We thought Week 10 would be a weird one, and that's exactly what happened, as the leaderboards showed. At QB, you had only three players to 30 Fantasy points and only six over 29, while eight topped the 30-point mark in Week 9. We saw one game with just 17 points scored total, and eight of 13 games so far have seen at least one team score fewer than 20 points.
The result was lower Fantasy scores across the league, with some big performances by players you likely weren't starting anyway -- Nyheim Hines, Devontae Booker, Rex Burkhead were all top-seven running backs, While Marquez Valdes-Scantling led wide receivers in non-PPR scoring, with Willie Snead ranking third. And at tight end, well … do the names Pharaoh Brown, Cameron Brate, Durham Smythe and Colin Thompson get the blood flowing? I didn't think so.
Catch up everything you need to know from this wild week of NFL action, as I run through the winners and losers, injuries and details you may have missed from every game Sunday:
Eagles 17, Giants 27
Daniel Jones took care of the ball while Carson Wentz's struggles continued coming out of the bye, and that was the difference.
- Winner: Miles Sanders -- He didn't find the end zone and he didn't break any big plays, and Sanders still had 11.5 PPR points in his return from a knee injury. That's not a huge game, but it highlights just how high his floor is in this offense -- especially the five targets. This isn't a great offense -- it might not even be a particularly good one if Carson Wentz doesn't improve -- but Sanders got 15 of the 19 running back carries and five of six running back targets, so they didn't ease him in. He has top-five potential the rest of the season.
- Loser: Travis Fulgham -- On Sunday morning, I said, "Fulgham has earned the right to remain a Fantasy starter until he gives us reason to think otherwise," and … the Eagles might have given us a reason. With Alshon Jeffery and Sanders returning, this is the first time we've gotten a look at the Eagles offense at something like full strength, and three different players had more targets than Fulgham and two others matched his five. If this is Fulgham's role moving forward, he could still have value -- he had a solid 75 air yards as his role was primarily down the field -- but he definitely wouldn't be a must-start player. And, for what it's worth, he wasn't being shadowed by James Bradberry.
- What you might have missed: Sanders didn't have a huge game, but he could have. Of the four carries Boston Scott and Corey Clement split, they managed two touchdowns between them. Scott's was a 56-yarder, so you can't be too upset about that, but Clement was brought on after Sanders got the Eagles down to the 5-yard line for his touchdown. That shouldn't be a concern moving forward, but it sure was frustrating this week.
The FFT crew breaks down Week 10 and the early waiver wire on the Fantasy Football Today in 5 podcast. Follow all of our podcasts and subscribe here.
Jaguars 20, Packers 24
The Jaguars nearly pulled off one of the most improbable upsets of the year, but given the windy conditions in Green Bay, it might be hard to take much from it.
- Winner: Marquez Valdes-Scantling -- Allen Lazard should be able to return next week -- though it isn't guaranteed -- and maybe MVS heard the talk about how Lazard would return to give the Packers their No. 2 WR. He hit on another long touchdown for the second straight week, this time for 78 yards, while putting together a more complete performance. I still think Lazard will be the second option behind Davante Adams when he is healthy, but maybe they can play it a little slower with Valdes-Scantling playing better. It'll be hard to trust him for Fantasy, but he has that boom potential every week if he can just catch the ball.
- Loser: DJ Chark -- I don't want to come off too harsh, given the windy conditions, but this was definitely a step back for Jake Luton after his impressive debut last week. The wind definitely played a part, as we saw on what could have been a long touchdown in the first quarter that got caught up in the wind and ended up under thrown. Chark had a step on the defender, and could have had a great Fantasy game in different conditions. However, it was still disappointing to see Chark get just five targets, compared to seven for Keelan Cole (who scored a touchdown) and eight for Chris Conley. It's probably nothing to worry about, but it was frustrating to see after last week's promising start.
- What you might have missed: James Robinson had another strong game, rushing for 109 yards on 23 carries and earning five targets -- an especially promising sign given that he had just one target in Luton's first game. It wasn't a great Fantasy game, but it nearly was -- Robinson had two separate touchdowns nullified by holding penalties, one from 16 and another from 18 yards. There's some bad luck involved there for sure, and he remains a No. 1 Fantasy RB.
Washington 27, Lions 30
Alex Smith had a career-high in passing yardage, but D'Andre Swift was the star of this game.
- Winner: D'Andre Swift -- We learned prior to the game that Swift was going to be making his first NFL start, and he responded with by far the best game of his career. Swift finally saw a No. 1 RB workload, running the ball 16 times for 81 yards and adding 68 yards on five catches and five targets. It's been clear for a long time -- probably the whole season -- that Swift was the only potential difference-maker in this Lions backfield, and it's nice to see they finally realized it, too. Adrian Peterson and Kerryon Johnson will still be involved, but this should be Johnson's job moving forward, and he's the rookie running back with the best potential to be this year's version of 2019 Miles Sanders.
- Loser: T.J. Hockenson -- Hockenson was questionable coming in with a toe injury, so it's possible his limited role was simply a result of that. However, because he hasn't been a particularly efficient receiver -- he's averaging 8.8 yards per reception over the last six games and 10.4 for the season -- Hockenson needs a healthy role to be a good Fantasy contributor. He had that the previous two games, with 18 targets between them, but this was a step back. Hopefully it was just a blip on the radar, because the last thing we need is another disappointing tight end.
- What you might have missed: Alex Smith looked for J.D. McKissic early and often in this one -- 15 times on 55 pass attempts. But that connection wasn't particularly effective (43 yards on seven catches) and Smith actually missed what should have been a touchdown when he overthrew McKissic in the end zone in the first half. For what it's worth, 11 of those 15 targets came on Smith's 21 first-half attempts, compared to just four on 34 in the second half. I don't think it's a coincidence that Smith was a lot more effective in the second half -- 6.14 Y/A vs. 7.67. They can't run an offense that way, and hopefully they learned that lesson.
Texans 7, Browns 10
Kickoff was delayed and blustery conditions made it hard for anyone to do much through the air in this one. Advantage: Browns, naturally.
- Winner: Nick Chubb -- It took him a little while to get going, which is understandable coming back from a multi-week absence with a knee injury. Chubb got fed late in the game and ended up with 126 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown, and it could have been even better if Chubb were more selfish; he stepped out of bounds on a 59-yard run that would have been an easy touchdown late in the game. That allowed the Browns to run out the clock, but I hope it didn't cost any of you your matchups. By the way: Chubb's return didn't hurt Kareem Hunt at all, as he also had 19 carries for 104 yards and added three catches for 28 yards. There's plenty of room for both to be must-start Fantasy options moving forward.
- Loser: Duke Johnson -- You could make a case for any number of disappointing pass-catchers in this one: Jarvis Landry (29 yards on three catches), Austin Hooper (11 on one), Brandin Cooks (39 on six), or Will Fuller (38 on five). But Johnson didn't have the wind excuse for why he wasn't effective; if anything, that should have benefitted him. Instead, Johnson ran for just 54 yards on 14 carries and, most disappointingly, had no catches and just one target. He did dominate running back work, which will keep him Fantasy relevant as long as David Johnson (concussion; IR) is out, but he didn't make a great case for more work.
- What you might have missed: This was a rough game for Deshaun Watson especially, because he relies so much on taking deep shots with Will Fuller and Brandin Cooks. But it could have been a better day with just a little bit of help from Randall Cobb, who dropped what should have been an easy touchdown on the second drive of the game. On a day when the wind made it tough for Houston to play their usually downfield game, they couldn't afford to waste plays, and that was a key one. Don't worry, Watson's back inside at home next week.
Buccaneers 46, Panthers 23
Now that's more like what we expected this Bucs offense to look like. Though there are still reasons to be concerned about these big names.
- Injuries: Teddy Bridgewater (knee) -- Bridgewater was forced from the game late and will have an MRI Monday. As of Sunday evening, the team reportedly does not believe it is serious. P.J. Walker would step in to start for the Panthers if Bridgewater has to miss time, and his rushing ability would make him an interesting Fantasy sleeper for Week 11 against the Lions … Mike Davis (thumb) -- Davis went to the locker room briefly to get his thumb checked out, but was able to return to the game. We'll keep an eye on this one with Christian McCaffrey's (shoulder) status for Week 11 up in the air.
- Winner: Tom Brady -- What might be most promising about Brady's stat line -- 341 passing yards, three touchdowns, no picks, plus a rushing touchdown -- is that he didn't really play all that well. But the incredible talent at wide receiver helped him out, and that's what you hoped for. Brady made a point of looking for Mike Evans in this one, targeting him 11 times for 77 yards and a score on six catches, including several times in the end zone. Antonio Brown got more involved (eight targets), mostly focusing on short-area targets that allowed him to make plays with the ball in space, while Chris Godwin actually led the team with three targets more than 10 yards down the field. I still have concerns about how Godwin, Brown and Evans are going to fare on a weekly basis for Fantasy -- they won't have 341 passing yards to share every week -- but this was what we wanted to see from Brady.
- Winner No. 2: Ronald Jones -- Admit it, when you saw Jones fumble early in the game, you were convinced that was it for him. After all, while Bruce Arians has gone back to him as the starter every week, Jones hasn't been given much room to mess up. For whatever reason, Jones didn't find himself in Arians' doghouse following the fumble, as he was in on the next drive and ultimately rewarded that confidence with 192 yards on 23 carries and a touchdown, including a 98-yard touchdown, the longest play in Bucs history. Leonard Fournette, on the other hand, had just 19 yards on eight carries, along with 11 yards on two receptions. The frustrating thing about this is, of course, it doesn't mean you can trust Jones next week. The way this season has gone, Jones could have five carries next week. I don't see why that would change.
- What you might have missed: D.J. Moore heard your grumbling, and decided to respond with 96 yards and a touchdown on four catches and a team-high seven targets. But it could have been even better, as he had a 42-yard catch overturned on replay just before halftime. Moore has had a frustrating season, but he remains worth starting precisely because of games like this. He's the Panthers primary downfield option, and so even when he doesn't get a ton of targets, they'll tend to be very valuable, if a bit unpredictable.
Chargers 21, Dolphins 29
The Dolphins defense and special teams continue to make life easy for Tua Tagovailoa, and he continues to play well.
- Winner: Salvon Ahmed -- It's hard to say how long it will last, but Ahmed is clearly the Dolphins' lead back right now. He rushed for 85 yards on 21 carries with a touchdown Sunday, while no other back had more than two touches. His time in that role could end as soon as Week 11 if Matt Breida is healthy enough to return, but it's also possible Ahmed has earned a timeshare at least until Myles Gaskin can return.
- Loser: Joshua Kelley -- Remember back to draft season, when it looked like Joshua Kelley had this incredible opportunity in front of him? The problem isn't that he didn't get the opportunity; it's that he just totally failed to take advantage of it. To the point where Ballage, cast off of both the Dolphins and Jets this season, has clearly run ahead of him over the last two weeks. You can hang on to Kelley if you want, but with Justin Jackson and Austin Ekeler going to return eventually, there's an awful lot standing in his way.
- What you might have missed: This was definitely a disappointing game for DeVante Parker, who caught just two of seven targets for 31 yards. However, he nearly salvaged his performance in the first half when he made an incredible one-handed touchdown catch -- only to have it overturned by replay. I still believe in Parker, who did have a strong 28% target share Sunday, but at some point he has to start producing. It's going to be hard to trust him in Week 11 against the Broncos.
Broncos 12, Raiders 37
The Raiders ran all over the Broncos, while all 60 minutes turned out to be garbage time for Drew Lock this week.
- Winner: Josh Jacobs -- I've been amazed by how many questions we seem to get during our various start/sit podcasts or video streams about Jacobs. Here's the standing answer for as long as Jacobs is healthy: You're starting him. Few players are guaranteed as many touches in any given week as Jacobs, and that means there's a high floor and huge ceiling, which we saw Sunday as he rushed for 112 yards and two scores. And it could have been an even bigger game if the Broncos had been more competitive, as we saw with Devontae Booker rushing for a pair of scores and 81 yards on his 16 carries.
- Loser: Drew Lock -- Lock has been a decent steamer for Fantasy purposes in recent weeks, but he's needed some pretty desperate late-game heroics to put up decent numbers. Sunday, we got the worst-case scenario of that profile, as he just couldn't protect the ball, throwing four interceptions. Lock has shown some flashes, but on the whole, it's been an incredibly rough start to his career. He'll need a strong finish to the season to ensure he has a job moving forward, let alone Fantasy relevance.
- What you might have missed: Melvin Gordon left the game after his first carry, as he appeared to injure his leg. He was replaced by Royce Freeman on a third down, and was able to return shortly after, finishing with 11 carries for 46 yards. Phillip Lindsay had just four carries for 2 yards, and it's not like that was just a game flow thing -- the Broncos were only down 10-7 at halftime. Lindsay hasn't had more than nine touches in a game since Week 6. I don't see how you could start him.
Bills 30, Cardinals 32
The game of the day saw late heroics from both sides, with the Cardinals stars coming up with the improbable win.
- Injuries: John Brown (ankle) -- Brown landed awkwardly on a long catch and was forced to leave the game. The Bills are on bye in Week 11, so we'll probably have to wait a little while to get an update, but that also means he may not end up missing any time.
- Winner: Kyler Murray -- He's just an unstoppable force in the red zone. Murray added another two rushing touchdowns and 61 yards on the ground Sunday. Sure, he needed a Hail Mary at the end of the game to reach 30 points, but even without that play, he would've had 24 Fantasy points on a day when he didn't throw the ball well.
- Loser: Chase Edmonds -- It's not that Edmonds was bad -- 56 yards on eight carries and 21 yards on three catches is pretty great. I think this is more a loss for Edmonds' perception within the Fantasy community. As much as we want the Cardinals to move away from Kenyan Drake, they gave him 16 carries and one target Sunday in his return from his ankle injury, despite a fumble on his first carry of the second half. Worse still ... Drake was good -- the horror! The Cardinals have more faith in Drake than you do, and as long as that's true, Edmonds' upside is capped.
- What you might have missed: Murray wasn't great as a passer Sunday -- nearly 20% of his yards along with his only passing touchdown came on that Hail Mary. But that interception on his ledger wasn't his fault -- it was a freak play, where the ball popped out of Larry Fitzgerald's hands and into the defender's arms.
49ers 13, Saints 27
The Saints had the luxury of being able to sit on the ball even after Drew Brees left with an injury. This 49ers offense is, predictably, a mess.
- Injuries: Drew Brees (ribs) -- Brees has been pretty beat up recently, and sounds like this might be the culmination of a lot of injuries. It wouldn't be a surprise if the Saints gave him a week off to get right … JaMycal Hasty (collarbone) -- The 49ers fear Hasty broke his collarbone, meaning he will likely be the fourth 49ers running back to go on IR this season ... Jerick McKinnon (neck) -- McKinnon apparently suffered a neck stinger in this one. Luckily, the 49ers have their bye in Week 11, and Raheem Mostert could be back from IR in Week 12, too.
- Winner: Alvin Kamara -- I was worried the return of Michael Thomas would have a negative impact on Kamara's passing game role, but that really hasn't happened. He bounced back from a subpar Week 9 with an excellent game Sunday, racking up seven catches for 83 yards on eight targets, to go along with a receiving touchdown and two rushing touchdowns. Don't be worried about a relative dip in Kamara's touches over the past two games --the Saints won both with ease, or he would have had even more opportunities.
- Loser: Michael Thomas -- One disappointing game can be excused after Thomas' long layoff. Two in a row -- and three games total this season without more than 10.1 Fantasy points -- might be reason to be concerned. I still think Thomas will figure it out and be an elite Fantasy option before long, but I'm less sure of it now than I was before this game. In three games, he has 10 catches on 18 targets for just 95 yards. You won't hear me tell you sit Thomas in Week 11, but I understand if you want to.
- What you might have missed: It's going to be fascinating to see what the Saints do if Brees is forced to miss Week 11. Jameis Winston will get the start, and figure he'll be more aggressive when he does than he was Sunday. Taysom Hill also had a larger role Sunday, rushing the ball eight times for 45 yards. However, he also fumbled twice Sunday, so he'll need to hang on to the ball in order to justify a larger role. In all honesty, our preference from a Fantasy perspective should be that he doesn't get that larger role.
Seahawks 16, Rams 23
Russell Wilson has officially come back to earth with his third game with at least three turnovers his last four.
- Winner: Josh Reynolds -- It's not that long ago where this Rams offense had enough room for three viable wide receivers for Fantasy, and it's starting to look like we might be there ago. Reynolds had nine targets Sunday, catching eight of them for 94 yards. That's his third game in a row with at least eight targets, and he has 27 in that stretch. Reynolds is squarely on Fantasy radars for Week 11, though he won't be a must-start player or anything close against the Buccaneers on the road.
- Loser: D.K. Metcalf -- We're starting to see Metcalf settle in as a more realistic version of himself after a scorching hot start. He had 28 yards on two catches Sunday in a very tough matchup against Jalen Ramsey, his second game with two catches and fewer than 30 yards in his past four. Of course, he sandwiched those two games around a 12-catch, 161-yard, two-touchdown game and a seven-catch, 108-yard, one-touchdown game. Metcalf's style of play makes him prone to some of those ups and downs, despite his early-season consistent dominance. This is more like what you should expect from a guy who plays on the outside, gets the opposing team's best corner, and lives on deep targets -- and it still makes him a no-brainer must-start WR.
- What you might have missed: Cam Akers got the first carry for the Rams despite ultimately being overshadowed by Malcolm Brown and Darrell Henderson. He led the team with 10 carries for 38 yards, and if he starts to carve out a bigger role, Akers could be a second-half difference maker.
Bengals 10, Steelers 36
The Steelers did absolutely everything they were supposed to do in blowing out the Bengals.
- Winner: Ben Roethlisberger -- Big Ben isn't the same guy he used to be. He doesn't extend plays the way he used to, and he takes big chances a lot less frequently. But put him up against the right matchup, and he can still slice them up. He did it for the second straight game Sunday, and now has seven touchdowns over his past two games. When the Steelers can protect him and his wide receivers are healthy, Ben can still produce. Expect another big game against the Jaguars in Week 11.
- Loser: A.J. Green -- Green had no catches on five targets Sunday, his second game without a catch and his fourth with two or fewer. He had 15 catches for 178 yards over Weeks 6 and 7, but that is basically the only time he has looked even decent this season. Joe Burrow is averaging 5.0 yards per attempt with no touchdowns on 68 passes thrown Green's way this season, compared to 7.2 yards per attempt to everyone else. At some point, they have to just stop throwing it to him. You can drop Green.
- What you might have missed: Roethlisberger hit Diontae Johnson for a 46-yard gain in the first half on a ball that traveled 35 yards past the line of scrimmage, his second-deepest throw of the season. That kind of tells you where he's at as a quarterback, as Roethlisberger is mostly living in the short and intermediate range and letting his receivers make plays. That does limit the upside against good defenses.
Ravens 17, Patriots 23
Neither offense looked great, but the Ravens looked alarmingly pedestrian yet again.
- Injuries: Nick Boyle (knee) -- Boyle suffered a season-ending knee injury. Mark Andrews still doesn't play full-time snaps, but this could be what pushes him close.
- Winner: Damien Harris -- There's no question Harris is the No. 1 back for the Patriots, and he confirmed it with his third 100-yard game in six appearances this season. He was excellent, rushing for 121 yards on 22 carries. However, this game also highlighted why he's probably never going to be an elite Fantasy option even if he can keep this up -- Cam Newton scored a rushing touchdown, the only one the Patriots got, and Harris wasn't targeted in the game. There just isn't as much upside in this role as you'd like.
- Loser: Marquise Brown -- I keep calling Marquise Brown a "boom or bust WR," but it's been all bust of late -- he has 102 yards over his past four games after Sunday's 14-yard showing. He still got six targets, and I still think he's going to have a stretch where he hits on several big plays in a relatively short amount of time and helps win folks some leagues. But I can't, in good conscience, recommend starting him this week. If you do, you're rolling the dice.
- What you might have missed: The Ravens offensive issues start at the core of their offense -- or the center, if you will. Matt Skura struggled snapping the ball for the second week in a row and was charged with three fumbles Sunday. This isn't an offense that can afford to waste plays right now, so this is just another issue for them.
