass-catcher makes it hard to create Fantasy value.
Injuries: Chuba Hubbard (ankle) -- Hubbard is officially listed as questionable with this injury, but he was a full participant in practice Tuesday and Wednesday, so it looks like he's going to play.
🚑Week 10 Injury Watch
The Big News: Kyler Murray missed Wednesday's practice with a hamstring injury, and he's being called "day-to-day" at this point. That's good news, in that it doesn't seem like the injury is likely to be a serious issue moving forward, but there is at least some concern that Murray may not be able to play this week against the Rams. The bigger concern might be that he won't be able to run as well as usual if he does play -- Murray ranks 20th in Fantasy points just from passing production per game, just behind Taylor Heinicke. He's a fringe starter if he can't run, so hopefully his absence Wednesday was more precautionary than anything.
I'll have a full breakdown of the injury report in Friday's newsletter along with my previews of each game, but here's a look at the first practice participation reports of the week.
- FP = Full participation in practice.
- LP = Limited participation.
- DNP = Did not practice.
Injuries to watch for Week 10
It's not clear what these injuries mean quite yet.
Matthew Stafford (concussion) -- DNP. Stafford suffered a concussion at some point during Sunday's game, but he didn't have symptoms apparently until a few days later. He'll have to be cleared from the concussion protocol before he can play, and we should have a pretty good idea of whether he'll play against the Cardinals well before kickoff. You probably shouldn't be planning on using Stafford at this point either way, but John Wolford starting surely wouldn't help the Rams' ongoing struggles.
Ryan Tannehill (ankle) -- LP. Tannehill has already missed two games, but he was pretty close to playing in Week 9, so we're assuming he'll be back soon. The Titans clearly don't trust Malik Willis, so Tannehill will be an upgrade for this offense no matter what. That being said, you probably shouldn't be using anyone on this offense right now besides Derrick Henry. On that topic, however, Treylon Burks (toe) is nearing a return, and he could be worth stashing if you have the roster spot to play with.
Aaron Jones (ankle) -- LP. Tests on Jones' ankle came back negative earlier in the week, so the fact that he's back at practice seems to indicate he'll be good to go for this week. It's a tough matchup against the Cowboys, but Jones should still be in your starting lineup as long as he's able to play.
Dameon Pierce (chest/shoulder) -- LP. The way Pierce invites contact with his running style, it's a little surprising he hasn't been nicked up yet this season. It doesn't seem like there's much concern at this point, but we'll watch it over the next few days to make sure. Pierce will be a high-end RB2 against the Giants.
Ezekiel Elliott (knee) -- LP. Elliott is expected to return in Week 10 after getting the bye to recover, but obviously he'll have to make it through the rest of the week without issue. Assuming he does, he's a mid-range RB2.
D'Andre Swift (ankle/shoulder) -- LP. It seems like Swift is going to keep trying to play through these injuries, but he was limited to just 10 snaps last week. He's the kind of player who can be worth starting with that kind of usage, but it's really hard to recommend. Until we see him get a few full practices in, Swift remains a very risky start.
Malcolm Brown (hamstring) -- DNP. Even with Cam Akers back in the fold last week, Brown played 28% of the snaps. His potential absence would likely make the Rams backfield less crowded, but this isn't really a backfield you want a part of anymore. Darrell Henderson is just a low-end starting option.
Mike Evans (ribs/ankle) -- LP. The rib injury is a new one, suffered during last week's game. He only missed a few snaps and was limited Wednesday, so he should be good to go in Week 10's matchup against the Seahawks.
Brandin Cooks (wrist) -- DNP. Cooks was present, which represents improvement from last week when he was excused from the team after the trade deadline. Coach Lovie Smith said he expects Cooks to practice this week, and with Nico Collins (groin) limited Wednesday, the Texans offense could be in better shape than it was last week.
Rondale Moore (hand) -- LP. This is a new issue for Moore, and since the Cardinals just did a walkthrough, it's hard to know how serious it is. Moore is a top-20 WR for me assuming he's fine.
Mecole Hardman (abdomen) -- DNP. Hardman has been one of the best players in Fantasy over the past few weeks, with five touchdowns in his past three games, and it isn't ideal that he's dealing with an injury. It doesn't seem too serious, but it makes Hardman even riskier -- and he's already a boom-or-bust option despite three straight weeks of booming.
Adam Thielen (ankle) -- LP. This is a new one for Thielen, who has missed time at practice lately with knee injuries. He's played through it, but hasn't been terribly productive. At this point, he's a touchdown-dependent WR3.
Jarvis Landry (ankle) -- LP. Landry was limited throughout last week's practice sessions before being inactive for Monday's game, so he's close to returning. Landry is worth stashing, with WR2 potential in PPR formats alongside Chris Olave.
Darren Waller (hamstring) -- LP. Waller is working his way back, but admitted Wednesday he's not going to come back until he's 100% healthy, having already suffered a setback from this injury. It's been a tough one, and I think we probably need to wait until we see Waller get a full practice session in before expecting him to return.
David Njoku (ankle) -- DNP. Njoku already said he's planning to play this week against the Dolphins, but Kevin Stefanski was more non-committal, and now we have this. There's some risk, but Njoku will be a top six tight end if he's active.
Evan Engram (back) -- LP. Engram was up and down in Week 9 due to the injury, but the fact that he was limited to start the week seems like a good sign. Engram is a viable low-end starter if he plays.
Trending up for Week 10
This doesn't mean they will play, but we got good news about them Wednesday.
Jonathan Taylor (ankle) -- LP. Taylor made his return to practice Wednesday after missing Week 9, which is a good thing for the Colts, not least because Deon Jackson (knee) was unable to practice this week. The Colts offense is a mess right now, but I'll still rank Taylor as a low-end RB1 if he's good to go, and this is a good start.
Deebo Samuel (hamstring) -- FP. After missing Week 8 and then getting the bye week off, Samuel looks like he's back to full speed for Week 9. There's some concern here amid his diminishing running game role and the acquisition of Christian McCaffrey making this passing game even more crowded, but you should still be starting Samuel this week.
Christian Watson (concussion protocol) -- FP. Watson was removed from Week 9 after taking a big hit, but apparently he never suffered a concussion -- he was held out as a precaution after suffering a concussion the week before. He should be ready to go this week, but isn't worth trusting for Fantasy despite his upside.
Kenny Golladay (knee) -- LP. Golladay hasn't played since Week 4, but this is a positive sign. It doesn't mean he'll definitely be back this week -- or that he'll be worth using -- but Golladay is certainly nearing a return. He has a lot to prove to Fantasy players, but he also has an opportunity in a Giants offense that still needs pass catchers badly.
Trending down for Week 10
This doesn't mean they won't play, but they aren't moving in the right direction yet.
Keenan Allen (hamstring)/Mike Williams (ankle) -- DNP. Allen seems like he has a better chance of playing this week, but neither seems particularly likely at this point. Josh Palmer had eight catches for 106 yards and has 22 targets over his past two games, and is a solid WR2 if Allen and Williams remain out.
Romeo Doubs (ankle) -- DNP. Doubs has a high-ankle sprain, which means we're probably looking at a multi-week absence, with an IR stint a possibility. Doubs was having a promising rookie season, but he is by no means a must-stash player while injured.