Welcome to the world's greatest Start/Sit column, where John Laghezza and Gene Clemons dig deep into their fantasy football bag of tricks with non-obvious, outside-the-box lineup advice. John's a numbers guy (who writes our newsletter), Gene is a literal football coach (who is on both our Tuesday LG show and Sunday morning SiriusXM program) — what more could you ask for?

Let's jump in

Fantasy Football Week 10 Start/Sit

Laghezza's Week 8 RBs To Start

Using a weighted mix of over a dozen different advanced stats on each side of the balI, I reverse-power-ranked every defense in the league—all to point fantasy gamers of any league size toward the right start/sit answers this weekend.

  1. Giants (at Panthers) — Carolina tops the menu for tastiest RB target again, with good reason. The Panthers sit dead last in defensive success rate, rush yards/game, rushing TD, and fantasy points allowed to RBs — but CAR’s offense also reeks, setting up weekly positive game scripts for opposing backfields, It’s the gift that keeps on giving. Queue up Giants RB Tyrone Tracy for a monster week. He's completed his rookie flippening by dominating recent touch shares. Remember: When Panther is on the menu, it’s often a meal for two. Desperate deep leaguers with poor bye placement might also consider widely discarded Devin Singletary as a pop for a TD.
  2. Falcons (at Saints) — Hard to even think of a whipsaw more massive than the 2024 Saints. From hanging +90 points through two weeks to racking up seven straight losses, it’s been quite the fall from grace. In that span, they’ve stopped precisely no one on the ground, ranking stone-cold worst in yards allowed/rush, yards before contact/rush and +20-yard carries. While I know first-rounder Bijan Robinson’s never sitting, he’s in line for this weekend’s overall RB1. Good chance enough meat’s left on the fantasy bone to start Tyler Allgeier if pressed for production as well.

Laghezza's Week 8 QBs/WRs/TEs To Start

  1. Vikings (at Jaguars) — The fantasy community owes a great amount of thanks to Doug Pederson for finally getting his offense together, completing the puzzle of the Jacksonville pass funnel. Their secondary already sat dead last in EPA/dropback, completion rate allowed, +20-yard completions, and passing TDs — but now Trevor Lawrence actually keeps JAX competitive long enough to require urgency into the fourth quarter. Fire Sam Darnold up for a shot at a free QB1 — no defense surrendered more fantasy points to quarterbacks this season than the Jags. Also, after getting through limited snaps in Week 9 healthy, it’s time to deploy T.J. Hockenson as the TE1 we drafted him to be.
  2. 49ers (at Buccaneers) — Labeling Tampa’s secondary behind the human mountain Vita Vea as “a pass funnel” is nothing new. That said, the Bucs’ style of defense exposes an interesting wrinkle of vulnerability. Todd Bowles loves to scheme up zone-coverage packages attached to blitzes underneath, often leaving a gap behind the DEs. The result? TB getting torched regularly by opposing slot WRs, averaging an insane 8.3 receptions, 103.8 yards, and 2.0 TD per game. San Fran’s shuffled around the WR room due to injury and it’s been my sneaky start of the week, rookie Ricky Pearsall, to emerge in that role. Start all your Niners’ pass-catchers with confidence.

Gene’s Bold Prediction: Start Daniel Jones

Yes, I know what I said. Yes, that Daniel Jones. This really does't have anything to do with his fantasy points last week — although 24.4 points is impressive. It's the way he was utilized in the game against the Commanders. Thanks to the performance of Tyrone Tracy Jr., when Jones runs those run read plays he has much cleaner lanes to escape through. It was a key to his success with Saquon Barkley. Jones' rushing upside has become a real asset for fantasy managers to (once again) consider. He's averaging four yards per carry, so if he gets close to double digit rushes, there’s a good chance Jones is going to add 5-11 points to his fantasy total. 

Another reason to start Jones is his opponent — and the location. The Giants are playing the Panthers in Germany. The Panthers are surrendering an average of 22 fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks. That alone would make me roll the dice on Jones, but then you consider that the three biggest games against the Panthers came from quarterbacks who have the ability to run the football. Now mix that with the atmosphere in Germany, where Jones should be able to play free without the pressure of the Giants fans or the media. All signs point to the embattled, polarizing signal caller having a great day in fantasy. If you are in need of a QB because you don't know Jordan Love’s status — or Joe Flacco didn't give you anything more than Anthony Richardson — then Jones may just be what you are looking for. 

Laghezza's Week 8 RBs To Sit

  1. Broncos (at Chiefs) — Regardless of how things shake out for Denver this year, it should be looked at by fans as an accomplishment and step in the right direction. That said, Denver’s somewhat questionable (5-4) record appears directly related to that week’s competition level. Good defenses continue to befuddle rookie shot-called Bo Nix, my fear again for this weekend. Nearly double-digit underdogs, the Broncos may abandon the run early. So I’m benching Javonte Williams, Jaleel McLaughlin (and anyone else in orange for that matter) against a really tough Chiefs D that ranks as a top-5 rush defense essentially across the board.
  2. Jaguars (vs Vikings) — There’s no abbreviation worse in the fantasy language than RBBC. Yes, I know Tank Bigsby played great in Travis Etienne’s stead and we’d all love to have that exact usage down the stretch. Sadly, that’s not our current reality with Etienne now two weeks removed from returning. While Bigsby did dominate attempts and red zone snaps, he did not earn a single target. If Etienne assumes the passing down/hurry-up package and they fall behind again to the Vikings, we could see the RB duo faceplant again (they totaled 7.2 fantasy points against PHI). Hit the eject button whenever possible versus Philadelphia Sunday.

Laghezza's Week 8 QBs and WR/TEs To Sit

  1. Titans (at Chargers) — If I have to go down at the hands of Tennessee’s quarterback play, so be it. Fine, I’ll admit it — Mason Rudolph’s played (very) well for two games versus decent competition. And you know what? I’m still not buying it. I think the Titan fever breaks this weekend against the NFL’s top defense in terms of scoring, defensive EPA/play, opposer passer rating, and sack rate. Sit every in powder blue, including Calvin Ridley and this week’s flavor-of-the-week Nick Westbrook-Ikhine.
  2. Cowboys (vs Eagles) — When it comes to Dallas, I’d like to echo my advice from our MB FantasyLife betting newsletter, (that you can subscribe to for free here). Tuck tail and run for your life, it’s time to abandon ship. The top-heavy Dallas roster took a massive blow in losing QB Dak Prescott, one sure to reverberate with Cooper Rush under center. I’m taking the bold route and benching my top overall pick CeeDee Lamb, who’s also dealing with a shoulder injury. There’s a good chance he could only play limited snaps or get pulled in a blowout.

Gene’s Bold Prediction: Sit DeAndre Hopkins

Fantasy managers rejoiced in Week 9 as Hopkins found his footing with his new squad and Patrick Mahomes linked up with his new weapon. Over 20 fantasy points would make you believe that Hopkins is a must start the rest of the season — but there is just one problem with that. His name is Patrick Surtain II and respect will be paid. Surtain's only locked down the best and brightest that the league has to offer. Now he faces Hopkins, who is still finding his way on a new team — one that hasn't exactly been lighting up the stat book with their passing numbers. 

Hopkins is going to have his hands full with Surtain II and Mahomes may choose to go a different way. 

John's Parting Thought: Let’s Go To The Circus

Simply put, winning weekly fantasy matchups is all about attaching yourself to the highest scoring games. Check out this beauty (you may have to zoom in a little):

When I’m in a pinch this is my favorite image when in need of a thousand words—if all else fails, head toward the circus music. I charted the entire league’s points scored with points allowed as a simple reference tool:

Gene's Parting Thought: Paraphrasing an old Right Guard Commercial

Sometimes the best defense is a good offense. In fantasy that means being proactive and not reactive. Go attack that guy you've had your eyes on to trade for. Make the offer. Don't just ask the other manager what they want for him. Let them turn you down; you may be surprised how many people are willing to deal. You miss all the shots you do not take. So take all the shots you can. 

There is still time to turn around your fortunes. Many of the start/sits that we suggest leave you with a decision. Should I believe them or not? The question you should ask yourself is this: what do you have to lose?