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Each Monday, fantasy analyst Joel Smyth will go over 10 important stats that you may have overlooked from this week. Week 10 had plenty of notable stats. What keys to fantasy football success do you need to know that your leaguemates may have missed?​

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2.25

Justin Herbert’s average time to throw in Week 10, the fastest of any quarterback. With the Chargers offensive line filling up IR spots, the Los Angeles offense took a new approach on Sunday Night Football. Rather than holding onto the ball at a top-10 rate, Herbert got the ball out fast as Los Angeles used quick throws and screens to help alleviate QB pressure. The Chargers’ average depth of throw was 4.7, well below the 7.9 mark from the prior.

We’ve seen the less downfield aggression become a consistent trend when the OL isn’t fully healthy for Herbert. Oddly enough, the biggest benefactor in terms of usage on Sunday was Quentin Johnston. The Chargers' typical downfield WR had an average depth of target of 3.4 yards while being used in the quick screen game. McConkey was the downfield threat of the day, but the main worry comes with Keenan Allen. The veteran wideout ran significantly fewer routes and was not given the easy-designed targets that Johnston and others received. Johnston had six targets at or behind the line of scrimmage compared to Allen’s one. With the Chargers adapting to their weaknesses, Johnston gets a bump to his floor while Allen’s becomes more dependent on the ability to protect the passer.

44.5%

Of TreVeyon Henderson’s fantasy points this season that have come from his five explosive carries over the last three weeks, adding two more in Week 10. After the first four carries of the game went to Terrell Jennings, panic started to ensue once again for Henderson managers. Mike Vrabel and the Patriots have consistently limited the rookie RB's usage whenever possible. After both Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson went down to injury, Henderson wasn’t being trusted with red zone work. It was also a major red flag when Henderson wasn't getting carries early in Week 10. The question becomes, does his breakout performance change things going forward?​

That’s the same question that’s been asked time and time again this season, which leads me to think the answer will again be no. Henderson has earned a role, but I still believe it’s unlikely he's earned the role, of being a workhorse, every-down back. Henderson’s 20 opportunities in Week 9, paired with his two explosive touchdowns in Week 10, make me confident he’ll get enough usage week-to-week to be startable in fantasy, but the lack of trust is still evident. Jennings, a practice squad fourth-string running back, was still the go-to red zone runner when healthy over Henderson. It took all three New England running backs getting hurt for Henderson to see his first two goal-line attempts since Week 4 on Sunday. Him failing to capitalize on those attempts doesn’t give me any confidence that usage will continue when another RB is available. The talent is clear and the offense is great. That alone makes him a solid option in this offense, but I do believe we’re a few steps away from Henderson being a week-to-week fantasy start.

14

Snaps played by Jordan Mason on Sunday. With Aaron Jones returning a few weeks ago, the question was which Vikings RB would lead the committee? Going off of recency bias, it’s Jones, not just as the 1A of the committee, but a full-time RB. Mason's snap share was 67% without Jones, but dropped all the way to 23.0% in Week 10. Counting just the snaps before the fourth quarter, Mason played seven total plays after increasing his snap share in each game from Weeks 1-7. His 13.8 PPG as a starter has dipped to a mere 4.3 with Jones healthy this season.

Even when Mason was getting the snaps, there were too many obstacles to overcome. The Vikings' scoring offense has dropped from ninth in 2024 to 23rd this year. With only three targets over the last month, Mason is fully dependent on a strong rushing offense and team as a whole, and Jones getting the goal-line carry for a score on Sunday was the icing on the cake. Mason is fully dependent on Jones' health and matchup dependent if he were to get a spot start in the future.

13

Designed red zone carries for Jaxson Dart, 2x more than any QB in the NFL since Week 4. Rushing QBs are always a cheat code in fantasy, and red zone rushing is the most valuable of it all. For Dart, 33.5 fantasy points have come from those 13 carries, bumping his fantasy PPG from 18.1 to 22.9, the difference between being a low-end streaming QB1 and a weekly top-five option.

The New York Giants offense is built around Dart’s skillset and suffers when he’s out of the lineup. For Dart, the lack of weapons in New York isn’t as much of a negative since he relies heavily on designed rushing usage. His 11.1% designed run rate is the best in the NFL and has led to a rushing TD in five consecutive games. No quarterback is within 10 carries of Dart since he took over for Russell Wilson, providing a dominant floor. As long as the Giants continue to use Dart on the ground post-concussion, he will be a top QB option in the most important time of the season.

72%

D’Andre Swift’s RB touch percentage after his one-game absence, 10% more than his previous three games following the Bears’ bye week. Chicago is a great situation for fantasy RBs, keeping Swift as a top option even with Kyle Monangai taking a chunk of work. Swift’s role seems solidified in this offense as he started for the Bears and was the key RB in crunch time even after Monangai had over 30 opportunities in Week 9.

One key note, the Bears RBs look to be interchangeable, although Swift provides a different skillset. The Chicago running backs split work by drive for the majority of the time, rather than having the more common down-by-down roles. With that being said, Swift did out-target Monangai 8-1 despite running nearly the same number of routes out of the backfield. Neither is giving any reason to have work taken away, and both are performing well when given the opportunity. I would expect the same going forward with Swift being a good fantasy RB2 and Monangai as a matchup-dependent flex play.

2

Targets for Michael Pittman Jr., the lowest of the season with a 7.7% share. All has been right in the world for Pittman with consistent fantasy production and extreme efficiency. Indianapolis has been near perfection on the offensive side of the football, so when facing a Falcons secondary while having a full array of offensive weapons available, Pittman’s spot became much more difficult. Not only did Atlanta enter with the top passing defense, but the base Cover 3 coverage has been Pittman’s weakness this season. His fantasy points per route drops by 57% while Alec Pierce’s jumped by over double. ​

There are lots of mouths to feed in Indy, and there wasn't much to go around in Week 10 with Jonathan Taylor’s season-high 32 carries. The Colts’ star WR was bound for TD regression as well, with 3.4 TDs over expected entering Week 10. Indianapolis’ red zone pass rate being 29th means Pittman heavily relies on his red zone catch rate being extremely high. All that being said, I don’t think this is a trend going forward, at least not long-term. Pittman’s 10-target games will be back just like Tyler Warren had his on Sunday, but the next three weeks are tougher. The Colts are on bye in Week 11 followed by the Chiefs and Texans, who both rank top-five vs. WRs. Once Pittman gets out on the other side, a good schedule, including two matchups versus Jacksonville, should set him up for a late-season surge.

53.6%

Rachaad White’s percent of Tampa Bay RB touches over the last two games compared to 75.0% in his first three starts. White’s usage that previously propelled him to a top-12 RB has disappeared. Sean Tucker has 21 carries to White’s 23, with fewer targets going to the backfield this season. Tucker also has been the more efficient runner of the two in each game, especially in Week 10, becoming the first RB this season to have over 50 rushing yards versus New England.

The Bucky Irving injury has been anything but straightforward after sitting out once again after the Buccaneers' bye week. However, when Irving does come back healthy, this makes me more confident he’ll return to his elite level RB volume we saw over the first few weeks of 2025. Irving’s efficiency set him apart at the end of his rookie year and should keep him as the clear workhorse when healthy.

8

Targets for Chris Olave in his first game without Rashid Shaheed, a 29.6% share from QB Tyler Shough. This was nearly the exact same as his elite usage with Spencer Rattler to begin the year. After being out-targeted 16-10 by Shaheed in Shough’s first six quarters, Olave’s usage is extra encouraging for his value going forward. I don’t expect Shough to have 282 passing yards and Olave to grab a 60-yard TD every week, but it’s a step in the right direction again. 

New Orleans' offense playing at the fastest pace in the NFL, sub-par defense and good play calling help offset some of the quarterback concerns for fantasy reasons. The touchdown upside will certainly be lower, but so far, Shough’s 7.1 yards per attempt could be worse. He sits above plenty of top-level quarterbacks such as Dak Prescott, Baker Mayfield and more in the category, proving he can make Olave a volume-centric, high-floor WR once again.

10

The gap in touches between Woody Marks and Nick Chubb, the largest of the season. With 73% of the touches and out-carrying the veteran back 14 to five, Marks looked like the clear RB1 in Houston for the first time this season. Marks took advantage of his 16 touches, posting 15.1 fantasy points versus Jacksonville.

In his four games with 12+ touches this year, Marks is averaging 16.3 half-PPR PPG. The value of the workload he’s getting is key. In Week 10, Marks was on the field for 17 red zone snaps (with Chubb getting zero). He also ran 27 of the 32 Houston RB routes. If Marks can string together RB1 workhorse days, his volume can be enough to offset the Texans' inconsistency going forward.

11-5

Kenneth Walker’s red zone snap advantage over the last two games versus Zach Charbonnet. It hasn’t been great, but it has, surprisingly, been better. Stacking weeks with red zone usage is a great sign going forward, who can pay it off in an offense that’s on fire. Over the last two games, Walker has three of the four goal-line carries and has out-snapped Charbonnet significantly inside the 20 and 10-yard line. Sadly for Walker managers, Charbonnet was still the one who hit pay dirt in Week 10, but it’s a welcome shift in usage. Previously, Charbonnet had nine of the 10 goal-line carries when both players were active, and took a larger majority of the red zone snaps.

Walker has relied on his explosive plays for fantasy production with little to no receiving or red zone usage. If he can carve out one of those, he can become a usable piece as a matchup-dependent starter. Looking ahead, the Seahawks have a tough Rams D in Week 11, but follow it up versus the Titans in Week 12, where Walker can likely be started in most leagues.

Week 10 again delivered, with a huge upset for the Buffalo Bills proving the 'any given Sunday' mantra that draws so many people into the NFL.

That result may have opened things up for the New England Patriots to creep back into a leading position they used to occupy, with a schedule that gives them an edge over their 8-2 rivals.

Over in the NFC the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams had perfect results to set up a monster clash next week, while our player of the week is chasing records as well as the MVP.

Here's the pick of week 10.

• Trump at Washington game as Dolphins upset Bills - week 10 round-up
• What we learned from the first half of the NFL season

The breakdown - just a bad day for Buffalo?

Was it just an emotional comedown from beating the Chiefs last week or something more? That's the question for the Bills to answer.

The Bills had won seven in a row against Miami but were second best from the start as the Dolphins ran out 30-13 winners in an eye-opening result - and performance.

MVP Josh Allen only got the team's opening first down in the third quarter and first points in the fourth - yes Miami had 10 days to prepare but it was still a massive egg laid by one of the league's top offences.

Tua Tagovailoa threw two touchdowns but running back De'Von Achane was the devastating difference, with 225 total yards and two scores.

Bottling up the league's best rushing attack was also key, with James Cook and company registering just 86 yards, their fewest of the season and just over half their 161.5-yard average.

Then there were the three crucial turnovers, and the two from Allen in particular. An interception in the end zone meaning a nine-minute drive produced nothing, and his fourth-quarter fumble that Miami turned into seven points just two plays later.

It was classic 'old Buffalo' as they shot themselves in the foot, getting into a hole on defence and Allen trying to do too much to dig his team out of it - not the calm, controlled, well-balanced Bills we've seen this season.

Miami have served up a bit of everything this season so the jury's out on whether this is the start of something, but for Buffalo they'll need an instant response in a tough game against Tampa Bay next week as the Patriots are sneaking into a nice lead at the top of the AFC East.

In focus - Patriots see path to surprise top seed

Speaking of the Patriots, they're one of three 8-2 teams in the NFL, all AFC sides, but are they the best?

You can pick holes in New England, Denver and Indianapolis really for feasting on the lesser sides, with only five of their combined 24 victories coming against teams with a winning record - and one of those was the Colts beating the Broncos.

Denver beat the champion Eagles in Philadelphia and are kings of the fourth-quarter while Indy can ride Jonathan Taylor, but the Patriots adding Sunday's win in Tampa Bay to their primtime success in Buffalo seems like a statement.

Their two defeats came in new head coach Mike Vrabel's first three games, with seven straight wins, just like Denver, since then - but taking down Baker Mayfield after the Bucs had a bye to prepare was huge.

Drake Maye's MVP claims won't go away, and he certainly deserves point for bravery after taking some savage hits in Tampa Bay but hanging in there to steer his side to victory.

The defence is solid and rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson exploded on Sunday with 147 yards and two exhilerating touchdowns of 55 and 69 yards - becoming just the fifth ball carrier to break 22mph this season on his first score.

While you can argue who 'the best' is technically, the Pats should be favourites to finish with the best record thanks to their schedule - which includes just one game against a winning team, albeit a huge one against Buffalo.

Visiting Baltimore is also tough, but Denver have it even tougher in the AFC West with the Chiefs to play twice, the Chargers (who could also challenge for top seed but face the same problem) and also the Packers on the schedule.

The Colts also face the Chiefs, and have the Seahawks, 49ers and two games with the 5-4 Jaguars to contend with. There's a long way to go but the door is open for a shock top seed in the AFC.

Coming up - Rams & Seahawks set for week 11 showdown

Two teams with solid claims to be better than all of the three 8-2 sides are NFC West rivals the Seahawks and Rams, who both put up 40 burgers to go to 7-2 ahead of next week's Hollywood blockbuster meeting between the two in LA.

They've both won four in a row, have quarterbacks in Matthew Stafford and Sam Darnold playing at an elite level (although Darnold had turnover issues on Sunday) with top receivers, and defences allowing under 20 points a game.

Both could easily be undefeated as well - especially the Rams as their two defeats came in overtime against th 49ers and then that agonising loss in Philadelphia when they had a game-winning field goal with the last kick blocked and returned by the Eagles for a touchdown.

Seattle also lost to San Francisco, with a late touchdown in week one, before losing to the last kick of the game against the Buccaneers - so they're genuinely two of the best sides in the NFL.

The upcoming game on Sunday could be the best of the season so far.

Player of the week - Jonathan Taylor

Jonathan Taylor could be on for a record season after his incredible display in Berlin - running for 244 yards, scoring three touchdowns and adding another 42 receiving yards.

He's currently on pace for 1,936 rushing yards, so Eric Dickerson's long-held record of 2,105 is still within his grasp with more big games like this one.

Taylor could also have Chris Johnson's scrimmage yards record of 2,509 in his sights as he's on target for 2,378 - and he's shown he can break off for big runs and touchdowns at any moment.

A fourth hat-trick of the season on Sunday is the most any player has managed through 10 weeks, and with 15 rushing touchdowns and 17 overall he can also chase LaDainian Tomlinson's records of 28 rushing and 31 overall scores.

His 83-yard touchdown on Sunday is the longest of the season, he's also clocked the fastest speed of the season at 22.38mph, but has strength to accompany that speed, with 228 yards after contact against the Falcons, which the NFL's NextGen Stats says is the most in eight years.

MVP voters love records, and Taylor could grab a few of them if he continues in this form.

Week 10 game notes, stats & records

The Baltimore Ravens looked dead and buried earlier this season, but a win over the Vikings plus Pittsburgh's defeat at the Chargers means the AFC North is up for grabs now - with the two fierce rivals still to face each other twice, including in the final game of the season.

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell took over offensive play calling duties from coordinator John Morton after three below-par games, admittedly against good defences.

The result in Washington was 44 points scored, 546 yards, 30 first downs and Jared Goff going largely untouched. Campbell may have the clipboard and glasses on for a few more games going forward.

Matthew Stafford became just the ninth player to eclipse 400 regular season touchdown passes as the Rams beat the 49ers - while also becoming the first player ever with four touchdowns and no interceptions in three straight games.

It's not often the New York Jets and 'amazing' have gone together this season, but in their win over Cleveland they scored on a 99-yard kick return and then a 74-yard punt return in the space of 36 seconds.

Jaxson Dart became the only rookie quarterback in NFL history with a rushing touchdown in five straight games, but the Giants lost him to concussion before losing a 10-point lead to the Bears.

Giants head coach Brian Daboll will feel the heat turning up on him if he fails to find a way to protect a quarterback that looks every inch the face of the franchise in the future.

Caleb Williams is growing into the face of the Chicago Bears by leading another late comeback after last week's epic in Cincinnati.

Watch - Whole 10 Yards trade deadline special