Fantasy football strategy, rankings, and podcasts

Welcome to Statistically (in)Significant, the place to find great stats that probably only matter at the water cooler (or bar). Each week I'll dig through the stats of the week gone by and deliver you some choice conversation starters. All fantasy stats are standard Yahoo scoring, unless otherwise noted.

3 Hot WR Pickups This Week

So far, week 6 has seen 4 WRs go over 20 points. We all watched Tyreek Hill go off for three scores on Sunday night, but there were three surprises Sunday afternoon that will be popular waiver pickups tomorrow. Albert Wilson, Tyrell Williams and Cole Beasley all put up at least 22 points while helping their teams to wins. All three players are currently owned in no more than 10% of Yahoo leagues. For Wilson, this is his third time in double digits on the season and is actually the WR16 so far this year. He was gaining more targets under Tannehill, and then had a season high of 9 with backup QB Brock Osweiler in on Sunday, so Wilson is definitely trending in the right direction. Williams and Beasley are a different story. Between them, their previous high was Beasley's 7.3 points in week 1. Williams seems to get 3-4 receptions per week, so he is a dart throw as a replacement. Beasley's usage is chaotic, and I still don't know what to make of the Cowboys offense. Hopefully you just have Tyreek Hill on your team and you're not so worried.

2 Games over 30 Points

Speaking of the best WR in fantasy football this year, Tyreek Hill now has two games north of the 30 point mark and he is now the #1 standard and #2 PPR scoring at his position. Hill as a wide receiver is what I imagine Devin Hester would have looked like, if he was any good at playing the position. Hill now has 27 TDs (both returning and receiving) in 37 games - 19 of those scores are 30 yards or longer. An exciting player, he is feast or famine for your fantasy team. Going into this week, he had turned in three straight performances of under 10 points. Despite this chaos (or maybe because he creates it), Hill is thriving and getting better as a WR. He's established himself as a red zone target for Patrick Mahomes, with a pair of 1-yard TDs on the season so far. He's also on pace for 90 receptions this year, 15 more than the career high he set last season.  If Hill and Mahomes stay  healthy, this is going to be a hell of a fantasy football combo for quite a while.

19.60 Fantasy Points

Hey, that's a pretty good performance from a running back. Should be good for top 10 any week, maybe top 5. The thing about that specific point total is that it represents the floor on the season for Todd Gurley. Gurley's season is so good that he's second only to Patrick Mahomes in total fantasy points.  Gurley is averaging 25.8 points per week, more than 3 points per game higher than the RB2, Melvin Gordon. In fact, Gordon has 3 games where he didn't even reach Gurley's floor - and Gordon's floor is 14.40 points this year, also incredible! What I'm getting at is that great running backs seem to be in abundance in Los Angeles this year. Gurley is now leading the league with 11 TDs on the season - 9 rushing and 2 in the air. His 9 on the ground are just 4 behind his league leading 13 last season. He's scored at least 1 TD every game this season.  This is just an incredible performance from the preseason #1 draft pick.

5 Consecutive 300+ Yard Games

Yeah, I've mentioned him several times already, but he deserves his own entry, doesn't he? Patrick Mahomes has now thrown for over 300 yards in his last 5 games. The game he didn't throw for that many, he just had 4 TDs. Mahomes is averaging 27 fantasy points per game and sports an 18:4 touchdown to interception ratio. Mahomes' streak of 5 games at 300+ yards is impressive, but he's got a long way to go to match Drew Brees' mark of 9 games, which he reached twice. Another impressive streak is Adam Thielen going for over 100 yards in 6 straight games to start the season. This is now just one game shy of matching the record for consecutive 100 yard games to start the season. He's just two games behind Calvin Johnson's all time mark of 8 straight games with 100 yards. Thielen is the WR2 on the season, and amazingly consistent as all his games are between 10.5 and 19 points.

27 Fantasy Points - From a Kicker!

Congrats to Jets kicker Jason Myers, for making 7/7 FGs and 3/3 XPs on his way to outscoring the Titans (0), Raiders (3), Jaguars (7) and Bills (13) combined! Two other kickers passed the 20 fantasy point mark on Sunday, Stephen Gostkowski and Cowboys kicker Brett Maher. Maher is leading all kickers with an average of 13 points per game over his last 4 games. The best part is that he's only owned in 6% of Yahoo leagues. There were some interesting D/ST performances as well. We saw the Bears finally stumble, and the Ravens score the cleanest 21 points I can think of. They had 11 sacks (ELEVEN!) and got 10 points for completing the shutout, something the Raiders had to take away from the Seahawks. At least the Raiders prevented the fine people of London from seeing yet another shutout.

Trends are a topic that I like to get into once the football season has had enough time to let them develop properly. Looking back on the past few weeks can tell us a lot about the future fantasy production of players, in some cases. I've selected 2 players each from QB/RB/WR positions to take a look at what direction I think they are headed in for the last half of the season. Those players trending up can also be seen as good targets to try and acquire before the trade deadline in your league(s). Percentage owned is taken from Yahoo as of 10/24/18.

QB

Russell Wilson (92% owned, #22 QB, 104.52 fantasy pts total)

Week 4 @ARI (19/26, 172 yds, 0 TD, 8.98 pts)

Week 5 LAR (13/21, 198 yds, 3 TDs, 19.92 pts)

Week 6 @OAK (17/23, 222 yds, 3 TDs, 21.88 pts)

• A rough start for the former QB1 in fantasy, but just rested through a bye week and now with Doug Baldwin healthy and performing (6/8, 91 yds in Week 6), Tyler Lockett locked in as the WR2, and a 3-headed rushing attack that is starting to come together, we could see Wilson come back to life in the 2^nd half of the season. In Week 8 he goes up against a Detroit passing defense that has allowed 8 TDs over the past 3 games. Russell Wilson should continue to pick up speed over the next few weeks and come close to his initial value as a top QB to own and start in fantasy.

Mitchell Trubisky (66% owned, #8 QB, 142.26 fantasy pts total)

Week 4 TB (19/26, 354 yds, 6 TDs, 0 INTs, 43.46 pts)

Week 6 @MIA (22/31, 316 yds, 3 TDs, 1 INT, 28.34 pts)

Week 7 NE (26/50, 333 yds, 2 TDs, 2 INTs, 33.42 pts)

• Trubisky has been an exceptional fantasy QB over the last 3 games that he has played, no question about it. The real question is whether or not these point totals are sustainable and if we should be worried about the rising trend of interceptions juxtaposed with the falling TDs. Both TB (#1) and NE (#7) are in the top 10 worst passing defenses in the league. He faces the Jets in Week 8, a middle of the road passing defense. I'm concerned about the trend above of less TDs and more INTs, but Trubisky is locked-in as a starting QB now in fantasy until he proves otherwise. He is definitely a SELL for me though, if you have another good option it may be worth it to find a trade partner before he comes back down to Earth.

RB

David Johnson (100% owned, #11 RB, 82.10 fantasy pts total)

Week 5 @SF (18/55 rush/yds, 2 TDs, 2/16 rec/yds, 19.10 pts)

Week 6 @MIN (18/54 rush/yds, 1 TD, 2/15 rec/yds, 10.90 pts)

Week 7 DEN (14/39 rush/yds, 3/31 rec/yds, 7.00 pts)

• At first glance, #11 RB isn’t so bad, but it is for David Johnson. Drafted top 3 for the past few years, Johnson enjoyed much success with former coach Bruce Arians calling the shots in Arizona. Johnson also had a seasoned QB under center. He may be able to break the top 10 and start performing at a high level again with the firing of OC Mike McCoy and switch to one of Arians’ pupils, Byron Leftwich, taking over offensive play calling duties. David Johnson faces a porous opponent Week 8 in the 49ers, who are currently the 7^th worst rushing defense, allowing just under 100 yards and 1 TD per game on average. Things should turn around immediately for Johnson and get even better after the Cardinals' bye week. This is likely the lowest that David Johnson's value will be for the next few years.

Latavius Murray (79% owned, #24 RB, 60.70 fantasy pts total)

Week 5 @PHI (11/42 rush/yds, 2/14 rec/yds, 5.6 pts)

Week 6 ARI (24/155 rush/yds, 1 TD, 1/3 rec/yds, 21.80 pts)

Week 7 @NYJ (15/69 rush/yds, 2 TDs, 2/14 rec/yds, 20.30 pts)

• The latest news on Dalvin Cook is that he will be out through the Vikings’ Week 10 bye. That means Murray has at least two more weeks to lead the backfield, and he has been impressing with good consistency over the past couple of games. Week 8’s opponent, the New Orleans Saints, have been great against the run (no one has gone over 80 yards against them) but Murray will still have some opportunities at the goal-line to collect fantasy points and then faces up against a generous Lions’ rushing defense. With bye weeks and injuries hitting now over the middle of the season, Murray is an excellent play until Cook gets healthy enough to return.

WR

Emmanuel Sanders (96% owned, #3 WR, 94.72 fantasy pts total)

Week 5 @NYJ (9/72 rec/yds, 7.20 pts)

Week 6 LAR (7/115 rec/yds, 1 TD, 17.50 pts)

Week 7 @ARI (6/102 rec/yds, 1 TD, 21.32 pts)

• Sanders was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week in Week 7, and he has clearly been the best WR on the Broncos this season. In fact, he is sitting right at #3 among all WRs in fantasy points so far in standard leagues. There was some concern over his ankle injury late in the game against the Cardinals, but he has since been removed from the injury report and should be good to go against the Chiefs in Week 8 who are giving up a ton of yards to opposing receivers. Sanders should continue to feast!

Jordy Nelson (71% owned, #37 WR, 52.30 fantasy pts total)

Week 4 CLE (5/48 rec/yds, 1 TD, 12.80 pts)

Week 5 @LAC (4/43 rec/yds, 1 TD, 10.30 pts)

Week 6 SEA (2/6 rec/yds, 0.60 pts)

• Nelson has had a big game this season (Week 3: 6/173 rec/yds) and scored 3 TDs so far, but his role has been chaotic at best on the Raiders – certainly an accurate reflection of the state of the team in general. With former WR1 Amari Cooper having been traded to the Cowboys, Jordy Nelson should immediately take over that position and his share of targets should increase. In weeks 3 (23.3 pts) and 4 (12.8 pts) Nelson had 8 targets each and his highest fantasy totals of the season. We can use this as a measuring stick to determine that his fantasy production going forward should be between 10 and 20 points per game in a standard league Grab him off the wire or try and buy him low if possible.

The trade deadline was yesterday, and it made a great wooshing sound as it went past. The NFL is considerably more active with trades during the season compared to when we started the site back in 2011. The trade deadline may not result in moves that tip the balance of the league, like in the MLB, but there’s plenty of fantasy relevant moves that just might tip the balance in your league. First, we’ll start with two trades that happened in the last couple weeks, then the three fantasy relevant trades that happened yesterday.

Carlos Hyde, Browns to the Jaguars – This trade was made in an attempt to fill in for Leonard Fournette, who can't stay on the field this year. The Jaguars really need help in their backfield, and Hyde is a reasonable upgrade and will split work with T.J. Yeldon. The Jaguars have shown that they cannot lean on the passing game. They have won only one game this season without Fournette in the lineup. Long story short, the Jags need to have a strong run game to have any chance to return to the AFC Championship game this year.

                Jaguars Fantasy Impact – The Jaguars are on bye this week, giving Hyde an extra week to get up to speed. Reports are that Fournette will also try to return for Week 10, but that’s far from certain, so we’ll see what the injury reports say next week. If Fournette returns, this would likely be at the expense of T.J. Yeldon’s touches. Hyde and Fournette will likely share the load, though both have been underwhelming this year. Fournette has just 90 scrimmage yards in two games and is a 50/50 chance to re-injure himself as hamstring injuries can be tricky. Hyde got only 6 carries against the Eagles last week, though it was just his first game as a Jaguar. This year, Hyde has a career low 3.3 yards per carry, and only had 6 catches in 6 games in Cleveland, after getting 59 last season. Hyde’s bright spot is that he’s found the end zone 5 times this year.   TL:DR; Hyde and Fournette will split work until one of them shows any glimpses of competence. T.J. Yeldon is the odd man out, IF Fournette plays. That’s (literally) a big if.

                Browns Fantasy Impact – Not only has the Browns backfield been shaken up by this move, but now they will have a new Head Coach and OC to work with on Sunday. It’s tough to say what the new crew will do, but they would be well advised to keep feeding Nick Chubb. Getting Chubb the ball is perhaps the entire point of this trade in the first place. Chubb has taken the ball 18 times in each of the last 2 games, tacking on 2 receptions as well. He leads the league with 6.1 yards per carry, so I expect Chubb to continue getting the ball, depending on game flow. The next 3 opponents for the Browns are the Chiefs, Falcons and Bengals – all teams that are in the top 8 for giving up points to opposing RBs. Duke Johnson used to play the change of pace role in this offense, but he has been a ghost most of the year. He’s lagging well behind last year’s numbers in every category, and his usage did not pick up in the last two weeks with Hyde gone. Johnson is talented and available in a lot of leagues, but cannot be counted on yet.                        TL:DR; Chubb’s stock is way up with this trade and could flirt with low RB1 status the next few weeks. Duke Johnson should be a worthy PPR flex play, but cannot be counted on for now.

Amari Cooper, Raiders to Cowboys – The story of this trade is the price that the Cowboys were willing to pay for Cooper. This doesn’t matter much for fantasy, but it is nice to see someone get completely dominated in a trade, just like you see in your own league. The Cowboys are desperate for a deep threat to relieve some pressure for Ezekiel Elliot, but this is unlikely to be the answer. In Oakland, the fire sale is in full effect after the trade of Khalil Mack to start the season.John Gruden is stockpiling 1^st round draft picks like they’re freeze-dried meals and Y2K is coming up. To be fair, it’s perhaps the only sensible move that the Raiders have made since Gruden took charge, and it’s mostly because it’s possible this goes down as one of the worst trades the Cowboys have made, considering this could wind up being a top-10 pick.

                Cowboys Fantasy Impact – Cooper obviously slides in as an every down receiver, and is probably in a better situation than he was in Oakland. He still hasn’t been active in Dallas, but there’s no fantasy relevant WR that he’s even displacing. Even so, I don’t expect Cooper to do very much. For a guy who was once thought of as a top 10 WR in the league (drafted 4^th overall in 2015), he’s fallen off a cliff. Since Week 9 of 2016, Cooper has only 4 games with 100+ yards during that span of 30 games. He reached that level 9 times in his first 24 games.                        TL:DR; Don’t count on Cooper to be fantasy relevant, and he’s not displacing anyone else on the Cowboys, so there’s no fantasy impact? I’m officially confused by this move.

                Raiders Fantasy Impact – The Raiders have only had one game since this trade, and against the Colts, when they were down by multiple scores and still put up 28 points, there were just 7 receptions spread among the 4 WRs that played in the game. Jordy Nelson had just one catch and cannot be counted on. Brandon LaFell is not going to pick up the slack. Jalen Richard wound up with 8 receptions, and it looks like he might be the only fantasy player on the Raiders who is making positive changes.       TL:DR; The Raiders are bad and they should feel bad. Richard might fill in and be a flex in PPR leagues, but seriously, don’t rely on the Raiders to win fantasy games.

Demaryius Thomas, Broncos to Texans – Now we’re on to the deadline-day trades. Thomas’s name was associated with several teams, but he wound up going to Houston to join one of the hottest teams in the league (5 wins in a row counts, right?). The Texans are clearly better when they have two deep threats, and with Will Fuller on the IR, they had a big hole to fill. Good on the Texans for going out and getting a reasonable replacement. Thomas has struggled this year, but he’s getting a large upgrade at QB. The Broncos are also in a partial rebuilding phase, and have been riding Emmanuel Sanders all year anyways. Courtland Sutton is a good looking rookie who needs more time on the field, so this move makes a lot of sense from both sides.

                Texans Fantasy Impact – This impact should be pretty straightforward. Will Fuller just put big numbers last week, then tore his ACL at the end of the game.Thomas will attempt to be a direct replacement for Fuller. Keke Coutee, if healthy, could be a wild card that takes a bit of work from Thomas, however there’s probably room for 3 WRs to be fantasy relevant if Deshaun Watson is playing as well as he can.           TL:DR; Fuller is out, Thomas is in. Coutee could be a wild card, but I would only count on the healthiest WR on the Texans, aside from that Hopkins guy. He’s pretty good.

                Broncos Fantasy Impact – It’s hard to increase Emmanuel Sanders’ performance on this season, considering he’s the #7 WR on the season. I expect Sanders to remain steady as he’s clearly the favorite target of Case Keenum. Courtland Sutton is the story here. The rookie has made several flashy plays this season, and now will be up for a lot more work than before. Sutton’s ceiling this year has been 3 receptions, so there’s a lot of room for growth there. He’s also averaging 19.1 yards per catch, so increased snaps, targets and receptions will help stretch the offense and will open up space for both Sanders and the running backs. The next 3 matchups for the Broncos is a mixed bag, so don’t expect immediate results.               TL:DR; Sanders remains a top 10 option, Sutton is now the new rookie hotness and he can quickly become a fantasy relevant WR.

Ty Montgomery, Packers to Ravens – This is a trade that was definitely not going to happen last Saturday, but was pretty obviously coming by Tuesday, due to Montgomery basically being blamed (rightfully so) for the Packers loss to the Rams. Montgomery’s boneheaded move got him traded for just a 2020 seventh round pick. The only way that could feel worse is if he was getting sent to the Raiders. The Ravens probably didn’t need another RB on their team, but Ozzie Newsome knows a bargain when he sees one.

                Ravens Fantasy Impact – I’m don’t think that Montgomery is worthy of weekly fantasy starts, considering that he’s going to be firmly behind Alex Collins on the depth chart. I don’t expect him to take much work away from Collins, so you can relax there if Collins is on your team. Buck Allen looks like the odd man out with this move, but since he’s not very relevant this year, that’s not a big change. Montgomery is only owned in 17% of Yahoo leagues, and that’s probably right. He can stay on the waiver wire for now.            TL:DR; Alex Collins stays the same, Buck Allen will lose snaps, but Montgomery isn’t even worth owning, so overall, there’s not much change.

                Packers Fantasy Impact – The Packers backfield has long been thought of as a potential El Dorado, but usually winds up being fool’s gold instead. Montgomery’s 6 touches per game will need to go somewhere, yes, but adding 6 touches per game to Aaron Jones is not how this math is going to work out. Yes, Jones is the back to own on the Packers, but the Packers never seem to commit to the run, or even one RB. Jamaal Williams also stands to benefit, but much like Buck Allen, he wasn’t fantasy relevant in the first place. This little bump is unlikely to change things on that front. I think the real impact of this move will be the message that’s sent to the rest of the team.                 TL:DR; Don’t fuck with Aaron Rodgers. Aaron Jones needs to get the ball more, but probably won’t. Still, he should be rostered everywhere.

Golden Tate, Lions to Eagles – Wrapping up our trade discussion is the best offensive player to be traded on Tuesday, Golden Tate. Tate gets the rare double bye week this season, which sucks for those of you with him on your team. Tate is averaging 10.5 points per game this season, which is good for top 25 in both average and overall points. This is the one trade that I wasn’t expecting. The Lions are looking to get something out of Tate instead of letting him walk at the end of the year. They know they aren’t likely to move on to the playoffs. The Eagles are trying to get rid of their Super Bowl hangover, and as a person who has had hangovers before, sometimes you just gotta try something different.

                Eagles Fantasy Impact – This is the toughest impact for me to figure out. I don’t expect Alshon Jeffery to lose any work. He has 4 TDs in 5 games and is averaging nearly 70 yards per game this year. Nelson Agholor is likely the odd man out, as he plays in the slot like Tate, but is not nearly as prolific as a run after the catch guy. Tate is averaging nearly 3 yards per catch more than Agholor, and as a slot receiver, those are all yards that Tate has earned by himself. Still, I’m not sure how this situation is really going to shake out for the 4-4 Eagles.            TL:DR; Tate will remain a WR3, likely at the expense of Nelson Agholor. Don’t expect Alshon Jeffery’s value to go up or down significantly. Also I’m the least certain about this than any other team listed here.

                Lions Fantasy Impact – The Lions are going to continue throwing the ball a lot. Stafford has 273 yards per game this year, and that’s a lot of yardage to go around. Marvin Jones is likely to see a small boost in his targets. I expect last year’s rookie Kenny Golladay to be the biggest beneficiary of this move, similar to Courtland Sutton. Look for Brandon Powell, an undrafted free agent and punt returner to get a look in the slot. Realistically, Theo Riddick is the one who’s likely to absorb those passes that are over the middle, short yardage, and third down work.                 TL:DR; Jones and Golladay will see  a bump, Powell is going to get a look, but isn’t fantasy relevant. Riddick is going to be a PPR nut once again.

Welcome back to the Rookie Report! We've made it to the double-digit weeks, which means we're in the home stretch of the fantasy regular season. Week 9 saw the surprising debut of Nick Mullens, and an apocalyptic performance by Sam Darnold against the Dolphins. DJ Moore's purported breakout didn't quite go according to plan, but Calvin Ridley found his way back into the end zone and Marquez Valdes-Scantling continued his mid-season surge. Let's take a look at what to expect in week 10, and which rookies could help you improve your playoff positioning this week.

Rookies to Start:

RB Saquon Barkley, NYG (Wk. 10: @SF): Of course you're starting Barkley in season-long leagues, but he should be a chalky play in DFS cash games this week as well. The 49ers should let him have a solid receiving day since only 4 teams have allowed more RB receptions and only 4 have allowed more RB receiving TDs on the year. Barkley has been the engine of the Giants' offense, and he's a strong RB1 this week once again.

RB Nick Chubb, CLE (Wk. 10: vs. Atl.): Duke Johnson is the more popular name after last weekend's 9-catch, 2-score game, but Chubb still notched more than 20 carries and faces a Falcons' defense that ranks 31st in Football Outsiders' run defense DVOA. There's room in this matchup for both Chubb and Duke to be solid RB2s.

WR Calvin Ridley, ATL (Wk. 10: @Cle.): Ridley got back into the end zone last week, and he's a reasonable WR3 option this week. The Browns aren't a great matchup, ranking 2nd in pass defense DVOA, but they have allowed the 11th-most WR points per game (all point totals and ranks are based on PPR scoring). This isn't a matchup to run away from. Ridley should be a solid WR3, but I wouldn't hold it against you if you had 3 really solid options to play over him and sat him.

Borderline Rookies:

QB Baker Mayfield, CLE (Wk. 10: vs. Atl.): Atlanta has allowed the 3rd-most QB points per game on the year. They've allowed 6 of 7 QBs faced to reach 300 passing yards, and 6 of 7 to reach at least 20 fantasy points. Mayfield has thrown multiple TDs in 3 consecutive games. Mayfield should be a high floor QB2 this week with some appeal as a back-end QB1 in 12-team or deeper leagues.

RB Sony Michel, NE (Wk. 10: @Ten.): Sony should be active this week, but the Pats could ease him back in after the success Cordarrelle Patterson had at running back against Green Bay. The Titans are a tough matchup, allowing the 4th-fewest RB fantasy points per game, but it'll be tough to sit him if it looks like he'll get his usual role back. Sony tallied at least 92 rushing yards and a TD in each of the 3 full games he played.

RB Kerryon Johnson, DET (Wk. 10: @Chi.): The Lions' offense really sputtered in their first game after dealing away Golden Tate. It was a tough matchup against a strong Vikings' defense, but things don't get much easier for Kerryon and company this week in Chicago. Johnson still has some upside, but the Bears are allowing the fewest RB fantasy points per game, and Theo Riddick's return has put a damper on KJ's receiving opportunities. Kerryon should be viewed as an upside flex play this weekend.

WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling, GB (Wk. 10: vs. Mia.): Valdes-Scantling has been running as the number 2 WR for the Packers, even with Randall Cobb and Geronimo Allison back on the field, and Allison suffered a season-ending groin injury last Sunday night. I'm not quite ready to go all-in on MVS due to his reliance on big plays to post fantasy production, but he's managed to reach double-digit scoring in 4 straight games. The number 2 WR in any Aaron Rodgers offense is a fantasy threat. The Dolphins are allowing just the 9th-fewest WR points per game, but MVS should be a boom-or-bust WR3 option.

WR Christian Kirk, ARI (Wk. 10: @KC): The Cardinals will undoubtedly be throwing a lot in this one as 17(!)-point underdogs to Kansas City. Kirk has been the most consistent fantasy WR in Arizona, averaging just under 13 PPR points per game in his past 6 contests. There's always some risk in this low-floor offense, especially now that there is a new coordinator who may try to get DJ and Fitz more involved, but Kirk's upside makes him a decent WR3 option in deeper PPR formats.

WR DJ Moore, CAR (Wk. 10: @Pit.): Moore was a big letdown in a great matchup last Sunday, but he may have been limited by Carolina playing from way ahead most of the day. I wouldn't expect the same result in the Steel City. Pittsburgh isn't as tantalizing a matchup as Tampa, but it's not far behind. The Steelers allow the 6th-most WR points per game. I don't know if this will come up in the game, but the Steelers also have allowed 10 yards per carry to WRs on the 4 attempts they've faced, and Moore is averaging 17 yards per rush on 7 carries. I'd expect a carry or 2 for DJ again. If you were burned by Moore last week, you may hesitate to roll the dice again, but I would be willing to go back to that well.

Rookies to Sit:

QB Nick Mullens, SF (Wk. 10: vs. NYG.): Mullens technically isn't a rookie after spending all of 2017 on the 49ers practice squad, but I'll make an exception and include him after his breakout NFL debut last Thursday. I'd be surprised if Mullens manages to replicate his performance this week. The Giants allowed fewer than 240 passing yards in 5 games out of 8, and a total of just 5 TD passes in those 5 games. There is some appeal in deeper 2-QB leagues or as a cheap DFS tournament option, but he carries a ton of risk.

QB Sam Darnold, NYJ (Wk. 10: vs. Buf.): Darnold fell flat on his face in a plus matchup last week, and gets a much tougher one this Sunday. The Bills have allowed 10 fantasy points or fewer to 4 of the last 7 QBs they've faced, and they've allowed more than 1 passing touchdown to just one of them. Darnold isn't worth the risk even in 2QB leagues this week.

RBs Nyheim Hines & Jordan Wilkins, IND (Wk. 10: vs. Jax.): There is some deep league PPR upside for Hines, but Jacksonville allows just the 7th-fewest RB points per game and has given up the 2nd-fewest RB receptions. Wilkins is stuck behind Marlon Mack on early downs. Mack's big performances late have made Wilkins useless for fantasy purposes.

RB Rashaad Penny, SEA (Wk. 10: @LAR): Even if Chris Carson sits, Penny just isn't getting enough opportunities to be a useful option. Mike Davis is going to see the lion's share of the work if Carson is out.

WR Tre'Quan Smith, NO (Wk. 10: @Cin.): Tre'Quan has struggled to breakout as the Saints' WR2, and New Orleans added Dez Bryant this week. Smith may still work as the number 2 guy this week, and there's always big potential as the WR2 in this offense, but he's got no more than 3 catches in a game and has only topped 44 yards once. If you're considering using him, keep a close eye on the expected playing time for Dez this week.

WR Michael Gallup, DAL (Wk. 10: @Phi.): I was tempted to call Gallup a sleeper this week, but it's hard to get too excited about his upside in this offense even if he's the WR2. Philly has allowed the 4th-most WR points per game, and Gallup has averaged 3 catches for 66 yards in the past 2 games. There's some upside if you want to roll the dice on him as a DFS punt option, but I probably wouldn't consider him for much more than that.

TE Dallas Goedert, PHI (Wk. 10: vs. Dal.): Goedert is basically a TD dart throw this week against a defense that has allowed just 2 tight end scores on the year. He's posted a total of 10-111-2 over the past 5 games.

TE Chris Herndon, NYJ (Wk. 10: vs. Buf.): Herndon's role has been growing, but he faces a tough matchup this week. The Bills rank 4th in pass defense DVOA on throws to tight ends, and have allowed an average of 2-26 per game over the past 5 games and gave up 2 scores to the position in that span. You're basically praying for a TD if you play him.

Deep-League Sleepers, Stashes, and Cheap DFS Options:

QB Josh Rosen, ARI (Wk. 10: @KC): The Chiefs have been improving steadily against the pass, so Rosen is probably no more than a QB2 in the deepest of leagues, but Rosen has had an extra week to get ready for this game and the new offensive coordinator had an extra week to get David Johnson more involved. As improved as they are, Kansas City has still allowed the 6th-most QB points per game. Rosen has a reasonable chance to post his best fantasy game of the year.

RB Ito Smith, ATL (Wk. 10: @Cle.): Tevin Coleman seems to have a firm grasp on the receiving work out of the backfield, but Ito continues to play a significant role as a runner. He's an intriguing flex option this week against a Browns' team that has allowed a league-high 12 RB rushing scores and ranks 30th in run defense DVOA. He's a better option in non-PPR leagues.

RB Josh Adams, PHI (Wk. 10: vs. Dal.): This might not be the best week to run Adams out there in lineups with the Cowboys ranking 4th in run defense DVOA. Josh's recent success has come as a runner, not as a receiver. Still, his 9-61 rushing day before last week's bye should at least earn him a bigger role moving forward in a wide-open backfield. He's worthy of a stash this week, and decent desperation option in deep leagues.

WR Antonio Callaway, CLE (Wk. 10: vs. Atl.): Callaway's efficiency has been improving in the last couple weeks, and this is a prime matchup with the Falcons allowing the 3rd-most WR points per game. Antonio remains an upside option in deeper leagues.

WR DJ Chark, JAX (Wk. 10: @Ind.): Chark seemed to be ascending in this offense before the bye, posting 4 catches in back-to-back games. The matchup this week isn't enticing with the Colts ranking in the top-10 in the league at limiting WR points, but Chark is an intriguing stash in deeper leagues. He's got size and speed to burn, so his upside goes way up if the Jaguars start to utilize him downfield.

That's all I've got for this week. Hopefully it helps you with your tough lineup decisions involving the rookies this week. Keep a close eye on the injury report and make sure you don't play any players who wind up being inactive. Feel free to reach out on twitter if you have specific questions or want to yell at me about anything written above (@Shawn_Foss). As always: Good luck, trust your gut, and have fun. It's just a game.