X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

Week 10 Fantasy Football Busts? Players Who May Disappoint Include Tony Pollard, Marvin Harrison, Kyler Murray, Rico Dowdle, DeAndre Hopkins

Tony Pollard - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Who should I start or sit for fantasy football in Week 10 of the 2024 season? Andrew's potential fantasy football busts and duds to avoid for Week 10 lineups.

Welcome back to the Week 10 edition of our fantasy football busts, and players that may disappoint for fantasy managers.

The running back rebound is the theme of the 2024 fantasy football season. There have been few injuries to the best runners. Therefore, the position has dominated appearances in this column. A down week happens. Other running backs are suppressing the upside of their quarterbacks and wide receivers. Will the theme continue in Week 10 and beyond?

Let's take a look. Below are my 10 fantasy football busts, or players that may disappoint, for Week 10 of the 2024 NFL season. Good luck, RotoBallers!

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

Tony Pollard (RB, TEN) at Los Angeles Chargers

Tony Pollard has been the lone bright spot of a floundering Tennessee offense. He has 20+ touches in four of the last five games and just tallied 31 against the Patriots. That's 31 touches after entering Sunday as a game-time decision. Even Superman has his limits.

The Titans don't want to wear out Pollard, but coaches didn't have any other choice. Tyjae Spears has missed the last three games because of a hamstring injury. He practiced last week before being ruled out. His return could come against the Chargers.

The Titans couldn't lean on the passing game because that's a disaster. Mason Rudolph and Will Levis have combined to throw an interception in every game.

The Chargers allowed the fewest fantasy points to running backs in the last four weeks. They are second for the entire season. If Spears returns to ease Pollard's workload, plus the matchup, Pollard will fall short of fantasy managers' current expectations for him.

 

Tank Bigsby (RB, JAX) vs. Minnesota

The conversation about Jacksonville's running backs begins with game scripts. In wins and one-score games (excluding last week because Philadelphia was ahead by multiple scores for most of the game and Week 2 when he didn't play an offensive snap), Tank Bigsby averages 92 rushing yards per game. He averages 18.3 rushing yards per game in blowout losses (again, counting Philadelphia as a blowout loss). It's a rarity to see any production in the passing game.

The Vikings are seven-point road favorites, and the Jaguars are likely to be without starting quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Mac Jones would get the start. Brian Flores' defense is designed to bait quarterbacks into turnovers with confusing looks. It is second in the NFL in takeaways. Jones will make mistakes on Sunday.

Even if the game stays competitive, the Vikings have allowed the third-fewest yards to running backs this season and surrendered just three rushing touchdowns. Travis Etienne Jr. will be involved in the Jaguars backfield despite his inefficiencies. There are too many red flags to trust Bigsby this weekend.

 

Javonte Williams (RB, DEN) at Kansas City

The Kansas City Chiefs have an elite run defense. Javonte Williams crumbles against elite run defenses (well, he's not great against some poor run defenses, either).

Add Rachaad White and Bucky Irving to the list of running backs who struggled against the Chiefs. White had 35 total yards but was saved by a touchdown. Irving totaled 34 yards.

Sean Payton and the Broncos coaching staff are frustrated by Williams. He often publicly threatens to increase the touches for a backup running back.

Whether Payton is speaking the truth or not (there were also reports of Estime seeing increased usage against Baltimore but he didn't carry the ball until midway through the fourth quarter), Williams is one to avoid this week. The matchup won't do him any favors. Losing more work would be the cherry on top of a Sunday bust.

 

Rico Dowdle (RB, DAL) vs. Philadelphia

How much can you trust Cooper Rush? The Cowboys offense was already a letdown. Now, they move from Dak Prescott (hamstring) to the career backup.

The entire offense is downgraded, plus the Cowboys host a red-hot Philadelphia defense. Since their bye week, the Eagles have fully embraced first-year defensive coordinator Vic Fangio's system. Their success begins with stopping the run. Tyrone Tracy Jr., Chase Brown, Travis Etienne Jr., and Tank Bigsby failed to reach 33 rushing yards.

Brown is one of two running backs to score against the Eagles this season. Rico Dowdle has been reliable lately, but likely won't add his name to that list.

 

Marvin Harrison Jr. (WR, ARI) vs. New York Jets

This won't be Marvin Harrison Jr.'s first bust and it won't be his last.

James Conner and the running game is the engine of Arizona's offense. The Cardinals run at the eighth-highest rate in the league. Unsurprisingly, the rookie first-round pick averages just a hair over six targets per game. That's not WR1 volume. That's not even WR2 volume.

Fortunately for disappointed MHJ fantasy managers, he's had boom games. Most of those came when he exceeded his target average.

Game Targets Yards TDs 
Week 2 8 130 2
Week 3 11 64 1
Week 4 6 45 1
Week 8 7 111 1

Fantasy managers shouldn't project increased target volume for Harrison this week. Opposing teams throw on the Jets 28.3 times per game. That's the fourth-lowest mark in the NFL. Harrison also lines up outside 80% of the time. New York's outside cornerbacks are the strength of its defense.

 

DeAndre Hopkins (WR, KC) vs. Denver

This is the riskiest pick of the column this week, especially with DeAndre Hopkins logging an eight-catch, 86-yard, two-touchdown spectacular just days ago. The Kansas City Chiefs utilize Hopkins like the now-injured Rashee Rice and JuJu Smith-Schuster. That includes a healthy number of slot snaps.

Will Pat Surtain II shadow Hopkins? The Broncos played a lot of zone defense last week to try and prevent Lamar Jackson from running. Therefore, Surtain did not shadow Zay Flowers, and the Broncos got burned. Expect Denver to return to a league-high man coverage rate.

Surtain has frustrated Mike Evans (two for 17), DK Metcalf (three for 29), George Pickens (two for 29), and Garrett Wilson (five for 41) this season. Hopkins isn't a sit but should be considered more of a flex with a low-floor potential.

 

Courtland Sutton (WR, DEN) at Kansas City

Following his zero-catch, zero-point dud on Thursday Night Football against the Saints, Courtland Sutton has rebounded with two straight 100-receiving yard games (I had to clarify receiving yards because he's completed a pass in both games as well).

The Panthers and Ravens allowed Sutton to get open. Baltimore is the worst defense against fantasy football wide receivers. Carolina is all-around dreadful.

The Chiefs, on the other hand, surrender the fewest yards to receivers. Sutton has a lengthy history of mediocre performances against Kansas City. He averages fewer than 50 yards per game and has scored twice in nine games.

 

Kyler Murray (QB, ARI) vs. New York Jets

Was Kyler Murray included on this week's bust list so we can see Trey McBride wide-open in the end zone again?

The play highlights the problems plaguing Murray's fantasy production. As stated above, the Cardinals prefer to lean on the running game. Murray's rushing is not part of that. Since Week 4, he's topped 20 rushing yards twice. He had a 50- and 44-yard rush in those two games to boost his average.

Murray is averaging 28 pass attempts and under 200 passing yards per game. There are limited opportunities to add to his fantasy total. Missing on plays like the easy touchdown to McBride or Marvin Harrison Jr. streaking down the field turns him from a stud to a bust.

The best way to beat the Jets defense is to pound the rock. How convenient! The Cardinals love to do that! Expect another heavy dosage of Conner, and Murray to fall short of projections.

 

Patrick Mahomes (QB, KC) vs. Denver

For the first time this season, Patrick Mahomes was a QB1 for fantasy football. His 24.5 fantasy points against the Buccaneers was the first time he's topped 20 points this season. His previous personal best was 19.2 points the week prior in Las Vegas. The Raiders allow the eighth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks this season. Tampa Bay ranks second.

That's how fantasy managers navigate streaming the position. Find and exploit the matchups to find fantasy success. Don't let Mahomes' name and recent success take away that he should be in the streaming category. It's just not possible because he's rostered everywhere. The Chiefs win with the running game and defense first.

Mahomes won't have the same matchup advantage in Week 10. Lamar Jackson is the only quarterback who had fantasy football success against the Denver Broncos. Sportsbooks expect a low-scoring divisional affair (41.5 over/under, third lowest this week).

 

Jake Ferguson (TE, DAL) vs. Philadelphia

Once again, I ask, how much can you trust Cooper Rush? Jake Ferguson's production is even more of a concern than Rico Dowdle's.

With CeeDee Lamb (shoulder) banged up and Brandin Cooks (knee) not cleared to practice, Dallas' tight end could be the de facto top receiver against the Eagles. That may or may not be a good thing.

The Cowboys have struggled to move the football against poor defenses. It's hard to imagine that changing against one of the league's hottest defenses and a backup quarterback, especially if Lamb is on the sideline.

Ferguson has been reliable but not explosive in 2024. He averages 10.2 PPR fantasy points (TE10) but maxes out at 15.5 points. A lack of touchdowns is to blame for Ferguson's steady hand. He hasn't found paydirt in seven games. The Eagles are one of three teams to keep opposing tight ends out of the end zone.



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!

More Start/Sit Advice




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Tyler Anderson4 hours ago

Keeps Hot Streak Rolling Friday
Logan Webb4 hours ago

Fans 12 In Tough-Luck Loss
Carlos Rodón4 hours ago

Carlos Rodon Goes Six Scoreless To Snap Personal Losing Streak
Andrew Abbott4 hours ago

Dominates Orioles On Friday
Yoshinobu Yamamoto4 hours ago

Tosses Another Gem
Cam Smith4 hours ago

Hits Two Taters On Friday
Trevor Story5 hours ago

Mashes Pair Of Three-Run Homers
Zack Wheeler7 hours ago

Records 13 Strikeouts
LaMonte Wade Jr.8 hours ago

Out On Friday
Evan Phillips8 hours ago

Expected To Be Activated Next Week
Lucas Erceg8 hours ago

Exits After Getting Hit By Comebacker
Ja Morant8 hours ago

Cleared To Play Friday
Martín Pérez8 hours ago

Martin Perez Makes Early Exit On Friday
Brandon Williams8 hours ago

Available Against Grizzlies
Anthony Davis9 hours ago

Will Play Friday Night
Gary Trent Jr.9 hours ago

Available For Game 1 Against Pacers
Taurean Prince9 hours ago

Returns To Bucks Lineup Saturday
NFL9 hours ago

Justin Hardee Sr. Waived With Non-Football Injury
Isaiah Stewart9 hours ago

To Return For Game 1
Ausar Thompson9 hours ago

Available For Game 1
Rui Hachimura9 hours ago

On Track To Play Saturday
Austin Reaves9 hours ago

Ready To Go For Game 1
NFL9 hours ago

Bills Release Armani Rogers, Branson Deen
Luka Dončić9 hours ago

Luka Doncic Removed From Injury Report
Brandon Young9 hours ago

Set To Make MLB Debut On Saturday
LeBron James10 hours ago

Listed As Probable For Game 1
Ben Sheppard10 hours ago

Probable For Saturday's Game 1
Jacob Lopez10 hours ago

Recalled From Triple-A
NFL10 hours ago

Kolton Miller Absent From Raiders' Voluntary Offseason Program
Kevin Durant10 hours ago

To Houston Already Losing Steam
Matt Canterino10 hours ago

Twins Designate Matt Canterino For Assignment
Lauri Markkanen10 hours ago

Wants To Stay With The Jazz
NFL10 hours ago

Ross Blacklock Let Go By New York
Mickey Gasper10 hours ago

Sent To Triple-A St. Paul
Bennedict Mathurin10 hours ago

Expected To Play In Game 1 Saturday
Nicky Lopez10 hours ago

Designated For Assignment
Josh Smith10 hours ago

Still Out Of Lineup Friday Night
Pascal Siakam10 hours ago

Available For Playoff Opener
Zach Neto10 hours ago

Reinstated From Injury List, Will Make Season Debut Friday
Tyrese Haliburton10 hours ago

Returning From Two-Game Absence Saturday
Cade Cunningham11 hours ago

Available For Game 1 Against Knicks
Shohei Ohtani11 hours ago

Out Of Friday's Lineup For Birth Of First Child
Josh Hart11 hours ago

Back In Knicks Lineup Saturday
Eugenio Suárez11 hours ago

Eugenio Suarez Hits Grand Slam In Friday Afternoon's Loss
OG Anunoby11 hours ago

Good To Go For Game 1
Jalen Brunson11 hours ago

Available For Saturday's Game 1
NFL11 hours ago

Raiders Considering Drafting A Quarterback
Irv Smith12 hours ago

Sticking With Texans
Ryan Lindgren12 hours ago

Set To Return Saturday
NFL12 hours ago

Texans Expected To Draft Wide Receivers
Greg Dortch12 hours ago

Returning To Cardinals
Josh Manson12 hours ago

Available For Game 1
Mark Andrews12 hours ago

Could Be Traded Soon
Ondrej Palat12 hours ago

To Return For Start Of Playoffs
David Savard12 hours ago

Will Retire After Playoffs
NFL12 hours ago

Raiders, Falcons Could Have Interest In Jalen Ramsey
Robert Thomas12 hours ago

Good To Go Saturday
Matthew Tkachuk13 hours ago

Expected To Return For Game 1
13 hours ago

Raiders Are High On Ashton Jeanty
Jason Robertson13 hours ago

Considered Week-To-Week
Rome Odunze13 hours ago

To Hopefully Get More Involved
NFL13 hours ago

Dolphins Could Draft A Quarterback
James Cook13 hours ago

Could Stay Away From Voluntary Workouts
Leon Draisaitl20 hours ago

Wins First Rocket Richard Trophy
Nikita Kucherov21 hours ago

Bags Third Art Ross Trophy
Bryan Rust21 hours ago

Scores Twice In Season-Ending Win
Igor Shesterkin21 hours ago

Shuts Out Lightning With 27 Saves
Dylan Cozens21 hours ago

Picks Up Three Points In Regular-Season Finale
Matvei Michkov21 hours ago

Caps Off Rookie Campaign With Three-Point Effort
Brady Tkachuk21 hours ago

Makes Early Exit For Precautionary Reasons
Jake Tonges1 day ago

Signs Exclusive-Rights Tender
Denver Broncos1 day ago

Broncos To Focus On RB Position In Next Week's Draft
Drew Lock1 day ago

Sam Howell, Drew Lock Expected To Compete For Backup Job
New York Giants1 day ago

Giants Leaning Toward Taking Best Player Available At No. 3
New Orleans Saints1 day ago

Ryan Ramczyk Announces His Retirement
Buffalo Bills1 day ago

Tre'Davious White Reunites With Buffalo
Aaron Rodgers1 day ago

Willing To Play For $10 Million A Year
Jakob Chychrun1 day ago

Returns Against Penguins
Rasmus Andersson1 day ago

Out Against Kings
Jonathan Huberdeau1 day ago

Sits Out Regular-Season Finale
Ryan Pulock1 day ago

Out On Thursday
Jake Sanderson1 day ago

Back In Action Thursday
Thomas Chabot1 day ago

To Be Rested Against Hurricanes
Claude Giroux1 day ago

Active On Thursday
Lucas Glover2 days ago

Looks To Rebound After Poor Performance
Daniel Berger3 days ago

Looking To Continue Solid Play At RBC
Sepp Straka3 days ago

Looking To Bounce Back At RBC
Justin Thomas3 days ago

Looking To Shake Off Poor Masters At RBC Heritage
Xander Schauffele3 days ago

Still Looking For Year's First Win At RBC Heritage
Maverick McNealy3 days ago

Is An Intriguing Play At RBC Heritage
Shane Lowry3 days ago

Looks To Shake Off Poor Masters Sunday At RBC Heritage
Will Zalatoris3 days ago

Eyes A Bounce-Back At RBC Heritage
Gary Woodland3 days ago

Could Add Some Surprise At Hilton Head
Sam Burns3 days ago

Hoping For Better Times At RBC Heritage
Sahith Theegala3 days ago

Still Trying To Put It All Together
Aaron Rai3 days ago

Might Be That Guy For Hilton Head
Robert MacIntyre3 days ago

All Or Nothing At RBC Heritage
Tom Hoge3 days ago

Still Playing Solid Heading To Hilton Head
Nick Dunlap3 days ago

Continues To Have Rough Stretch
Keegan Bradley3 days ago

Looks To Move On From Masters Performance
Matt Fitzpatrick3 days ago

A Boom-Or-Bust Option At RBC Heritage
Patrick Cantlay3 days ago

A Strong Play At RBC Heritage
Jordan Spieth3 days ago

Targets Another Strong RBC Heritage Showing
Collin Morikawa3 days ago

Eyeing Victory At RBC Heritage
Max Homa3 days ago

Breaks Through At The Masters
Alexander Volkanovski4 days ago

Reclaims Featherweight Title
Diego Lopes4 days ago

Drops Decision At UFC 314
Paddy Pimblett4 days ago

Remains Undefeated In The UFC
Michael Chandler4 days ago

Suffers TKO Loss
MMA4 days ago

Patricio Freire Gets Dominated In His UFC Debut
Yair Rodriguez4 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Bryce Mitchell4 days ago

Gets Submitted At UFC 314
Jean Silva4 days ago

Gets Submission Win At UFC 314
Dominick Reyes4 days ago

Wins Third Fight In A Row
Austin Dillon5 days ago

Nabs His First Top-10 Finish Of The 2025 Season At Bristol
Ryan Blaney5 days ago

Bold Strategies Fall Flat, Still Musters A Top-Five Finish At Bristol
Christopher Bell5 days ago

Finishes In The Top 10 After Falling Back Midway At Bristol
Ty Gibbs5 days ago

Earns His First Top-Five Finish Of The 2025 Season At Bristol
Chase Briscoe5 days ago

Quietly Scores First Career Top-Five Finish At Bristol
William Byron5 days ago

Denny Hamlin Cuts Into William Byron's Points Lead
William Byron5 days ago

Makes Best Of His Mediocre Qualifying Run With Sixth-Place Finish
Alex Bowman5 days ago

Despite Engine Failure, Alex Bowman's Improved Speed Looks Promising
NASCAR5 days ago

A.J. Allmendinger Enters Playoff Picture With Surprise Bristol Top-10 Finish
Kyle Larson6 days ago

Will Compete For The Win At Bristol
Chase Elliott6 days ago

Is One Of The More Favorable DFS Options Available For Bristol
William Byron6 days ago

Is A Solid DFS Option For Bristol Lineups
Tyler Reddick6 days ago

Could Tyler Reddick Be A Sneaky DFS Option For Bristol?
NASCAR6 days ago

Is Bubba Wallace Worth Rostering For Bristol This Week?
Ross Chastain6 days ago

Could Ross Chastain Be A Worthy DFS Choice For Bristol?
Carson Hocevar6 days ago

Is Carson Hocevar Worth Rostering For Bristol DFS Lineups?
NASCAR6 days ago

Should Fantasy Managers Avoid Rostering A.J. Allmendinger In DFS For Bristol?
Ryan Preece6 days ago

Is Ryan Preece Worth Rostering For Bristol Lineups?
Austin Dillon6 days ago

May Be One Of The Top Value Options For Bristol DFS This Week
Noah Gragson6 days ago

Should DFS Players Consider Noah Gragson For Bristol Lineups?
Riley Herbst6 days ago

Is In Play For Bristol DFS Lineups
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF