Week 10 of the NFL season is upon us and as always we start our DFS position specific articles off with the quarterback position. I'm not going to lie, this week is a bit challenging for the QB position. Some of the typically easier locks such as Mahomes, are fighting against massive spreads which typically means less passing while others such as Brees and Rodgers are in tough matchups. Spending up seems to be just as risky as spending down this week, so we are going to have to be strategic on who we want to start and why.
Last week was rough at the position. Our top pick, Cam Newton, just didn't have to do a lot through the air and luckily was able to find the end zone late to salvage a pretty dismal performance. Seemed like everyone except Cam was scoring for the Panthers offense. Fortunately some of our secondary picks, Drew Brees and Ryan Fitzpatrick did perform quite well but if you were like me, I was very heavy on Newton which didn't pan out too well. Live and learn I guess but this week I will be switching it up a bit. I've primarily played on DraftKings all season and I think this week I am going to give it whirl over on FanDuel. I am not in love with the QB and WR position this week but am really excited about the RB position. FanDuel, with only .5 ppr, does tend to favor scoring and RBs more. In any case, the articles will remain the same and pricing reflects what is available on DK.
Each week we take a step back to review the upcoming weeks matchups and crunch the numbers to develop a series of position specific articles related to top daily fantasy sports plays. Whether you are playing on FanDuel, DrafKings, or even configuring your season long NFL lineups, these articles should serve as a reference tool and helpful guide to choosing the best players. I've shortened these articles to give you only the necessities and bottom-line reasoning as to my top choices. This is a no bullshi*t article and by that I mean the players and plays I suggest are those that I will be using in my personal lineups. Nothing is excluded. We intend to win. The goal is to make great lineups, win money, and share our success stories. If you are new to my blog or daily fantasy sports in general, I encourage you to check out my DFS Introduction post which provides some general context on what DFS is and how to play. Spoiler alert, if you like playing fantasy sports and winning money, DFS is the platform for you. Also, if you haven’t already, feel free to follow my referral links and sign up for Fanduel and Draftkings. Each provides its own set of bonuses for new users.
With that being said, here are my top plays at the quarterback position for Week 10. Enjoy, upvote, and comment on your weekly outlook.
QUARTERBACKS
Philip Rivers - LA Chargers
$8,200 / at OAK / LAC - 10
6Philip Rivers is my favorite QB on the slate this weekend mainly due to matchup and his generally consistent play. Personally, I believe Rivers is one of the more underrated QBs in the NFL today but thats besides the point. Facing off against a bad Oakland team on the road, Rivers should have plenty of opportunity to succeed this weekend. The Raiders are a bottom-10 team vs. the QB position this year, giving up over 20 DK points per game to the position along with an average of 263+ yards a game. If you watched Thursday night football a couple weeks ago, you could have witnessed just how bad the Oakland defense has been. Nick Mullens, the backup QB and first time starter for the 49ers, stepped in on a short week and threw for 262 yards and 3 TDs. It looked easy for Mullens and I suspect it won't be too difficult for a quality QB like Rivers to have his way with that same defense. More so, Rivers has had success against division opponent Oakland in the past. In Week 5 this year, at home Rivers threw for 339 yards and 2 TDs. Week 17 of last season, Rivers at home threw for 387 and 3 TDs vs. the Raiders. The downside to this play is pretty obvious. The Chargers are favored by 10 points on the road against just a terrible Raiders team. The game could get ugly fast which in turn could change the flow of the Chargers offense into a run heavy game plan. Rivers has been great this year but so have the Chargers. In games where they are easily ahead, Rivers has been limited to 20-25 passing attempts. Can that happen on Sunday? Sure. But with a weak QB field to choose from, I am hoping that playing on the road won't result in a quick blowout and Rivers finds the end zone several times. Nick Mullens did it a couple weeks ago in a blowout, lets hope Rivers can do the same.
Marcus Mariota - Tennessee Titans
$6,700 / vs. NE / TEN + 7
This one is hard to swallow but a risk I am willing to take. Marcus Mariota is dirt cheap on DK and basically every fantasy site this weekend and gets a home game vs. the Patriots. Why do I like a guy that has been pretty bad for most of the season? Well a couple of reasons. For one his price is pretty much bare minimum for a QB and if you are like me and trying to fit in some stud RBs this weekend, Mariota helps get that done. Secondly, he is coming off two pretty solid games and is finally looking healthy. Last week, on the road in Dallas, Mariota threw for 240 and 2 TDs while also adding 32 yards on the ground and a TD. Performances like this easily pay off his cheap price tag. Third, I always like playing guys that can use their legs as an added weapon due to upside and Mariota has started showing life again as a runner. He has 17 rushing attempts over his last 2 games, which can add a tremendous amount of upside to his game if he keeps it up. I think health issues played a major part in the decline of his running and now with a full bill of health, he should continue to rush around 7-8x per game. Finally, the New England Patriots defense hasn't really been that elite of a group, especially against the pass. They are surrendering the 7th most points to the QB position on DK this season and are averaging over 285 yards per game passing and over 2 TDs through the air. Price, recent performance, upside with running, and a weak defense all summarize why I like Mariota this weekend against New England. Throw in the fact they are underdogs at home and I think you have a real nice value play at QB in Marcus Mariota.
Ryan Fitzpatrick - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
$7,600 / vs. WAS / TB - 3
Going back to the man, the myth, the legend. Fitzmagic just doesn't care who or what defense he is facing. Last week I had him in this same spot and by halftime I was regretting playing. Sure enough, he comes out of half on fire and ends the game with 250 yards and 4 TDs. This week he is playing at home against the Washington Redskins. As I mentioned, I am skeptical on a lot of QBs this weekend and Fitzpatrick, for some reason, feels decently safe. For one, unlike a lot of guys, he is playing at home in warm weather. We also know that he is going to throw the ball a ton, regardless of the opponent. Yes, this will lead to several turnovers but he is eligible to throw for 300 + and multiple TDs every single game. The Redskins defense isn't as great as many would claim either. This season they are actually a bottom-10 team against opposing QBs, surrendering over 21 points per game (DK) to the position. Not that this matters for Fitzmagic or really any QB that is going to chuck it around 40+ times a game, but according to ProFootballFocus, over the last 5 games the Redskins actually have gotten a bit worse, ranked as the 5th most favorable teams to QBs with a +3.5 point differential to a QBs average. Its a good spot for Fitzpatrick at home and if this year has shown us anything, with his amount of volume, a big game can happen any given week.
That about wraps up the Week 10 QB list. I've left a lot of big names off the list this weekend which is always tough but I personally think we can make it by with some of the lesser expensive signal callers which in turn will allow us to load up elsewhere. As always, good luck and lets win some money!
Sourced: For The Win - USA Today / OregonLive.com / CBS Sports