Even though Zach Ertz, and to an extent Darren Fells, are on a bye in Week 10, this is a fairly good week for tight ends, especially the streamers. We could see some quality production from a usually frustrating position.
Now, on Thursday night, we had a good game from Hunter Henry, who scored 13 PPR points, but Darren Waller was a letdown with just seven PPR points. That said, I still like the overall potential for tight ends in Week 10.
I already wrote about two sleeper-caliber guys in Start 'Em and Sit 'Em with Gerald Everett and Jack Doyle, and three more below include Mike Gesicki, Jonnu Smith and Vance McDonald. But two more who interest me are Jared Cook and Eric Ebron.
For Cook, he's coming back from a two-game absence due to an ankle injury, and he scored in the previous two games he played against Tampa Bay in Week 5 and Jacksonville in Week 6. He did that with Teddy Bridgewater, but now Drew Brees is back, which is clearly an upgrade.
And this week, Cook gets to face a Falcons defense that has allowed four touchdowns to tight ends in their past four games. Hopefully, Cook adds to that total in Week 10.
For Ebron, there is a squeaky wheel scenario at play here in a favorable matchup against the Dolphins. Ebron said Thursday that he spoke with Colts coach Frank Reich about his role in the offense, and there could be more work headed his way.
For the season, Ebron has struggled with just 18 catches for 248 yards and three touchdowns on 31 targets. But now the Colts are down T.Y. Hilton (calf) and Parris Campbell (hand), which should be a boost for Ebron.
I like Doyle slightly more than Ebron, especially in PPR, but this could be a breakout game for him. And it helps that Jacoby Brissett (knee) is expected to play against the Dolphins this week.
Cook and Ebron are two of my favorite sleepers in Week 10, but we have plenty of other options for you. And, of course, there are DFS lineups below that you can use for FanDuel and DraftKings.
Week 10 Sleepers
My only real concern with Jones this week is not having Evan Engram (foot) and Sterling Shepard (concussion), but he's still worth using as a streamer against the Jets. The past two quarterbacks against the Jets, Gardner Minshew and Ryan Fitzpatrick, have each scored 29 Fantasy points. And the last time Jones had a favorable matchup of this caliber was Week 8 against the Lions when he scored 35 Fantasy points. I don't expect Jones to do that here, but he could be above 20 points for the third time this year.
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Tannehill has been a solid Fantasy quarterback in place of Marcus Mariota, scoring at least 22 points in three games in a row. And now he faces a Chiefs defense at home that has allowed three of the past four opposing quarterbacks to score at least 26 Fantasy points. If Patrick Mahomes (knee) comes back as expected, the Titans could be chasing points, which would help Tannehill potentially rack up stats. He's a low-end starter in all leagues.
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Let's hope Darnold takes advantage of this matchup with the Giants, who have allowed four of the past five opposing quarterbacks to score at least 21 Fantasy points. For the season, the Giants allow 22.7 Fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. Darnold was miserable as a Fantasy quarterback in a good situation at Miami in Week 9 with just 14 Fantasy points. Now, he did have a touchdown to Ryan Griffin called back against the Dolphins late in the first half and then threw an interception, so that changed his outlook, but he just hasn't played well all season aside from his surprise against Dallas in Week 6. But given the matchup in the battle for New York, hopefully Darnold will surprise us again.
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It's risky to trust Williams since he hasn't had more than 10 total touches in each of his past three games. But he's scored four touchdowns over that span and has 13 catches on 14 targets. He's better in PPR than non-PPR leagues, but he's worth using as at least a flex option in all formats this week against the Panthers. Carolina has allowed 10 touchdowns to running backs in the past four games.
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He's making his 2019 debut following his eight-game suspension, and I'm expecting him to have about 10-12 total touches in tandem with Nick Chubb. That should be enough to make him a flex option against the Bills, who have allowed a running back to score or gain at least 100 total yards in every game this season. Chubb should still be started in all leagues, but Hunt will hopefully do well with fresh legs in this matchup.
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The Lions backfield is a mess with Ty Johnson struggling, so McKissic might be the best Detroit running back this week based on his role in the passing game. He has six catches in his past two games on seven targets, and he played well in Week 9 at Oakland with four carries for 32 yards, as well as three catches for 40 yards and a touchdown. The Bears are fourth in the NFL with 54 receptions allowed to running backs for the season, and McKissic should be considered a flex option in PPR.
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Edwards could be in play as a flex option this week against the Bengals, and he just scored against New England in Week 9 with seven carries for 27 yards. He has at least six carries in three games in a row, including a 6-34 line against Cincinnati in Week 6. Mark Ingram is a must-start running back this week, but the Bengals have allowed a running back to score in seven of eight games this season, so maybe Edwards falls into the end zone for the second week in a row.
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With Mark Walton (suspension) out, the Dolphins are expected to use Kalen Ballage and Gaskin as their top running backs. Ballage should get more work, but Gaskins could be a sneaky flex option in deeper leagues this week. He doesn't have a touch in the NFL yet this season, but the seventh-round pick from Washington might give this Miami backfield a spark against the Colts.
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Crowder played great against Miami last week with eight catches for 83 yards and a touchdown on nine targets. He now has three games this season with more than six targets, and he's scored at least 15 PPR points in each of those outings. This is a great matchup against the Giants, who allow the fourth-most Fantasy points to opposing receivers, and I like Crowder as a starting option in PPR in Week 10.
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Mahomes is expected back in Week 10 at the Titans, which should be good for Watkins, who actually played well the past two weeks with Matt Moore. He has 18 targets over that span against Green Bay and Minnesota with 12 catches for 108 yards. He hasn't scored since Week 1, but the Titans are now down cornerback Malcolm Butler (wrist), which will hurt their secondary. Watkins is worth using as a No. 3 Fantasy receiver this week in PPR.
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Beasley has scored a touchdown in three games in a row, and he now has at least 10 PPR points in five of eight games this year. He has five games with at least six targets, and he could be a sneaky play this week in all leagues. Cleveland has struggled with slot receivers this year, including Cooper Kupp in Week 3 (33 PPR points), Tyler Lockett in Week 6 (12 PPR points) and Julian Edelman in Week 8 (27 PPR points). Those players are on a different level than Beasley, but he's worth using as a No. 3 receiver in PPR this week.
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With Evan Engram (foot) and Sterling Shepard (concussion) out this week against the Jets, we could see Slayton in a bigger role as the second receiver behind Golden Tate. He had a rough game in Week 9 against Dallas with one catch for 6 yards on four targets, but he scored twice in Week 8 at Detroit. The Jets have allowed six touchdowns to receivers in the past two games.
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Ginn is worth using as a No. 3 receiver this week with a home matchup against the Falcons. He's scored in his past two games against Atlanta, and the Falcons secondary has given up plenty of big plays this year. With Brees back and the Saints coming off a bye, I can see Ginn connecting on a long touchdown at home.
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Gesicki has played well of late, and he could see a boost in production with Preston Williams (ACL) out. Gesicki has scored at least eight PPR points in three of his past four games, including a season-high 15 points in Week 9 against the Jets. Williams was averaging eight targets per game in his past three outings, and Gesicki has a good matchup in Week 10 against the Colts, who are No. 9 in most Fantasy points allowed to tight ends this year.
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Delanie Walker (ankle) could return this week for the Titans, but if he's out again then continue to use Smith as a starter, especially against the Chiefs. Kansas City has allowed two tight ends to score at least 11 PPR points in the past four weeks, and Smith has at least nine PPR points in two of his past three games.
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McDonald found the end zone for just the second game this season in Week 9 against the Colts, and hopefully he can build on that performance this week against the Rams. It helps that the Rams have struggled with tight ends this season with either a touchdown or at least 70 receiving yards allowed to the position in six games in a row. McDonald has the chance to keep that streak alive, and he's worth starting in deeper formats.
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DraftKings
QB - Jameis Winston ($6,800) vs. ARI
RB - Saquon Barkley ($8,800) at NYJ
RB - David Montgomery ($5,300) vs. DET
WR - Mike Evans ($7,600) vs. ARI
WR - Christian Kirk ($5,200) at TB
WR - Jamison Crowder ($5,000) vs. NYG
TE - Mike Gesicki ($3,100) at IND
FLEX - Devin Singletary ($5,000) at CLE
DST - Giants ($2,800) at NYJ
Even though I expect Winston and Evans to be popular, I'm still stacking those two Buccaneers this week against the Cardinals. They should produce plenty of points.
Kirk is facing a Tampa Bay defense that allows the most Fantasy points to opposing receivers, and Crowder should continue to be a go-to option for Darnold. I also like Gesicki a lot this week as stated above.
It's always fun to play a stud running back like Barkley, especially in a matchup with the Jets on the "road." And Montgomery and Singletary should stay hot after strong performances of late.
FanDuel
QB - Drew Brees ($8,300) vs. ATL
RB - Marlon Mack ($7,400) vs. MIA
RB - Jaylen Samuels ($6,200) vs. LAR
WR - Michael Thomas ($8,700) vs. ATL
WR - Tyreek Hill ($8,000) at TEN
WR - Darius Slayton ($5,600) at NYJ
TE - Eric Ebron ($4,900) vs. MIA
FLEX - David Montgomery ($6,400) vs. DET
DST - Bills ($4,500) at CLE
Let's stack the Saints here with Brees and Thomas coming off their bye against the Falcons. There should be a lot of scoring for the home team.
Mack gets the Dolphins, which should be huge, and Samuels gets another start in place of the injured James Conner (shoulder), with Trey Edmunds (ribs) also banged up. He could be looking at a hefty workload against the Rams. I'll also play Montgomery in this lineup as well.
At receiver, I'll spend the money on Hill against the Titans, especially with Mahomes back. And Slayton is a cheap option at receiver with plenty of boom potential.
Ebron gets the nod at tight end here with the squeaky wheel in play, and I'm excited about this team.