Starts & Sits | Week 10 in Fantasy Football (2026)

by Matty Kiwoom · Featured

Week 10 is here, and it brings a level of chaos that fantasy managers can use to steal some wins. New quarterbacks, new targets, and new backfield splits mean you can’t just trust the name on the jersey like we’re used to doing. On this Start & Sits Week 10 Edition, I’m leaning on usage, matchups, and the numbers underneath to separate the players you can trust from the ones who still have to prove themselves in their new homes. There’s a shootout, a Monday night matchup with the best wide receiver setup on the board, and a few tempting names I’m happy to keep on my bench.

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Starts & Sits | Week 10

Quarterback

START Brock Purdy, 49ers

San Francisco versus Dallas is projected to be the shootout of the week. The 49ers are carrying a 30.0 implied team total — the highest on the slate — and the Cowboys are sitting at 25.5 for a combined 55.5 points. Brock Purdy has been fantastic all season, averaging 22 fantasy points per game against an expected 19. He’s beaten expectations by more than two points every week. The efficiency numbers back it up, too, with 0.67 fantasy points per dropback, eight money throws, a 110.9 true passer rating, and 8.36 yards per attempt. 


He’s ranked second at the position this week and is projected for 34.3 attempts, 265.5 passing yards, and 2.37 touchdowns after putting up 26.3 fantasy points last week. Dallas is only an average matchup for quarterbacks, but with this offense and this game script, he doesn’t need a gift. Week 10 will be no different.

SIT Kirk Cousins, Vikings

It’s easy to get excited, because I think things are going to be really good in Minnesota for Kirk Cousins the rest of the season. But he just got there a few days ago, and expectations have to be tempered for a quarterback still learning his new offense, even if fantasy managers are excited about the move.

The Packers defense has been really nasty, grading out at 26th in our matchup rankings. Minnesota’s implied total is only 19.5 compared to 23.0 for Green Bay. This isn’t shaping up as a game where the Vikings are forced to throw all day. Cousins’ season-long numbers are legitimately good, including 20.49 fantasy points per game, a 100.1 true passer rating and 7.32 yards per attempt. That is exactly why I’m buying the long-term outlook. For Week 10, though, I’d rather wait and see how this offense looks before I plug him in my lineups.

Running Back

START Ollie Gordon II, Dolphins

A pocket passer like Kyle McCord has the potential to open up some running lanes for Ollie Gordon. He’s the clear RB1 for the Dolphins and has played 68.0% of the snaps. The Colts are a very soft matchup, giving up +4.6 to the position, which ranks sixth in the league. 

Ollie Gordon’s Advanced Metrics

Gordon’s season numbers show a back who’s been better than the box score, with 0.68 fantasy points per opportunity and 4.04 true yards per carry. That gap tells me the production is due to catch up to the role. I’m happy to take a clear lead back in a smash spot.

SIT Jordan Mason & Aaron Jones, Vikings

Just like with Cousins, I don’t want to start Minnesota’s running backs this week. The snap split is just nightmare fuel, with Jordan Mason at a 47.8% snap share and Aaron Jones at 34.8%, and neither guy is really producing for fantasy football. Jones is averaging 10.36 fantasy points per game against an expected 12.64, and Mason is at 6.73 against an expected 7.84. Jones is averaging 0.61 fantasy points per opportunity, and Mason is at 0.55. Last week, they scored 3.1 and 6.2 points, respectively, which is exactly the kind of production a split backfield gets you. 

The Packers are actually a soft matchup for running backs. However, with Minnesota’s implied total at just 19.5, the matchup can’t do all the work for two backs sharing the load. I’d let someone else take the gamble.

Wide Receiver

START Zay Flowers, Ravens

The matchup against the Chargers is the best one on paper for wide receivers in fantasy football this week, at +11.8 against the position. Incoming quarterback Jacoby Brissett is going to pepper Zay Flowers with targets. The target-share numbers say there’s no one else in the way, with Flowers sitting at a massive 30.2% share this year. He’s averaging 15.94 fantasy points per game, along with 0.61 fantasy points per route run and 2.94 yards per route run. He’s ranked 9th at the position and has a floor that matches the ceiling of the matchup. 

Last week was a quiet 5.3 fantasy points, so he’s primed for a bounce-back outing. Baltimore’s 21.5 implied total isn’t flashy, but with that target concentration, Flowers is poised to have a massive game on Monday night.

SIT Josh Downs, Chiefs

It’s hard not to love Josh Downs on the Chiefs, but expecting immediate production is too much to bank on. The matchup versus the Falcons is a soft one, so this is more about the role than the opponent. Downs had a 19.9% target share and 0.25 fantasy points per route run while on the Colts. 

I’m benching Downs until I see what things look like in Kansas City, but I’m buying the long-term outlook.

Tight End

START Pat Freiermuth, Steelers

Chase the points and the favorable matchup for tight ends this week. Pat Freiermuth has finished as a TE1 multiple times this year, and Week 10 looks like another opportunity for production.  Cincinnati grades out at +1.7 against the position, 10th-worst in the league. He’s ranked eight at the position and projected for 7.0 targets, 4.7 catches, 47.3 yards and 0.50 touchdowns. On the season, he’s averaging 9.88 fantasy points per game, with a 13.0% target share, 0.40 fantasy points per route run and 1.18 yards per route run. 

The Steelers’ 23.0 implied total pairs with 26.5 for the Bengals, so there should be enough scoring in this game to keep him involved around the end zone. At a position that’s a minefield every single week, a steady role with a decent matchup is worth chasing.

SIT Juwan Johnson, Saints

I know he caught a touchdown in Week 9 and scored 11.4 fantasy points, but the volume just isn’t there for Juwan Johnson. He’s played only a 51.4% snap share, with Noah Fant right behind him at 47.2%. That’s a split you don’t want from a starting tight end. Every week that rookie Jordyn Tyson gets more comfortable means fewer targets going Johnson’s way. Tyson already owns a 15.6% target share compared to Johnson’s 13.2%. He is also averaging 1.88 yards per route run compared to Johnson’s 1.27. 


Johnson is averaging 9.86 fantasy points per game, with just 0.35 fantasy points per route run. He’s ranked 18th at the position with 8.8 projected points, and Carolina is a middling matchup. I’d rather chase a safer role than a touchdown that may not come back.

Final Thoughts on Starts & Sits for Week 10

Week 10 is a reminder that the best fantasy decisions come more from usage and environment than name value. Purdy, Gordon, Flowers and Freiermuth all have clear paths to volume and matchups that back them up. Meanwhile Cousins, the Vikings backs, Downs and Johnson are all cases where a new situation or a shrinking role make me hesitate. Be patient with the new faces and trust the roles you can see. That will help you make it through this stretch with your lineup intact.

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