The Yahoo team makes their most steadfast fantasy football predictions for Week 10.
Deebo Samuel Sr. reminds us of his positive side in the WR1
The production of Samuel Sr. has been inconsistent and disappointing, with an unreliable goal share and recurring injury problems, but week 10 is the perfect opportunity to bounce back. After the bye week, Samuel faces a Buccaneers defense that is the fantasy equivalent of leaving a child alone in a candy store. The Bucs have allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to opponents and have enjoyed it all year.
This matchup features one of the highest point totals of the week and with the return of Christian McCaffrey, expect the entire 49ers offense to benefit from the volume. Strong use of Samuel and big upside could finally give fantasy managers the WR1 advantage that was missing in the first half of the season. — Tera Roberts
D’Andre Swift is a must-start
D’Andre Swift has been fantasy’s RB8 since Week 3, despite Caleb Williams’ struggles. The rookie QB has played much better at home this season, where the Bears are near-touchdown favorites on Sunday. Swift has averaged 108.6 yards from scrimmage and nearly a TD per game in wins this season, and the game script should be positive this week.
The Patriots have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to running backs this year, and RBs have averaged 143.5 rushing yards against New England over the past four games. Swift ends this week as a top five fantasy. — Dalton Del Don
George Kittle returns to the top five
You probably didn’t need anyone pushing you to start Kittle this week, so I’m just here to make you feel even better about the decision. Kittle is about to face the same squishy Bucs zone coverage that allowed Travis Kelce to catch 14 passes Monday night.
Overall, Tampa Bay has allowed the third-most passing yards per game on the season (255.9) and the third-most receiving touchdowns (18). Not surprisingly, they have been particularly generous in targeting tight ends, giving up the second-most receiving yards for the position (627) and the third-most fantasy points. Kittle is close to making it back into the top five, likely with his seventh score of the season. — Andy Behrens
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Ladd McConkey = the Chargers WR to start
The Chargers have continued their pass-heavy approach in recent weeks. Since returning from their Week 5 bye, Los Angeles ranks second in neutral passing percentage, which is a far cry from what many feared this offense would get this season. Justin Herbert has recorded 18 deep attempts during that same span, a career high among quarterbacks.
While guys like Josh Palmer and Quentin Johnston got into the end zone last week, make no mistake: Ladd McConkey is the best receiver on this team. The volume data and the film both confirm his fact. This week the Chargers get a matchup against a Titans defense that is generally a strong unit, but teams are more likely to throw against them than run at them. — Matt Harmon
Give Jonnu Smith his flowers
Miami’s offense has some big names, some stars. I’m not here to promote those guys, but to be an underrated player. Guess who has led the Dolphins in both targets (27) and receptions (21) over the past four weeks? That would be tight end Jonnu Smith. Now, only one of those four games has actually turned into a fantasy-worthy outing, but this week Smith gets a Rams defense that is the sixth-easiest unit for tight ends to score against.
I know we’re all screaming for Tyreek Hill to get going or for De’Von Achane to continue working his magic. But on Monday nights, make room for the rising Smith, a hot read for Miami. — Scott Pianowski
Start Tyrone Tracy Jr.
Tracy Jr. is ready for a big recovery week. In Week 9, Tracy earned just 69 scoreless yards on 17 touches. But the most important lesson from this game was Tracy’s role as it remained strong. He played 69% of the Giants snaps, his most in a game with Devin Singletary active this year. This led to Tracy earning 17 touches, compared to just seven for Singletary.
Over the past two games, with Singletary back and healthy, Tracy has played 64% of the snaps and earned 40 opportunities. Singletary has only seen 12 opportunities during this stretch. This week, Tracy takes on the Panthers who allow the most rushing yards per game. Carolina allowed 215 yards to Alvin Kamara last week. Tracy is a must start in this matchup, there’s a good chance he tops the 100 yards mark this week. — Sal Vetri
