It’s Week 10 of the NFL season, which means two important things for fantasy football. Number 1: we get a quick break from bye-week havoc, as all 32 teams are scheduled to hit the field this week. Number 2: we start the Thursday night slate of games, meaning you have to make certain lineup decisions much quicker. For that reason, we’re posting the Cafe’s Start and Sit rankings early — look for them either on Wednesday night or Thursday morning for the rest of the season. Check them out below, and check back later for a little Start/Sit commentary, as usual.
Looking at the rankings, I personally would try to avoid starting anyone with a score under 50 at any position. This includes guys like Jay Cutler, Roy Helu, Mike Williams and Kellen Winslow. Sometimes you can’t help your options, but I have a bad feeling about anyone under that 50-point mark.
| Rank | Quarterbacks | Team | Opponent | Score
|
| 1 | Aaron Rodgers | GB | vs. MIN | 97
|
| 2 | Michael Vick | PHI | vs. ARI | 92
|
| 3 | Drew Brees | NO | at ATL | 89
|
| 4 | Matthew Stafford | DET | at CHI | 87
|
| 5 | Philip Rivers | SD | vs. OAK | 87
|
| 6 | Cam Newton | CAR | vs. TEN | 86
|
| 7 | Tony Romo | DAL | vs. BUF | 84
|
| 8 | Matt Schaub | HOU | at TB | 82
|
| 9 | Eli Manning | NYG | at SF | 81
|
| 10 | Ben Roethlisberger | PIT | at CIN | 80
|
| 11 | Tom Brady | NE | at NYJ | 77
|
| 12 | Matt Ryan | ATL | vs. NO | 77
|
| 13 | Tim Tebow | DEN | at KC | 68
|
| 14 | Matt Cassel | KC | vs. DEN | 68
|
| 15 | Josh Freeman | TB | vs. HOU | 67
|
| 16 | Andy Dalton | CIN | vs. PIT | 61
|
| 17 | Matt Hasselbeck | TEN | at CAR | 54
|
| 18 | Mark Sanchez | NYJ | vs. NE | 51
|
| 19 | Ryan Fitzpatrick | BUF | at DAL | 50
|
| 20 | Joe Flacco | BAL | at SEA | 50
|
| 21 | Jay Cutler | CHI | vs. DET | 47
|
| 22 | Colt McCoy | CLE | vs. STL | 47
|
| 23 | John Beck | WAS | at MIA | 47
|
| 24 | Christian Ponder | MIN | at GB | 45
|
| 25 | Blaine Gabbert | JAC | at IND | 42
|
| 26 | Tarvaris Jackson | SEA | vs. BAL | 41
|
| 27 | Alex Smith | SF | vs. NYG | 37
|
| 28 | Matt Moore | MIA | vs. WAS | 35
|
| 29 | Carson Palmer | OAK | at SD | 35
|
| 30 | Sam Bradford | STL | at CLE | 34
|
| 31 | Curtis Painter | IND | vs. JAC | 34
|
| 32 | John Skelton | ARI | at PHI | 27 |
| Rank | Running Backs | Team | Opponent | Score
|
| 1 | Fred Jackson | BUF | at DAL | 92
|
| 2 | Steven Jackson | STL | at CLE | 92
|
| 3 | Arian Foster | HOU | at TB | 91
|
| 4 | Adrian Peterson | MIN | at GB | 90
|
| 5 | LeSean McCoy | PHI | vs. ARI | 89
|
| 6 | Ray Rice | BAL | at SEA | 88
|
| 7 | Matt Forte | CHI | vs. DET | 84
|
| 8 | Michael Turner | ATL | vs. NO | 81
|
| 9 | Willis McGahee | DEN | at KC | 81
|
| 10 | Frank Gore | SF | vs. NYG | 76
|
| 11 | Darren Sproles | NO | at ATL | 74
|
| 12 | Michael Bush | OAK | at SD | 71
|
| 13 | Maurice Jones-Drew | JAC | at IND | 71
|
| 14 | Ryan Mathews | SD | vs. OAK | 70
|
| 15 | Chris Johnson | TEN | at CAR | 68
|
| 16 | Mike Tolbert | SD | vs. OAK | 67
|
| 17 | DeMarco Murray | DAL | vs. BUF | 66
|
| 18 | BenJarvus Green-Ellis | NE | at NYJ | 61
|
| 19 | Jonathan Stewart | CAR | vs. TEN | 59
|
| 20 | Rashard Mendenhall | PIT | at CIN | 57
|
| 21 | Beanie Wells | ARI | at PHI | 57
|
| 22 | Cedric Benson | CIN | vs. PIT | 56
|
| 23 | Shonn Greene | NYJ | vs. NE | 56
|
| 24 | Reggie Bush | MIA | vs. WAS | 55
|
| 25 | Marshawn Lynch | SEA | vs. BAL | 54
|
| 26 | Chris Ogbonnaya | CLE | vs. STL | 54
|
| 27 | Maurice Morris | DET | at CHI | 51
|
| 28 | James Starks | GB | vs. MIN | 51
|
| 29 | LeGarrette Blount | TB | vs. HOU | 50
|
| 30 | Pierre Thomas | NO | at ATL | 50
|
| 31 | Ben Tate | HOU | at TB | 47
|
| 32 | DeAngelo Williams | CAR | vs. TEN | 47
|
| 33 | Roy Helu | WAS | at MIA | 46
|
| 34 | Chris Ivory | NO | at ATL | 46
|
| 35 | Brandon Jacobs | NYG | at SF | 45
|
| 36 | Jackie Battle | KC | vs. DEN | 45
|
| 37 | Daniel Thomas | MIA | vs. WAS | 43
|
| 38 | Javon Ringer | TEN | at CAR | 40
|
| 39 | Mark Ingram | NO | at ATL | 38
|
| 40 | Kevin Faulk | NE | at NYJ | 37
|
| 41 | Ahmad Bradshaw | NYG | at SF | 37
|
| 42 | Kendall Hunter | SF | vs. NYG | 35
|
| 43 | Joseph Addai | IND | vs. JAC | 33
|
| 44 | Donald Brown | IND | vs. JAC | 33
|
| 45 | Knowshon Moreno | DEN | at KC | 33
|
| 46 | Stevan Ridley | NE | at NYJ | 33
|
| 47 | Marion Barber | CHI | vs. DET | 32
|
| 48 | LaDainian Tomlinson | NYJ | vs. NE | 32
|
| 49 | Danny Woodhead | NE | at NYJ | 29
|
| 50 | Bernard Scott | CIN | vs. PIT | 28
|
| 51 | Keiland Williams | DET | at CHI | 27
|
| 52 | Jacquizz Rodgers | ATL | vs. NO | 25
|
| 53 | C.J. Spiller | BUF | at DAL | 24
|
| 54 | Cadillac Williams | STL | at CLE | 24
|
| 55 | Deji Karim | JAC | at IND | 23
|
| 56 | Ryan Torain | WAS | at MIA | 22
|
| 57 | Thomas Clayton | CLE | vs. STL | 22
|
| 58 | Delone Carter | IND | vs. JAC | 21
|
| 59 | Ryan Grant | GB | vs. MIN | 19
|
| 60 | Kregg Lumpkin | TB | vs. HOU | 18
|
| 61 | Phillip Tanner | DAL | vs. BUF | 18
|
| 62 | Toby Gerhart | MIN | at GB | 18
|
| 63 | Dexter McCluster | KC | vs. DEN | 17
|
| 64 | Isaac Redman | PIT | at CIN | 17
|
| 65 | Thomas Jones | KC | vs. DEN | 17
|
| 66 | Ronnie Brown | PHI | vs. ARI | 17
|
| 67 | Ricky Williams | BAL | at SEA | 16
|
| 68 | Tashard Choice | WAS | at MIA | 14
|
| 69 | Taiwan Jones | OAK | at SD | 11
|
| 70 | Justin Forsett | SEA | vs. BAL | 10 |
| Rank | Wide Receivers | Team | Opponent | Score
|
| 1 | Calvin Johnson | DET | at CHI | 95
|
| 2 | Greg Jennings | GB | vs. MIN | 91
|
| 3 | Steve Smith | CAR | vs. TEN | 87
|
| 4 | Jeremy Maclin | PHI | vs. ARI | 82
|
| 5 | Wes Welker | NE | at NYJ | 81
|
| 6 | Mike Wallace | PIT | at CIN | 80
|
| 7 | Vincent Jackson | SD | vs. OAK | 79
|
| 8 | Dwayne Bowe | KC | vs. DEN | 74
|
| 9 | Roddy White | ATL | vs. NO | 73
|
| 10 | Larry Fitzgerald | ARI | at PHI | 72
|
| 11 | Anquan Boldin | BAL | at SEA | 72
|
| 12 | DeSean Jackson | PHI | vs. ARI | 70
|
| 13 | A.J. Green | CIN | vs. PIT | 69
|
| 14 | Dez Bryant | DAL | vs. BUF | 68
|
| 15 | Brandon Marshall | MIA | vs. WAS | 67
|
| 16 | Marques Colston | NO | at ATL | 67
|
| 17 | Jordy Nelson | GB | vs. MIN | 67
|
| 18 | Santonio Holmes | NYJ | vs. NE | 67
|
| 19 | Hakeem Nicks | NYG | at SF | 66
|
| 20 | Steve Johnson | BUF | at DAL | 65
|
| 21 | Victor Cruz | NYG | at SF | 62
|
| 22 | Julio Jones | ATL | vs. NO | 61
|
| 23 | Percy Harvin | MIN | at GB | 59
|
| 24 | Plaxico Burress | NYJ | vs. NE | 59
|
| 25 | Mario Manningham | NYG | at SF | 58
|
| 26 | Pierre Garcon | IND | vs. JAC | 57
|
| 27 | Steve Breaston | KC | vs. DEN | 57
|
| 28 | Laurent Robinson | DAL | vs. BUF | 56
|
| 29 | Jabar Gaffney | WAS | at MIA | 56
|
| 30 | Sidney Rice | SEA | vs. BAL | 55
|
| 31 | Eric Decker | DEN | at KC | 55
|
| 32 | Brandon Lloyd | STL | at CLE | 53
|
| 33 | Nate Washington | TEN | at CAR | 52
|
| 34 | Torrey Smith | BAL | at SEA | 52
|
| 35 | Jason Hill | JAC | at IND | 52
|
| 36 | Lance Moore | NO | at ATL | 51
|
| 37 | Mike Williams | TB | vs. HOU | 49
|
| 38 | Michael Crabtree | SF | vs. NYG | 49
|
| 39 | Josh Cribbs | CLE | vs. STL | 49
|
| 40 | Jonathan Baldwin | KC | vs. DEN | 49
|
| 41 | Antonio Brown | PIT | at CIN | 48
|
| 42 | Early Doucet | ARI | at PHI | 48
|
| 43 | Jacoby Ford | OAK | at SD | 48
|
| 44 | Mike Thomas | JAC | at IND | 48
|
| 45 | Doug Baldwin | SEA | vs. BAL | 47
|
| 46 | Michael Jenkins | MIN | at GB | 47
|
| 47 | Deion Branch | NE | at NYJ | 46
|
| 48 | Kevin Walter | HOU | at TB | 46
|
| 49 | David Nelson | BUF | at DAL | 45
|
| 50 | Reggie Wayne | IND | vs. JAC | 45
|
| 51 | Greg Little | CLE | vs. STL | 45
|
| 52 | James Jones | GB | vs. MIN | 43
|
| 53 | Jason Avant | PHI | vs. ARI | 42
|
| 54 | Denarius Moore | OAK | at SD | 40
|
| 55 | Earl Bennett | CHI | vs. DET | 39
|
| 56 | Eddie Royal | DEN | at KC | 39
|
| 57 | Nate Burleson | DET | at CHI | 38
|
| 58 | Arrelious Benn | TB | vs. HOU | 37
|
| 59 | Dezmon Briscoe | TB | vs. HOU | 37
|
| 60 | Braylon Edwards | SF | vs. NYG | 37
|
| 61 | Damian Williams | TEN | at CAR | 36
|
| 62 | Leonard Hankerson | WAS | at MIA | 36
|
| 63 | Devin Hester | CHI | vs. DET | 35
|
| 64 | Randall Cobb | GB | vs. MIN | 35
|
| 65 | Vincent Brown | SD | vs. OAK | 35
|
| 66 | Jacoby Jones | HOU | at TB | 34
|
| 67 | Jerome Simpson | CIN | vs. PIT | 33
|
| 68 | Darrius Heyward-Bay | OAK | at SD | 32
|
| 69 | Brandon LaFell | CAR | vs. TEN | 31
|
| 70 | Roy Williams | CHI | vs. DET | 31
|
| 71 | Ben Obomanu | SEA | vs. BAL | 31
|
| 72 | Demaryius Thomas | DEN | at KC | 31
|
| 73 | Titus Young | DET | at CHI | 30
|
| 74 | Brandon Gibson | STL | at CLE | 29
|
| 75 | Donald Jones | BUF | at DAL | 29
|
| 76 | Hines Ward | PIT | at CIN | 28
|
| 77 | Lavelle Hawkins | TEN | at CAR | 28
|
| 78 | Anthony Armstrong | WAS | at MIA | 28
|
| 79 | Johnny Knox | CHI | vs. DET | 27
|
| 80 | Mike Williams | SEA | vs. BAL | 27
|
| 81 | Patrick Crayton | SD | vs. OAK | 27
|
| 82 | Andre Caldwell | CIN | vs. PIT | 25
|
| 83 | Austin Pettis | STL | at CLE | 25
|
| 84 | Davone Bess | MIA | vs. WAS | 23
|
| 85 | Brian Hartline | MIA | vs. WAS | 23
|
| 86 | Robert Meachem | NO | at ATL | 23
|
| 87 | Donald Driver | GB | vs. MIN | 23
|
| 88 | Mark Clayton | STL | at CLE | 21
|
| 89 | Austin Collie | IND | vs. JAC | 21
|
| 90 | Lee Evans | BAL | at SEA | 20
|
| 91 | Legedu Naanee | CAR | vs. TEN | 19
|
| 92 | Chad Ochocinco | NE | at NYJ | 18 |
| Rank | Tight Ends | Team | Opponent | Score
|
| 1 | Jimmy Graham | NO | at ATL | 90
|
| 2 | Jason Witten | DAL | vs. BUF | 86
|
| 3 | Rob Gronkowski | NE | at NYJ | 81
|
| 4 | Aaron Hernandez | NE | at NYJ | 73
|
| 5 | Brandon Pettigrew | DET | at CHI | 72
|
| 6 | Antonio Gates | SD | vs. OAK | 71
|
| 7 | Fred Davis | WAS | at MIA | 70
|
| 8 | Tony Gonzalez | ATL | vs. NO | 67
|
| 9 | Jermichael Finley | GB | vs. MIN | 66
|
| 10 | Greg Olsen | CAR | vs. TEN | 63
|
| 11 | Owen Daniels | HOU | at TB | 62
|
| 12 | Dustin Keller | NYJ | vs. NE | 62
|
| 13 | Jake Ballard | NYG | at SF | 60
|
| 14 | Brent Celek | PHI | vs. ARI | 56
|
| 15 | Heath Miller | PIT | at CIN | 53
|
| 16 | Vernon Davis | SF | vs. NYG | 52
|
| 17 | Jermaine Gresham | CIN | vs. PIT | 51
|
| 18 | Scott Chandler | BUF | at DAL | 50
|
| 19 | Kellen Winslow | TB | vs. HOU | 47
|
| 20 | Jared Cook | TEN | at CAR | 47
|
| 21 | Ed Dickson | BAL | at SEA | 47
|
| 22 | Jacob Tamme | IND | vs. JAC | 47
|
| 23 | Visanthe Shiancoe | MIN | at GB | 46
|
| 24 | Tony Scheffler | DET | at CHI | 40
|
| 25 | Jeremy Shockey | CAR | vs. TEN | 39
|
| 26 | Anthony Fasano | MIA | vs. WAS | 39
|
| 27 | Joel Dreessen | HOU | at TB | 38
|
| 28 | Daniel Fells | DEN | at KC | 37
|
| 29 | Todd Heap | ARI | at PHI | 36
|
| 30 | Dennis Pitta | BAL | at SEA | 35
|
| 31 | James Casey | HOU | at TB | 34
|
| 32 | Ben Watson | CLE | vs. STL | 33
|
| 33 | Lance Kendricks | STL | at CLE | 32
|
| 34 | Kevin Boss | OAK | at SD | 31
|
| 35 | Kyle Rudolph | MIN | at GB | 30
|
| 36 | Matt Spaeth | CHI | vs. DET | 29
|
| 37 | Marcedes Lewis | JAC | at IND | 26
|
| 38 | Donald Lee | CIN | vs. PIT | 25
|
| 39 | Delanie Walker | SF | vs. NYG | 24
|
| 40 | Evan Moore | CLE | vs. STL | 21
|
| 41 | Clay Harbor | PHI | vs. ARI | 20
|
| 42 | Brandon Myers | OAK | at SD | 19
|
| 43 | Zach Miller | SEA | vs. BAL | 17
|
| 44 | Leonard Pope | KC | vs. DEN | 15 |
| Rank | Kickers | Team | Opponent | Score
|
| 1 | Mason Crosby | GB | vs. MIN | 80
|
| 2 | Billy Cundiff | BAL | at SEA | 78
|
| 3 | Sebastian Janikowski | OAK | at SD | 73
|
| 4 | David Akers | SF | vs. NYG | 73
|
| 5 | Robbie Gould | CHI | vs. DET | 71
|
| 6 | Jason Hanson | DET | at CHI | 70
|
| 7 | John Kasay | NO | at ATL | 68
|
| 8 | Nick Novak | SD | vs. OAK | 66
|
| 9 | Dan Carpenter | MIA | vs. WAS | 64
|
| 10 | Dan Bailey | DAL | vs. BUF | 62
|
| 11 | Neil Rackers | HOU | at TB | 62
|
| 12 | Mike Nugent | CIN | vs. PIT | 57
|
| 13 | Alex Henery | PHI | vs. ARI | 57
|
| 14 | Connor Barth | TB | vs. HOU | 56
|
| 15 | Josh Scobee | JAC | at IND | 56
|
| 16 | Dave Rayner | BUF | at DAL | 54
|
| 17 | Stephen Gostkowski | NE | at NYJ | 51
|
| 18 | Ryan Succop | KC | vs. DEN | 50
|
| 19 | Matt Bryant | ATL | vs. NO | 48
|
| 20 | Ryan Longwell | MIN | at GB | 45
|
| 21 | Nick Folk | NYJ | vs. NE | 44
|
| 22 | Olindo Mare | CAR | vs. TEN | 43
|
| 23 | Rob Bironas | TEN | at CAR | 43
|
| 24 | Steven Hauschka | SEA | vs. BAL | 41
|
| 25 | Graham Gano | WAS | at MIA | 41
|
| 26 | Phil Dawson | CLE | vs. STL | 40
|
| 27 | Shaun Suisham | PIT | at CIN | 39
|
| 28 | Matt Prater | DEN | at KC | 37
|
| 29 | Josh Brown | STL | at CLE | 35
|
| 30 | Jay Feely | ARI | at PHI | 22
|
| 31 | Lawrence Tynes | NYG | at SF | 22
|
| 32 | Adam Vinatieri | IND | vs. JAC | 21 |
| Rank | Team Defense | Team | Opponent | Score
|
| 1 | Baltimore Ravens | BAL | at SEA | 85
|
| 2 | Philadelphia Eagles | PHI | vs. ARI | 67
|
| 3 | Detroit Lions | DET | at CHI | 61
|
| 4 | Kansas City Chiefs | KC | vs. DEN | 60
|
| 5 | San Diego Chargers | SD | vs. OAK | 59
|
| 6 | San Francisco 49ers | SF | vs. NYG | 58
|
| 7 | Cleveland Browns | CLE | vs. STL | 58
|
| 8 | Buffalo Bills | BUF | at DAL | 57
|
| 9 | Washington Redskins | WAS | at MIA | 57
|
| 10 | Oakland Raiders | OAK | at SD | 57
|
| 11 | New York Jets | NYJ | vs. NE | 56
|
| 12 | Seattle Seahawks | SEA | vs. BAL | 56
|
| 13 | Cincinnati Bengals | CIN | vs. PIT | 53
|
| 14 | St. Louis Rams | STL | at CLE | 50
|
| 15 | Jacksonville Jaguars | JAC | at IND | 49
|
| 16 | Green Bay Packers | GB | vs. MIN | 48
|
| 17 | Tennessee Titans | TEN | at CAR | 48
|
| 18 | New England Patriots | NE | at NYJ | 48
|
| 19 | Miami Dolphins | MIA | vs. WAS | 47
|
| 20 | Arizona Cardinals | ARI | at PHI | 42
|
| 21 | New Orleans Saints | NO | at ATL | 42
|
| 22 | Chicago Bears | CHI | vs. DET | 41
|
| 23 | New York Giants | NYG | at SF | 40
|
| 24 | Denver Broncos | DEN | at KC | 40
|
| 25 | Houston Texans | HOU | at TB | 39
|
| 26 | Atlanta Falcons | ATL | vs. NO | 37
|
| 27 | Dallas Cowboys | DAL | vs. BUF | 37
|
| 28 | Indianapolis Colts | IND | vs. JAC | 35
|
| 29 | Minnesota Vikings | MIN | at GB | 34
|
| 30 | Pittsburgh Steelers | PIT | at CIN | 28
|
| 31 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | TB | vs. HOU | 23
|
| 32 | Carolina Panthers | CAR | vs. TEN | 22 |
R.J. White is the head editor at the Cafe, writes for FanDuel and Razzball and has previously written for FanHouse. Catch up with him in the forums under the name daullaz.
Follow him on Twitter; don't follow him in real life. Want to write for the Cafe? Check out the Cafe's Pencil & Paper section! |
Since you guys have both MJD and Bush with a score of 71, who do I start?? I’m leaning towards MJD up against Indy D.
Wow why mjd and Mathews soo low despite very favorable matchups?
@D-backsFan: MJD is probably the way to go because of the matchup, but he hasn’t really been lighting it up lately (which is why he’s lower than expected).
@Silence: MJD only has two 100-yard games and three TDs at the mid-way point. He’s obviously still startable in most scenarios, but he’s performed like an RB2 this year, not an RB1. Mathews is still recovering from his groin injury and could be splitting touches evenly with Tolbert this week.
Thanks RJ!
I’m surprised to see Fitzpatrick rated so low and Freeman so high. I think I would swap those two positions.
Why is Antonio Brown rated so LOW, 41… DJ is gonna go off
I can’t argue with Mjd being a rb2 this year but traditionally(3 out of last 4 games with tds) he has run all over indy, and that was with peyton keeping the the score and TOP competetive. Playing this iteration of indy means you’ll be playing ahead most of the time and youl’l be possesing the ball which should lead to even better points. as far as Mathews goes, maybe as his owner I’m just a bit over optimistic of the number of snaps he’ll be in on tonight.
Thanks for the reply!
who should i start at my flex position. Shonn Greene or Jonathan Stewart? personally im feeling Greene but what do you guys think.
Any reason Antonio Brown is so low (no Ward or Sanders this week, I think)? I’m thinking of starting him over Roddy White, given White’s inability to do much at all this year – especially last week against one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL.
Who should i start Marcedes Lewis or Vernon Davis?
I think MJD should be much higher and that Ant Brown should be higher. Other than that great work as always guys!
@joejlitz: Bad matchup for Brown, plus now the gametime conditions are going to be super windy. Should be Mendenhall’s game. I’d much rather have White out there. However, in my own league where I have Brown I’ve been debating getting him in there over Fitzgerald. The windy conditions are ultimately going to scare me off.
@Bmore: Davis. You have no business starting Lewis at this point.
@Youngsir620: Gonna say Stewart.
I’m going to be in my FanDuel chat for the next 60 minutes, and I’d be happy to answer any other last minute questions there. The link is: http://www.fanduel.com/insider/2011/11/13/fantasy-football-chat-week-10/
@daullaz – that’s good info on the weather. I put White back in. Thanks!
@joejlitz: Unfortunately, I didn’t heed my own advice, seeing Fitz go off on my bench. Fortunately, I still won the game running away behind Foster and Michael Bush.
@daullaz – I almost lost by 1 point by playing White over Brown, but Gronk’s 2nd TD on Sunday night put me over the top. Whew!
Hey – it worked out for both of us!