Daily fantasy football Week 10 building blocks, fades and values
Whether you've played Daily Fantasy on Yahoo before or are giving it a try for the first time, this weekly column will take an early look at the DFS landscape, revealing whom I like building lineups around, stars to fade, undervalued plays and bargain bin options to help you construct a better team.
Lineup building blocks
Jonathan Taylor ($35) vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
Taylor has totaled 873 yards and nine touchdowns while getting 6.6 YPC over the last six games. And while his usage can be frustrating, he also has 10+ more red-zone carries than any other player in the league. The Colts offensive line has gotten healthier, and Carson Wentz is playing much better, so Taylor looks like fantasy’s top player moving forward (he even leads all backs in yards per reception). This week he gets a home matchup with Indy 10.5-point favorites against a poor Jacksonville defense, so Taylor is a strong DFS building block.
Dalvin Cook ($32) @ Los Angeles Chargers
Cook looks healthy again and gets a prime matchup against the league’s premier run-funnel defense. The Chargers rank last in rush defense DVOA and essentially ask opponents to run against them, allowing the most YPC (5.0) and rushing yards per game (161.6) by a wide margin this season. This game has an over/under of 52.5 points, so it should be one of the highest scoring of the week. Cook is getting 5.0 YPC on the road and has been unlucky in the TD department this year, so he’s a strong Week 10 DFS option.
Davante Adams ($32) vs. Seattle Seahawks
Adams still leads the NFL in WOPR and should get Aaron Rodgers back as his quarterback Sunday. With no Cooper Kupp on the slate, Adams is the clear WR1 — the receivers ranked after him vary greatly throughout DFS sites this week, as he’s in a tier by himself. Seattle is allowing more than 400 yards per game this season and should score points with Russell's Wilson's expected return, while Rodgers might be a little motivated.
Najee Harris ($31) vs. Detroit Lions
Harris was held in check Monday night but saw another 25 touches and now gets a matchup versus a Detroit defense that’s allowed the second-most fantasy points to running backs this season. Pittsburgh is near double-digit home favorites, so game-script should be favorable for the rookie too. The Steelers offensive line has hurt his efficiency numbers, but Harris has been a top fantasy back anyway.
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Stars to fade
Josh Allen ($40) @ New York Jets
Like Patrick Mahomes, Allen has been given the Cover 2 shell treatment lately, as defenses have completely taken away the deep ball and are daring Buffalo to run; the result has been him getting just 5.8 YPA with two TD passes over two games since the team’s bye (against Miami and Jacksonville). It’s possible Allen adjusts and bounces back immediately — the Bills are double-digit favorites — but there’s also real concern “there could be more precarious weeks ahead.” Moreover, the Jets have allowed the fewest rushing yards per game (just 6.6) to quarterbacks this season. In a slate with numerous high-end RB options, it’s better to pay down at QB this week.
Undervalued options
James Conner ($21) vs. Carolina Panthers
With Chase Edmonds leaving early, Conner exploded for three scores and finished as fantasy’s RB1 in Week 9. It’s typically not best to pay up for last week’s stats in DFS, but his salary is actually lower in Week 10 despite Edmonds sidelined with a high-ankle sprain. The Panthers haven’t given up a bunch of fantasy points to RBs this season, but the Cardinals might be the best team in football (they have the best point-differential while playing more road games) and enter as 10-point favorites. Game script should be favorable for Conner, who leads the NFL with 11 touchdowns (and saw a season-high five targets last week after Edmonds left). With injured receivers and either Colt McCoy or a hobbled Kyler Murray at QB this week for Arizona (albeit not as shaky of a QB situation as their opponent’s), Conner should be the focal point of the team’s offense, so he’s a DFS bargain.
Terry McLaurin ($22) vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
McLaurin ranks eighth in air yards this season despite coming out of the team’s bye, and he’s first in air yards share. As near double-digit underdogs against the Bucs’ pass-funnel defense, Washington should be throwing frequently; Tampa Bay has allowed an NFL-low 55.9 rushing yards per game to running backs this season. Scary Terry’s salary doesn’t even have him as a top-15 WR, so he’s undervalued.
Matt Ryan ($25) @ Dallas Cowboys
It took some time, but Arthur Smith has Atlanta’s offense playing better, and Ryan is suddenly getting 8.0 YPA (305.5 yards) with nine touchdowns over four games on the road this season. Sunday the Falcons are big underdogs in a game with one of the highest projected totals (54.5 points) against a Dallas defense allowing 7.8 YPA and the 10th-most fantasy points to quarterbacks.
Michael Carter ($14) vs. Buffalo Bills
Over the last three weeks, Carter has the fifth-most touches in the league. The rookie saw a whopping 23 targets over a six-quarter stretch with Mike White before the QB left last week’s game early. It sounds like Magic Mike should be ready to start in Week 10, as the Jets are in no hurry to rush Zach Wilson back. Even against a tough Bills defense, Carter is an intriguing DFS option if White’s starting at QB this week.
Bargain Bin
Teddy Bridgewater ($21) vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Bridgewater was fantasy’s QB6 last week yet remains the near DFS minimum. The Eagles just allowed Justin Herbert to finish as the QB2, and the Broncos may be in more high-scoring games than expected with their defense suffering so many injuries (and trading away Von Miller). With Jerry Jeudy now back fully healthy joining Courtland Sutton (and a solid tight end), Bridgewater has nice targets as well. You could mini-stack Teddy B with Jeudy ($16), who’s seen a 25.0% target share per route run compared to 19.8% for Sutton.
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