An aerospace engineer in Minneapolis, a fallen franchise signal-caller in Phoenix, and a young acronym finding stride in Seattle find themselves in the spotlight of our start vs. sit column this week. Luckily for the former, he has a sturdy career to fall back on if things go south in the cold tundra of America.
The same can’t be said for me. If this gig doesn’t work out, my only fallback is an open invitation extending back to 1996 to join the Chuck-E-Cheese band. And let me tell you, if you haven’t seen Five Nights at Freddy’s yet, the prospects of that endeavor are not enticing to me.
But what about our beloved aerospace engineer and his friends? We’ll take a look at the fates of Joshua Dobbs, Kyler Murray, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, as well as some unique calls at tight end.
Week 10 start vs. sit begins right now.
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Quarterback
START: Joshua Dobbs (ECR: 15). After finishing as QB5 last week despite having virtually zero practice time with the Vikings, you would think there would be more optimism surrounding Dobbs in Week 10. But there isn’t. A lot of that is due to the matchup against a stout Saints defense that ranks top-five in the league in fewest yards per attempt (5.7). However, New Orleans has allowed Trevor Lawrence (18 points, QB10), Tyson Bagent (19 points, QB9), and Gardner Minshew (16 points, QB16) to turn in respectable finishes at the quarterback position in recent weeks. Ride the hot hand with Dobbs.
SIT: Kyler Murray (ECR: QB12). Don’t be tempted to slot Murray right back into your lineup. The matchup is juicy, and ECR has him ranked just inside QB1 territory, but there’s no guarantee Murray is going to look anything like his vintage self, and there are a handful of high-end QB2 options (per ECR) with safer floors.
Running BackÂ
START: Gus Edwards (ECR: RB25). Gus Bus is the RB3 overall across the previous three weeks with 66.5 half-PPR points. The volume dipped to a measly five touches last week, but Edwards still found pay dirt twice and has scored six times in the Ravens’ last three contests. The two weeks prior? 18 touches per game. Including Edwards in this week’s column is in large part to this week’s matchup against the Browns, who rank sixth in the league with just 3.7 yards allowed per carry. Don’t let that scare you off from riding the bus to victory.
HAT TIP: Najee Harris (ECR: RB24). Finishing inside RB1 territory last week, Harris posted 14 half-PPR points on 18 touches and also found the endzone against the Titans. This week’s matchup is juicier against the Packers, who are susceptible to the explosive run as Harris looks to stack consecutive double-digit points for the first time this season.
SIT: Brian Robinson Jr. (ECR: RB 21). Starting Robinson Jr. simply doesn’t excite me. Since Week 3, the Commanders’ lead back has maxed out at 13 half-PPR points, finishing between RB15 and RB32 in every matchup. He now goes against a Seahawks defense that provides a relatively neutral matchup. but does rank eighth in the league in stuff rate. Robinson Jr. is more of a back-end Flex option than an RB2 in Week 10.
Wide Receiver
START: Jahan Dotson (ECR: WR30). Dotson has found the endzone in consecutive weeks as well as receiving eight-plus targets in three straight. He gets another favorable matchup this week against the 20th-ranked pass defense in Seattle. With Terry McLaurin drawing all the attention, the passing game should open up for Dotson regardless of Curtis Samuel’s status. With a Sam Howell-led offense, Washington currently ranks ninth in passing offense with an impressive 242 yards per game. Howell should be airing it out against Seattle and will look to Dotson often.
HAT TIP: Jaxon Smith-Njigba (ECR: WR37). After missing practice on Wednesday, JSN was a full participant on Thursday. If he suits up, have him in your lineup. Smith-Njigba has come alive since Seattle’s Bye Week, ranking as the WB29 in that time. Now, he gets his best matchup since that Bye, as the Commanders have allowed 7.2 yards per attempt (third-worst) to go along with a whopping 19 touchdowns through the air, which ranks second to last in the NFL behind the Bears. As long as he’s active, this will be JSN’s best game as a pro.
SIT: Amari Cooper (ECR: WR26). Last time out against the Ravens, Amari Cooper saw 2.6 PPR points on one catch for 16 yards. Granted, that was with DTR at QB, and he’ll have Deshaun Watson under center on Sunday, but the Ravens’ defense is still no joke. In one game against the Ravens with Watson at QB last season, Amari saw four catches for 58 yards (9.8 PPR points). Teams’ WR1 versus the Ravens this season are averaging 12.6 points/game and have only seen the endzone twice in nine games.
Tight End
START: Cade Otten (ECR: TE17). This week’s tight-end section will likely contrast drastically with what you read elsewhere. There just isn’t a lot to like about tight ends ranked 10-16 in ECR in Week 10. Otton comes in at 17 and has about as much upside as any of them, if not more. Fresh off 20 half-PPR points and a WR3 overall finish, look for Otten to connect in the endzone with Baker Mayfield yet against in Week 10 as the Bucs return home.
SIT: Trey McBride (ECR: TE10). A lot of ‘perts are riding the McBride hype train and using last week’s four-point showing and TE27 finish as a declaration of war against Clayton Tune. But do we really expect Murray to be that much better in his first NFL game in a year? And look at McBride’s finishes in Weeks 1-7: TE 29, TE33, TE59, TE52, TE33, TE10, TE20. Sure, the offense is changing in Arizona at this point in the season, but I would stay away from McBride and the optimism surrounding him until we see a big game from Murray.
That’s all for this week, Razzball fam! As always, I’m happy to take this conversation into the comments section or on Twitter, where you can find me @WorldOfHobbs.