Justin Boone provides a weekly look at undervalued fantasy football players to consider starting this week and potential busts you might want to leave on your bench.
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For the rest of your fantasy football lineup decisions, consult his Week 10 rankings.
Starts
Matthew Stafford, QB, Rams
at 49ers
Stafford has put his preseason durability concerns behind him and is having an outstanding season. The 37-year-old currently leads the league in passing touchdowns and is sixth in passing yards.
He’s also thrown at least three touchdown passes in four of his last five games.
Meanwhile, the 49ers defense is struggling after losing several key players to injury. San Francisco has allowed four top-12 fantasy QB finishes in the past five weeks, including Stafford’s QB8 performance in Week 5.
You can expect a similar result in this matchup.
Other QBs to start:
Jaxson Dart at Bears – Dart has finished as a top-seven fantasy QB three times in the last month and now gets a Bears’ defense that’s giving up the sixth-most fantasy points to the position. Chicago is also vulnerable to rushing quarterbacks.
Jared Goff at Commanders – The Commanders have allowed at least three touchdowns passes in three straight outings. Washington is quickly becoming one of the best matchups for fantasy QBs.
Quinshon Judkins, RB, Browns
at Jets
Judkins was a top-12 fantasy running back through his first seven NFL games, before exiting early with an injury in Week 8.
Now fresh off his bye, he’s practicing in full and preparing to take on a Jets’ defense that just lost their two best players at the trade deadline.
Even with Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams, the Jets were still the seventh-easiest opponent for fantasy RBs. In their last appearance, the Jets gave up at least 100 scrimmage yards and a TD to both Chase Brown and Samaje Perine in the same game.
Get ready for Judkins to have a monster day with the Browns as road favorites against a franchise that’s adjusting to their new reality after throwing in the towel on the 2025 season.
Other RBs to start:
Rico Dowdle vs. Saints – In his three starts this season, Dowdle has put up scrimmage yard totals of 234, 239 and 141. He also found the end zone at least once in all of those games. He’s moved into RB1 territory in my rest-of-season rankings.
Jaylen Warren at Chargers – The clear lead back in Pittsburgh is coming off of a two-touchdown game and continues to find ways to produce regardless of his opponent. He’s also ninth in receiving yards among running backs this season.
D’Andre Swift/Kyle Monangai vs. Giants – After missing one game, Swift is practicing in full before a matchup with the third-most generous defense for fantasy backs. That makes Swift a solid fantasy RB2 and Monangai a startable RB3 this week.
Ladd McConkey, WR, Chargers
vs. Steelers
McConkey brushed off a slow start to the season and has re-emerged as the WR13 in fantasy points per game over the last five weeks.
Next up is a Steelers defense that’s allowing the third-most fantasy points to receivers.
Last week alone, Pittsburgh let Michael Pittman Jr. (9-115-0), Alec Pierce (6-115-0) and Josh Downs (6-57-1) all have big fantasy performances against them.
You can start McConkey as a low-end fantasy WR1 in Week 10.
Other WRs to start:
Zay Flowers at Vikings – Flowers is always a threat to blow up now that Lamar Jackson is back under center. The Vikings have given up six TDs to wideouts over their last three games and five top-16 fantasy WR finishes during that span.
DeVonta Smith at Packers – Smith is on a heater with stat lines of 8-114-0, 4-49-0, 9-183-1 and 6-84-0 in his past four appearances. He’s also accomplished the feat against a variety of opponents, so don’t be scared off by the Packers defense.
Stefon Diggs at Buccaneers – With Kayshon Boutte’s status in doubt for Week 10, expect Diggs to see more work. Touchdowns have kept his fantasy value afloat in recent weeks, but you should expect an all-round strong performance from him here.
Colston Loveland, TE, Bears
vs. Giants
Loveland’s six-catch, 118-yard, two-touchdown breakout in Week 9 is the kind of performance you can’t put back in the box.
Even if Cole Kmet (concussion) is able to return this week, Loveland’s arrow is on the rise as a first-round talent who can excel as a pass-catcher and a blocker.
With several Bears’ receivers working their way through injuries, expect the rookie tight end to see plenty of volume against the Giants.
We’re at the beginning of Loveland’s ascension into fantasy stardom, but he’s a top-12 tight end in my rankings this week and for the rest of the season.
Other TEs to start:
Kyle Pitts at Colts – Pitts has been busy with at least seven targets in three consecutive outings and now faces a Colts defense that’s giving up the fourth-most fantasy points to tight ends.
Cade Otton vs. Patriots – With the injuries at receiver, Otton has at least 40 yards in four straight games. The Patriots’ defense is good, but they’ve been the eighth-best matchup for fantasy TEs.
Sits
Jordan Love, QB, Packers
vs. Eagles
Love is the QB14 in fantasy points per game this year. However, he’s finished outside the top-15 fantasy QBs in three of his past four contests and five of his eight outings on the season.
Now, he’s lost his top pass-catcher and arguably the team’s best offensive player in TE Tucker Kraft for the remainder of the campaign.
To make matters worse, Love has to deal with an Eagles defense that’s permitted the second-fewest passing yards and sixth-fewest passing touchdowns.
You should be treating Love as a QB2 streamer, who you only consider starting in good matchups.
Other QBs to sit:
Jacoby Brissett at Seahawks – Brissett has been a top-12 fantasy QB in all three of his starts this year, but Seattle has only given up 260 passing or more to one quarterback all season.
Trevor Lawrence at Texans – The injuries at receiver are problematic and Jakobi Meyers is still learning the offense, so Lawrence simply doesn’t have the firepower to deal with the league’s worst matchup for fantasy QBs.
Breece Hall, RB, Jets
vs. Browns
We all know Hall wanted to be traded at the deadline, so it’s fair to consider how that will affect his mindset moving forward. It’s also realistic to wonder how the entire Jets’ locker room is feeling after losing two of their best players before the deadline.
This is a team that’s coming off its first win of the season prior to the bye, but they return as underdogs at home to the 2-6 Browns.
Hall will have to contend with Cleveland’s defense that’s granted the second-fewest fantasy points to running backs and haven’t allowed a touchdown to the position in over a month.
That makes Hall a risky low-end RB2 and someone you’re likely not going to be happy having in your lineup this week.
Other RBs to sit:
Rachaad White vs. Patriots – White hasn’t reached double-digit fantasy points in his last two outings and now has to face the fourth-hardest opponent for fantasy backs in the Patriots.
Alvin Kamara at Panthers – Kamara has been held under 10 fantasy points six times in the last seven weeks. It doesn’t even matter what the matchup is at this point, Kamara is just a risky RB3/flex.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt vs. Lions – Better days will come for Bill (like the Dolphins in Week 11), but he hasn’t even topped six fantasy points in a single game over the last month. The Lions third-ranked fantasy defense against RBs is not a get-right spot.
DK Metcalf, WR, Steelers
at Chargers
Metcalf is a boom-or-bust WR2 most weeks thanks to his big-play ability and touchdown scoring.
Trips to the end zone have done a lot of heavy lifting for his fantasy production this season, since he’s been limited to 55 yards or less in five of his past seven games — but scored a TD five times during that stretch.
While the Chargers aren’t a shutdown defense, they do present the toughest challenge Metcalf has faced since the opening month. The Bolts have given up the sixth-lowest fantasy point total to receivers this season.
You might not have a better option than Metcalf, just know that he’s a riskier play than usual in this matchup.
Other WRs to sit:
Jauan Jennings vs. Rams – The Rams defense is heating up, having kept all wideouts under 70 yards over the last month and not allowing a touchdown to the position during that time.
Keenan Allen vs. Steelers – Allen has played 25% and 37% of the Chargers’ snaps over the last two weeks as tight end Oronde Gadsden II became a bigger part of the offense and Quentin Johnston got back to full health. It’s hard to trust a part-time player like that in your fantasy lineup.
Jakobi Meyers at Texans – Meyers just joined the Jags at the trade deadline and draws one of the toughest possible opponents in his first game with the team. Let’s give him some time to get situated before we start him in fantasy.
Zach Ertz, TE, Commanders
vs. Lions
Ertz is a touchdown-or-bust TE2 streamer, who tends to score his TDs when Jayden Daniels is throwing the ball.
His production in Marcus Mariota’s three starts has been far from fantasy relevant with stat lines of 3-38-0, 2-21-0 and 4-16-0.
The Lions won’t make life easy on him either. Detroit is a negative matchup for fantasy tight ends and have only given up one touchdown to the position in the last five games.
Other TEs to sit:
Luke Musgrave vs. Eagles – Musgrave is worth stashing, but you might not want to start him this week against an Eagles’ defense that’s the third-most difficult matchup for fantasy tight ends.
Mason Taylor vs. Browns – Taylor hasn’t topped 35 yards in any of his last three games. Given the uncertainty at QB and the potential for this offense to go off the rails, let’s avoid Taylor this week.