Last week, one of my buddies texted me during the Bears-Bengals spectacle — you remember, Chicago won 47-42 in a game that featured nearly 1,071 yards of offense — and said, “Dude, this game is drunk.”
Can’t argue.
Which is why our Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em for NFL Week 10 is a scootch more sober than usual. After all, we can’t have consecutive weeks of games that don’t pass the breathalyzer, can we?
No, dear reader. No we can’t.
NFL Week 10 Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em
Lions QB Jared Goff: Start ‘Em
Lions @ Washington - 4:25 p.m. ET
With their electric QB, Jayden Daniels, likely out for the season and their WR1 Terry McLaurin — or their WR1.5, depending on your feelings about Deebo Samuel — potentially on the shelf, the Commanders are in a bit of an offensive pickle. And offensive pickles can often lead to the defense spending way too much time on the field. And given opportunity, Jared Goff has been known to blow up scoreboards,
This year’s fantasy QB17 hasn’t had a statistically solid performance this season — his top fantasy outing came back in Week 5, when he dropped 20.1 fantasy points on the Bengals’ woeful (and, according to my buddy, drunk) defense.
Oh, one other check mark in the plus column for Goff: The Commanders aren’t particularly good at stopping opposing QBs, as they rank 30th in fantasy points allowed to signal callers.
Jared Goff PrizePicks Projection: 240.5 Pass Yards, 19.5 Rush Yards
Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy: Start ‘Em
Vikings vs Ravens - 1:00 p.m. ET
I’m not a McCarthy truther. But I could possibly be convinced.
This past Sunday, facing a pretty good (not great, pretty good) Detroit defense, the second-year rookie (does that make sense…of course it does) didn’t put up great reality numbers — 143 yards through the air, 54.5 QBR — but thanks to two tuddies through the air and one on the ground, McCarthy finished the game with 19.9 fantasy points (QB13), not bad for a second-year rookie.
The Ravens D is getting healthy — welcome back frightening pass rusher Roquan Smith — but last week in Miami, they allowed struggling Fins QB Tua Tagovailoa to rack up 261 yards through the air, his second-best total of the season. And (checks notes) Tua kinda stinks. So have fun, Double-J.
J.J. McCarthy PrizePicks Projection: 210.5 Pass Yards, 19.5 Rush Yards
Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence: Sit ‘Em
Jaguars @ Texans - 1:00 p.m. ET
Earlier this season, I had a conversation with a guy who knows way more about the NFL than any of us do, and I asked him if this could be Trevor Lawrence’s breakout year.
He said, “Trevor Lawrence will never have a breakout year. He has too many holes in his game.”
The fantasy numbers bear that out, as the man who many felt would be the next Andrew Luck currently sits at QB18, averaging 17.4 fantasy points per game, a mere 4 points ahead of the aforementioned Mr. Tagovailoa.
I’ll avoid Trev for the rest of the season, especially against a Houston defense that allows a league-best 11.2 fantasy points to opposing QBs.
Eagles QB Jalen Hurts: Sit ‘Em
Eagles @ Packers - 8:15 p.m. ET (Monday Night Football)
I know, I know, the defending Super Bowl champs are on an offensive heater, having topped 30 points in three of their previous five outings.
But this is a Monday Night game at Lambeau Field, and defensive menace Micah Parsons will want to do horrible, horrible things to his former NFC East rival, so this isn’t a number thing so much as it is a gut thing.
Jalen Hurts PrizePicks Projection: 199.5 Pass Yards, 30.5 Rush Yards
Saints RB Alvin Kamara: Start ‘Em
Saints @ Panthers - 1:00 p.m. ET
It feels like Alvin Kamara has been playing running back in this league for about 14 years. Fact is, he’s 30-years-old, and, despite a rough three weeks in which he’s amassed a total of 63 yards (ugh), I still think he has some gas in the tank.
He’ll be staring down a Panthers D that, over the last month, ranks 20th in the league in fantasy points allowed to opposing RBs (23.1), and if the Tennessee product is going to turn back the clock, Sunday is a damn good time to do just that.
Bears RB Kyle Monangai: Start ‘Em
Bears vs. Giants - 1:00 p.m. ET
Is the Chicago rookie a one-week wonder — 176 rushing yards and 19.8 fantasy points in his first-ever NFL start — or did he just get the right defense (the Bengals, ugh) at the right time?
If Bears RB1 D’Andre Swift overcomes his groin issues, it’s a distinct possibility that Chicago head coach Ben Johnson digs into his Detroit playbook; as offensive coordinator with the Lions, Johnson had a predilection for letting both Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery share the eating.
If that’s the case, here, Monangai could still be a solid fantasy play. But if Swift is still dealing with discomfort near his boy parts, an encore against a Giants D that, over the last three weeks has allowed a whopping 30.6 fantasy points to opposing RBs, an encore performance for the Rutgers product could be a thing.
Raiders RB Ashton Jeanty: Sit ‘Em
Raiders @ Broncos - 7:15 p.m. ET (Thursday Night Football)
On my fantasy draft night, I was thrilled when rookie (theoretical) sensation Ashton Jeanty fell into my lap in the second round.
Now, not so much.
The gentleman who I thought would put up video game numbers has managed 10.0 or less fantasy points in four of his eight outings, and he’s delivered just one killer fantasy performance, a 31.5 outburst against the Bears.
On Thursday, he has to deal with a Broncos D that’s the fifth-best in the league at stopping the rush. And the game’s in Denver. And it’s a short week. And Vegas QB Geno Smith gets worse by the week. So no thank you.
Ashton Jeanty PrizePicks Projection: 56.5 Rush Yards
Dolphins RB De’Von Achane: Sit ‘Em
Dolphins vs. Bills - 1:00 p.m. ET
In season-long leagues, Achane is an automatic start, but in DFS World, it’s worth a pause.
Sure, he’s this season’s RB8, but over the past three weeks, he’s been eminently meh, averaging 11.8 fantasy points, landing him at RB19 over that stretch.
Achane will try to get back on track against a Bills team that held the Chiefs to 79 rushing yards this past Sunday. And that won’t be an easy track. Not one bit.
De’Von Achane PrizePicks Projection: 58.5 Rush Yards
WR Jameson Williams: Start ‘Em
Lions @ Washington - 4:25 p.m. ET
Hey, remember the top of this article when I was going on and on about how awesome Detroit QB Jared Goff was gonna be against the demoralized Commanders? Well, when a QB goes off, the transitive property tells us that his receivers have to go off too, which is what the fourth-year speedster might just do.
Jameson Williams PrizePicks Projection: 47.5 Receiving Yards
Browns WR Jamari Thrash: Start ‘Em
Browns @ Jets - 1:00 p.m. ET
Confession: I’d never heard of Thrash until I began writing this article. But after doing some digging, I learned that the second-year man out of Louisville has caught 10 of his 14 targets, and averages 10.7 yards per reception.
On Sunday, the Browns share the field with the freefalling Jets, and considering Thrash will roll into the game as WR2/3 — not to mention that whole Jets thing — he’s worth a dart throw.
Bears WR Rome Odunze: Sit ‘Em
Bears vs. Giants - 1:00 p.m. ET
Here’s something you didn’t think you’d hear after the first week of the season: Bears sophomore WR Rome Odunze was shut out. No, he wasn’t hurt. No, he wasn’t facing a quality defense (Bengals, yuck). It was just one of those days.
But over the last four weeks, Odunze has had three of those one-of-those-days, managing a total of 17.7 fantasy points.
So the affable former Washington Husky stays on my metaphorical bench until further notice.
Panthers WR Tet McMillan: Sit ‘Em
Panthers vs. Saints - 1:00 p.m. ET
It could be argued that the 5-4 Panthers are 2025’s biggest surprise. This doesn’t mean they’re good or anything. They’re just not their typical tragic selves.
Rookie WR McMillan is the Cats’ ostensible WR1, but the numbers don’t bear that out, especially in FantasyLand, where he’s currently WR35, averaging 7.5 fantasy points per game.
It’s not like Carolina’s Week 10 opponent, the Saints, are particularly good at defense — they’re actually pretty bad, allowing the 27th-most points in the league — but this is sub-mediocre vs. sub-mediocre, and somebody has to win. Or lose. You get the point.
Tet McMillan PrizePicks Projection: 54.5 Receiving Yards
Commanders TE Zach Ertz: Start ‘Em
Commanders vs. Lions - 3:25 p.m. ET
Ertz is among the NFL’s best security blankets not just at the tight end position, but at all offensive skill positions. Here in 2025, he’s hauled in 31 of his 44 targets, finding paydirt through the air 4 times, the most receiving TDs on the Commanders.
Admittedly, Mariota has had moments of legitimacy in Daniels’ absence — dude was QB6 in Week 3 — and if Marcus is The Guy for the remainder of the season, he’ll need all the security blanketing he can get.
Bears TE Colston Loveland: Start ‘Em
Bears vs. Giants - 1:00 p.m. ET
Loveland was a statistical beast on Sunday, dropping 23.8 fantasy points, the highest of his short career by far. But it was against that terrible Bengals defense, and most of the points came on that infamous last-gasp game-winner, and fellow starting TE Cole Kmet missed most of the game due to a concussion.
But here in Week 10, the first-year man out of Michigan might have luck on his side once again.
Kmet’s status remains unknown, and the Jints allow the 18th-most fantasy points to opposing TEs, and coach Ben Johnson is learning to trust Loveland, so he might be a stellar waiver wire steal.
Raiders TE Brock Bowers: Sit ‘Em
Raiders @ Broncos - 7:15 p.m. ET (Thursday Night Football)
In season-long leagues, Bowers is a plug-and-play, but in DFS, who knows.
Sure, in his first fully-healthy game this season last Sunday, the sophomore went off to the tune of 31.3 fantasy points, the third-highest total at any position.
But his QB, Geno Smith, has been, um, oh, hmm, let’s go with great this season, decamped as fantasy’s QB30.
So this is a reverse Goff situation. If you’re catching balls from a good quarterback, you’ll consistently do well. If you’re catching balls from a QB30, consistency is barely a thing.
Brock Bowers PrizePicks Projection: 5.5 Receptions
Falcons TE Kyle Pitts Jr.: Sit ‘Em
Falcons @ Colts - 1:00 p.m. ET
Pitts is a regular visitor to our Sit ‘Em section, totally understandable, as the 25-year-old out of the University of Florida has never lived up to his post-college hype.
He’s racked up a total of 44.2 fantasy points, and it’s not like his QB, Michael Penix Jr., is Dan Marino 2.0.
Is Pitts two garbage performances away from being a waiver wire candidate? Methinks hells yes.
Kyle Pitts Jr. PrizePicks Projection: 47.5 Receiving Yards
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