Week 10 Hot Takes and Start/Sit: Sunday's Best Plays

Sunday starts early. Patriots vs. Lions kicks off at 8:30 a.m. CT from Munich, so set those lineups before you finish your coffee. Here are our hottest takes for Week 10, the best start/sit calls at every position, and the props our numbers like most.

On bye: Bears, Broncos, Eagles.

🚑 Who's out (final injury report)

• Kenneth Walker III, RB, Chiefs: OUT (groin). Rookie Emmett Johnson gets the backfield.
• T.J. Hockenson, TE, Vikings: OUT (wrist/chest), in Kirk Cousins' first game back.
• Mike Evans, WR, 49ers: OUT (Achilles). More targets for Keenan Allen and George Kittle.
• Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Texans: OUT (hamstring).
• Carnell Tate, WR: OUT (shoulder). We had him as a start Wednesday. Bench him.
• TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Patriots: OUT (illness). Rhamondre Stevenson is questionable (knee).
• Josh Jacobs, RB, Packers: OUT (finger).
• Sam Darnold, QB, Seahawks: OUT. Drew Lock starts.
• Micah Parsons, DE, Packers: OUT. A big break for Cousins.
• Questionable: Amon-Ra St. Brown (rib, expected to play), A.J. Brown, Travis Etienne, Garrett Wilson, Jordan Addison.

🔥 Hot Takes

1. Emmett Johnson is a top-5 RB this week

Walker is out, and the Chiefs' rookie is the guy. Our projections have him as the No. 4 running back (18.9 PPR) at Atlanta. He caught all five targets for 128 yards and a touchdown the last time he got real work. Start him with confidence.

1. Keenan Allen doubles his yardage line in his 49ers debut

The books set Allen's line at just 23.5 receiving yards and 2.5 catches, like a role player. Our projection: 49 yards and nearly 5 catches. That's the biggest yardage gap on our Week 10 board. Evans is out, Brock Purdy loves the short and middle routes, and Allen has run them for over a decade.

1. Drake Maye is a top-2 QB in Munich

New England's top two running backs might both miss this game, so the Patriots will throw. Our projection: 25.0 points, the No. 2 QB of the week, just behind Josh Allen. Detroit's secondary is missing Kerby Joseph and D.J. Reed.

1. Justin Jefferson isn't fixed yet

Everybody's buying Jefferson back with Cousins. We're not, at least not this week. Our projection has him at just 10.6 PPR points (outside the top 24 WRs) and 4.5 catches against a 6.5 line. It's Cousins' first game back, on the road at Lambeau. Start him if you have to, but temper expectations.

1. Drew Lock is a top-10 QB streamer

Darnold is out, Seattle is in Las Vegas, and our projection has Lock at 17.0 points, the No. 10 QB of the week, with Jaxon Smith-Njigba (our No. 1 WR) to throw to.

Start/Sit: Quarterbacks

✅ START

• Drake Maye, Patriots (at Lions, Munich): see Hot Take No. 3.
• Tyler Shough, Saints (vs. Panthers): projected 17.4 points, a top-8 QB.
• Drew Lock, Seahawks (at Raiders): projected 17.0.
• Jacoby Brissett, Ravens (vs. Chargers): projected 16.6 in his Ravens debut, a solid QB2.

❌ SIT

• Kirk Cousins, Vikings (at Packers): projected 14.0 without Hockenson. Parsons being out helps, but it's still a debut on the road.
• Fernando Mendoza, Raiders (vs. Seahawks)
• Jordan Love, Packers (vs. Vikings): Minnesota allows the fewest fantasy points to quarterbacks.

Start/Sit: Running Backs

✅ START

• Emmett Johnson, Chiefs (at Falcons): No. 4 RB in our projections.
• Jaylen Warren, Steelers (at Bengals): projected 19.8, our No. 2 RB.
• Chuba Hubbard, Panthers (at Saints): projected 17.0, a top-7 RB.
• Blake Corum, Rams (at Cardinals): projected 16.8. We have Corum ahead of Kyren Williams (14.3) this week.
• Corey Kiner, Patriots (at Lions): projected 15.5. Henderson is out, and if Stevenson sits too, Kiner gets the work.
• Audric Estime, Saints (vs. Panthers): projected 12.7 with Etienne questionable. If Etienne sits, Estime is an RB2. Carolina allows the most fantasy points to running backs.

❌ SIT

• Derrick Henry, Ravens (vs. Chargers): projected just 14.2, outside our top 12.
• Breece Hall, Jets (vs. Bills): projected 13.6.

Start/Sit: Wide Receivers

✅ START

• Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seahawks: our No. 1 WR (25.0).
• CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys: our No. 2 WR (23.4).
• Chris Olave, Saints (vs. Panthers): projected 17.8, our No. 3 WR.
• Parker Washington, Jaguars (at Titans): projected 15.8, a top-6 WR.
• Matthew Golden and Christian Watson, Packers: both near 15 points in our projections with Jacobs out. Both went for 160+ yards against New England last week.
• DeMario Douglas, Patriots (at Lions): 15+ points in back-to-back weeks, and New England will throw.

🤔 FLEX

• Keenan Allen, 49ers: see Hot Take No. 2. A strong PPR flex.
• Tank Dell, Texans: more targets with Harrison out.

❌ SIT

• Carnell Tate: OUT.
• Garrett Wilson, Jets: questionable after a concussion, against a tough Buffalo defense.

Start/Sit: Tight Ends

✅ START

• Trey McBride, Cardinals (vs. Rams): our No. 1 TE (16.8).
• Brock Bowers, Raiders (vs. Seahawks): No. 2 TE (16.7).
• George Kittle, 49ers (at Cowboys): No. 3 TE (15.7), with Evans out.
• Tyler Warren, Colts (vs. Dolphins): 11.3, a top-8 TE as Indy's new top target.
• Streamer: Tyler Higbee, Rams (at Cardinals): Puka and Davante Adams are out, and Arizona allows the 8th-most points to tight ends.

❌ SIT

• T.J. Hockenson: OUT.
• Tucker Kraft, Packers (vs. Vikings): Minnesota allows the fewest points to tight ends.
• Darren Waller, Panthers (at Saints): projected 9.1. He's boom-or-bust, and our numbers lean bust this week.

💰 Props our numbers like most

The GAP Board locks at 10:35 a.m. CT for the main slate. These are the strongest Sunday edges on the GAP Report right now:

• Trey McBride over 6.5 receptions: projection 7.3, median 8.
• Keenan Allen over 23.5 receiving yards: projection 49. The biggest gap on the board.
• Brock Bowers over 58.5 receiving yards: projection 69, median 92.
• Justin Jefferson under 6.5 receptions: projection 4.5.
• Emmett Johnson under 3.5 receptions: projection 1.9. He'll get his yards on the ground.
• Dalton Schultz over 29.5 receiving yards: projection 36, with Harrison out in Houston.

Here's the GAP Board once it locks:

Lines move and injuries change things. The GAP Board is our official card, locked before kickoff and graded in public on the Bounty Board.

Set your lineup

• Start 'Em / Sit 'Em: these calls, scored for your league.
• Matchup Projections: your win chance and the swaps that raise it.
• GAP Report: every prop line, our projection and the gap.

Good luck in Week 10. Talk it with us at r/GAPodds.

References

• CBS Sports: Week 10 injury report
• Yahoo Sports: Kenneth Walker III ruled out vs. Falcons
• Bleacher Report: Week 10 injury report and last-minute pickups
• Yardbarker: Week 10 inactives watch
• Pro Football Network: Week 10 bold predictions