The great state of Ohio has certainly seen better work by its pro football teams, as the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns enter Week 10 with a mere pair of wins and 13 losses between them. As we take a first look at Week 10, things could be looking up, with a pair of proven skill position players for these franchises likely to make their much-awaited season debuts. Fantasy managers should be paying close attention.
Now that the Miami Dolphins erased the zero in their win column, the downtrodden Bengals are the league's lone winless team. One might think there is little reason to discuss the Bengals, but every team matters in fantasy, and this one comes off its bye week with a new quarterback throwing to a longtime fantasy asset at wide receiver, with each ready to debut this season. Perhaps Ryan Finley and A.J. Green can aid fantasy managers and win an NFL game or two.
Finley replaces longtime underachiever Andy Dalton -- well, except for that magically aberrant 2013 season in which he was the No. 5 fantasy QB -- and most will presume that tough times are ahead, but presume nothing. Look around the league at some of the competent work by first-year passers. Finley, a fourth-round selection from North Carolina State, could actually be an upgrade; Dalton ranks 18th in PPR points per game among quarterbacks, better than Jimmy Garoppolo and Philip Rivers, among others. Why assume that Finley will fail?
With six teams on bye in Week 10, fantasy managers in deeper leagues might need to roster every starting passer, especially given that among the other Week 10 starters could be backups Brian Hoyer (Colts) and Matt Schaub (Falcons). Many fantasy managers had never heard of Jaguars rookie Gardner Minshew II entering September. They have now, but even there, he might be back on the bench in Week 11 for returning Nick Foles. Add starters just in case because depth is tested when one least expects it.
Meanwhile, Green is mercifully ready to play his first game of the season after undergoing offseason ankle surgery, and he certainly has proven himself. Through nine games, he was on pace for more than 1,200 receiving yards and double-digit touchdowns last season at age 29, and he did not suddenly become too old this offseason. Expecting Green to suit up for every game the rest of the way might be generous, especially if the losing continues, but if you have a bench spot, consider using it on a proven contributor who played at a Pro Bowl level the last time we saw him. The Bengals still have games against the Jets and Dolphins, plus a pair of can't-miss matchups with the Browns.
As for those two-win Browns, fresh off a tough 24-19 loss in Denver to the Broncos, running back Kareem Hunt last played in an NFL game nearly a calendar year ago before the league suspended him for violating the league's personal conduct policy. At that time, the Chiefs running back was certainly one of the top running back options in fantasy football, having led the league in rushing yards as a rookie in 2017. The Browns' Nick Chubb is currently one of the top 10 running back options, though he has barely reached 10 PPR points in three of his past four games and has struggled to hold on to the football, leaving the door open for a potential timeshare, at least in theory.
Although there should be little reason for worry about Chubb's volume share dropping precipitously in the short term, these are, after all, the Browns, so who knows what head coach Freddie Kitchens really thinks. Hunt, healthy after offseason sports hernia surgery, is available in more than 40% of ESPN standard leagues, and there is no guarantee of touches or success with a stout Bills defense coming to town for his debut, but few handcuff options would feature as much upside, and fantasy managers tend to like the word "upside."
Here are more fantasy themes to watch heading into Week 10.
Battle of New Jersey
Meanwhile, the NFL teams that play games just outside of New York City are hardly Super Bowl contenders themselves, with the one-win Jets coming off an embarrassing loss to the then-winless Dolphins and the Giants, who play Monday night versus Dallas, sitting on two victories. The Jets seem a bit more dysfunctional, of course, with quarterback Sam Darnold playing recklessly with the football -- eight interceptions in three weeks -- and apparent clubhouse issues. Head coach Adam Gase is perhaps on the proverbial hot seat halfway through his first season.
At least Le'Veon Bell earned his touches back on Sunday. Bell turned in his third 20-point PPR performance of the season, getting 25 touches a week after securing only 11 of them in a Week 8 loss to the Jaguars. Bell has been the top fantasy pick several times as a Steeler, and the Giants' Saquon Barkley was the top choice this season. Despite hurdles for each this season -- injury and inconsistent attention -- both are secure as RB1 options.
Chief concerns
Fantasy managers who replaced an injured Patrick Mahomes with his actual backup, Matt Moore, really cannot complain. Moore, who did not play in the NFL in 2018, averaged 16.4 fantasy points in his two starts, facing the defensively conscious Packers and Vikings, and there will be no quarterback controversy here. Mahomes, who left the Week 7 win at Denver with a dislocated kneecap and has made a remarkably quick recovery, figures to start in Week 10 against the Titans in Nashville. We thank Moore for his surprising play, but it's time to move on.
Some in the fantasy world might try to overthink this one and start someone else at quarterback, but I will not be one of them. OK, so Mahomes might not be our consensus No. 1 passer in the Week 10 rankings -- Lamar Jackson at the Bengals jumps out there -- but I struggle to find someone else to rank second. Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill remain elite talents, and the Chiefs have shown a running game at times as well.
Packing little punch
Quarterbacks will be in the news for the pending Panthers-Packers game, as Carolina could make it official this week that Cam Newton is nowhere close to suiting up to play through a foot injury and deem him injured list fodder. Meanwhile, the Packers' Aaron Rodgers threw for a season-low 161 yards in a disturbing loss to the Chargers on Sunday. The Panthers cruised to victory over the Titans, though quarterback Kyle Allen fell short of stardom statistically. It is all about running back Christian McCaffrey there. Still, Newton is rostered in more than 40% of ESPN standard leagues, a relatively high figure, as he seems unlikely to return to full health in 2019.
Rodgers continues an annoying trend with a lack of consistency in his fantasy numbers. Sunday marked the fifth time that Rodgers failed to reach 15 PPR points in a game. Then again, in Weeks 7 and 8, he scored more than 70 PPR points, by far the most among quarterbacks. Rodgers should bounce back against Carolina, but it is far from guaranteed and too often tied into the performance of running back Aaron Jones, who scored a season-worst 3.9 PPR points in Los Angeles and continues an odd season in which his fantasy value has been touchdown-dependent, generally a dangerous thing. Still, who would dare bench Jones? It appears time for fantasy managers to realize that his running back compatriot Jamaal Williams -- with receiving touchdowns in four consecutive games -- is a weekly flex option as well.