The Washington Commanders will face the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 10. Here’s fantasy football start-sit advice for every Commanders skill player who has the potential to make a fantasy impact during the game.
Looking for more lineup advice? Head over to our Week 10 Fantasy Start-Sit Cheat Sheet, where we cover every fantasy-relevant player in every game.
Jayden Daniels, QB
Jayden Daniels is pretty clearly “built different” than most, but mobile QBs have been the ones struggling against Pittsburgh this season. Bo Nix (Week 2), Anthony Richardson (Week 4), and Daniel Jones (Week 8) all failed to reach 8.5 fantasy points in this matchup while the three most productive quarterbacks were pocket-locked veterans (Joe Flacco, Dak Prescott, and Aaron Rodgers).
It’s not that Daniels can’t solve this defense, I’m just not sure we get a performance that resembles the Rookie of the Year. I’ve downgraded him and will be looking elsewhere in the DFS streets, but that doesn’t mean you get cute in a season-long format — he’s still a top-10 QB (QB1 on seven occasions this season) in my Week 10 rankings.
Austin Ekeler, RB
Austin Ekeler assumed the lead role in the Week 9 win over the Giants with Brian Robinson Jr. sidelined, and that meant 14 touches. The veteran back spent this summer saying that he wasn’t ready to handle a significant workload, which is why he moved on from the Chargers.
The production was there in a good matchup (83 yards and a touchdown), but if 14 touches is the absolute ceiling, I’m going to have a hard time ranking him as a legitimate Flex option when Robinson is active (expected to be the case this season).
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been impressed with how hard Ekeler has run this season. But without average volume in an offense that has a mobile quarterback, I’m not comfortable counting on this profile. Assuming Robinson checks all medical boxes this week, Ekeler is going to be in the RB30 fringe, and that’s only a starter in some spots.
Brian Robinson Jr., RB
A nagging hamstring injury cost Brian Robinson Jr. Week 9 after he wasn’t comfortable enough to suit up following pregame warmups. It was his second missed game of the season and the ninth of his young career.
We’ve seen hamstring injuries hinder the production of fantasy assets across the league this season, which makes this a situation to monitor carefully. Robinson has been productive enough to be considered a lineup staple (six top-25 finishes at the position this season) with volume (15+ touches in five of six healthy games, with the lone exception being a 33-point blowout of the Panthers, a game script that is unlikely to take place this week) driving the bus.
This pretty clearly isn’t a good matchup. Trying to gain yards opposite of a Watt is never an enjoyable way to spend a Sunday.
Nevertheless, Pittsburgh did allow a running back to clear 20 PPR points (Tyrone Tracy Jr. and Breece Hall) in each of its past two games. That duo produced 39.3% over fantasy expectation, giving me hope that this backfield can have some success, but it won’t be in the form of Robinson as he was ruled OUT after Friday’s practice.
Noah Brown, WR
Noah Brown’s name is on the radar for some because of the Hail Mary catch, but you’re chasing a ghost if you’re trying to nail down who is the WR2 in this offense.
The WR2 role is an interesting one and will serve as a research project during the offseason (what allows Darnell Mooney to thrive in Atlanta but not offenses like Washington and Dallas?), but in the short term, it’s clear that we can’t count on any receiver not named Terry McLaurin for the Commanders.
Remove that tip-drill Hail Mary and Brown is averaging 6.8 PPR points per game. Not only is that an unappealing number, but even if that number is enough to catch your interest due to the trajectory of this offense, there are three players in that range that I much prefer this week and moving forward (Jalen Coker, Dontayvion Wicks, and Andrei Iosivas).
Brown was on the field for just 50% of Washington’s snaps last week in New York (his lowest since Week 2), and that regresses the projectable range of outcomes to such a level that he need not be rostered in standard-sized leagues.
Terry McLaurin, WR
Terry McLaurin scored twice in the first half last week, giving him as many multi-TD games over the past month as he had in his career prior.
There are two receivers to score 15+ PPR points in four straight games this season, both of which are active streaks. The names? Justin Jefferson and Mr. McLaurin.
I’m worried more about the Week 10 value of Washington’s WR1 than the other pieces of this explosive offense. If you remove the Week 4 loss to the Colts, a game in which the Steelers prepared for Richardson but faced Flacco for the majority of the game after an injury, only once has a receiver reached 15 PPR points against Pittsburgh.
Drill down further, and you’ll notice that in the few instances in which this defense has given up production to a receiver, it hasn’t come from the expected source. Josh Downs outscored Michael Pittman Jr., Darius Slayton outscored Malik Nabers, and Jalen Tolbert outscored CeeDee Lamb.
The highs have been high for McLaurin this season, but there have been some lows as well, and I’m worried we could get one of those performances. He’s still a locked-in starter for me this week, but the floor could come into play here, which is why I’m passing in DFS formats.
Zach Ertz, TE
Zach Ertz’s three-game streak of scoring in double figures (PPR) came to an end on Sunday after a disappointing one-target effort against the Giants. But that’s the nature of the beast when dancing with this Commanders passing game.
Washington finished Week 9 with twice as many rush attempts as pass attempts even with starting running back Brian Robinson Jr. sidelined. This team is a poor man’s version of Baltimore, and in spots where we expect them to control the tempo, it’s going to be hard for pass catchers not named Terry McLaurin.
Sportsbooks are essentially labeling this game a coin flip, and I think that works in the favor of those looking to stream the tight end position. For the season, 70.8% of yards gained against the Steelers have come through the air (fourth-highest), another feather in the cap of Ertz and a reason I have him as a top-15 option at the position this week.
Pittsburgh Steelers at Washington Commanders Insights
Pittsburgh Steelers
Team: After this game, Pittsburgh has four straight games against divisional opponents, including both Cleveland games.
QB: Russell Wilson has thrown for 542 yards and three touchdowns in his two starts this season – no player had that stat line through two weeks this season.
Offense: The Steelers averaged 2.55 points per drive in Weeks 7-8 under Russell Wilson, the seventh-best rate in the NFL over that stretch and a 29.4% improvement over Pittsburgh’s rate through the first six weeks.
Defense: Pittsburgh went into their bye with the utmost confidence in their defense – after creating pressure on just 18.5% of opponent dropbacks in Weeks 6-7, they sped up the Giants 53.5% of the time in Week 8.
Fantasy: Joe Mixon, Bijan Robinson, and Najee Harris were the only running backs to post top-17 numbers at the position in Weeks 6-7-8.
Betting: Under tickets have come through in eight of Pittsburgh’s past 10 road games, and they’ve covered 12 of their past 16 away from home.
Washington Commanders
Team: The Commanders are seeking to start 5-0 at home for the first time since 1991. That was the season of their last Super Bowl title.
QB: Behind Jayden Daniels, this offense is turning the ball over a league-low 0.33 times per game. That’s the lowest average through nine weeks this millennium (second place: 2020 Packers, 0.38).
Offense: The Commanders reach the red zone on 48.8% of their drives, the only offense in the league with a rate of even 43%.
Defense: The Commanders own the sixth-highest sack rate in the NFL (9.1%).
Fantasy: There are two receivers to score 15-plus PPR points in four straight games this season, both of which are active streaks. The names? Justin Jefferson and Terry McLaurin.
Betting: The Commanders are 4-0 ATS at home this season, covering the spread by an average of 11 points per game.