One of my favourite filmmakers of all time is the great Mel Brooks. His films have been a staple in my life. You’ll never see him win an Oscar, but his films are usually a result of a comedy of errors that you simply can’t help but laugh at. His next film should be titled The Injury Bug, a film about the wide receiver position in 2024.
It’s at the point right now that it’s become so bad that you can’t help but laugh. Last week, A.J. Brown (knee), CeeDee Lamb (shoulder), Drake London (hip), and Chris Olave (concussion) all fell victim to the injury bug.
Depth is becoming a real issue, and with Cedric Tillman, Jakobi Meyers, Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, D.K. Metcalf, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Tyler Lockett unavailable due to bye weeks, you need some wide receiver start and sit advice. You’ve come to the right place as we break down those receiver starts and sits for Week 10.
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Week 10 Starts - Fantasy Football Booms
Nico Collins - WR, Houston Texans vs. Detroit Lions
He’s back. If you forgot how good he was before his injury, it’s time to remind you all again. Despite his four-week stint on Injured Reserve, Collins still sits 14th in the NFL with 567 receiving yards. With 113.4 receiving yards per game, Collins' average is 15.5 yards per game, more than Justin Jefferson's.
From a fantasy lens, the 21.3 fantasy points per game Collins averaged this season are 1.6 more per game than Jefferson's, so, despite his absence, the Texans' pass catcher is still the WR16. With Tank Dell and Stefon Diggs, Collins has seen a 23.2% target share. Imagine what that number will look like without Diggs the rest of the way.
This week, the Texans face the Detroit Lions, a team that has allowed 37.87 fantasy points per game over the last month and 41.41 fantasy points against the position throughout the 2024 season. Detroit has limited receivers to just five touchdown receptions, but they have allowed the most receptions (137) and the second-most receiving yards (1,672).
For a player who has accounted for a team touchdown market share of over 42%, an air yard share of 42.6%, and accounts for 38.4% of the team receiving yardage, I don’t think there will be a way for the Lions to stop Collins in his return to the lineup this week.
Nico Collins
- WR1 in PPG
- 113.4 yards per game
- Clear #1 in elite offense
- Stefan Diggs done for yearNico Collins is expected to come back week 10.
Before his injury, he was averaging 3.6+ YPRR and 113.4 receiving yards per game.pic.twitter.com/0skPPRahcD
— Snoog's Fantasy HQ (@FFSnoog) October 30, 2024
Darnell Mooney - WR, Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints
At least before Drake London exited last week's contest, he managed to catch a touchdown pass for fantasy managers. After he left, it was Darnell Mooney who was catching passes and grabbing tuddies. London will have tests done this week, but the belief is that it is a hip pointer and not expected to be a long-term issue.
If London were to miss this week, then all eyes would be on Darnell Mooney, who has exceeded fantasy expectations all season. Before Monday Night Football and the conclusion of Week 9, Mooney was sitting as the WR12, averaging 14.4 fantasy points per game, producing at least 14 fantasy points in five of his last eight contests.
Last week, Mooney finished with 19.8 fantasy points, his second week in a row with more than 18 fantasy points. Against the Cowboys, Mooney finished with five catches for 88 yards and a touchdown, and he also averaged 17.6 yards per catch. After London exited, Mooney went on to account for a 52.9% first-read target share.
First-Read Target Share leaders from Week 9
- Darnell Mooney went alpha-mode with London hurt most of the game
- Jakobi Meyers needs to start earning your respect
- Jaxon Smith-Njigba between Chase and Nabers makes a man dream pic.twitter.com/fdVEk3Zc6U
— Fantasy Points Data (@FantasyPtsData) November 4, 2024
If you look at the league leaders in 20-plus-yard receptions, you will find his name at the top of the list.
Deebo Samuel Sr. - WR, San Francisco 49ers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Let’s keep piling up those fantasy points with great matchups for the wide receiver position. Deebo Samuel Sr. gets a great matchup this week against a Buccaneers team that has allowed more than 35 fantasy points per game to the receiver position this season.
San Francisco had the week off last week and will look to get going again this week for the playoff push. If you recall, the last time we saw Samuel, he had just finished hauling in four passes for 71 yards and 12.6 fantasy points. What you probably don’t remember is the touchdown and additional 65 yards taken away by a flag, which would have added 14 fantasy points against the Cowboys.
For those that didn’t watch the game last week…. WR Deebo Samuel’s stat sheet didn’t show this because the flag took the TD & effort away but he would have been over 100 Rec Yards, had 1 TD & two long plays if this counted but instead he had 71 Yards & 0 TD, 47 Long. #49ers pic.twitter.com/BtRt4wibhg
— 49er_Edits (@49er_edits) November 4, 2024
Samuel has earned just a 17.9% target share this season, but in Week 8, that was closer to 27%, a number I think fantasy managers can expect the rest of the season with Brandon Aiyuk on injured reserve.
Week 10 Sits - Fantasy Football Busts
George Pickens - WR, Pittsburgh Steelers at Washington Commanders
Like the 49ers, George Pickens and the Pittsburgh Steelers are also coming off their bye week. However, unlike the 49ers, this Week 10 matchup is less than favorable for the Steelers wideout.
The Commanders went from must-start to fade in recent weeks. Over the last four weeks, they have allowed just 459 receiving yards to the position. Over that period, they haven’t allowed a touchdown and have been the second-stingiest unit, allowing just 20.68 fantasy points per game to wide receivers.
Pickens, to his credit, ranks in the top 10 in 20-plus yard receptions and leads the league with eight 30-plus yard receptions. You are going to need him to hit big this week to get any kind of return on your investment, and that’s a risk I’m not willing to take.
Marvin Harrison Jr. - WR, Arizona Cardinals vs. New York Jets
The Arizona Cardinals scored three touchdowns last week, all on the ground. Not one of the three went to James Conner or Kyler Murray. This team can't be trusted for fantasy production, it’s that simple.
Against the Bears, Marvin Harrison Jr. was second on the team in receiving yards, which one would assume would be a good thing. However, Trey McBride's 35 receiving yards led the way. Harrison hauled in just a pair of targets for 34 yards, leaving fantasy managers feeling empty inside.
The matchup this week isn’t any better. The New York Jets allow the fewest fantasy points per game, allowing just 24.97 per contest through nine weeks.
Calvin Ridley - WR, Tennessee Titans at Los Angeles Chargers
Do you want to play ultimate boom/bust? It’s Calvin Ridley. Ridley will make you look like a genius or a fool; there is no rhyme or reason to it. Last week, Ridley caught five passes for 73 yards but needed overtime to reach double-digits. He also dropped a couple of passes along the way, which is all part of the “Calvin Ridley Experience.”
You can make a case for starting him here in Week 10. Since De'Andre Hopkins was traded to the Chiefs, Ridley is averaging 17.5 fantasy points per game. Ridley has also earned a 35% target share, accounting for 46% of the Titans' air yards with a 95% route rate.
That’s the good. Now the bad: Los Angeles ranks sixth this season in fantasy points allowed to the receiver position, allowing just 26.78 fantasy points per game thanks in part to surrendering the fourth-fewest receiving yards (1,014).
Adding insult to a bad matchup, Ridley has a drop rate of 10.2% and is tied for fifth in drops this season, and still has Mason Rudolph as his quarterback. When looking at the percentage of his targets he has had an opportunity to catch, his 61.2% does not lend itself to sustainable fantasy production.
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