$1,000,000 up for grabs. Download the NBC Sports Predictor app and play SN7 for FREE! Get started here!
Start ‘Em or Sit ‘Em is geared toward season-long leagues but can also be used for daily fantasy purposes.
QUARTERBACK
(Notable QBs on bye: Matthew Stafford, Teddy Bridgewater)
Start of the Week: Joe Burrow at Raiders -- Fantasy’s QB11 on the season, Burrow and the Bengals are coming off their bye to face a Vegas defense that proved to be a get-right spot for Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City offense last Sunday night, as Mahomes went for a season-high 406 yards and five touchdowns on 50 attempts. Cincinnati is coming off back-to-back losses to the Jets and a blowout at the hands of the Browns. The bye came at the right time for the Bengals after Burrow failed to throw a touchdown pass last time out against Cleveland. He had tossed multiple touchdowns in every game Weeks 1-8. After getting lit up by Mahomes last Sunday night, the Raiders are 22nd in pass-defense DVOA, 22nd in fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks, and 30th in opponent plays per game. With the Bengals picking up the pace of late and throwing the ball at one of the highest rates in the scoring area, Burrow’s touchdown upside is large in a game with a lofty 50.5-point total played in the friendly confines of Allegiant Stadium. This game’s 50.5 total is the second-highest of the week behind Cowboys-Chiefs at 56.5 points. Burrow is a locked-in QB1 in a potential ceiling spot for him.
Starts
Ryan Tannehill vs. Texans -- After back-to-back games against tougher Rams and Saints defenses, this is an eruption spot for Tannehill and, in particular, A.J. Brown against a Houston defense that is 28th in fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks and 22nd in opponent plays per game. The Texans are also surrendering the fourth-most real-life points on the scoreboard. Over the last month, Carson Wentz (223/2), Kyler Murray (261/3), and Matthew Stafford (305/3) have all thrown multiple touchdowns against this Houston defense. Tennessee is implied to score 27.25 points as 10-point home favorites. With Derrick Henry’s (foot) three-headed replacement of D’Onta Foreman, Adrian Peterson, and Jeremy McNichols not producing strong rushing output, this is a game for Tannehill to let it loose. Tannehill has four rushing TDs over his last five games and is always a threat to run it in at the goal line. The Texans have surrendered a league-high four rushing touchdowns to opposing quarterbacks.
Cam Newton vs. Washington -- Newton made his Carolina re-debut last week against the Cardinals, scoring a rushing touchdown and throwing a short score to Robby Anderson on the opening two possessions after coming in at the goal line in place of P.J. Walker, who started the game and played 88% of the snaps. Newton didn’t play much after the Panthers built a comfortable lead. With a full week of practice now under his belt in coach Matt Rhule and OC Joe Brady’s offense, Newton has been named the Week 11 starter. The caveat is Walker May still be involved, according to Rhule, after the offense played exceptionally well in Arizona last week. However, Newton’s rushing upside and role at the goal line give him mouth-watering upside against a Washington defense that is dead last in fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks. Dual-threat Daniel Jones went 9-95-1 on the ground against the Football Team earlier in the season, and Josh Allen scored on the ground a week later. Washington hasn’t faced any rushing quarterbacks since September. Always a threat for multiple scores on the ground and in a glorious passing spot this week, this is a spot to stream Newton despite a 43-point total.
Derek Carr vs. Bengals -- In two games without deep threat Henry Ruggs, the Raiders have posted 16 and 14 points in losses to the Giants and Chiefs. Carr is fantasy’s overall QB15 in points per game over the last two weeks, averaging just 6.87 yards per attempt, well below his 8.1 season average. But Bengals-Chiefs has a track meet-like 50.5-point total and 1.5-point spread, suggesting a possible back-and-forth affair. Cincinnati is a middling 13th in fantasy points surrendered to quarterbacks, but that number dips to 27th over the last three weeks following big games allowed to Mike White and Baker Mayfield of all people. The Bengals are 21st in pass-defense DVOA and 25th in opponent plays per game. Carr doesn’t have an especially high ceiling as a quarterback with no rushing ability and limited weaponry, but he should be stapled to two-QB league lineups with a shot at producing a top-12 fantasy week.
Sits
Carson Wentz at Bills -- Wentz’s six-game multi-touchdown streak was snapped last week in the win over the Jaguars when he averaged a miserable 5.29 yards per attempt. The Colts run the ball at the fifth-highest rate among AFC teams, and Wentz has attempted 35 passes or fewer in 7-of-10 games on the year. A low-volume passer now facing a Buffalo defense that is No. 1 in fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks, No. 1 in pass-defense DVOA, and No. 2 in opponent plays per game, this doesn’t project as a game for Wentz to light up the box score. The Bills have allowed just six passing touchdowns to quarterbacks while picking off 15 passes. No other defense has surrendered fewer than 11 touchdown throws. Wentz has topped 272 passing yards in a game just once all year. He’s hard to back in fantasy lineup decisions.
Kirk Cousins vs. Packers -- After opening the season as fantasy’s overall QB6 across Weeks 1-3, Cousins is the QB17 in points per game from Week 4 forward with only one three-touchdown game in that span and just one outing of 300-plus yards. The Packers have been playing really strong pass defense, allowing the eighth-fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks and coming in at No. 8 in pass-defense DVOA while facing the sixth-fewest plays per game. Green Bay has successfully shut down Russell Wilson (161/0/2), Patrick Mahomes (166/1/0), and Kyler Murray (274/0/2) over the last three weeks. The Packers are allowing just 15 points per game to their last five opponents. It’s too imposing of a matchup for Cousins, who has failed to reach expectations most of the past two months.
Taylor Heinicke at Panthers -- This is a #RevengeGame for Heinicke after he spent a year-and-a-half in Carolina as Cam Newton’s backup. The two will now square off in a game full of narratives, as coach Ron Rivera is making his return to Charlotte after being fired by the Panthers. Heinicke did whatever he wanted against the Bucs last week, completing a season-high 81.25% of his passes at a crisp 8.0 yards per attempt in the upset win. Heinicke is the overall QB17 on the season and has gone five straight games of 0-1 touchdown passes without a rushing score since Week 3. Heinicke now catches a Panthers unit that is third in fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks, No. 2 in pass-defense DVOA, No. 1 in adjusted sack rate, and first in opponent plays per game. It’s tough to get behind an erratic Heinicke on the road in such a tough spot, especially in a game with a 43-point total.
RUNNING BACK
(Notable RBs on bye: Darrell Henderson, Melvin Gordon, Javonte Williams)
Start of the Week: AJ Dillon at Vikings -- Last week’s overall RB1, this one should be a no-brainer after Dillon went 21-66-2 on the ground and 2-62 as a receiver against the Seahawks, playing on a season-high 49% of the snaps after Aaron Jones exited in the second half with a sprained MCL. Jones is now expected to miss 1-2 games with the Packers facing the Vikings and Rams prior to their Week 13 bye. It’ll be Dillon leading the backfield until the Packers’ open date. Dillon converted two- and three-yard touchdown runs in the fourth quarter against Seattle, making his goal-line looks count after Jones had dominated those carries the first nine weeks of the season. Dillon will get his first start against a Minnesota defense that is 22nd in fantasy points allowed to running backs and a run-funnel unit that is 28th in run-defense DVOA compared to sixth against the pass. A virtual zero in the passing game in college and as a rookie, Dillon has looked smooth catching the ball this season and has six catches over his last two games. Dillon should be penned in for 18-plus touches and the goal-line work. Dillon is locked in as an elite RB1 with multi-touchdown upside. Patrick Taylor projects as his backup.
Starts
Mark Ingram at Eagles -- Alvin Kamara (knee) practiced Wednesday, giving hope to fantasy players for his Week 11 return, but he ended up DNP’ing Thursday and Friday before being ruled out. In Kamara’s absence last week, Ingram played 85% of the snaps and handled 21-of-23 backfield opportunities. With 108 total yards and a touchdown against the Titans, Ingram finished as the week’s RB10. He now catches an Eagles defense that is 24th in fantasy points allowed to running backs and 20th in run-defense DVOA. With 11 catches on 14 targets in three games since his acquisition, Ingram is very involved in the pass game while Philly has surrendered the fourth-most catches to Ingram’s position. Dominating the backfield work in an offense that operates via the run game, Ingram is a set-and-forget easy RB1 play.
Myles Gaskin at Jets -- With Malcolm Brown (quad) missing the last three games on I.R., Gaskin has managed to turn 46 carries into just 101 yards (2.2 YPC) and one touchdown, adding 10 catches for 56 yards. It’s not a good way to show he deserves more of the backfield pie when Brown is eligible to return, which is anytime now. But coming in at sixth among running backs, seeing 4.8 targets per game, Gaskin’s pass-game role plus double-digit carries in four straight weeks keeps him a useful RB2 based on volume and workload. And the Jets present a get-right spot for Gaskin. New York is dead last in fantasy points allowed to running backs, and only the Chargers are worse in run-defense DVOA. Opponent running backs are averaging 4.88 yards per carry against coach Robert Saleh’s defense. Despite Gaskin’s frustrating lack of efficiency, he’s a borderline RB1 option versus an unimposing defense.
Tony Pollard at Chiefs -- Pollard hasn’t scored a touchdown since Week 2 and is the overall RB38 on the season, barely hanging on as a fringe FLEX play most weeks. But he does have double-digit touches in 6-of-9 games this year while averaging a career-high 72.1 yards per contest and 5.4 yards per carry. Pollard caught a season-best six passes last week in a Dallas blowout win over the Falcons and has already set a new career-best with 204 receiving yards. In a game with a massive 56.5-point total, easily the highest of the week, it’s an all-hands-on-deck situation, as we can get fantasy contributions from everywhere in this one. Particularly with Amari Cooper now suddenly out after testing positive for COVID on Friday, Pollard could find his way into a couple more touches out of the backfield. He’s easily one of the offense’s top playmakers with the ball in his hands, and the Cowboys are going to have to keep up with the Kansas City offense after it appeared to right the ship last Sunday night in Vegas. The Chiefs are 26th in run-defense DVOA and have surrendered the seventh-most catches to opposing running backs. Pollard is a usable FLEX with top-24 upside if he finds the end zone.
Sits
Nyheim Hines at Bills -- Hines has carried the ball more than six times in a game just once since Week 1 and has yet to hit double-digits for carries in a game this season. He has single-digit touches in 7-of-10 contests. Hines will now draw a Buffalo defense that is third in fantasy points allowed to running backs, surrendering the eighth-fewest catches for the 12th-fewest yards to the position. Hines’ big games are wholly unpredictable as an RB3/FLEX whose touch counts are sporadic. The Colts are implied to score just 21.75 points Sunday.
Zack Moss vs. Colts -- Moss and Devin Singletary hadn’t been providing much juice to the Buffalo backfield, so the Bills made Matt Breida active for Week 10 against the Jets and went with a three-man RBBC where Breida turned his six touches into a pair of touchdowns. Singletary received eight touches, and Moss got seven. Breida’s efficient day likely earned him a spot on the game-day active roster, leaving this backfield one to avoid in lineup decisions moving forward. The Bills throw the ball at one of the highest rates in the league, and the Colts are a true pass-funnel, checking in at No. 4 in fantasy points allowed to running backs and No. 2 in run-defense DVOA. This looks like another possible eruption spot for Josh Allen.
Boston Scott vs. Saints -- Miles Sanders (ankle) is expected to be activated from I.R. in time for Sunday’s tilt with New Orleans. Assuming it happens, Scott likely has the most to lose in the Philly backfield. Scott didn’t register a single carry Weeks 1-6 when Sanders was healthy, and Jordan Howard has since emerged as the Eagles’ best pure runner over the last three weeks. Howard will likely remain involved in short yardage and at the goal line. Scott figures to join rookie Kenneth Gainwell on the bench as pass-catching specialists while Sanders, Howard, and Jalen Hurts handle the vast majority of the rushing attempts. Scott has been efficient, averaging 5.1 YPC on 40 attempts the last four weeks, but there just isn’t enough room for everybody.
The App is Back! Don’t forget to download the NBC Sports EDGE app to receive real-time player news, mobile alerts and track your favorite players. Plus, now you can check out articles and player cards. Get it here!
WIDE RECEIVER
(Notable WRs on bye: Cooper Kupp, Van Jefferson, Odell Beckham, Jerry Jeudy, Cortland Sutton, Tim Patrick)
Start of the Week: Michael Gallup at Chiefs -- There was no easing Gallup back in last week in his first action since suffering a Week 1 calf strain that knocked him out for two months. Gallup played 53% of the offensive snaps in the blowout win over the Falcons, and that takes into account the Cowboys taking the foot off the gas in the second half with a 36-3 halftime lead. Gallup’s five targets were third on the team against Atlanta, producing a 3-42 receiving line, and he was pushed out at the two-yard line on a fourth-down conversion to set up an Ezekiel Elliott touchdown. Prior to Friday, Gallup was already looking like an upside WR3 for this high-octane matchup that features a 56.5-point total, but then Amari Cooper tested positive for COVID, which will cost him the next two games. Gallup will be counted on to fill Cooper’s every-down role alongside CeeDee Lamb with Cedrick Wilson and Malik Taylor mixing in as the depth wideouts. Kansas City is 27th in pass-defense DVOA. This game is ripe for fantasy fireworks.
Starts
Tee Higgins at Raiders -- Higgins hasn’t found the end zone since back-to-back games with a touchdown to open the season in Weeks 1-2. He’s well past due for a score and is a close second on the team in red-zone targets, trailing rookie Ja’Marr Chase 8-7 in the department. Since returning from injury in Week 5, Higgins is averaging a robust 8.4 targets per game and has seen at least six in each contest. Higgins had really been coming off before last week’s bye, turning 14 targets into a 10-175 receiving line against the Jets and Browns in Weeks 8-9. The Raiders are sixth in fantasy points allowed to wide receivers but check in at No. 22 in pass-defense DVOA. With Cincinnati ramping up its offensive pace and throwing the ball down in the red zone, Higgins is very much on the WR2 map in a game with a strong 50.5-point total.
Brandin Cooks at Titans -- Cooks has been the lone Texans skill player to really survive this fantasy season. He’s the overall WR24 on the year and has been targeted on 25 of Tyrod Taylor’s 87 pass attempts, giving him a voluminous 28.7% share. That alone is worth going in on for fantasy purposes. Cooks has double-digit targets in 4-of-9 games this season and now draws a Titans defense that is 31st in fantasy points allowed to opposing wideouts. Installed as 10-point underdogs, the Texans will be throwing all afternoon. Cooks’ looks aren’t always of the highest quality, but the total count could push 12-15 targets in this one. He’s a usable WR2.
Hunter Renfrow vs. Bengals -- The Raiders’ unquestioned No. 1 receiver in the wake of the Henry Ruggs arrest and release, Renfrow has been targeted at least five times in every game this season and is second on the team seeing 7.7 targets per game. He’s drawn at least eight targets in five of the last six games and leads the Raiders with 11 red-zone targets despite his 5’10/185 frame. Vegas’ slot man, Renfrow has scored in back-to-back games and has already matched his career-high with four touchdowns. Renfrow is the overall WR30 in half-PPR points per game through 10 weeks and now gets a Bengals defense that is a middling 16th in fantasy points yielded to wide receivers and 21st in pass-defense DVOA. Only seven defenses have surrendered more catches to wideouts. Renfrow is a high-floor WR3 in a game with a 50.5 total.
Sits
Emmanuel Sanders vs. Colts -- A top-20 fantasy wideout as the overall WR18 across Weeks 1-6, Sanders has flatlined since the Bills’ Week 7 bye with a combined 6-92-0 line on 14 targets the last three weeks. Sanders played a season-low 60% of the snaps last week against the Jets, and it’s fair to wonder if his 34-year-old legs are getting heavy. Gabriel Davis played a season-high 52% of the snaps last week, and Buffalo beat writers are suggesting Davis could pass Sanders on the depth chart sooner than later. Sanders is the overall WR79 since Week 8. While the matchup with the Colts isn’t imposing, as Indy is 28th in fantasy points allowed to wideouts, Sanders’ lack of production is cause for concern. He’s a volatile, low-floor WR4/5.
Marvin Jones vs. 49ers -- Jones is in the same category as Emmanuel Sanders above; he’s a wideout on the wrong side of 30 whose production has trailed off big time in recent weeks. Jones has just one touchdown since Week 2 and has been limited to 35 yards or fewer in five of the last six games while Trevor Lawrence has amassed a total of five passing touchdowns since Week 1. He’s averaging just over 220 yards per game through the air in one of the league’s worst passing offenses. And now the Jaguars are funneling targets to Jamal Agnew and Dan Arnold ahead of Jones. The 31-year-old is playing 90% of the snaps, but he’s seeing empty targets. The 49ers have allowed the eighth fewest fantasy points to wide receivers. Jacksonville is implied to score just 19.5 points in a game with a meager 45-point total.
DeAndre Carter at Panthers -- Logging 70% and 67% snap rates the last two weeks, Carter has claimed de facto WR2 duties in Washington, posting back-to-back 3-51-1 and 3-56-1 receiving lines on 12 total targets against the Broncos and Bucs the last two weeks. Carter is the overall WR14 in half-PPR points per game in that span. On his eighth team at 28 years old, it’s just really difficult to get behind Carter as a fantasy play despite the increased role. The Panthers are fifth in fantasy points allowed to wide receivers, second in pass-defense DVOA, and second in opponent plays per game. This is a spot to downgrade the WFT’s pass offense. Washington is implied to score just 19.75 points in a game with a measly 43-point total.
TIGHT END
(Notable TEs on bye: Tyler Higbee, Noah Fant)
Start of the Week: Mike Gesicki at Jets -- The overall TE12 on the season, Gesicki is coming off a nightmarish zero-catch game against the Ravens despite seeing seven targets. But with DeVante Parker and Will Fuller still on injured reserve, this pass-heavy offense will continue to operate through rookie Jaylen Waddle and Gesicki, who is essentially acting as the Dolphins’ WR2 with Durham Smythe and Adam Shaheen manning inline tight end. This is a sure bounce-back spot for Gesicki, facing a Jets defense that has surrendered the 12th-most fantasy points to tight ends and 10th-most points to wideouts. Only Travis Kelce has run more routes among tight ends.
Starts
Tyler Conklin vs. Packers -- Conklin made the most of his three catches last week, turning them into a pair of touchdowns via one- and five-yard scores. Playing 80% of the Vikings’ snaps, Conklin is third on the team with eight red-zone targets and has seen at least five total targets in six of the last seven games. He’s the overall TE16 on the season and now catches a Packers defense that has surrendered the fifth-most catches to Conklin’s position. Conklin has at least 45 yards in three of the last four games and five of the last seven. He’s a back-end streamer.
Cole Kmet vs. Ravens -- The last time we saw the Bears, Kmet set season-highs in targets (8), catches (6), and yards (87) while averaging 14.5 yards per catch in a two-point loss to the Steelers. The Bears’ clear-cut TE1, Kmet leads the team in red-zone targets and now catches a Baltimore defense that has surrendered the sixth-most catches and third-most fantasy points to tight ends. Finally turning a corner, Justin Fields’ arrow is pointing upward with Kmet finding his footing in Year 2. Kmet deserves consideration as a TE1 streamer.
C.J. Uzomah at Raiders -- Uzomah has a pair of monster games to his name this season and has largely been kept quiet outside of those 5-95-2 and 3-91-2 outings. He’s still the overall TE14 on the year, however, and has posted back-to-back four-catch games. Uzomah now gets a date with a Vegas defense that is 31st in yards allowed to tight ends and 31st in fantasy points surrendered to the position. In a game with a 50.5-point total, that’s enough to put Uzomah on the streaming map. He’s playing 76% of the Bengals’ offensive snaps this season.
