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Week 10 Start/Sit: Washington set to feed "Fat Rob"

As we head into Week 10 of the 2016 NFL season, here are 12 players to give extra consideration to when filling out your lineups – six that are looking better than usual, and a half dozen that are looking worse:

(Note: Oakland, Indianapolis, Buffalo and Detroit are on bye in Week 10)

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STARTS

QB – Jay Cutler, Chi ($30) – Cutler was solid (252 yards, 1 TD pass, 0 turnovers) in his return to action in Week 8, leading the Bears to an upset victory over Minnesota. Now he goes against a Buccaneers defense that has allowed an average of 428.5 passing yards to the past two starting QBs they have faced. They are also one of five teams that are allowing a QB Rating north of 100 (104.3). The Bucs have just four interceptions and 17 sacks on the season, so Cutler should have the time and open windows to do some damage on Sunday. For owners of bye week QBs like Andrew Luck, Derek Carr and Matthew Stafford, Cutler (available in more than three-quarters of Yahoo leagues) isn’t a bad substitute.

RB – Darren Sproles, Phi ($18) – With Sproles averaging 18 touches the past two games, Eagles head coach Doug Pederson is no longer trying to sell Ryan Mathews as the team’s lead back. That honor now sits with Sproles, who is averaging 4.8 YPC and is on pace for 50 catches. And it’s Sproles’ aerial upside that has me intrigued this week against an Atlanta defense that has little answer for defending running backs in the passing game – the Falcons have allowed the most receiving yards to the RB position, and the second-most catches.

Undrafted rookie Rob Kelley is now playing a lead role in Washington's backfield. (Getty)
Undrafted rookie Rob Kelley is now playing a lead role in Washington’s backfield. (Getty)

RB – Rob Kelley, Was ($15) – Talent-wise, “Fat Rob” doesn’t appear to be anything special, which explains why the rookie went undrafted. But his straight-line power approach offers a little wiggle and a decent ability to fight through contact, helping him to a 5.0 YPC mark on the season. That said, the Washington offensive line deserves some credit, too, as fellow Washington backs Matt Jones and Chris Thompson are also sitting on nice YPC marks (4.6 for both). But Kelley is the one that matters this week as he’s the latest starter in the backfield, with rumors that Jones could be a healthy scratch against Minnesota. And while the Vikings may appear on the surface to be a brutal matchup, we’ve seen Minnesota get a bit leaky in run defense of late, allowing an average of 4.8 YPC to RBs over its past three games. With the likelihood of 20-plus touches this week, Kelley has a good shot of finishing in the RB top 20 – he’s currently just the 35th-most started RB in Yahoo leagues.

WR – J.J. Nelson, Ari ($18) – Nelson has moved ahead of Michael Floyd on the Cardinals’ receiver depth chart, and he’ll be making the start this week against a San Francisco defense that has allowed the most TDs (15) to the WR position. Blessed with some of the fastest wheels in the league, Nelson, who has two touchdowns and an average of 83.5 yards in his past two contests, has a great chance to deliver some big plays against his divisional foe. Nelson is currently the 42nd-most started wideout in Yahoo leagues headed into the weekend, one behind teammate John Brown. But both speedsters should be pushing top 30 status given their matchup and opportunity.

WR – Tyrell Williams, SD ($18) – The Chargers are hosting Miami in Week 10, and it looks like they’ll do so without the services of receiver Travis Benjamin (knee). That likely means a go-to role for Williams, who is coming off a 6/65/1 line against Tennessee in Week 9. The Dolphins have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points per game to the WR position, and are giving up 201.3 yards per game to wide receivers on the road (55.5 more yards than what they allow at home). Williams has a good shot at topping the century mark in yardage for the third time in his past six games on Sunday.

TE – Lance Kendricks, LAR ($11) – Just $11 in Yahoo DFS and the 20th-most started TE in Yahoo leagues this week, Kendricks is eligible for Rodney Dangerfield “No Respect” status. Over the past month, Kendricks ranks among the top 12 at his position in fantasy points per game (8.0), leading all tight ends in targets per game (9.7) and catches per game (6.3) in that span. This Sunday, Kendricks will go against a Jets defense that has allowed the seventh-most receiving yards to the TE position.

[Week 10 rankings: Overall | FLEX | QB | RB | WR | TE | DEF | K]

SITS

QB – Andy Dalton, Cin ($30) – There’s not many obvious “sit” candidates this week among the QBs you would normally consider starting, but Dalton is one signal-caller that is currently on the QB1 periphery in Yahoo leagues (14th-most started) that I would be trying to avoid. Despite a win against Miami earlier in the season on Thursday night, Dalton’s track record in prime time games has mostly been atrocious (5-9, 17 TDs, 12 INTs). This week he’ll travel to New York to face a Giants defense that has allowed the fifth-fewest passing TDs per game and has totaled eight picks in their past four games.

RB – Carlos Hyde, SF ($24) – Even if Hyde is cleared to play this week (shoulder), that doesn’t mean you should clear a spot for him in your fantasy starting lineup. Hyde, who has been limited in practice, appears to have a good chance to play for the first time since Week 6. But a road game against division-rival Arizona is not the best spot to make his return, as the Cardinals are allowing just 3.4 YPC to the RB position and the fewest fantasy points per game to the RB position in home contests. Hyde did manage 17.4 fantasy points against the Cardinals when he faced them in Week 5. But don’t let that performance sway this week’s thinking. He averaged just 3.5 YPC against the Cards, but was able to pad his numbers with his best receiving performance of the season (6 catches, 36 yards). I’m guessing that DuJuan Harris, who handled the featured role for the 49ers last week and delivered five catches for 83 yards and a score, will likely cut into Hyde’s workload this week, especially in passing situations.

RB –Christine Michael, Sea ($23) – I’m doubling down on Michael, who was listed in this spot last week prior to delivering a sorry 5-carry, 1-yard performance against the Bills on Monday night that was somewhat salvaged by a goal line TD run. This week, Michael is set for more disappointing returns, as game flow looks damning against a New England team that leads the league in first quarter scoring. And if the Seahawks are playing from behind, that’ll give Seattle head coach Pete Carroll even more reason to increase rookie RB C.J. Prosise’s workload – Carroll has been talking for the last couple weeks about expanding Prosise’s role. Prosise is an excellent receiver, but the Seahawks believe has a skill-set that could work in a featured back role. It wouldn’t be surprising to see that start to play out this week at Michaels’ expense.

WR – Jarvis Landry, Mia ($25) – A top 12 receiver this week in terms of percent started in Yahoo leagues, Landry seems to be getting more love than a player nursing a shoulder injury and averaging just 5.9 fantasy points since Week 4 deserves. Landry expects to play on the road this week against San Diego, but I’m not that interested in a banged up wideout with just one touchdown in his past 13 regular-season games. And he’s going against an improving San Diego defense (see Joey Bosa) that is very capable of making Miami QB Ryan Tannehill’s life miserable. Landry faced these Chargers in Week 15 of last season, finishing with a 8/54/0 line – classic Landry, good in PPR, ho-hum in standard set-ups. It wouldn’t be surprising to see something of a repeat performance (of last year’s meeting) from Landry this time around.

WR – Willie Snead, NO ($18) – Since Week 4, Snead is averaging just 5.0 fantasy points per game, less than half of that of teammates Michael Thomas (12.6) and Brandin Cooks (11.1). Despite playing a clear third fiddle among Saints receivers, Snead is still showing strong in starting percentage in Yahoo leagues this week (No. 29 at the the position), which seems at least 10-12 spots too high, especially when you consider he’s facing a Denver defense allowing the fewest points per game to opposing receivers.

TE – Greg Olsen, Car ($23) – Ok, so I get that not every Olsen owner is rostering a higher upside TE to play this week. So consider this a warning to the DFS crowd and those owners that do have a luxury TE backup to be prepared for an Olsen letdown this week against a Chiefs defense that handles the TE position as well as any team in the league. Kansas City is on a remarkable streak in which it hasn’t allowed a tight end to score 10-plus fantasy points against it in the past 34 regular-season games. And only one TE has gone above 4.4 fantasy points against the Chiefs this season.