NFL Fantasy Football Reactions: Week 10

Scoring in the NFL continues to be a bit on the frustrating side. In Sunday's early games, 12 of 16 teams had 10 or fewer points at the half. In the late-afternoon window, scoring was a little bit better, but only one of six teams had more than 14 points at halftime. At this point, it seems that aside from an occasional outlier week, depressed scoring will continue for the duration of the season.

I'll always try to give actionable advice at the end of each reaction. In addition to the fantasy takes, hopefully, some of these observations can also give you some ideas if you're thinking about placing some Week 10 NFL bets https://www.rotowire.com/betting/nfl/odds/week-10 . Let's take a look at the Sunday afternoon action. 

Sunday Takeaways

• For the first time in 19 games, CeeDee Lamb posted 100 yards. Before this game, he had one other huge game in his career, which came in Week 6 of 2021.  Against a solid Green Bay secondary, Lamb had the type of game that fantasy managers have been hoping to see for quite some time. Since Week 2, he posted at least 53 yards in every game, but coming out of the bye, hopefully the Cowboys have decided to feature Lamb heavily going forward. Those who invested in Lamb could get WR1 production the rest of the way if he's used as a true alpha WR, though that's far from a guarantee.
• I'm sure that Josh Allen is legitimately injured. But watching him play against the Vikings, it clearly made sense why the Bills started him. He appeared to be able to make all the necessary throws. He wasn't playing at a high level in his most recent games against the Jets and the Packers. That continued this week. And although his yardage was off the charts as both a runner and a passer, against Minnesota, mistakes continued to plague him. For the third game in a row, he threw a pair of interceptions. For fantasy, there are no worries at all. He'll continue to have an amazing weekly floor with an Incredible ceiling. But from an NFL standpoint, he doesn't look like the world beater he was earlier in the season.
• Going into the Minnesota game, I was worried that Gabe Davis would potentially suffer if Josh Allen's elbow was going to limit his ability to throw his typical laser beams. I thought the Buffalo coaching staff would limit the downfield passing attack to protect the QB's health. But although it wasn't bombs away for Allen, Davis was plenty involved in the offense. He was second on the team with eight targets while scoring a TD and coming up just short of 100 yards. He's been inconsistent for most of the season, but he should continue to be a boom-or-bust weekly lineup option.
• Cooper Kupp had an incredible loss in value with Matthew Stafford (concussion) missing the game against the Cardinals. This was legitimately the first bad fantasy game he's had in two years. Before leaving the game early in the fourth quarter with an injury, he caught three passes that resulted in negative one yard. Obviously, his fantasy value will be immediately restored if he checks out well from the injury and when Stafford returns to the lineup.
• When I did my rest-of-season rankings last week, I confidently put Justin Fields as the QB3. When a quarterback consistently posts the type of rushing yardage that Fields has over the last five games, he's basically a cheat code at the position. He's rushed for at least one touchdown in each of his last five games. He's also rushed for 80 or more yards in four of his last five games. And even though he rarely throws for 180 yards in a game, he's thrown multiple TD passes in each of the last three games. Aside from Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes, it'll be very difficult to rank any other QB ahead of him in any given week.
• Although nobody needs me to tell them that Justin Jefferson is great, sometimes we just need to admire greatness. After posting just 62 combined yards between Weeks 2 and 3, he's been on fire since. Over his last six games, he's posted at least 98 yards in each game. He also has three games with at least 147 yards during that stretch, and his 193 yards against the Bills was his best total of the season. Although he's only scored in two of the last eight games, TDs can be fickle, so don't be surprised if he scores in a solid number of games going forward.
• One of the worst parts of watching the Buccaneers offense this season has been their inability to run the football. I'm not sure if the Seahawks were just unprepared for this game that was played in Germany, but they made the Tampa Bay rushing attack look dominant. Not only did Leonard Fournette run for more than four yards per carry before injuring his hip and leaving the game, but Rachaad White rushed for over 100 yards on 4.8 yards per carry. I find it hard to believe that a season's worth of issues in the running game have been solved. However, the Buccaneers are on a bye this week. If there are adjustments they can make, they do have time to implement those changes. Aside from a matchup against the 49ers in December, the schedule against the run is fairly neutral. If Fournette's  hip injury is serious, White could be a fantasy football hero down the stretch. His ability as both a runner and receiver gives him the perfect combination of skills that could ensure that he's on the field and productive a high percentage of the time.
• Kenneth Walker had a terrible game on the ground against Tampa Bay. He only had 10 rushing attempts, resulting in 17 yards. In Walker's defense, he has been boom-or-bust as a runner on a per-carry basis in his young career. When given enough work, he eventually breaks off a big play or two to give him strong fantasy production. In a game in which Seattle trailed going into halftime, game script wasn't going to be his friend in the rushing game. However, opportunity came as a receiver. He caught six of eight targets which turned into an additional 55 yards. So even when the game didn't work out in the way many had hoped for, he still came through with a productive fantasy performance. I still think it's reasonable to view him as a top-12 option at running back going forward. There simply haven't been a big number of productive backs this year. And Walker has been one of the few to have shown the ability to post consistent production.
• Amon-Ra St. Brown was the only Lions receiver with more than three targets against the Bears. He ended up catching 10 of 11 passes while going over 100 yards for the first time since Week 2. Of course, that's a bit misleading. He did suffer an ankle injury in Week 3, so he's only had five healthy games this season  And even though he may not have the incredible weekly scoring floor that he had over the last month and a half of 2021, he's beginning to show the form that could give fantasy managers the confidence to expect him to perform as a top-15 option at wide receiver going forward.
• Alvin Kamara has been held to 62 or fewer scrimmage yards in each of his last two games. One of the reasons may be that he faced the physical defenses of the Ravens and the Steelers. Both of those units were able to attack the run while also putting Andy Dalton under an incredible amount of pressure. I see that portion of the schedule as simply a short-term problem. Once Kamara sees better matchups, he should go right back to being an elite fantasy option. Of course, it would help if Dalton threw him the ball at the same level he was before these last two matchups, when he only saw four targets in each game. But that may have had more to do with Dalton's reaction to pressure than anything in the game plan. It's likely Kamara returns to fantasy dominance soon.
• James Conner hadn't scored a TD since Week 1. In his second game back after missing three games with a rib injury, Conner finally gave us a small reminder of his magical 2021 season. Although his yardage was just decent, he found the end zone twice. Despite the solid performance, it seems unlikely that he's on his way back to being a strong fantasy factor. His opponent, the Rams, looked uninspired on defense in a game they played without QB Matthew Stafford. When healthy, he'll be a volume-based RB2 in 12-team leagues.
• The good news for Courtland Sutton is that he led the Broncos with 11 targets and six catches. The unfortunate news is that Jerry Jeudy was carted off the field and ruled out of the game early with an ankle injury. Sutton had significant struggles in the three games leading into Denver's bye week. but a couple of difficult matchups may help to explain some of those struggles. If Jeudy is forced to miss time,  Sutton should see enough volume in the passing game to return to top- 25 wide receiver status.
• When JuJu Smith-Schuster left the Chiefs game early with a head injury, it appears to have opened up some opportunity for Kadarius Toney in the offense. With five targets, Toney led all of the Chiefs' wide receivers, though he did trail Travis Kelce and Jerick McKinnon in targets. He was left uncovered on a TD reception, but otherwise he did appear to be a reliable target for Patrick Mahomes. Although I was fairly confident that he wouldn't see significant work in this offense for quite a while, I think he may have worked his way into being a regular part of the offense going forward. It still will be tough to rank him inside the top-30 wide receivers each week if everyone in Kansas City's passing attack is healthy. But it'll also be tough to rank him outside of the top-40 because of the offense he's in and the talent he possesses.
• After going through a portion of the season in which he struggled to consistently produce, Christian Kirk appears to have re-emerged as a strong fantasy option. He's now posted at least 76 yards in three of the last four games. He's also averaging seven catches and 9.5 targets over those four games. He'll likely have a few disappointing games the rest of the way, but with at least 60 yards in all but three games this season, he should be considered a very high-floor fantasy option in most games. 
• For those who are unsure, Jeff Wilson is here to stay. He was already playing at the highest level  of his career when he was with the 49ers this year. He was rushing for over five yards per carry. Amazingly, he looks even better with the Dolphins. Although he's sharing work in the backfield with Raheem Mostert, it's clear that he's the backfield leader. And he consistently was gaining large chunks of yardage on his runs in each of the first two games he's played for Miami. He's also been involved as a receiver. With defenses having to be very concerned about the speed of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, there should always be room for him to operate in the middle of the field. And once Wilson gets past the initial line of defense, that's exactly where he finds himself. I have no issue calling him a top-15 running back the rest of the way. 
• Donovan Peoples-Jones is looking like the real deal. After posting a season-high 99 yards against the Dolphins, he now has at least 71 yards in five of his last six games. And during that span, he hasn't gone below 50 yards. The only thing missing is that he has yet to find the end zone this season. With his consistent production since Week 4, it's difficult to rank him outside of the top-36 wide receivers going forward. And don't forget, he's only a few weeks away from getting a huge upgrade at quarterback when DeShaun Watson returns from his suspension. The entire Browns' passing attack could get a massive upgrade when Watson returns. 
• Christian Watson showed fantasy managers why many were excited about him when Green Bay drafted him this season. He burned the Cowboys on TD receptions of 58 and 39 yards on his way to a three-TD, 100-yard performance. He was also targeted on another end-zone pass, though Watson was unable to make the play. Unfortunately, he was probably on the bench or waiver wire in many leagues. It's certainly possible he has more production like this, but based on what we've seen this year, it's more likely he'll be a boom/bust fantasy option for the rest of his rookie season.
• Although Pittsburgh has an excellent pair of receiving weapons in Diontae Johnson and George Pickens, it looks as if Kenny Pickett is likely to continue to hold them back. The Steelers' passing attack lacks explosiveness with Pickett. After Pickens had a strong pair of games against the Jets and the Bills, he's been held to 32 or fewer yards in four of his last five games. He also has just a single TD on the season. Overall, the Pittsburgh offense is not scoring a ton of points, so the TDs may not have much chance of turning around. Pickens will certainly have the occasional big play to give him some strong yardage games,  but he may not reach his full fantasy potential until he has an upgrade in quarterback play, which may not happen until at least next year.
• To the surprise of almost everyone, Matt Ryan started at QB for the Colts. His presence immediately raised the floor for Parris Campbell, who had done very little when Sam Ehlinger was starting at QB. Should Ryan retain the QB job, Michael Pittman potentially regains the upside he had earlier in the season.

Injuries

• In the fourth quarter against the Cardinals, Cooper Kupp was helped to the sidelines, and he was unable to put weight on one of his leg due to an ankle injury. He was announced as doubtful to return soon after. If he misses time, a struggling Rams offense may become one of the worst offenses in the league.
• Zach Ertz suffered a knee injury in the first half and didn't return.
• JuJu Smith-Schuster sustained a concussion in the first half against the Jaguars.
• Early in the game against the Titans, Jerry Jeudy injured the back of his ankle, and was carted off the field and was ruled out of the game.
• In the fourth quarter, Khalil Herbert injured his hip and was ruled out of the contest.
• Leonard Fournette was removed from the game in the fourth quarter due to a hip pointer.