Fantasy Football Week 10 Best and Worst Picks
If Week 10 of the NFL season taught fantasy owner anything it's that playoff contenders are only as good as their starting quarterback. What began with Andy Dalton's abysmal showing against Cleveland ended with Jay Cutler jerseys burning nationwide following Green Bay's 55-14 victory. Cutler's performance was expected. Dalton's not as much.
Here's a look at the best and worst of the weekend.
Best of Week 10
Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers
Chicago had more than enough time to prepare for Rodgers. If anything they had too much time. Instead of taking last week's bye to learn of secondary mistakes against New England the week prior, the Bears' defense allowed Rodgers to tie an NFL record with six touchdown passes in the first half.
Fantasy owners got a cool 36 points off his 316-yard performance, making him only the third starting quarterback to notch over 200 total points. One can only wonder what Rodgers could have done had Mike McCarthy played him in the second half.
Dez Bryant, WR, Dallas Cowboys
Say what you want about Dez Bryant's off-the-field issues, his 158-yard, six-reception showing against Jacksonville only reinforced why the Cowboys think he's worth $114 million. Bryant topped wide receiving rakings with a season-high 27.80 points, highlighted by his first two-touchdown game of the season.
Jacksonville couldn't stop Bryant in the open field, first on a 35-yard touchdown off a screen pass and then on a 68-yard touchdown reception seven Jaguars couldn't tackle Bryant on.
Marshawn Lynch, RB, Seattle Seahawks
Lynch led all fantasy scorers with season-bests in points (40) and touchdowns (4). The 100-yard rushing game was Lynch's first since Week 1, though he has a combined 207 over the last two weeks.
New York's fruitless efforts to stop Lynch resulted scored from 1, 2, 3, and 16 yards out. He broke countless tackles in proving why the Giants' defense ranks in the league cellar in rushing touchdowns allowed and rushing yards per game.
Worst of Week 10
Andy Dalton- QB, Cincinnati Bengals
It's rare for a quarterback to garner negative fantasy points. Dalton was that rare exception in a disastrous Thursday night when he threw three picks, rushed for eight yards, and earned a whopping -1.76 points. Dalton made the Browns' secondary look like a group of Pro Bowlers.
All fantasy owners can expect from Dalton is inconsistency. It's especially troubling with venerable playmakers A.J. Green and Mohamed Sanu limited to 49 yards over five receptions. It could only get worse with a trip to New Orleans next week.
Antonio Brown, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
Ben Roethlisberger wasn't the only one stymied by the Jets inexplicably solid win Sunday. Brown, the league's leading receiver, was limited to 74 yards and two costly fumbles in the Steelers' 30-23 loss. That earned him 3.40 points against a defense allowing 12 yards per reception.
Brown's owners can expect a bounce back performance against Tennessee. Sunday was just an anomaly for a thoroughly consistent receiver.
Vernon Davis, TE, San Francisco 49ers
Niners fans waiting for Davis to come around will have to wait a little longer. Given his output in 2014, they may have to wait until next season. Davis has failed to reach 45 yards in a game this season and hasn't received more than three fantasy points since Week 1. San Francisco's win over New Orleans was in spite of Davis.
Davis was virtually nonexistent Sunday going for one catch for eight yards while being targeted four times. Nagging leg and back injuries don't have the two-time Pro Bowler playing to his capabilities, and a favorable matchup with the Giants won't do much to solve that.