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Week 10 of the 2023 fantasy football season kicks off the second half of the year with nine weeks down and nine to go. As NFL teams will be looking to make a push toward the playoffs, so will fantasy managers. Lineups must be properly maintained to do so, focusing on taking advantage of favorable matchups and ideal situations.
Every week of each NFL season presents a new scenario for all fantasy football players. These weekly situations often determine which players to target for fantasy lineups, as well as who to avoid wherever possible. With the exception of just a few elite options, no players should be blindly started in fantasy leagues.
Managers who find the most consistent success consider many factors before finalizing their fantasy lineups. This includes injury situations to relevant players, recent individual performances, direct weekly matchups, offensive projections, expected workload, potential game scripts, and many others.
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Bye weeks also play an important role in determining which players to target and fade in fantasy football because it directly impacts the pool of available options. Week 10 is significant as the Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles, and Los Angeles Rams are on their byes. This means some top overall fantasy players will be unavailable this week.
Many managers will be scrambling for replacements in Week 10 for their usual starters who are either injured or on the bye week. Using the Start/Sit Optimizer is one of the best ways to do so. This valuable tool weighs every possible factor before generating lineup advice and fantasy projections.
The Optimizer was also used to help produce the following list of players to target and others to avoid in Week 10 of the 2023 fantasy football season. It features an ideal start and sit candidate from four major offensive fantasy positions.
Fantasy Football Week 10 Start 'Em
QB - Jared Goff
Jared Goff is having another solid fantasy football season, as he has every year with the Detroit Lions so far. He has ranked among the top six players in the position in three weeks this year and has recorded four multi-touchdown games. He is also freshly coming off his bye week, so he had additional time to prepare for Week 10.
The Lions begin their second half of the 2023 NFL season against the Los Angeles Chargers, one of the worst defenses in the league this year. This includes allowing the most total passing yards so far, as well as the most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks.
RB - Aaron Jones
Aaron Jones finally looked healthy in his most recent game for the first time since Week 1. He opened the season with an impressive RB1 finish in his first game of the year but has been battling through an injury since then, failing to finish inside of the top 25 running backs in any other week.
Jones bounced back in Week 9 with an RB8 finish in PPR leagues, so the injury should be behind him at this point. It comes just in time for a favorable matchup when the Green Bay Packers take on the Pittsburgh Steelers, who allow the seventh-most fantasy points per game to running backs this year.
WR - Tee Higgins
Tee Higgins is another fantasy football superstar who hasn't quite looked like himself this year as he has battled through injuries. Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow has been playing through an injury, further hurting Higgins' fantasy production this year.
The tandem appears to be fully healthy again after a vintage performance last week where the Bengals finally looked like themselves. This includes an excellent day for Higgins, ranking as WR8 with eight receptions for 110 yards. This was his first finish inside the top 35 since his WR4 ranking in Week 4. He should be safe to plug back into lineups against the mediocre Houston Texans' defense.
Also Read: Tee Higgins fantasy outlook
TE - Dalton Schultz
Dalton Schultz struggled in the early stages of the 2023 fantasy football season in his first year with his new team. He fell completely off of the fantasy radar by finishing outside of the top 25 tight ends in each of the first three weeks. He has bounced back to become one of the most consistently productive tight ends this season.
Schultz has finished among the top six tight ends in PPR leagues in four of his past five games. He is quietly one of the best overall tight ends to target in Week 10 against the Cincinnati Bengals, who allow the second-most fantasy points per game to the position.
To acquire any of these Week 10 targets, make sure to consult the fantasy football trade analyzer first.
Fantasy Football Week 10 Sit 'Em
QB - Deshaun Watson
Deshaun Watson has been a fantasy football asset in the games that he has played so far this year and has done so under the radar. In the four games that he completed, he ranked among the top ten fantasy quarterbacks three times. This includes a QB8 finish last week, though it was against the NFL-worst Arizona Cardinals.
Week 10 presents a much stiffer challenge against the Baltimore Ravens. They have arguably been the best overall defense this season and have allowed the fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. Watson can be stashed on the bench this week.
Also Read: Deshaun Watson fantasy outlook
RB - Alexander Mattison
Alexander Mattison is coming from a season-best RB10 finish in PPR leagues last week. It occurred following a string of five consecutive weeks finishing outside the top 20 running backs. This makes him extremely difficult to trust in starting lineups, especially with a challenging fantasy football matchup up next.
The New Orleans Saints have consistently ranked among the best run-stopping defenses in recent years and the 2023 fantasy football has been more of the same. This year, they are allowing the fifth-fewest fantasy points per game to running backs, making Mattison a fade candidate in Week 10 fantasy football.
WR - DJ Moore
DJ Moore is in a difficult situation this year as he is a superstar wide receiver playing in one of the worst passing offenses in the entire NFL. This polarizing scenario has resulted in two top-five weekly finishes this year while ranking outside the top 50 wide receivers three times.
Two of those poor finishes have come in the past two weeks, with Tyson Bagent filling in for Justin Fields. While Fields may return this week, he is dealing with a thumb injury on his throwing hand. This makes Moore a fade this week wherever possible, regardless of his starting quarterback.
TE - Luke Musgrave
Luke Musgrave has been one of the most consistently productive rookies in fantasy football this year, ranking among the top 15 tight ends four times through nine weeks. This includes a season-best TE9 finish in PPR leagues last week.
While Musgrave has been an important part of the Green Bay Packers' passing game this season, he should probably be left on the bench in Week 10 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. They are allowing the third-fewest fantasy points per game to the position.
