The Bengals got bad news Friday when Tee Higgins (hamstring) was ruled out for Week 10 against the Texans. Just when he was starting to get hot, Higgins now has to miss his second game of the season, but hopefully he can return for Week 11 at Baltimore on Thursday night.
With Higgins out in Week 10, some things change for Cincinnati. For starters, you're still starting Joe Burrow without hesitation. Higgins missed Week 5 at Arizona with injured ribs, but Burrow still scored 29.4 Fantasy points. He should be fine against Houston, and the Texans allow an average of 18 Fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks for the season.
Ja'Marr Chase (back) is expected to play, and he was amazing against the Cardinals without Higgins. Chase had 15 catches for 192 yards and three touchdowns on 19 targets against Arizona, and hopefully something similar happens against the Texans. Houston is No. 5 in fewest Fantasy points allowed to opposing receivers, but there's no way I'm benching Chase if he's active. He still has top-five upside in all leagues.
Now, without Higgins, we could see a trio of players more involved, and all three should be considered sleepers, to various degrees. We're looking at Tyler Boyd, Trenton Irwin and Irv Smith Jr.
Boyd didn't have a huge game against the Cardinals in Week 5 when Higgins was out, but Boyd saw seven targets and finished with six catches for 39 yards. He comes into Week 10 with at least 13.6 PPR points in two of his past three games, and I like him as a No. 3 Fantasy receiver against Houston.
Irwin was a star when Higgins was out against Arizona with eight catches for 60 yards on 10 targets. We'll see if his role increases against Houston, but I like Irwin as a potential No. 3 Fantasy receiver in deeper leagues. He hasn't done much since that Cardinals game (two catches for 24 yards on two targets in three games), and rookie Andrei Iosivas could also get some attention. But Fantasy managers in 14-team leagues or larger should consider Irwin as an option first.
Finally, Smith might have the best matchup of all these guys. The Texans are No. 1 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing tight ends, and Smith just had his best game of the season with the Bengals with three catches for 26 yards and a touchdown on four targets for 11.6 PPR points. I like Smith as a low-end starter in all leagues.
We'll see how the Bengals perform without Higgins. Burrow and Chase are must-start options, and hopefully one -- or all -- of Boyd, Irwin and Smith step up with the increased opportunity.
Now, let's look at some other sleepers I like for Week 10. Hopefully these players will deliver in a big way to help your lineups. And if you're looking for my Week 10 DFS plays, you can find my million-dollar contest tournament lineups for both DraftKings and FanDuel over at SportsLine.
Week 10 Sleepers
Is there a better story in the NFL right now than Dobbs? He gets traded to Minnesota from Arizona last Tuesday, is forced into action on Sunday at Atlanta after Jaren Hall (concussion) gets hurt and leads the Vikings to a 31-28 comeback victory while scoring 28.9 Fantasy points. It's the fourth time this season he scored at least 27 Fantasy points, and he's helping you with his legs since he's run for at least 41 yards in six games this year and has a rushing touchdown in three games in a row. It's not an easy matchup against New Orleans, but I like Dobbs as a borderline No. 1 Fantasy quarterback in all leagues.
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Wilson is coming off a solid outing in Week 8 against Kansas City prior to Denver's Week 9 bye with 23.6 Fantasy points, and he scored at least 22.7 points in three of his past five games. The Bills have allowed three quarterbacks in a row to score at least 23.9 Fantasy points in Mac Jones, Baker Mayfield and Joe Burrow, and hopefully Wilson can follow suit. Also, in his career, Wilson is averaging 23.6 Fantasy points per game coming off a bye in 11 seasons.
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We saw what might be the best of Levis in Week 8 against Atlanta in his NFL debut with 34.6 Fantasy points and what could be the worst in his first road start at Pittsburgh in Week 9 with 8.7 Fantasy points. This is a great rebound spot for him at Tampa Bay since the Buccaneers have been a mess against opposing quarterbacks over the past two games against Josh Allen and C.J. Stroud. That duo combined for 84.9 Fantasy points, and five quarterbacks on the season have scored at least 20.5 Fantasy points against Tampa Bay this year. I'm excited to see what Levis can do against this defense.
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Smith is tough to trust in Week 10 given his level of play this season with only one game of more than 17.9 Fantasy points. But this should be a bounce-back spot against the Commanders at home. Washington is No. 1 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing quarterbacks, and only Josh Dobbs in Week 1 and Mac Jones last week failed to score at least 20 Fantasy points against the Commanders. If Smith can't be productive here then you're likely never going to start him again in one-quarterback leagues, but I'm expecting the matchup to make him a borderline starter in all leagues for Week 10.
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Gibson can be used as a flex option in PPR based on his production over the past two games against Philadelphia and New England. He has 10 catches for 70 yards on 10 targets over that span, and he also added eight carries for 48 yards. Brian Robinson Jr. remains the best running back for the Commanders, and he's a borderline No. 2 Fantasy option/flex in all leagues. The Seahawks have allowed four running backs to score at least 11.5 PPR points in the past three games, but I expect Washington to be trailing in this matchup. That should play into Gibson's involvement in the passing game and help his production in PPR.
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The Seahawks want to get their run game going, which should mean good things for Kenneth Walker III. He's a must-start running back in all leagues heading into Week 10 against Washington. But Charbonnet has played more snaps than Walker in each of the past two games against Cleveland and Baltimore, and we'll see if that leads to even more work against the Commanders. I'm not expecting a huge outing from Charbonnet, but he could be a flex option in deeper leagues. Washington has allowed a running back to score at least 13 PPR points in four games in a row.
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In full disclosure, I hope Allgeier struggles in Week 10 at Arizona, mostly because I want Bijan Robinson to dominate touches and, in turn, dominate the Cardinals. But we know Arthur Smith is committed to Allgeier, who has at least 13 total touches in four of the past five games. He scored at least 11 PPR points in two of those outings, and he could end up with a decent stat line with that amount of work against the Cardinals. Arizona is No. 3 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing running backs, and Allgeier can be used as a flex option in deeper leagues.
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London is expected to play in Week 10 at Arizona after missing Week 9 with a groin injury, and I'm excited to see what he does with Taylor Heinicke under center. London has scored at least 10.5 PPR points in five games in a row, but only twice has he scored more than 11.8 PPR points over that span. He's capable of more, and I hope Heinicke brings out the best in him. It helps that the Cardinals have allowed nine receivers to score at least 14 PPR points this season, and London should be considered a borderline top-20 receiver in all formats this week.
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When Dell has played well this season he has played really well with three games of at least 20.2 PPR points in seven appearances. In the other four games, he's scored 8.3 PPR points or less, so let's hope he goes off again in this matchup. It's been all about the volume for Dell, who had at least seven targets in each of his three big games. I expect C.J. Stroud to be throwing a lot in this contest, and Dell should be heavily involved, especially with Nico Collins (calf) not expected to play. Noah Brown is also worth using as a sleeper in Week 10.
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All three of the top Seattle receivers are in play this week against the Commanders, who are No. 4 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing receivers. I have them ranked DK Metcalf, Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, but I like all three as starters in three-receiver leagues. Lockett has at least eight targets in three of his past four games, and he scored at least 15.4 PPR points in two of them. Metcalf hasn't scored since Week 4 and has fewer than 12 PPR points in three games in a row, but he has the most upside of this trio. And Smith-Njigba has three games in a row with at least 12.3 PPR points, with two of those games with seven targets. Washington has allowed nine receivers to score at least 14.8 PPR points this season, including three sets of duos to reach that total in the same game (Brandon Johnson and Marvin Mims in Week 2, A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith in Week 4 and Brown and Smith in Week 8). Don't be surprised if two Seahawks go off in Week 10.
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It took some time, but Dotson is now producing like the player we hoped for coming into the season. He has 26 targets in his past three games against the Giants, Eagles and Patriots, and he scored at least 16.9 PPR points in each of his past two outings, with two touchdowns in those contests. He's approaching must-start status in all leagues, and hopefully he stays hot against the Seahawks in Week 10. It helps that Seattle has allowed 11 receivers to score at least 13.7 PPR points this year, and this should be a solid week for Dotson and Terry McLaurin against this defense.
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Jeudy and Courtland Sutton are both worth using as No. 3 Fantasy receivers in all leagues in Week 10 at Buffalo. For Jeudy, he has scored at least 11 PPR points in three of his past four games, and he scored his first touchdown of the season in Week 8 against Kansas City prior to Denver's bye. Sutton has scored a touchdown in all but two games this season, including three in a row, and both should take advantage of this Bills defense. Buffalo has allowed nine receivers to score at least 14.2 PPR points this season.
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McBride was a disappointment in Week 9 at Cleveland with three catches for 22 yards on five targets, but he played that game with Clayton Tune at quarterback. Kyler Murray (knee) is making his 2023 debut in Week 10, and that should help McBride get back on track. He scored 25.5 PPR points in Week 8 against Baltimore with Joshua Dobbs under center, and this offense has been fantastic for tight ends all year. I like McBride as a top-10 Fantasy tight end in Week 10.
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I'm going to give Pitts another chance (again) as a low-end starter in all leagues with this matchup against the Cardinals in Week 10. I'm hopeful he'll see more than five targets, which is all he's gotten in each of the past three weeks, and he still managed four catches for 56 yards and 9.6 PPR points in Week 9 against Minnesota. Typically, that puts you on the cusp of a No. 1 Fantasy tight end in PPR, but we expect more from Pitts. I'm hopeful that the Taylor Heinicke-Pitts connection starts to come through this week, and I'm sticking with Pitts as a No. 1 Fantasy option in all leagues. As for Jonnu Smith, he's also a borderline starter for Week 10. Arizona has allowed a tight end to score in each of the past two games.
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Everett only had two catches for 18 yards in Week 9 at the Jets on two targets, but none of the Chargers skill players had a big outing in an easy 27-6 victory on Monday night. In his two previous games, Everett scored a touchdown and had at least 10.8 PPR points in each outing against Dallas in Week 6 and Kansas City in Week 7 (he missed Week 8 with a hip injury). With Josh Palmer (knee) out, Everett should be a prime target for Justin Herbert, and that should play well against the Lions in Week 10. Detroit is No. 6 in most Fantasy points allowed to opposing tight ends, and I like Everett as a starter in deeper leagues in Week 10.
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Defense/Special Teams
Kickers
- Riley Patterson (at LAC)
- Jason Myers (vs. WAS)
- Daniel Carlson (vs. NYJ)