Fantasy Football Whiplash! | Week 10 News & Notes (2024)

Settle in, ladies and germs. It’s time to kick off the Week 10 fantasy football news, care of “Fantasy Whiplash!” Leave your attention span at the door while we enter the week’s great expectations, along with a nod at the notes of Week 9. We’ve got a bit of everything; keep your head on a swivel and prepare for a few twists and turns as we go. The puzzle pieces are on the table, so let’s start fitting them together.

I know you’ve all had a rough few days of drinking and riding a Halloween sugar high, but indulge me as I try to keep your attention. Maybe I can keep you from purging your stomach of the red, white, blue and brown that can only come with your weekend’s fascination with Pabst Blue Ribbon and Almond Joys. A little gridiron talk may be just what you need to settle your stomach.

As always, strap in for as smooth a ride as I can muster and look both ways for player values, notes and – as always – talking points to hit so you don’t look like an idiot in front of friends. Well, less of one than you did at that party, anyway. Let’s go around the league like only we can.

Fantasy Football News & Notes for Week 10

Fantasy Football News

Heads Will Roll

Just got off the phone with Dennis Allen. Obviously disappointed but had nothing but love for the Saints and New Orleans. “Of course I’m disappointed but I love that organization, I love the people in there and will always have so much love for the city of New Orleans. I always…

— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) November 4, 2024

The New Orleans Saints fired head coach Dennis Allen on Monday. He stated the above, presumably as team fans were downing hurricanes on Bourbon Street and screaming, “Who Dat?!” at the top of their lungs. To them, this move was well overdue. It took a loss to division foe and basement-dweller Carolina, 23-22. It was a game in which the Saints had zero turnovers, and Alvin Kamara collected 215 total yards from scrimmage. And yet, they were bested by perennial superpowers Bryce Young and Chuba Hubbard. News of the firing is not noteworthy; the Saints had lost seven straight games. This marked the second time Allen was fired when his quarterback was Derek Carr (by the Raiders in 2014).

This will not be the last firing, as many seats are already heating up around the league. Brian Daboll, Mike McCarthy, Doug Pederson and Kevin Stefanski are already fanning the flames with every loss. Even Antonio Pierce of the Raiders is currently using a hibachi as a stool, the firings of several of his staff notwithstanding.

There’s No “I” in Team… 

That is, unless you count “injury,” especially in 2024. This is a league that (I assume), in one hell of a drug-addled bender during the offseason, furthered their intention of implementing an 18-game schedule. Meanwhile, professional athletes have trouble suiting up every Sunday for over a few weeks.

Injured this week and subsequently having their statuses further up in the air than the flight from New York to Munich this week include Dak Prescott (hamstring, out multiple weeks), A.J. Brown (knee, day to day) and Drake London (hip, day to day). In other fantasy football news, Cincinnati Bengals running back Zack Moss (neck) is out indefinitely (they subsequently traded for Khalil Herbert), and Tee Higgins (quad) will try to practice. Still, the team is playing on a quick turnaround. Buffalo Bills receiver Keon Coleman (wrist, undergoing testing) and Minnesota kicker Will Reichard (quad) are both still up in the air, while his long snapper (hand) is an Injured Reserve (IR) candidate. Wide receiver Chris Olave suffered a concussion in the Saints’ loss and is in the league’s protocol. There will be less “cushion for the pushin'” in Tennessee, as Lloyd Cushenberry (Achilles) is headed to the IR.

Repeat After Me: There’s No “I”

Christian McCaffrey has been practicing with the San Francisco 49ers and is expected to play on Sunday. The big secret is whether “Run CMC” will remain back in full capacity. Also due to return are running back Keaton Mitchell (potential waiver stash) to the Ravens, Jonathon Brooks for the Panthers and “Billy Jeans” Will Levis to Tennessee. Bengals’ Jermaine Burton should play Thursday night, assuming he leaves the casino in time. The much-awaited return of the Texans’ Nico Collins could be here Sunday.

… But There is an “M” & an “E”

“Team” does have an “m” and an “e,” evidenced by some crazy individual performances. The aforementioned Kamara topped 200 yards. Joe Burrow, Jalen Hurts, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson combined for 14 touchdowns in Sunday wins. Saquon Barkley logged 199 yards from scrimmage and a pair of touchdowns. He added a preposterous backward hurdle deserving of a featured spot near the Venus de Milo and Mona Lisa in the most hallowed world museum. Jaxon Smith-Njigba confounded fantasy managers once again by catching seven passes for 180 yards and finding the end zone twice while riding their bench.

In the Waiting Room

Check-ups, dentist appointments, flu or COVID-19 shots, oil-change joints; The chances are you’re finding yourself in one of these lovely shared areas riddled with “Highlight”s magazines this time of year. There are only so many issues of “Car” and “Driver” any respectable person can thumb through before firing up a conversation with the present company. Here are a few fantasy football news items about specific players to share; you’ll sound like an expert in no time.

• It’s unsurprising for a player to have a breakout game on a team like the Cincinnati Bengals. It’s a bit more rare when it’s from a tight end in back-to-back weeks. Mike Gesicki has hauled in 12 balls for 173 yards and two trips to paydirt in that span. That was enough to vault him to the Points Per Reception (PPR) TE13 on the season. He also hit the “Griddy” in the end zone.
• The NFL Trade Deadline has come and gone. Those already moved include running back Khalil Herbert (Chicago to Cincinnati) and Za’Darius Smith (Cleveland to Detroit). In a blockbuster that no one saw coming, receiver Jonathan Mingo (12 receptions this season) went from Carolina to Dallas.
• After touting Bo Nix in this article last week for how far he’s come from a fantasy football perspective, he went out and Amber Hearded against a weak Baltimore pass defense. Nix completed under 57% of passes for 223 yards, zero touchdowns and an interception. Baltimore curb-stomped the Broncos 41-10.
• Joe Flacco was less-than-stellar in his first start for the Colts (16-27 attempts, 179 yards and one interception) with Anthony Richardson available, leaving truthers of the latter seething. The Colts were dispatched by Minnesota by a score of 21-13.
• In winning his eighth-straight game, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes returned to top-10 QB status (QB4) for the first time in a year.

What to Watch for Around the NFL

As we round the corner, you’ll see the games of Week 10 on the horizon. The bye week returns to claim four squads, while two board a plane to play overseas. Given the weather, I’d opt for swim-up bars in Cabo San Lucas at this time of year, but the Giants and Panthers are headed to Munich instead. Here’s what else to keep an eye out for.

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

As noted, the 21-day practice window is open for San Francisco’s all-world running back Christian McCaffrey to return. The plan has always been for him to begin preparing to return post-bye, so here we are. As we all know, he is capable of putting the team on his back at any moment… when healthy.

The question lingering above the franchise is whether he’ll really be back. Can he play another eight to nine games on bilateral Achilles tendonitis? Perhaps it’s a pipe dream, the 49ers’ last bastion of hope in an oft-injured season for the team. McCaffrey could return and then be forced to shut it down for 2024 if the pain is intolerable. The first likely test is this Sunday at 1 p.m. on the road against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If he goes there could be trouble, if he stays it might be double.

Clawing Their Way Back

Chase Brown =⚡️in a 🍾

157 TOT YDS 1TD #Bengals #WhoDey #RuleTheJungle pic.twitter.com/Z91p2hUdo0

— GameOn513 (@gameonjmoney) November 4, 2024

We’ve seen this movie before. The Cincinnati Bengals open the season with a dubious start, and with their backs to the wall, they respond with a run.  On the Ohio banks, Cincinnati gave fans their first home win on Sunday. The reward? A rapid turnaround to face the Ravens in Baltimore just one month removed from a 41-38 shootout in overtime.

The Bengals lost four of their first five games, each by one score. Now, with a 4-5 record, they can claw back to .500 with a division win against one of the best teams in the NFL. Head coach Zac Taylor’s team is battered and bruised and added a second running back on Tuesday after Chase Brown touched the ball 32 times against the Raiders in Week 9. Joe Burrow is quietly having an MVP-type season, completing 70% of his passes for over 2,000 yards with 20 touchdowns and four picks. A win in Baltimore would not only return the team to an even record, but it would also petrify other AFC Conference foes. The total for the game is set at a whopping 52.5 points, and even that might not be enough.

Buck the Chiefs?

Kansas City remains in Arrowhead’s friendly confines, welcoming the Denver Broncos for a division battle. This could be a deceptively good game, as Denver arrives with one of the league’s best defenses. If Bo Nix bounces back from his Week 9 misgivings, they could make the Chiefs’ quest for 9-0 more difficult. The Chiefs are favored by nine points in an expected low-scoring affair (41.5 point total)

RELATED: Between Bets: 2024 College Football Week 11 ATS & Total Picks

Fantasy Quick Hits

Drake Maye is special.

Incredible play at the end of regulation to tie it up for The Pats with no time left.

Those are the kinds of flashes you love to see if you’re a Pats fan.

pic.twitter.com/rCwjyvU4zG

— New York Revival (@NewYorkRevival) November 3, 2024

• Drake Maye could be a revelation and is on waivers in most leagues. If you’ve seen him play, you know the running game is no joke (over 200 yards in four-plus games). He gets a matchup with fellow rookie Caleb Williams this week.
• A loss this week by the Colts (4-5) could return Anthony Richardson to a starting role. At 4-6 with virtually no shot at the playoffs, it stands to reason that “AR5” should go back to on-the-job training. The relevance of Michael Pittman Jr. and Josh Downs (stud) depends on the quarterback situation 100%.
• The Diontae Johnson trade will pay dividends for the Ravens, but held without a target in his first game with the team in Week 9, Zay Flowers proved the air raid is still his, with 127 yards and two touchdowns against a stout Denver defense. Flowers could be an acquisition for fantasy teams to target for the stretch run.
• The rookies are coming! Slow but sure, players like Trey Benson, Jaylen Wright, Brooks and Isaac Guerendo are very quietly putting themselves in a position to step in as the year gets to crunch time. Benson, in particular, got a bigger piece of the pie with eight rushes for 37 yards and a touchdown Sunday, even as James Conner was more than effective. As a reminder, Conner has never played a full season.
• Josh Jacobs has still got it.
• “Thursday Night Football” on Amazon Prime – Bengals at Ravens – is at 8:15 p.m. ET on Thursday. Sunday morning on NFL Network is the Giants vs. Panthers from Munich at 9:30 a.m. EST.
• Bye weeks include the Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, Las Vegas Raiders and Seattle Seahawks.

Easy Like Sunday Morning

That’ll do it for this week, fellow fantasy football degenerates! You’re now smarter than the average bear (or Bears fan), flush with knowledge of what happened and what’s coming!

Good luck with all of your waiver claims tonight! Sometimes, the best move is not to make one, but plenty of talent is on the wire. This is also the season that panicking teams are entertaining trades. Remember, all you have to do is make your league’s playoffs, and then all bets are off. Anybody can get hot at any time!

As always, trust your gut! I’ll be back for another “Whiplash!” ride delivering all the fantasy football news next week. If you need last-minute help, I’ll see you on Twitter/X from 10 a.m. ET until the games start to answer your start/sit questions. You can also find me here at In-Between Media (IBT) again on Friday with prop bets for Sunday’s games!

Check out all of our Week 10 fantasy football content:

• Fantasy Football Whiplash! | Week 10 News & Notes (2024)
• Week 10 Fantasy Football Advice Mailbag (2024)
• Week 10 NFL DFS Picks & Lineup Advice (2024)
• Week 10 Fantasy Football Trade Targets (2004)
• Week 10 Shore Thing Sleepers (2024)
• Week 10 In the Scope Targets (2024)
• PropKings: NFL Week 10 (2024)

Thanks for checking out my Week 10 fantasy football news and notes! Track me down on Twitter/X @BuyAndSellYou for more redraft and dynasty fantasy football content. 

*Photo Credit: Mark J. Rebilas – USA TODAY Sports*