Booms and Busts - Fantasy Football Starts and Sits for Week 10 Lineups Include Aaron Jones, Javonte Williams, Sam LaPorta, Jonnu Smith, Malik Nabers

We’ve reached another week of NFL action, and the grind keeps going. Soon the holidays will be here and the fantasy season will be over. Now is no time to slow down!

Let’s start with the good for our recap from last week. We correctly labeled Jameis Winston as a bust and advised owners to look elsewhere for a streamer. He threw three interceptions and finished as the QB21. We had Josh Downs as one of our boom picks, but Joe Flacco looked like, well, Joe Flacco and couldn’t help deliver a huge game for Downs in a plus matchup. He still caught six passes for 60 yards, so it wasn’t a total disaster, but not what we were looking for. Our big misses of the week were labeling both Rhamondre Stevenson and Zay Flowers as bust picks. Flowers exposed a normally solid Broncos secondary, going 7-115. Stevenson was a bit frustrating as he only totaled 54 scrimmage yards but scored two touchdowns (including an incredible last-second touchdown catch) to save his fantasy day. We now turn our attention to Week 10.

Make sure you’re following RotoBaller on X and check out RotoBaller.com for all your fantasy football needs. Let’s get into our boom/bust picks for Week 10 of the 2024 NFL season.

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• Tight end fantasy football rankings

Week 10 Fantasy Football Booms

Aaron Jones - RB, Minnesota Vikings at Jacksonville Jaguars

Jones is coming off two down weeks where he's finished outside of the top-24 running backs. He's ready to buck that trend this week as he faces a Jaguars team that’s allowed the third-most PPR points per game to opposing backs, per Fantasy Football Today.

Jacksonville also allows over 125 rushing yards per game and is a 4.5-point underdog Sunday, so there should be plenty of opportunities for Jones to carry the rock.

Gamers can confidently start him as a back-end RB1 or high-end RB2, as this is a good spot for a spike game from Minnesota’s RB1.

Darnell Mooney - WR, Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints

Mooney is enjoying one of his best seasons as a pro in his first year with Atlanta. He’s averaging a career-high 65.3 receiving yards per game and is currently the PPR WR12 of the year.

Darnell Mooney to the end zone on 4th and 3!

📺: #DALvsATL on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/Ppa1XG47rF

— NFL (@NFL) November 3, 2024

Atlanta draws a matchup with the division-rival Saints, and while this was once a difficult matchup, things have changed significantly following New Orleans’ trade of Pro Bowl corner Marshon Lattimore. Mooney could also be more involved this week with Drake London battling a hip-pointer injury.

Even if London does play, he could be at less than 100%, which would mean the offense looks Mooney’s way more often. Managers should fire him up as a solid WR2 or flex play.

Malik Nabers - WR, New York Giants at Carolina Panthers

It might be surprising to see Nabers' name mentioned here, but he has been in a funk since he posted three straight top-6 finishes from Weeks 2-4. Since suffering a concussion against the Cowboys in Week 4, Nabers has finishes of WR42, WR30, and WR24. Not exactly what managers have been hoping for since his return from injury.

Luckily, Nabers gets a date against a Panthers defense that is among the worst in the league at defending receivers. Carolina ranks 31st in defensive passing DVOA, per FTN Fantasy, and 22nd in DVOA against receivers. It doesn’t generate a ton of pressure on quarterbacks, so Daniel Jones should have time to find Nabers early and often. Expect him to be a big part of New York’s game plan.

Don’t be scared off by the trio of underwhelming finishes. Keep Nabers in your lineup and reap the rewards this week.

Jonnu Smith - TE, Miami Dolphins at Los Angeles Rams

Smith has found himself more involved in Miami’s offense than some expected. He’s seen six or more targets in four straight games, and that trend should continue against a Rams defense that struggles against opposing tight ends. Los Angeles ranks 24th in DVOA against tight ends and has allowed the seventh-most PPR points per game to the position this year.

This a good matchup for Smith to have another solid game, making him a solid streaming option for this week and a great play in tight-end premium leagues. Gamers can confidently fire him up if they need a filler for this week.

Week 10 Fantasy Football Busts

Javonte Williams - RB, Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs

Williams has had back-to-back disappointing games following his RB5 finish in Week 7. Things don’t get any easier this week, as Denver takes on a Chiefs defense that allows the third-fewest rushing yards per game.

He’s also failed to eclipse 60% of offensive snaps in the last two games or average more than 3.5 yards per carry. There were reports rookie back Audric Estime would be more involved last week against the Baltimore Ravens, and while that ultimately didn’t pan out, maybe the team will make the move following another dud from Williams.

This is just a bad matchup for a back not getting the kind of volume we like to see. Williams is better off left on benches for this week.

Drake Maye - QB, New England Patriots at Chicago Bears

It’s been a lot of fun watching Maye since he took over as the Patriots starting quarterback. He’s looked the part and has a couple of top-10 fantasy finishes to his name as well.

DRAKE MAYE! RHAMONDRE STEVENSON! @PATRIOTS TIE IT UP! pic.twitter.com/ThCEJxhA0b

— NFL (@NFL) November 3, 2024

This week might be a different story as Maye faces a Chicago Bears defense that’s allowed the second-fewest fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks. Chicago also returns home after dropping two straight games on the road where the defense had some struggles. This is a good spot for the Bears defense to right the ship.

Maye is always an appealing streaming option thanks to his legs. However, with the Patriots lacking elite playmakers at receiver, this is a game where the bottom could fall out and Maye could struggle against a Bears defense that still ranks fourth in defensive passing DVOA. Gamers should look elsewhere if they need a signal-caller this week.

Sam LaPorta - TE, Detroit Lions at Houston Texans

LaPorta has been one of the biggest fantasy busts this year. He was consistently taken as one of the first tight ends off the board but is currently just the PPR TE18 of the year. He gets a tough matchup this week, as the Lions play a Texans team that ranks second in DVOA against tight ends and allows the fewest receiving yards per game to the position.

Jameson Williams also returns this week following a two-game suspension, so that presents further target competition. It’s been a tough pill to swallow for managers who invested an early pick in LaPorta, but we are more than halfway through the year and it’s time to accept reality. He’s just not as heavily involved in the Detroit offense as he was a year ago. Gamers should look elsewhere if they need a tight end.

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