What a time to be alive.
The Washington Redskins suddenly have several trustworthy options in fantasy formats.
At the beginning of the year, we were laughing when we fielded a question asking if Kirk Cousins had value as a fantasy quarterback. Fast forward nine weeks, and the answer is now a resounding: YES.
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Going up against a New Orleans Saints defense that literally can't even right now, Cousins and his receivers are solid - and under-the-radar - options in daily fantasy contests.
Check out the rest of our Week 10 DFS picks:
John "The Professor" Paschall
NFL
R-E-L-A-X
That's how I'm feeling with Rodgers in my fantasy lineup this week. The Packers will snap out of their funk in Lambeau against a bad Lions team and will remind fantasy owners of how good that offense can be.
Williams' foot injury concerns me a little but the fact that he's going up against a Browns defense that's so bad against the run makes me believe he's still worth the reasonably inexpensive price tag.
I'm on board with the Bengals in my lineup this week because of their matchup at home against Houston. I'm more of a fan of Bernard this week than Hill because he's just been more effective this year with his touches and the Texans aren't great covering backs out of the backfield. That Bengals defense against Brian Hoyer also excites me.
Thomas is my favorite play this week. He's ridiculously low and could be in for an enormous day against the Chiefs. Emmanuel Sanders is banged up and the Chiefs secondary is just a mess and letting teams throw all over them. He could well outperform his price tag this week.
Aiken and Reed are ideal low cost players that you will need in your lineup. Reed's matchup against the Saints is fantastic (just gave up three touchdowns to Titans tight ends) and Aiken is the No. 1 guy in Baltimore now, going up against a somewhat shaky Jaguars defense.
Mike Smith
We’ve learned a lot now that we are over half way through the NFL season, and one is that the New Orleans Saints are making quarterbacks look very good. The Saints are giving up over 300 yards through the air each week, and Las Vegas’ expects this to be one of the highest scoring games of the weekend and also very close with the Saints one point favorites. I teamed up Kirk Cousins with his tight end, Jordan Reed, who is one of Cousins’ favorite targets when healthy. The Saints have struggled to stop opposing tight end’s this year, and Reed is arguably Washington’s most talented receiver.
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Todd Gurley has been a fantasy superstar as a rookie, averaging over 20 fantasy points over his last 5 games, and I don’t think an improved Bears defense will be enough to slow him down. While the Cowboys have been a mess this year, Darren McFadden may be their one silver lining of the 2015 season. Since taking over full time running back duties three weeks ago McFadden has gotten 20+ carries each game and averaged 132 total yards per game.
I love Allen Robinson taking on the shaky Baltimore Ravens secondary which is 30th in the NFL in passing yards allowed. The Jaguars should be playing catchup most of the game, and I expect Robinson and the Jaguars to rack up some points in garbage time. Demaryius Thomas will make an interesting play this week if Emmanuel Sanders ends up sitting out. Sanders was expected to practice some on Friday, so check back on his status as Sanders was more successful against the Chiefs last season. Stefon Diggs put up some great numbers in his first 4 NFL games, but was held to only 3 catches for 42 yards last week after Teddy Bridgewater was knocked out of the game with a concussion. With Bridgewater probable to play Sunday, Stefon Diggs should be a good value play in a game against the fantasy friendly Oakland Raiders.
Tony Andracki
How could you go wrong with Kirk Cousins against a Saints defense that has allowed 10 passing TDs the last two weeks? Cousins is an underrated fantasy option, especially if his receivers actually help him out and catch the ball. I also targeted Cousins's top option - Jordan Reed - for a nice discounted price of $5,800, a full $2,200 below Rob Gronkowski and should put up similar production.
I entered the $1.5 million Sunday Rush tournament, so I'm going bold with my lineup, hence the Eddie Lacy pick. Look, I'm crazy, I get it. I'm not one of those people who doesn't realize they're crazy. I'm stubbornly sticking by Lacy for one simple reason: The potential hasn't gone anywhere. Forget James Starks. Do you think the Packers are really just going to put Lacy on the bench and give Starks touches if Lacy suddenly flashes his 2013 or 2014 running style again? The Packers know they need to get the running game going again to deflect pressure off Aaron Rodgers and they'll give Lacy every chance in the world to regain his form. Against a terrible Lions defense this week, I'm going bold with Lacy.
[SHOP: Gear up Bears fans!]
Right now, you can't go wrong with DeAngelo Williams and Allen Robinson, and they both have fantastic matchups this week. Demaryius Thomas and Dez Bryant are two guys that I absolutely had to have in my lineup this week given their elite potential, surprisingly low price tags and fantastic matchups.
In a big-money contest such as this, I'm not messing around with kicker and D/ST, either, getting arguably the top option at each spot. No need to find any risk here.
Scott Krinch
Captain Kirk is in all my lineups this weekend. Cousins has a cake matchup against a Saints defense which has allowed 13 total passing touchdowns in the last three games. By grabbing Cousins at his low price of $6500, it allowed me to build my team with a few high-profile receivers. My triumvirate at wideout includes Demaryius Thomas, Allen Robinson and Jarvis Landry. Each No. 1 receiver has one of the three-worst pass defenses on the docket this weekend. SOLD.
I'm banking on a continued resurgence from DeAngelo Williams. In his three starts in Le'Veon Bell's absence Williams has rushed for 127, 77 and 170 yards, to go along with five touchdowns. A generous Browns defense should only strengthen those numbers. My wildcard play this week is Jeremy Langford. The rookie running back has a tough task ahead in the St. Louis Rams, but in terms of usage he should do enough to warrant his low price of $6200.
My must-play for Week 10 is Rob Gronkowski. His price ($8000) is high, but he should have a field day against a mediocre set of Giants linebackers who have struggled to stay with tight ends all year.
Mark Strotman
I'm betting big on the Packers turning things around Sunday at home against the Lions. And I should be confident, considering the Packers haven't lost in Wisconsin to the Lions since 1991. I also liked Davante Adams getting 11 targets against the Panthers, and with James Jones nursing a quad injury I'm betting on him having another big day (I also like Randall Cobb this week, FWIW). Start your running backs in Cowboys-Buccaneers, and expect another target-heavy afternoon for Julian Edelman against the Giants. Demaryius Thomas should find the end zone sooner than later, and he's a good bet to do it against a porous Chiefs secondary. Jordan Reed is an absolute steal at $5,800 for what should be a shootout in D.C. And the Steelers defense? Against Johnny Manziel? Yes, please.
Paul Roumeliotis
Yes, I know Eli Manning is going up against the Patriots, who have scored at least 27 points in eight games this season. I'm sure the Giants know that, and if they get behind early — or even ahead for that matter, they're going to need Manning — aka Tom Brady's kryptonite — to give the men in blue some scores.
With Ben Roethlisberger out this week, the Steelers should rely on DeAngelo Williams, especially since the Browns are awful at stopping the run game. Side note: in five of Williams' nine games this year, he's put up a combined two points in standard scoring. And he's still a top 10 running back. That's insane.
I'm stacking up on wide receivers this week. Demaryius Thomas has such a favorable price at $7,900 against a terrible Chiefs defense, and I'm not sure why. But I won't question it, I'll just take advantage of it. The Chiefs have allowed the most fantasy points to wide receivers this season. Now is a great time for Thomas to find the end zone since Week 3.
I also like Randall Cobb at home against the Lions. Other than his late touchdown last week against Carolina, he's been pretty quiet since Week 4. Against a division rival, I'm banking on Aaron Rodgers to hook up with Cobb many times in this game, hopefully adding a Lambeau Leap or two.
Gary Barnidge has the fourth-most targets by a tight end this year with 64. With Johnny Manziel at quarterback against a Steelers defense that has a hard time covering tight ends, Barnidge should have a solid game. He'll certainly get the looks.