Week 10 Top Performers At Each Position

Now that all but the Monday night game has been played, it is time for a weekly look at the top performers from the games on Sunday, and on Thursday. After going over my thoughts, I will select a few other players who either performed above expectations, or maybe have you questioning whether you should continue starting him or not.

The goal of this article is to highlight those top guys, and if you can expect similar performances in the future. If you can’t though, I will detail what you should do with that player, and what expectations are going forward. Let’s get right into the top performers from week 10.

QB - Ben Roethlisberger 408 Passing Yards, 3 TD’s, 28 Fantasy Points

This performance could have even been better for Big Ben. If he had converted on any of the 2 point conversion attempts he would have eclipsed the 30 points. Granted this is still a great game from him, and you can expect to be seeing more like this before the season is over. Top 5 QB the rest of the way.

QB - Marcus Mariota 295 Passing Yards, 4 TD’s, 27 Fantasy Points

I said it last week, and I will say it again this week, Mariota has taken that leap. He has progressed much quicker than I had originally anticipated. He is a surefire starter in all leagues right now, and this production will continue with the Colts and the Bears for his next two games.

QB - Aaron Rodgers 371 Passing Yards, 2 TD’s, 2 INT’s, 27 Rushing Yards, 1 Rushing TD, 26 Fantasy Points

Another player who has made it again from last week here. Rodgers and the Packers were down early in this one, but I don’t think that actually dictated the Packers offense. Because they don’t really have much of a running game, even with the return of James Starks, they will keep letting Rodgers air it out over 40 times a game. This is a top 3 QB for now.

RB - Ezekiel Elliott 21 Carries for 114 Yards and 2 TD’s, 2 Receptions for 95 Yards and 1 TD, 38 Fantasy Points

Not much can really be said about this game. Elliott was already in the conversation with David Johnson for being the top back, and I think this game cemented it. Elliott truly is the number 1 back in all of fantasy right now.

RB - Ryan Mathews 19 Carries for 109 Yards and 2 TD’s, 2 Receptions for 30 Yards, 1 Two Point Conversion, 27 Fantasy Points

So a week after railing on him about never being on the field, Doug Pederson decided to just mess with all fantasy owners and go with a heavily Ryan Mathews gameplan. I really don’t know what to expect next week, as Pederson looks like someone who could go right back to Sproles next week if the matchup looks better for that. Tread carefully, but I don’t think I can trust to start him as more than a FLEX at this moment.

RB - DeMarco Murray 17 Carries for 123 Yards and 1 TD, 2 Receptions for 33 Yards, 10 Passing Yards and 1 Passing TD, 25 Fantasy Points

This marks the fifth straight game that Murray has scored a TD. To top it all off, Murray even threw a TD in this one off of a Half Back pass. Murray has been a top 3 back all year, and his worst game so far is still a robust 12 fantasy points. This type of consistency paired with his upside puts him near the Ezekiel Elliott and David Johnson discussion.

WR - Doug Baldwin 8 Targets, 6 Receptions for 59 Yards and 3 TD’s, 23 Fantasy Points

Baldwin has gone as Russell Wilson has gone so far this season. this game was all about Baldwin though when they were close. This was Baldwin’s first game scoring double digit fantasy points since week 3 when he scored 22 points. I want to trust Baldwin as a top 12 guy, but as of right now I can’t. He is a top 20 guy who is borderline top 15 at the moment. If this kind of success can carryover though, Baldwin could be a big threat for the fantasy playoffs.

WR - Antonio Brown 18 Targets, 14 Receptions for 154 Yards and 1 TD, 21 Fantasy Points

With Big Ben, Brown is the top fantasy receiver. Not much else to say other then Brown probably won some fantasy matchups this week because of the 44 yard gain he had on the last play of the game when the Cowboys were just preventing him from scoring.

TE - Delanie Walker 11 Targets, 9 Receptions for 124 Yards and 1 TD, 18 Fantasy Points

While his one TD did come off the DeMarco Murray Half Back pass, Walker without it was still a great player on Sunday. The Packers defense is poor with all of the injuries they have had, so this type of game isn’t all that surprising from a top 5 guy. His success should continue with the Colts and Bears upcoming.

TE - Cameron Brate 7 Targets, 7 Receptions for 84 Yards and 1 TD, 14 Fantasy Points

This is the third straight game that Brate has scored in. Brate has been in that tier of TE’s that you don’t feel great about before the games start, but you know you can always count on him to at least contribute something for your team. With the TE position actually looking decent this year, that makes Brate only a top 12 guy who is borderline top 10. In past years that could have made Brate almost a top 7 guy.

Now a look at a couple of other performances that stood out to me from Sunday’s games:

QB - Colin Kaepernick 210 Passing Yards, 1 TD, 55 Rushing Yards, 1 Rushing TD, 23 Fantasy Points

While the play may not look great on the field, Kaepernick is putting up numbers through his ability to run and not turn the ball over. For the last 4 games Kaepernick has had a worst game of only 13 fantasy points. If that is his floor, he makes for a nice safe fill-in option for bye weeks, regardless of who he is facing. He is also a nice option for deeper leagues right now, think 14 teams or bigger.

RB - Robert Kelley 22 Carries for 97 Yards, 1 Reception for -2 Yards, 9 Fantasy Points

When watching Kelley play, you can see he isn’t the most athletically gifted player on the field. He won’t beat you with blazing speed. What Kelley does do though is beat you by recognizing where the holes are and when to accelerated through them. Before the season I didn’t think Kelley would do much, as I was big on Keith Marshall who is everything Kelley isn’t athletically. The Marshall got hurt and put on the IR, and Kelley became sort of an afterthought since Matt Jones and Chris Thompson were still there. Now Kelley has taken over as the early down back from a healthy Matt Jones, and Thompson now serves as the passing down back. Kelley is a top 20 guy for as long as he can hold onto this job.

WR - Kenny Britt 10 Targets, 7 Receptions for 109 Yards, 10 Fantasy Points

If you are a Kenny Britt owner I would be hoping that Case Keenum is the starter for the rest of the season. We have no idea how good Jared Goff is, but if he becomes the starter for the Rams soon, Britt won’t be an option you can trust to use. Right now Britt is playing like a WR2, and as long as Keenum is in, he will continue to do so. Keep an eye on who his QB is in the coming weeks, because you need to be ready at a moments notice if Goff is given the starting job.