Week 10 Fantasy Football Strategy | Hank’s Bank

Let’s just say that the fantasy football world got turned on its head last week. Richie James finished as the top fantasy wide receiver. Jakobi Meyers was just behind as the WR4. Irv Smith Jr. was a top-5 tight end and Drew Lock a top-4 quarterback. But my favorite of all the surprises had to be Kalen Ballage finishing as the fantasy RB4 on the week after being signed to the Los Angeles Chargers practice squad less than a month prior. More chaos could be coming in Week 10, so it’s best to shore up on the best fantasy football strategy decisions now. Hank’s Bank is once again packed to the brim with advice and analysis for both this week and beyond. BANK THAT!

Hank’s Bank Vocabulary Key

Cash: Start
Deposit: Bench
Asset: Trade Target
Transfer: Trade Away
Invest: Free Agent Acquisition
Loan: Weekly Streamer

Week 10 Banking

Cash: Christian Kirk | WR | Arizona Cardinals

The superb play of quarterback Kyler Murray has rewarded many fantasy managers in recent weeks. The Cardinals have another promising matchup against the Buffalo Bills this week in what many are projecting to be a shootout. Christian Kirk became the WR2 within Arizona’s offense by default when the team traded for DeAndre Hopkins in the offseason. His target share has been up and down this season, but back-to-back games with 8 targets and 5 receptions have been promising.

Additionally, Hopkins will likely draw shadow coverage from Tre’Davious White this week. While White has played below his typical standards this year, he is still one of the NFL’s best lockdown corners. Kirk should have no trouble eating either Levi Wallace or Josh Norman for lunch. Look for another explosive performance from the third-year pro.

Deposit: J.K. Dobbins | RB | Baltimore Ravens

The juggernaut Bill Belichick defense that has been a staple of the New England Patriots for years is simply not the same in 2020 (along with a lot of other things…*sigh*). Many fantasy managers are no longer deterred from starting players against the Patriots, but prudent fantasy football strategy says otherwise for J.K. Dobbins this week. Double-digit rushing attempts in each of the Ravens’ last two games have been encouraging for the rookie, but that kind of workload is unlikely to continue with Mark Ingram set to return from injury this week. Dobbins also was very ineffective with his 12 carries last week, averaging a measly 2.50 yards per carry.

Lamar Jackson has been struggling of late and the entire Ravens offense as a whole because of it. We also all should know by now that Belichick will have his defense ready to play no matter what level of talent he has. Dobbins belongs on the bench this week.

Asset: Jarvis Landry | WR | Cleveland Browns

The Browns offense is centered around running the football. That component is about to get a huge boost with the looming return of Nick Chubb from a knee injury that has had him sidelined since Week 4. This comes but a few weeks after the passing portion of Cleveland’s attack lost Odell Beckham Jr. for the year. While Kevin Stefanski will likely look to lean on the run even more going forward, no NFL offense can be entirely one dimensional.

Insert Jarvis Landry as the most talented wideout remaining on the active roster. His role is different than OBJ’s, but he could become the go-to option for Baker Mayfield going forward. Implement some fantasy football strategy and buy low on Landry now before he has a monster game. Just make sure not to overpay. After all, this is a Browns receiver we’re talking about.

Transfer: Calvin Ridley | WR | Atlanta Falcons

Even after an injury knocked out of Atlanta’s Week 8 game against the Carolina Panthers and caused him to miss last week’s contest against the Denver Broncos entirely, Calvin Ridley is still a top-10 wide receiver in fantasy on the season. The Falcons have a bye this week which should allow Ridley to heal up for the next time he’d be available to start. If you are a Ridley owner and need to gear up for a playoff push, selling high on him now could be very wise.

Ever since Julio Jones got healthy himself, Ridley has shifted back to a secondary receiver role in the Falcons offense. You can’t knock his talent whatsoever, but if you are willing to part with your biggest names, a profitable return could be had. It’s a gut check call, but sometimes that’s the name of the game when it comes to fantasy football strategy.

Invest: Troymaine Pope | RB | Los Angeles Chargers

Even if you don’t necessarily have a FLEX spot to fill in your starting lineup this week, find room on your bench to add and stash Troymaine Pope (1.3% ownership in ESPN leagues). Simply put, the Chargers backfield has been a work in progress committee ever since Austin Ekeler went down early in the season. Oft-injured Justin Jackson is set to miss this week’s contest against the Miami Dolphins while rookie Joshua Kelley has failed to live up to expectations. Pope missed last week’s game himself with a concussion but practiced in full all week.

Kalen Ballage’s solid performance last week was a reminder to fantasy managers that there is value to be had in this backfield. Where it comes from appears to be anyone’s guess, but I like Pope to lead the backfield this week. After averaging 6.7 yards per carry and adding 5 receptions against the Broncos two weeks ago, look for Los Angeles to get a better read on what they have in the former Jacksonville State standout.

Loan: Jared Goff | QB | Los Angeles Rams

Rarely do we get an easier fantasy football strategy call than this. In case you haven’t heard, the Seattle Seahawks defense is terrible. Josh Allen and the Bills were able to shred the unit last week, and one would have to think that Jared Goff and the Rams are plenty capable of doing the same. After a bye week that gave Sean McVay and his staff extra time to make adjustments after a brutal performance against the Dolphins, expect the Rams to be clicking on all cylinders this week. Seattle is allowing the most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks on the season. With weapons like Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp, Goff (57.3% ownership in ESPN leagues) is more than a streamer. He has top-5 upside this week.