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We almost lost our top line game last week when the Raiders nearly pulled off the comeback to beat the Seahawks in Seattle. This brings up an interesting point though. As most of you who read this know, I am a HUGE Raiders fan (pause for sympathy). Watching Oakland pulling closer and closer to the defending champs last week, I wasn’t thinking about losing my top line game. The only thing that was on my mind was the potential of my team pulling off one of the biggest upsets in recent memory.

Whether it is with your confidence pool or your fantasy team, I think that your actual team should come first. It just makes both the fantasy game and the real game a lot more fun to watch. Use it as justification if you want, but don’t openly cheer for your fantasy quarterback to throw a touchdown against your favorite team. It only sets yourself up for a lose-lose situation.

Alright – Week 10 – HERE WE GO!!!

(HOME TEAM IN ALL CAPS)

13 – Denver over OAKLAND – Once again my Raiders are on the wrong side of the top line. Hard to argue that when they play last year’s two Super Bowl teams in back to back weeks.

12 – SEATTLE over New York Giants – Seattle just squeaked by the Raiders last week. They may just squeak by again, but it is hard to think of a scenario where the Giants come out on top.

11 – ARIZONA over St. Louis – Both teams are coming off of big road wins last week. The luck will run out for the Rams though. The Cardinals are a much tougher home team to play.

10 – GREEN BAY over Chicago – One team spent the bye week giving their coach an extension and one team spent the bye week explaining reports that their coach doesn’t have control of the locker room. Green Bay will be ready for this game, the Bears won’t.

9 – BALTIMORE over Tennessee – The Ravens are sitting in last place in a division without a team under .500. Every win is crucial. Lucky for them they get a home game against the Titans.

8 – Dallas over JACKSONVILLE – The Jags make their yearly trip to London and take the Cowboys with them. Just like last week, this game depends on Tony Romo’s availability. They’ll still win, but if Romo doesn’t play they should be dropped down a few lines.

7 – Pittsburgh over NEW YORK JETS – Logic would tell you that there is no way that Ben Roethlisberger will have a THIRD consecutive six touchdown game…although I don’t think logic realizes that Big Ben is playing the Jets this week.

6 – NEW ORLEANS over San Francisco – A pre-season possible NFC Championship preview turns into just another week 10 game. Not only will the 49ers not make it to a fourth straight title game, but my BOLD PREDICTION is that the 49ers will not make the playoffs this season.

5 – DETROIT over Miami – Calvin is expected to make his long awaited return after the bye week. The Dolphins have been hot as of late but they won’t be able to stop a Lions offense that includes Megatron.

4 – PHILADELPHIA over Carolina – Well, the potential for a butt-fumble sequel has returned with Mark Sanchez filling in for the injured Nick Foles. This bumps the Eagles down a few lines but they should still be able to beat the struggling Panthers.

3 – BUFFALO over Kansas City – The Bills are still fighting for a playoff spot. This will be a close one, but game-manager sensation Kyle Orton should be able to find a way to get a win against a hungry Chiefs team.

2 – TAMPA BAY over Atlanta – Yes, I do realize that the Falcons treated Tampa like a high school JV team in their first meeting. Even with that, there really is just no reason to have faith in Atlanta – especially on the road.

1 – CINCINNATI over Cleveland – The week starts off with a strong AFC North game that both teams need to win. A full healthy offense would give me more confidence in the Bengals, but they should still be able to pull this one out.

Welcome back to the Rookie Report. We’re all feeling the sting of bye weeks right now, but there were plenty of fill-in options that came up big last week. Martavis Bryant was at it again with another 2 TDs, Mike Evans and Odell Beckham had breakout games, and Jeremy Hill made people who had stashed him during the first half of the season feel really smart with a monster game in his first start. There should be plenty more rookies helping you survive the week 10 byes. Let’s take a look at what to expect this week…

Rookies to Start:

RB Jeremy Hill, CIN (Wk. 10: vs. Cle.): As I just mentioned, the Bengals’ rook was excellent in his first start last week, piling up over 150 yards and 2 TDs. Gio will likely be out again. The Browns give up 140 rushing yards per game, 2^nd most in the NFL behind only the Packers. Hill is a must-start with RB1 potential. If by some miracle Bernard plays, Hill would still see extended work and be at least a strong flex play.

RB Terrance West, CLE (Wk. 10: @Cin.): Cincinnati has allowed the 3^rd most rushing yards in the league and the 6^th most fantasy RB points. It looks like West is going to get the starter’s share of the work this week and for the immediate future, which makes him an RB2 this week. There’s no guarantee that he’ll be more successful than Tate’s been behind a line that has struggled since Alex Mack went down for the year. In this matchup, he’ll still be useful.

WR Mike Evans, TB (Wk. 10: vs. Atl.): Evans is coming off his best game as a pro, and gets the piss poor Falcons defense next. It’s the perfect scenario for a big follow-up game, except that Lovie Smith has made the decision to switch quarterbacks and return to Josh McCown. The change casts some questions for Evans’s outlook this week, but with so many byes this week he’s at least a WR3.

WR Kelvin Benjamin, CAR (Wk. 10: @Phi.): Philly has one of the worst defenses in the league against WRs, allowing 25.6 points per game. The Panthers will have had 10 days to get ready for the Eagles, which is plenty of time to find ways to get Kelvin involved. The Eagles’ best CB plays in the slot, so there is a big chance for one of KB’s best game of the season. Get him in this week.

WR Sammy Watkins, BUF (Wk. 10: vs. KC): Kansas City is a pretty tough matchup, so don’t expect a repeat of what he did against the Jets, but he will continue to be the focal point of the Bills’ passing game and is a safe WR2 this week. Temper expectations, but fire him up again.

WR Martavis Bryant, PIT (Wk. 10: @NYJ): It’s hard not to ride the hot streak while it lasts. Bryant has played just 3 games so far, and already has 5 TDs to show for it. He does have just 10 receptions in those games, so he’s a better option for standard leagues than PPR. The Jets’ secondary is atrocious and Big Ben is throwing smoke right now. Bryant is a solid WR3 this week and is a good bet for another TD.

Borderline Rookies:

QB Derek Carr, OAK (Wk. 10: vs. Den.): Carr has slowly been rounding into form since Tony Sparano took charge, and he threw 2 TD in Seattle last week. This week’s game has a ton of blowout potential, so Carr should be throwing plenty. The Broncos allow the 5^th most QB fantasy points and 2 TDs per game. Carr has some appeal as a low-end QB2.

RB Tre Mason, STL (Wk. 10: @Ari.): Mason has some flex appeal despite having a really tough matchup this week. There are still questions about his role in the offense since Jeff Fisher insisted that they will still employ a committee approach, but Mason has shown himself to clearly be the most talented back on the team. Over the last 3 weeks, Mason has had 46 touches, compared to 19 for Benny Cunningham and 8 for Zac Stacy. Fisher did mention before last week’s game that it should provide a little clarity into the running back situation, and Mason saw the lion’s share of the work. He should see the same going forward. His upside is limited this week, but could be a solid flex with so many byes.

RB Lorenzo Taliaferro, BAL (Wk. 10: vs. Ten.): Zo’s fumble in week 9 certainly doesn’t help his outlook, but he should remain the clear number 2 behind Forsett. Against the Titans’ porous run D, that position has value. He should see 10+ touches this week and is always a threat for a red zone TD.

WR Odell Beckham Jr., NYG (Wk. 10: @Sea.): The only reason Beckham isn’t a must-start is because he faces the Legion of Boom in Seattle. The Giants line Beckham up all over the field and I don’t expect Richard Sherman to shadow him. Odell is already becoming the go-to guy for the G-Men due to Rueben Randle’s inconsistency that was on full display on Monday night. Randle and Eli just seem to never be on the same page. Beckham is still a really decent flex option this week, but there’s always a risk when you take on the Seahawks.

WR Brandin Cooks, NO (Wk. 10: vs. SF): Cooks has settled in as a weekly boom-or-bust WR3 option, but he’s alternated good and bad weeks. He’s due for a good week, and SF has struggled against slot WRs over the last couple seasons. I think he’s a decent bet for 6+ catches this week and a solid option for PPR leagues.

WR Allen Robinson, JAX (Wk. 10: vs. Dal.): In his worst game since week 1, Robinson was still targeted 8 times. His role isn’t diminishing. He remains a decent WR3 option each week. I’d expect a minor bounce back this week.

WR Davante Adams, GB (Wk. 10: vs. Chi.): Adams has hit 75 or more yards in 2 of his past 3 games and scored a TD in the other one, and he’s playing on almost every snap. He’s still a boom-or-bust WR3 option each week, but he’s been gaining consistency. He’s actually a pretty safe option this week with so many teams on byes.

WR Jordan Matthews, PHI (Wk. 10: vs. Car.): The Panthers’ pass defense isn’t very good, but the Eagles’ pass catchers fight for scraps after Jeremy Maclin eats. Things might change a little bit with Mark Sanchez under center, but the scheme funnels targets to Maclin. Matthews has a high enough floor in PPR leagues to be a fill-in WR3 with the byes this week, but probably needs a TD to make you happy.

Rookies to Sit:

QB Blake Bortles, JAX (Wk. 10: vs. Dal.): The Cowboys have limited opposing passers all year by playing keep away with DeMarco Murray. The Cardinals put a stop to that last week by holding Murray in check, but the Jags likely won’t do the same, especially if Romo plays. Bortles just hasn’t been efficient enough to be a good play with limited opportunities.

RB Bishop Sankey, TEN (Wk. 10: @Bal.): Do you have any confidence in Bishop Sankey when he has a good matchup? I don’t, so why would I have any when he’s taking on the number 1 defense in the league against fantasy RBs? He’ll get work, but the Titans just don’t seem to have any idea how to get him going. I’m playing Sankey in one league because I simply have no other options, but I really don’t feel good about it. Sit him if you can.

RB Andre Williams, NYG (Wk. 10: @Sea.): I’m not sure of Rashad Jennings’s status for this week, but even if he doesn’t play, I wouldn’t want to trot Williams out there. He hasn’t piled up yards, topping out at just 66 yards in any game this season. The Seahawks have allowed just 3 rushing scores on the year. I don’t think Williams gets one this week. If you play him, you’ll likely be disappointed.

RB Isaiah Crowell, CLE (Wk. 10: @Cin.): Crowell has become a forgotten man in the Cleveland backfield, even though coach Mike Pettine insists he isn’t in the doghouse. His decreased role seems a harsh punishment for one game where he struggled with ball security. Terrance West is unlikely to be much more effective than Ben Tate, so Crowell’s time may still be coming this year. He’s easily the most talented back on the roster and should be stashed if you have the space to do it.

RB Carlos Hyde, SF (Wk. 10: @NO): Hyde hasn’t had enough work to really merit a spot in your lineup, but his long term stock did get a bit of a bump this week with the announcement that Marcus Lattimore is retiring. The 49ers signed Kendall Hunter to a one-year extension to be the 3^rd back, so Hyde is quickly looking like the obvious heir apparent to Frank Gore, who has to be approaching the end of his great career.

WR John Brown, ARI (Wk. 10: vs. StL): I wasn’t big on Brown last week, thinking it was due to be a Michael Floyd week. It didn’t quite work out that way for Floyd, but Brown did have a miserable fantasy week. I feel the same way this week that Palmer will want to get Floyd going. The Rams do give up a lot of fantasy points to WRs, but I wouldn’t feel good about taking a chance on Brown this week.

WR Allen Hurns, JAX (Wk. 10: vs. Dal.): Don’t chase last week’s points. Hurns’s monster game in week 9 was an outlier, and it’s unlikely he repeats those numbers again this season. I’d expect a return to his normal production this week and would keep him benched.

WR Jarvis Landry, MIA (Wk. 10: @Det.): Facing off with Detroit’s stingy D this week, this isn’t the time to get Landry in the lineup. He’s a low-end WR4 this week and is unlikely to make a big splash against the league’s best D vs. WRs.

WR Paul Richardson, SEA (Wk. 10: vs. NYG): Richardson has the tools to fill the Percy Harvin role, but it’s a boom-or-bust role that will bust more often than it booms. There are better options available.

TE Jace Amaro, NYJ (Wk. 10: vs. Pit.): Considering that Amaro had ZERO targets in Michael Vick’s first start, it’s tough to have a lot of faith in a bounce back this week. Eventually they will build a rapport, but I don’t see it happening this week.

TE Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TB (Wk. 10: vs. Atl.): After Mike Evans’s breakout game last week, the rookie wideout should garner more defensive attention this week, which could free up ASJ a bit more. With that said, Seferian-Jenkins caught just 1 of 3 targets last week for 3 yards, and the Falcons allow less than 5 fantasy points per game to opposing tight ends. I wouldn’t roll the dice here.

Deep League Sleepers:

QB Zach Mettenberger, TEN (Wk. 10: @Bal.): Mett acquitted himself well in garbage time in his first start, and he might have some more garbage time again this week. The Ravens are the number 1 defense against RBs in fantasy, but they are in the bottom-10 against QBs. They have given up 263 pass yards per game on the year, and just lost their top corner Jimmy Smith for the year 2 weeks ago. Mett has some very sneaky upside this week in 2QB leagues.

RB Charles Sims, TB (Wk. 10: vs. Atl.): It’s hard to trust a guy that we haven’t seen play a regular season down, but the Bucs have talked up Sims a ton and the Falcons are the worst defense in the league against running backs. Sims will at the very least play on passing downs. It will take a leap of faith to play Sims, but he could be a week-winning flex play in this matchup.

RB Juwan Thompson, DEN (Wk. 10: @Oak.): Ronnie Hillman didn’t have his best game last week against the Patriots, and Montee Ball might not be active for this game in his return from a groin injury. If Ball is out again, there is a ton of blowout potential in this game. Thompson could see extended run in garbage time against a defense that gives up 22 fantasy points per game to opposing RBs. He’s already vulturing Hillman TDs, and he could steal a little more early game work after Hillman’s rough week 9.

WR Corey Washington, NYG (Wk. 10: @Sea.): Washington isn’t a consideration for this week, but considering the injury to Victor Cruz, and how clear it is that Rueben Randle and Eli are not on the same page, Corey’s role may grow before long. He’s certainly more talented than Preston Parker, and is a name to know if Randle continues to run the wrong routes and kill drives.

TE Crockett Gillmore, BAL (Wk. 10: vs. Ten.): Gillmore is a better shot in the dark option than the other rookie tight ends this week if your starting TE is on bye. Look first for a Jared Cook or Joseph Fauria type, but the Ravens have a tight end friendly O and a plus matchup. Gillmore has to be getting more comfortable with his extended PT, and he did find the end zone last week.

Rookies on Byes: QB Teddy Bridgewater, MIN, RB Jerick McKinnon, MIN, RB Branden Oliver, SD, RB Alfred Blue, HOU, WR Donte Moncrief, IND

That’s all I’ve got for this week. Hope it helps. As always, good luck, trust your gut, and have fun. It’s just a game.

At this point in the fantasy football season, some teams begin to be eliminated from post-season play. You, of course, know how to work the waiver wire to continually upgrade your roster so that you are not one of those teams. Right? Here are some great pickups for week 10 and beyond. It's way past due to dump some of those bench-warmers that you've been keeping around and trade them out for some real, live fantasy production.

Quarterbacks

Kirk Cousins, WAS – Week 10 is a tough bye week on quarterbacks. Andrew Luck, Philip Rivers and Matt Ryan are all taking the week off. Kirk Cousins is a good streaming option this week if you need a quarterback. While Cousins isn’t a sexy name there are positives heading into week 10; namely the matchup against the Saints defense. Add the fact that DeSean Jackson should be 100% and Cousins has a good ceiling this weekend. He’s only owned in 10% of leagues.

Blake Bortles, JAX – Usually I would avoid putting a guy owned in 52% of leagues on this list, but again this is a tough week for quarterbacks and Blake Bortles deserves some due credit. His cumulative points have him as a top 10 fantasy quarterback right now yet he remains available in almost half the leagues out there. While his ball security is an issue with 10 interceptions this season he also has a knack for multiple touchdown passes per game. 6 of his 8 games this season Bortles has multiple touchdowns. He has a decent matchup with Baltimore in week 10.

Running Backs

James White/Brandon Bolden, NE – The New England Patriots are about the worst team to speculate about. On a healthy week we can’t be sure what Belichick is thinking. That being said Dion Lewis is lost for the season and somebody will see an increased roll. The popular consensus seems to lean towards James White being that player. He only has 9 carries this year so there’s a lot we don’t know about him. Brandon Bolden stepped in this last week when Lewis went down. He only saw one rushing attempt to his 4 passing targets where he caught 3 including on for a touchdown. Both guys should be targeted on waivers this week for teams in need of RB depth.

James Starks, GB – This is not a name Eddie Lacy owners want to see on this list. James Starks has had opportunities to take over the starting gig before and missed that chance. The difference this year is that Eddie Lacy looks BAD. In week 6 Starks proved himself on the ground with 112 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries; this last week he did it through the air catching 6 of 8 targets for 83 yards and a touchdown. It’s getting late in the season and Lacy owners may want to handcuff him. Other fantasy owners may need the depth. Either way Starks is available in 60% of the leagues and drawing interest heading into a week 10 matchup with Detroit.

Wide Receivers

Dorial Green-Beckham, TEN – When Kendall Wright went down it was Justin Hunter stepping up to the starting position. Hunter was unimpressive as Dorial Green-Beckham saw a team high 10 targets. He grabbed 5 of those 10 for 77 yards. This wasn’t exactly a tough defensive match up so there is no reason Hunter should have struggled to get open. I really like the targets DGB saw and with Wright likely to miss week 10 he needs to be taken off waivers.

Michael Floyd, ARI – Arizona faces a tough matchup in week 10 at Seattle. That matchup only makes me like Michael Floyd more heading into week 10. He is unlikely to draw the heavy pressure of the defense and should continue to quietly put up solid WR3 numbers. In his last 3 weeks Floyd has 215 yards and 3 touchdowns. John Brown’s return in week 10 will make for an interesting side bet as Floyd continues to try to earn his job back.

Tight Ends

Crockett Gillmore, BAL – Week 8 reminded me why I am glad the Bears canned Marc Trestman. Steve Smith Sr. is lost for the season and somehow Crockett Gillmore wasn’t used properly. Expect that to change as Baltimore comes off the bye week to play Jacksonville in week 10. They really have no choice but to get Gillmore more involved. I am not saying he has TE1 value, but against Jacksonville in week 10 it’s a favorable match up and players streaming Tight Ends will want to take a hard look.

Kickers

Connor Barth, TB – It wasn’t until week 5 that Connor Barth saw the field. Yet he has accumulated 52 points in 4 weeks of games. Tampa Bay has plenty of weapons to move the ball and have continued to improve this season. Barth’s stats alone prove this. Any time a kicker is perfect on the season and consistently earning double digit points he needs to be owned in more leagues than just the current 14%.

Defense/Special Teams

Pittsburgh Steelers – I’m going to be honest with you guys. This is a flier pick based on the matchup. Pittsburgh hosts Cleveland in week 10 and while Josh McCown should be back, it’s still the Browns. Honestly, week 10 is a tough match up for streaming defenses and I hope you aren’t that unlucky.

Week 9 Injuries:

Ben Roethlisberger (QB, PIT) sustained a foot injury on an Aldon Smith sack, which ended up being a mid-foot sprain and will likely sideline him until after the Steelers’ week 11 bye. Initially, it was suspected that he may have sustained a LisFranc injury to his left foot, which could have ended his season. Big Ben is still trying to play in week 10, but we believe that the starter will be Landry Jones. Thankfully, Jones has shown that he is capable of running the offense to some degree (and unlike Michael Vick, he has been getting the football to Antonio Brown on a regular basis), but the Steelers have never wanted to start Jones and he doesn’t perform well under pressure (as evidenced by his start against Kansas City earlier this season).

Teddy Bridgewater (QB, MIN) was knocked unconscious in week 9 and sustained a concussion, but he appears on track to start in week 10 against the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders are giving up 18.9 points per game to opposing fantasy QBs, so things look good for Bridgewater assuming that he is in good health.

Andrew Luck (QB, IND) has a partial tear of an abdominal muscle and a lacerated kidney. Yikes! These injuries will keep Luck off the field for a few weeks at minimum and bring in veteran QB Matt Hasselbeck to start under center going forward. Not good news for the Colts at all. Hasselbeck was previously able to score a few TDs when he filled in for Luck earlier in the season, but to rely on him for any more than a game or 2 at a time will likely spell trouble for fantasy production in Indianapolis.

Dion Lewis (RB, NE) was a huge pickup off the waiver wire for many fantasy football teams, but unfortunately he suffered an ACL tear in week 9 which will sideline him until 2016. This reinforces LeGarrette Blount as the primary RB in New England, but we will definitely see a committee of James White and Brandon Bolden on the field sucking up the snaps that Dion Lewis handled previously. As far as predicting which, if any, RB besides Blount will now be fantasy relevant? Might as well flip a coin.

Latavius Murray (RB, OAK) suffered a concussion this past week, but looks to be on track to play in week 10 already. If he’s not able to suit up, some combination of Taiwan Jones, Roy Helu and Marcel Reece will be in line to handle Murray’s touches.

Eddie Lacy (RB, GB) was on the injury report with a groin injury from week 9. Only in his 3^rd year, we expected Lacy’s production to be similar to what it was in 2013 and 2014, but he’s currently only on pace to reach about 50% of that production this season. It’s hard to see James Starks carving out a permanent role as the lead RB for the Packers, but an underperforming Lacy is forcing that to happen. As of right now, Starks appears to be taking that job.

Allen Hurns (WR, JAX) was injured at the very end of the game in week 9 with a sprained left foot. Hurns has been great, turning in a touchdown in each of the last 6 games and as long as he can dress for week 10’s match-up against Baltimore, he should continue that trend. We’ll have to wait until later this week to see if Hurns has shed the walking boot and is able to practice.

Malcolm Floyd (WR, SD) suffered a torn labrum on Monday night and will likely be out for the remainder of the season and perhaps be done for his career. This points to Stevie Johnson, Antonio Gates and Danny Woodhead sucking up all of Rivers' passes for the rest of the season. Fantasy gold, Jerry! Especially in PPR leagues.

Previous Injury Updates:

Tony Romo (QB, DAL) is still expecting to return in week 11, against the Dolphins.

Matt Forte (RB, CHI) news is not forthcoming, but the current expectation is a return in week 11 against the Broncos.

Carlos Hyde (RB, SF) had a stress fracture and there are no new updates on his recovery, though he could very well be out for the rest of 2015.

Kendall Wright (WR, TEN) is still sidelined with a sprained MCL and won’t return this week unless he can get out on the practice field.

John Brown (WR, ARI) said he would ‘be healthy after the bye [week 9]’ and we expect him to be ready for the Seahawks in week 10.

Breshad Perriman (WR, BAL) has not yet been able to practice after sustaining a knee injury in training camp. With Steve Smith out for the season, the Ravens need him to return and provide a boost to the passing offense. As of now, we don’t expect him to play in week 10.