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Wow, we are really in Week 10 of the 2021 NFL season! I can’t believe how close we are to arguing about who will be good (or bad) in the 2022 season. We are now in the meat of the fantasy season, and with the extra game, almost everyone should still be mathematically in their leagues’ playoff race. Fantasy managers who are at or below .500 are feeling the pressure to bring home a Week 10 victory. Players listed in this column last week like Myles Gaskin, Melvin Gordon and Javonte Williams were able to cash in on solid matchups. Cole Beasley and Tony Pollard on the other hand sent me home with a bag full of L’s. We move forward. In Week 10 running backs could be the way to go in filling your flex spots, with a few exceptions at wide receiver.
J.D. McKissic, RB, Washington Football Team
What you have in McKissic is the prototypical Zero-RB PPR machine. While he’s given us very little in the run game, he makes up for it with his pass-catching ability. McKissic is comfortably the second leading receiver for Washington behind Terry McLaurin with 33 receptions, 332 yards and one touchdown. The pipe dream of Antonio Gibson being “used like Christian McCaffrey” is long gone. In Week 10 McKissic will face a Buccaneers defense that is the second-best in rushing yards allowed. This is not good for Gibson -- the team’s leading rusher -- but bodes well for McKissic in what should be a negative game script. Over his last three games, McKissic has averaged eight targets, 6.6 catches and 60 yards a game. With an over/under of 51.5, McKissic should thrive. The Washington backfield is a committee, but with Gibson and McKissic sitting ranked at RB22 and RB25 (PPR) respectively, the latter is the play in Week 10.
Devonta Freeman, RB, Baltimore Ravens
I’ll tell you now and I’ve told you before, you can’t trust Ravens running backs in fantasy, but sometimes there may be factors that lead to an exception. One factor is Latavius Murray, who doesn’t seem likely to play after being labeled doubtful on Wednesday. In any case, of the two backs the Ravens mainly use, Freeman has looked more explosive than Le’Veon Bell -- no knock on him. The Dolphins present a defense that is middle-of-the-road in fantasy against running backs. The player that opens things up for every player on the Ravens offense is Lamar Jackson (my MVP pick). I wouldn’t say Freeman is a “must” start in your flex, but he could certainly be useful if you’re struggling with injuries and bye weeks. We always expect the Ravens to be near the goal line and that should provide opportunities for Freeman.
Devin Singletary, RB, Buffalo Bills
This would be one of those times where I’d put “or Zack Moss,” but the latter is currently in concussion protocol and is questionable. From a fantasy perspective, this is even better for Singletary who will get to face the Jets, the worst team against running backs in fantasy. In Week 9, Singletary and Moss only combined for nine carries and 22 yards against a Jags defense that is quietly the 12th best unit against backs in fantasy. The Bills, who took a tough loss against a bad Jags team, are looking to drop the hammer on a Jets team that isn’t great but is playing with more heart. Should Singletary shoulder most of the workload himself, he has a potential positive game script in his favor. Put him in the game coach.
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Mike Davis, RB, Atlanta Falcons
This one looks crazy, right? Hear me out. We cannot mistake the great skill of Micah Parsons or Trevon Diggs’ interceptions for the Cowboys actually having a good defense. This is who Davis (and Cordarrelle Patterson for that matter) gets to face in Week 10. In the past three weeks, the Cowboys defense has given up 120, 101 and 190 rushing yards to the Patriots, Vikings and Broncos respectively. As stated above, the Melvin Gordon/Javonte Williams tandem was in this column last week and Davis has that same opportunity in Week 10. Davis has been a fantasy dud this season, but he did play 56% of the snaps in Week 9, the same as Patterson. I see the Cowboys having trouble tackling the compact runner and it should yield results. Like Freeman, if you’re really in a bind, “Big Mike from the ATL” could fill in just fine.
Jamal Agnew, WR/KR, Jacksonville Jaguars
You can call Agnew a gadget player, but that’s not always a bad thing. The former cornerback has been heating up recently by becoming everything fantasy managers wanted Laviska Shenault to be. The Jags simply want to get the ball in his hands so he can do work vs. the opposition. In his past four games, he’s averaged 7.5 targets, five receptions and 46 yards per game. The icing on the cake is that he will face a Colts defense who is the third-worst against receivers in fantasy and one who just let Elijah Moore go 7/84/2. Agnew should be considered a solid PPR flex option in Week 10.
Hunter Renfrow, WR, Las Vegas Raiders
There’s a lot of dark clouds over the Raiders franchise in 2021, but we will focus on the good. Renfrow is good. Already the team leader in receptions and touchdowns, the hole left by Henry Ruggs’ release will mean Renfrow is even more important. Renfrow is a PPR God and faces a Chiefs defense who’s given up the sixth-most passing yards in 2021. With an over/under of 52, look for this one to get pass-happy, and Renfrow will be one of the main beneficiaries. Play him with confidence.
