Stars of Week 10

QB: Kirk Cousins, WAS: 20-25, 324 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INTs

RB: Adrian Peterson, MIN: 26 carries, 203 yards, 1 TD

WR: Antonio Brown, PIT: 10 catches, 139 yards, 2 TDs

TE: Zach Miller, CHI: 5 catches, 107 yards, 2 TDs 

Has Washington finally settled on their long-term QB? That’s not a question that will be answered here. We will take a closer look at Kirk Cousins from a fantasy perspective though, since that’s our primary concern here. Cousins got his turn at posting video game numbers, tearing up the swiss cheese Saints’ defense in Rob Ryan’s last game as defensive coordinator. Adrian Peterson did Adrian Peterson things against the Raiders, tying the NFL record with his sixth career two hundred yard game. Speaking of stalwarts, Antonio Brown edged out his teammate, Martavis Bryant, for top WR honors (the second TD clinched the honor for Brown. We’ll actually take a closer look at Brown’s teammate below. If you started Zach Miller as your tight end this week, you’re amongst a select group of people. We’ll look closer at Miller below as well. 

Week 10 Takeaways – A Closer Look 

Each week we’ll take a closer look at a handful of performances and sort out what such performances mean going forward.

- Kirk Cousins, QB – WAS: 20-25, 324 yards, 4 TDs, 0 INTs

Analysis: Washington's QB situation has been subject to constant shenanigans over the last few years, with the RGIII circus hovering over mediocre starts from Kirk Cousins and Colt McCoy. The circus has actually settled down this season, with Cousins in the first chair for the entire year thus far. Cousins’ performance has improved this year, even when discarding the cake matchup with the Saints. Cousins has a 14 to nine touchdown to interception ratio, and he’s averaging in the neighborhood of 250 yards passing per game. Looking closely at Cousins’ numbers, he excels against weak passing defenses (Saints, Buccaneers and Eagles) and struggles against tougher matchups (Patriots, NY Jets, etc.). So don’t let the Saints’ game fool you - Cousins does not have anywhere near the consistency to be a weekly starter for your team. He’s fine to ride in passing friendly matchups, but otherwise should remain on the bench. He remains a QB2. 

- Alfred Morris, RB – WAS: 15 carries, 92 yards, 0 TDs               

Analysis: Nothing cures an ailing offense like playing the New Orleans Saints – just ask the New York Giants. We took a closer look at Kirk Cousins above, and now we turn to one-half of the RB committee, Alfred Morris. Washington essentially has a time split between Alfred Morris and Matt Jones. Morris outcarried Jones 15 to 11 against the Saints, but note that Jones outcarried Morris in each of the last two games. Long story short, Washington's RB situation is a mess from a fantasy perspective, and you should view the game against the Saints as an anomaly. Washington views Jones as the RB of the future, and Morris will likely receive the lower end of the carry distribution for the remaining games. Note that Morris has yet to score a TD this season. Morris should be viewed as an RB4 – not higher.

- Jay Ajayi, RB – MIA: 6 carries, 48 yards, 0 TDs    

Analysis: Jay Ajayi has gotten positive reviews in his first two games in the NFL. That happens when you average more than 8 yards per carry. Before you crown him as the second coming, he’s only had 11 carries so far. Ajayi has Lamar Miller blocking him, so he will remain a backup, but he will get a handful of carries every game. Ajayi has a nice burst and hits the holes with authority, and has looked very impressive thus far. For redraft leagues, he’s a handcuff for Lamar Miller. Those of you in dynasty leagues, you should stash Ajayi if you have room. Granted it’s only two games in, but Ajayi has shown promise in his limited carries.

- Martavis Bryant, WR – PIT: 6 catches, 178 yards, 1 TD

Analysis: Those of you with the patience to draft Bryant, equipped with a four game suspension to begin the season, are now reaping the benefits of your willingness to wait. Bryant serves as the perfect compliment to Antonio Bryant, as he’s a big target with deep threat potential. Bryant tends to go boom or bust with respect to yardage – three games under 50 yards and the other two games over 130 yards, so expect more volatility than other top wideouts. But he’s got a nose for the end zone, with 5 TDs in five games played this season. As long as Roethlisberger remains in the lineup, Bryant will be a WR2. He should be in all starting lineups going forward, unless you have incredible WR depth.  

- Michael Floyd, WR – ARZ: 7 catches, 113 yards, 2 TDs

Analysis: The Cardinals went up against one of the best pass defenses in the NFL in the Seattle Seahawks and passed the test with flying colors. The Cardinals had three passing TDs, two of which were caught by Floyd. Breaking it down further, one of his TDs was off Richard Sherman. Floyd had a very quiet opening quarter of the season, but has since ratcheted things up over the last five games, which includes at least one TD catch in each game. The Cardinals are an offensive juggernaut, and Floyd has great deep ball skills in a deep ball offense. Because the Cardinals have so many weapons, Floyd will be somewhat inconsistent from week to week since the wealth will be spread around. But you should be buying Floyd’s revival, and he’s a solid WR3/flex play going forward.

- Zach Miller, TE – CHI: 5 catches, 107 yards, 2 TDs

Analysis: Not to be confused with former Seahawks tight end Zach Miller, the Bears' tight end with the same name had a career game against the Rams. Before you sprint to the wire to put in a claim for Miller, note that for the season he had 5 catches for 58 yards and 1 TD coming into the game against the Rams. Also, Miller is no spring chicken – he’s actually 31 years old, last having played in the 2011 season. And, don’t forget that Martellus Bennett still plays for the Bears. So to recap, we’re talking about a 31 year old backup tight end who’s playing in his first season since 2011. Miller’s best case scenario is that of a low-end TE2. Now if Bennett were to get hurt, then it would be worth keeping an eye on Miller. Otherwise, nothing to see here – just a career day.

Rapid Fire Pickups 

Each week we’ll throw out potential free agent pickups from each position for deeper leagues, in each case 1) someone who has NOT been referenced above, and 2) a player available in most leagues.

QB: Jay Cutler, CHI

RB: James White, NE

RB: Charles Sims, TB

WR: Doug Baldwin, SEA

WR: Dwayne Harris, NYG

TE: Richard Rodgers, GB

Week 11 Rankings

Quarterbacks

1. Tom Brady

2. Cam Newton

3. Carson Palmer

4. Aaron Rodgers

5. Philip Rivers

6. Derek Carr

7. Matt Ryan

8. Blake Bortles

9. Tony Romo

10. Andy Dalton

11. Matthew Stafford

12. Tyrod Taylor

13. Russell Wilson

14. Ryan Tannehill

15. Mark Sanchez

16. Ryan Fitzpatrick

17. Alex Smith

18. Matt Hasselbeck

19. Marcus Mariota

20. Joe Flacco

Running Backs

1. Adrian Peterson

2. Todd Gurley

3. Devonta Freeman

4. Charcandrick West

5. Marshawn Lynch

6. Darren McFadden

7. Jonathan Stewart

8. Latavius Murray

9. Lamar Miller

10. LeGarrette Blount

11. Chris Ivory

12. DeMarco Murray

13. Jeremy Langford

14. Frank Gore

15. LeSean McCoy

16. Doug Martin

17. Chris Johnson

18. James Starks

19. T.J. Yeldon

20. Justin Forsett

21. Matt Jones

22. Carlos Hyde

23. Ronnie Hillman

24. Melvin Gordon

25. Karlos Williams

26. Antonio Andrews

27. Giovani Bernard

28. Danny Woodhead

29. C.J. Anderson

30. Ryan Mathews

31. Jeremy Hill

32. Andre Ellington

33. Eddie Lacy

34. Joique Bell

35. Alfred Morris

Wide Receivers

1. Julio Jones

2. DeAndre Hopkins

3. Calvin Johnson

4. Larry Fitzgerald

5. Dez Bryant

6. Michael Crabtree

7. Allen Robinson

8. Demaryius Thomas

9. Mike Evans

10. Amari Cooper

11. A.J. Green

12. Randall Cobb

13. Alshon Jeffery

14. Brandon Marshall

15. Danny Amendola

16. Emmanuel Sanders

17. Eric Decker

18. Sammy Watkins

19. Jarvis Landry

20. Brandon LaFell

21. T.Y. Hilton

22. Stevie Johnson

23. Michael Floyd

24. Allen Hurns

25. Davante Adams

26. Jordan Matthews

27. Jeremy Maclin

28. Stefon Diggs

29. Tavon Austin

30. Kamar Aiken

31. Marvin Jones

32. John Brown

33. Golden Tate

34. DeSean Jackson

35. Rishard Matthews

Tight Ends

1. Rob Gronkowski

2. Greg Olsen

3. Tyler Eifert

4. Travis Kelce

5. Jordan Reed

6. Antonio Gates

7. Jason Witten

8. Jimmy Graham

9. Delanie Walker

10. Zach Ertz

11. Eric Ebron

12. Martellus Bennett

13. Julius Thomas

14. Coby Fleener

15. Jacob Tamme