I thought that we were finally past low-scoring weeks. Woof. Week 10 will easily go down as one of the most disappointing mid-season slates in recent memory, with the vast majority of teams laying goose eggs left and right. There were certainly a few bright spots (namely the Thursday Night Cincinnati vs. Baltimore contest), but 15 of the 26 teams that have already played scored 20 or fewer points, creating agonizingly low point totals.

It is a shame that I only picked a select few duds because I had the ability to dish out plenty of awards this week.

Let’s dive in!

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8 Fantasy Football Studs & Duds: Week 10

Quarterback

STUD: Joe Burrow (QB – CIN) – Burrow tops the list yet again this week, and for good reason. In a losing effort against Baltimore on the road, he single-handedly attempted to carry his team across the finish line, completing 34-of-56 pass attempts for 428 yards and five touchdowns. Burrow has been white hot of late, throwing nine touchdowns the past two weeks, even in the absence of his star receiver, Tee Higgins. Currently, the QB3 through the first 10 weeks of the season, Burrow has been utterly electric in a bounce-back campaign for the Bengals. He squares off against the Los Angeles Chargers in a difficult matchup in Week 11 – they rank as a top-10 defense in passing yards allowed (only surrendering 191 per game). If Higgins is able to take the field for the Bengals, it would give him a much-needed boost and a top-flight compliment to Ja’Marr Chase.

DUD: Jayden Daniels (QB – WAS) – For the first time in recent memory, Daniels looked like a rookie this past Sunday. Facing constant pressure from a stout Pittsburgh Steelers defensive front, he was forced to limit his downfield throws, resulting in a paltry 5.9 YPA – his lowest average of the season. Additionally, the Steelers limited his scrambling from the pocket, and he was held under 20 yards rushing for the first time this year. Bad luck played a significant part in his poor production, as defenders tackled Washington receivers multiple times at the one-yard line. The Commanders seemed intent on establishing a ground game to offset their passing woes, so every touchdown the team scored came from the backfield. Better days are ahead with two divisional contests against Philadelphia and Dallas, where Daniels will be ranked as a top-10 option for managers. His high floor and low turnover rate make him a solid option in all formats.

Running Back

STUD: Bijan Robinson (RB – ATL) – As the game wore on against New Orleans, Atlanta quickly learned that their best hope of staying competitive was to feed Robinson touches all over the field. Following multiple goal-line stops against Tyler Allgeier, Robinson scored his first touchdown on fourth down early in the game and then added a 37-yard score later on in the third quarter. He finished with 116 rushing yards and three receptions for 28 yards through the air. Robinson has scored at least 20 points in PPR formats each game since Week 5 and currently ranks as the RB3 on the season, justifying his lofty draft cost. Atlanta faces a difficult matchup in Week 11 against an opportunistic Denver Broncos defense that currently ranks seventh-best against the run. This is a must-win contest for both teams to stay alive in their Wild Card races, and it should be one of the better games on the slate.

DUD: Saquon Barkley (RB – PHI) – Given the game’s final score (34-6, in favor of Philadelphia), one would have assumed that Barkley came away with decent final numbers this week. Wrong. Queue up the Natalie Portman Star Wars meme. Surely, he scored points… right? Barkley was limited to just 66 rushing yards on 14 carries, adding in one reception for 12 yards. He briefly left the game due to a left forearm injury but was able to return in the second half. Given the Eagles insurmountable lead late in the game, Philadelphia made the wise decision to take him off the field to avoid injury, but that decision capped his final totals. Barkley remains a top-5 running back on the season and will look for a bounce-back effort against the Washington Commanders in Week 11. Washington currently ranks as a bottom-5 option against the run, so expect Barkley to be fed early and often with fresh legs.

Wide Receiver

STUD: Ja’Marr Chase (WR – CIN) – Not only was Chase the WR1 on the week, but he scored more points than the second (Marquez Valdes-Scantling) and third (Calvin Ridley) options combined. Chase went ballistic on Thursday Night, catching 11 passes on 17 targets for 264 yards and three touchdowns. One would think that Baltimore would have made an effort to place additional coverage on him, considering that he had already torched the Ravens in Week 5 with a 10/193/2 split, but that wasn’t the case. Chase is the focal point of Cincinnati’s pass-heavy offense, and he currently leads the league in receiving yards (981) and receptions (66). He averages just under 100 yards per game and is a locked-in matchup-proof top-3 option every week. Containing Chase will be a clear point of emphasis for head coach Jim Harbaugh next week in the Bengals matchup against Los Angeles.

DUD: CeeDee Lamb (WR- DAL) – Lamb’s fantasy managers knew that the drop-off from Dak Prescott to Cooper Rush would be significant, but few thought it would be this cataclysmic. Unable to get anything going due to horrific quarterback play under center, Lamb finished with a paltry stat line of six receptions for 21 yards – by far his lowest total on the season. Lamb’s day could have been slightly improved if he hadn’t stopped short on a sure-fire touchdown pass attempt halfway through the game, but he was fighting off horrific sun glare in the end zone. Why the curtains weren’t closed when the game was going on is anyone’s best guess, but owner Jerry Jones didn’t seem particularly remorseful about the situation. Lamb still finished with a team-high ten targets (nearly half of Rush’s 23 attempts), but one has to be very concerned about how utterly broken this offense appears to be. The 3-6 Cowboys limp into Week 11 against their in-state rival Houston. One must hope Rush will significantly pick up his play moving forward. Hurry back, Dak.

Tight End

STUD: Travis Kelce (TE – KC) – No surprise here. Kelce finished with eight receptions on 12 targets for 64 yards and a touchdown against Denver on Sunday, and he continues to be Patrick Mahomes safety outlet in clutch situations. Able to routinely dissect defenses and sit down in zone coverage to present a wide-open target, Kelce has been the TE1 for the better part of a month as Kansas City keeps their undefeated streak alive. His usage since Week 8 has been phenomenal – at least 12 targets in three straight games, resulting in consecutive finishes with over 20 points in PPR formats. Even with his advanced age, there is no reason to suggest that Kelce is slowing down anytime soon, and at this point, the only thing that can derail his 2024 campaign is an injury (knock on wood). The Chiefs face their heated rival, Buffalo Bills, in the game of the week next Sunday afternoon – I can’t wait for this matchup.

DUD: Mike Gesicki (TE – CIN) – After his 29-point explosion in Week 9, Gesicki returned to Earth on Sunday, catching just four passes on nine targets for 30 yards. Even with rookie Erick All on IR for the remainder of 2024, Gesicki is still mired in a committee situation in Cincinnati, with Tanner Hudson and Cam Grandy drawing snaps and targets. It isn’t easy to trust Gesicki as a TE1 each week between the rotation that the Bengals utilize and the imminent return of wideout Tee Higgins. He must draw red-zone looks and fend off tertiary options like Andrei Iosivas and rookie Jermaine Burton to stay relevant. Call us skeptical about his consistency.