Some of the most important lessons to learn in fantasy football come from understanding which undervalued players are ready to pop. So, let’s examine some of my favorite Week 10 fantasy football sleepers.
Fantasy Football Week 10 Sleepers
Last week, I recommended three potential Week 9 fantasy football sleepers. Two of them hinged on the availability of their starters. But the third — Brandon Aiyuk — I hyped as the “second-best least-utilized NFL receiver,” and he came through Sunday with a top-10 WR performance.
Identifying sleepers requires shutting out the noise from “experts” and focusing instead on talent, opportunity, and matchups. A fantastic WR like Allen Robinson might never recover this season because of sub-par quarterback play. A middling RB might have a huge game against a bottom-five defense. But that doesn’t make them startable the following week. With that in mind, here are my favorite deep, deep sleepers for the upcoming week.
Tony Pollard, RB, Dallas Cowboys
After earning double-digit touches in each game from Weeks 2-7, Tony Pollard has taken a more muted backseat to Ezekiel Elliott in Dallas’ backfield. Many managers would perceive this drop-off as a red flag: “Surely he’s worthless now.” But that doesn’t tell the whole story. The Cowboys had a scare on Sunday when Elliott exited with a knee contusion.
For a team eyeing a deep postseason run, they cannot afford to lose their franchise RB. This week, the Cowboys are facing a beatable Falcons defense. I expect this team to rebound from its ugly home loss against Denver and Pollard to resume the 10+ touch role we grew accustomed to seeing earlier this season.
Zach Pascal, WR, Indianapolis Colts
Let me be clear: I’m not excited to recommend Zach Pascal in most fantasy leagues. His upside is capped by the fact that Jonathan Taylor and Michael Pittman Jr. dominate offensive touches. Still, when T.Y. Hilton is sidelined, Pascal is the Colts’ No. 2 receiver. In addition to Pittman, his biggest competition for targets consists of RBs Taylor and Nyheim Hines, TEs Mo Alie-Cox and Jack Doyle, and WR Ashton Dulin.
Indianapolis will face the Jaguars at home in Week 10. Assuming Hilton continues to sit, Pascal might be one of fantasy football’s cheapest sources for 9+ points.
Tyler Johnson, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Sometimes my recommendations come a week or two too early. I can identify that a breakout is coming, but it doesn’t always come as soon as expected. Tyler Johnson is a good example, as I recommended him as a deep-league streamer in Week 7. He finished with a measly 2-16 receiving line. Regardless, the process for arriving at my conclusion still made sense to me.
With Antonio Brown sidelined, Johnson offered upside as a potential No. 3/4 target for Tom Brady. Sure enough, Johnson produced a solid 5-65 receiving line in Week 8. If Brown sits again, fire up Johnson as a boom-bust receiver with solid WR3 upside against Washington’s anemic defense.
Pat Freiermuth, TE, Pittsburgh Steelers
As I often tell readers, I’ll keep talking about an undervalued player until he’s no longer undervalued. Pat Freiermuth remains a must-roster TE in all leagues, and not just because Eric Ebron has been sidelined. Freiermuth proved his value even while sharing the field with Ebron, and now the rookie has a great shot at producing TE1 numbers every week.
In Week 10, he’ll face a winless Detroit defense that can’t stop anyone. He should be viewed as a must-start tight end, not the fringe streamer many people view him as.
