START/BENCH: Week 10

It’s the 10th week of the 2023 fantasy football campaign. The stretch run isn’t here yet, but it’s just around the corner. There is no shortage of 3-6, 4-5 and 5-4 teams badly in need of a win in Week 10. And the fantasy gods aren’t making things easy on them.

At quarterback, injuries and benchings have hit a number of teams. Those injuries don’t just affect the quarterback position, either. It’s not entirely rookie Aidan O’Connell’s fault that Las Vegas wide receiver Davante Adams has all of 12 catches for 102 yards over the last three games combined and is hanging on to “studs” status by the narrowest of margins. But the uncertainty under center in Sin City isn’t helping matters any.

At running back, last week was just — weird. The No. 1 running back for the week was Tampa Bay’s Rachaad White, who has barely maintained low-end RB2 value this season. The No. 3 running back (New England’s Rhamondre Stevenson) has been one of fantasy football’s biggest disappointments at the position in 2023.

At wide receiver, the Week 10 byes are blasting the top of the leaderboard at the position. Miami’s Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Philadelphia’s A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. The Los Angeles Rams’ Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua. All are off this week.

And at tight end, over the past three weeks New Orleans’ Taysom Hill is the highest-scoring player at the position in Sharks League Scoring, because of course he is. There’s no Travis Kelce this week, either — Kansas City is the fourth team taking Week 10 off.

The fantasy landscape is undulating more than a hippo on a waterbed — and right now all we can do is try to hang on.

QUARTERBACKS

STUDS

Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City (BYE)

Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia (BYE)

Josh Allen, Buffalo (vs. Denver)

Lamar Jackson, Baltimore (vs. Cleveland)

Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers (vs. Detroit)

Tua Tagovailoa, Miami (BYE)

Joe Burrow, Cincinnati (vs. Houston)

ROLL THEM OUT

Jared Goff, Detroit (at Los Angeles Chargers): For the season, Goff sits in high-end QB2 territory in fantasy points. But there isn’t a team in the AFC surrendering more fantasy points per game to quarterbacks than the Chargers.

Will Levis, Tennessee (at Tampa Bay): Last week, the Tampa Bay defense allowed the biggest passing day by a rookie yardage-wise in the history of the NFL. Now Tampa Bay will face another in Will Levis, DeAndre Hopkins and Tennessee.

Brock Purdy, San Francisco (at Jacksonville): Purdy started the season red-hot but has struggled with turnovers in recent weeks. He had the bye week to shake off the picks, he should get Deebo Samuel back this week and Jacksonville has been a favorable fantasy matchup this season for quarterbacks.

Geno Smith, Seattle (vs. Washington): Smith was mostly awful last week against Baltimore and hasn’t come close to approaching last year’s statistical success so far this season. But Washington’s 27th-ranked pass defense presents a good “get right” opportunity.

SIT THEM DOWN

Joshua Dobbs, Minnesota (vs. New Orleans): After last week’s heroics, some fantasy managers might be considering Dobbs as a bye-week fill-in. But New Orleans isn’t a good matchup, and Dobbs was wildly inconsistent from week to week during his time with Arizona.

Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville (vs. San Francisco): Lawrence is hard to sit, and Joe Burrow showed two weeks ago that San Francisco can be had through the air. But even after that game, San Francisco is a Bottom 10 fantasy matchup for opposing defenses.

Deshaun Watson, Cleveland (at Baltimore): Watson actually played pretty well last week against Arizona. But Baltimore is second in pass defense and lead the league in fewest fantasy points per game given up to quarterbacks.

Russell Wilson, Denver (at Buffalo): To his credit, Wilson has looked better of late. But he’s still just 18th in fantasy points among quarterbacks and draws a Buffalo defense Monday night that’s 26th in points per reception (PPR) points per game given up to quarterbacks this season.