Stars of Week 10
QB: Aaron Rodgers, GB: 18-27, 315 yards, 6 TDs
RB: Marshawn Lynch, SEA: 21 carries, 140 yards, 4 TDs
WR: Dez Bryant, DAL: 6 catches, 158 yards, 2 TDs
TE: Jimmy Graham, NO: 10 catches, 76 yards, 2 TDs
We’ve got the elite of the elite this week in the honor roll, with Aaron Rodgers absolutely shredding the Bears and Marshawn Lynch having a beastly performance against the Giants (pun intended). Dez Bryant and Jimmy Graham also did quite well for their fantasy owners with 2 TD performances. Graham looks better and better every week as he leaves his shoulder injury behind. These guys need no further analysis, so let’s move on.
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.
- Drew Stanton, QB - ARZ: 3-5, 85 yards, 1 TD, 0 INTs
Analysis: Drew Stanton finds his way here not because of how he played this past Sunday against the Rams, but because he did play against the Rams, and because he will be filling in for Carson Palmer for the remainder of the season. No matter if you’re a Cardinals fan or not, it was disheartening to see Carson Palmer tear his ACL again. We do have to move forward however, which means for our purposes that we need to determine if Stanton can be a useful fantasy player. Luckily, we’ve had a glimpse of Stanton from earlier in the season, and what we saw was nothing too spectacular. The Cardinals’ skill players have progressed since earlier in the year (both in terms of skills and health), so we can expect a slight bump this time around. But, we’re looking at nothing more than a mid to lower end QB2 going forward. With bye weeks ending after this coming week 11, Stanton should only be started in desperate times.
- Ronnie Hillman, RB – DEN: 6 carries, 13 yards, 0 TDs
CJ Anderson, RB – DEN: 13 carries, 90 yards, 0 TDs
Juwan Thompson, RB – DEN: 4 carries, 8 yards, 0 TDs
Montee Ball, RB – DEN: DNP
Analysis: We’re essentially taking a look at the current Broncos’ RB situation. In short, it’s a mess. Hillman suffered an injury against the Raiders, and there are conflicting rumors out there as to how long he will be out (the most likely verdict is two weeks). Adding to the confusion, coach John Fox has indicated that health will be the number one factor in terms of who gets the carries, along with whoever has the “hot” hand. Oh, that clears up everything! Speaking of health, Montee Ball will return soon, so that’s another guy in this mess. So lots of moving pieces here, and who will emerge from this group is anyone’s guess. What the signs point to though is a committee going forward. If you have to pick one RB from this group for this coming week, I’d go with CJ Anderson. But note that the situation is messy and subject to change on a dime. Best to take care of your RB needs elsewhere.
- Odell Beckham Jr., WR - NYG: 7 catches, 108 yards, 0 TDs
Analysis: Very little has gone right for the New York Giants this season, but one glimmering ray of hope is the emergence of Odell Beckham Jr. Beckham has posted back to back strong games, and his talent jumps out at you as you watch him play. No other way to put it – Beckham is the Giants’ best WR with Cruz out, and he will continue to post great numbers for the remainder of the season. Beckham straddles the low end WR2 / high end WR3 line, with the arrow pointing up. He should be in lineups going forward in all but the most shallow of leagues.
- Cecil Shorts, WR – JAC: 5 catches, 119 yards, 0 TDs
Analysis: Cecil Shorts had a solid game against the Cowboys in London this past Sunday. Shorts has been inconsistent since his return from injury, with this being his first meaningful fantasy performance of the season. The big news pertaining to all Jaguars WRs though is the loss of leading WR Allen Robinson for the season. This means Shorts, Allen Hurns and the rest of the Jags’ WR crew get a slight bump. Shorts has the most value of the Jags’ WRs going forward, but he should be viewed no higher than a WR3/flex option at best.
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: Derek Carr, OAK
RB: Charles Sims, TB
RB: Theo Riddick, TB
WR: Allen Hurns, JAC
WR: Jarvis Landry, MIA
TE: Mychal Rivera, OAK
Week 11 Rankings
Quarterbacks
1. Aaron Rodgers
2. Peyton Manning
3. Andrew Luck
4. Tom Brady
5. Philip Rivers
6. Drew Brees
7. Ben Roethlisberger
8. Robert Griffin III
9. Matthew Stafford
10. Russell Wilson
11. Colin Kaepernick
12. Mark Sanchez
13. Matt Ryan
14. Jay Cutler
15. Cam Newton
16. Eli Manning
17. Josh McCown
18. Andy Dalton
19. Teddy Bridgewater
20. Ryan Tannehill
Running Backs
1. Matt Forte
2. Arian Foster
3. Marshawn Lynch
4. Le'Veon Bell
5. Jamaal Charles
6. Eddie Lacy
7. Mark Ingram
8. LeSean McCoy
9. Alfred Morris
10. Andre Ellington
11. Ahmad Bradshaw
12. Rashad Jennings
13. Frank Gore
14. Shane Vereen
15. Jeremy Hill
16. Jerick McKinnon
17. Terrance West
18. Lamar Miller
19. Joique Bell
20. Ryan Mathews
21. Steven Jackson
22. C.J. Anderson
23. Ben Tate
24. Tre Mason
25. Fred Jackson
26. Trent Richardson
27. Branden Oliver
28. Darren Sproles
29. Bishop Sankey
30. Montee Ball
31. Bobby Rainey
32. Carlos Hyde
33. Darren McFadden
34. Matt Asiata
35. Jonathan Stewart
Wide Receivers
1. Demaryius Thomas
2. Jordy Nelson
3. Calvin Johnson
4. Antonio Brown
5. Randall Cobb
6. Jeremy Maclin
7. A.J. Green
8. Emmanuel Sanders
9. Julio Jones
10. T.Y. Hilton
11. DeSean Jackson
12. Kelvin Benjamin
13. Brandon Marshall
14. Golden Tate
15. Mike Evans
16. Odell Beckham Jr.
17. Alshon Jeffery
18. Sammy Watkins
19. DeAndre Hopkins
20. Vincent Jackson
21. Julian Edelman
22. Mike Wallace
23. Roddy White
24. Keenan Allen
25. Andre Johnson
26. Brandin Cooks
27. Martavis Bryant
28. Mohamed Sanu
29. Pierre Garcon
30. Anquan Boldin
31. Jordan Matthews
32. Cordarelle Patterson
33. Michael Floyd
34. Rueben Randle
35. Kendall Wright
Tight Ends
1. Jimmy Graham
2. Rob Gronkowski
3. Julius Thomas
4. Antonio Gates
5. Dwayne Allen
6. Martellus Bennett
7. Greg Olsen
8. Travis Kelce
9. Jordan Reed
10. Larry Donnell
11. Charles Clay
12. Mychal Rivera
13. Jared Cook
14. Vernon Davis
15. Kyle Rudolph
- Neema Hodjat is the fantasy sports expert for RealGM. He can be reached via email at nhodjat@gmail.com and followed on twitter at @NeemaHodjat.