Week 10 Rankings

TE Notes: Not a surprise: Gronk’s 2.31 Yards Per Route Run is the highest figure of any tight end. He had a 5/104/1 stat line in the Week 4 meeting with the Bills. … Jimmy Graham is back where he belongs, atop the Saints’ target list. … Aaron Hernandez practiced on Wednesday and remains on track to play on Sunday.

Antonio Gates’ Week 9 stat line would have been even better if the Chargers defense didn’t score twice in the fourth quarter, taking the ball out of Philip Rivers’ hands. Gates faces three of the top 10 most generous tight end defenses in the next month. … Don’t blame Vernon Davis for his disappearing act of late. He’s caught 78.1 percent of the balls thrown his way, but defenses are game-planning to take Alex Smith’s most dangerous weapon away. Perhaps Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman devised a plan to get him the ball during the bye week.

With Hakeem Nicks banged up again, it’s fair to expect an increased role for Martellus Bennett against a defense allowing the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends. … Greg Olsen has a second straight plus matchup against a Broncos defense allowing the third-most fantasy points. … Gresham’s speed may leave a lot to be desired, but he’s coming off the best six-game stretch of his career, averaging over 60 yards per game.

Brandon Myers is on pace for 78 receptions, which would be the highest total for a Raiders tight end since Todd Christensen’s 95 in 1986. … Scott Chandler is overdue for a touchdown. He burned the Patriots down the seam for a pair of scores in Week 4. … Dwayne Allen racked up career highs in targets, catches and yards with Coby Fleener out of the lineup last week. Fleener is out again Thursday night. … Keep an eye on Owen Daniels’ painful hip injury. He has the look of a game-time decision this week against the NFL’s best defense.

Week 10 Defense/Special Teams

Week 10 Kickers

Updated 11/11/2012 at 12:15 p.m. ET

Three weeks ago, we advised sending out trade offers for Adrian Peterson because the tape showed an explosive back on the brink of a breakout. This week’s trade target is C.J. Spiller.

While I stand in awe of Peterson and his career-high 5.7 YPC average less than a year after shredding his knee, no back has jumped off the film to the extent that Spiller has this season. With freakish lateral agility and instant acceleration reminiscent of an early-career CJ2K, Spiller is threatening to break Pro Football Focus’ Elusiveness scale. He leads the NFL with an absurd 7.2 YPC average and 4.3 yards after contact per attempt, capable of taking every touch to the house. Since Week 13 of last season (a 13-game stretch), Spiller has 953 rushing yards at a league-leading 6.6 YPC to go with 408 receiving yards on 45 receptions.

Chan Gailey may have his faults, but he’s done a masterful job of drawing up a creative array of draws, reverses, fake reverses and Wildcat looks to get the ball in Spiller’s hands in space. He even caught a couple of passes after lining up out wide at Houston in Week 9.

Fred Jackson, on the other hand, ranks 33rd out of 54 eligible backs in yards after contact per attempt (2.2) and is essentially averaging half of Spiller’s yards per attempt. Not to be overlooked in Gailey’s spread offense, Spiller is also averaging roughly 10.0 yards per catch compared to Jackson’s 6.7 per.

Despite the timeshare with F-Jax and three games sabotaged by a painful shoulder injury, Spiller still ranks in the top-5 in fantasy points per game. Gailey and Jackson are only two men in the league capable of shutting him down. Is that about to change?

After Sunday’s loss, it was obvious even to Gailey that he needs to get the ball in a much-improved Spiller’s hands on a more consistent basis. Ryan Fitzpatrick went a step further, noting that the “story of the day” was the obvious need to get Spiller more touches going forward. “I think everybody knows that and we’ve got to find ways to do that,” added Fitzpatrick.

If the Bills do find a way to put the ball in Spiller’s hands more frequently, this could be the last week to pilfer a potential RB1 from an owner who doesn’t quite understand the keg of dynamite sitting on his roster.


Week 10 Quarterbacks

QB Notes: With Aaron Hernandez returning to practice, Tom Brady has all of his key weapons healthy and starting for the first time all season. … After Julio Jones and Roddy White each topped 100 yards in a game for the first time this season, Matt Ryan heads to the Big Easy to face a Saints defense that has allowed the most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks.

More from the Peyton Manning for MVP file: His adjusted accuracy percentage of 81.8 and deep-ball accuracy (55.9 percent) are the highest figures in the league. Since ESPN began tracking Total QBR in 2008, every QBR leader has won the MVP. Manning leads in that category this season. He’s been sacked just twice in the past five games. In fact, only his brother Eli has been sacked at a lower rate this season. It must have been a challenge to wrest the TV remote from Archie’s hands in the Manning household.

Every once in awhile statistics mesh with conventional wisdom. For example, Ben Roethlisberger is completing a league leading 62.5% of passes under pressure this season. … Breakout alert: Matthew Stafford has ironed out his mechanical flaws in his best two-game stretch of the season. Although he’s averaged just one touchdown per game, the Lions still boast the league’s No. 2 offense.

Andrew Luck’s Week 9 performance against the NFL’s most dominant third-down defense was arguably the best we’ve seen from a quarterback this season. What’s the secret to his success? He’s essentially been a young Peyton Manning before the snap and a young Ben Roethlisberger after the snap. It’s not just the escapability that is reminiscent of Big Ben. No quarterback in the league is taking more shots downfield, as Luck trusts his arm in tight windows and on shot throws. From the whimsical stat department: Luck needs just 141 yards Thursday night to bypass his dad’s 2,544 in four seasons with the Houston Oilers.

Is Josh Freeman leading a fantasy football juggernaut in Tampa? For the first time in franchise history, the Bucs have scored more than 28 points in four consecutive games. Freeman leads all quarterbacks in fantasy points over the past three weeks, and only Aaron Rodgers, Andrew Luck, and Peyton Manning have more over the past five.

You think defensive guru John Fox will have his troops fired up in his return to Charlotte? I do too. Cam Newton is playing better than the public perception, but his mechanics are still off-kilter. … Romo should have plenty of time to throw against an Eagles defense that no longer rushes the passer. … Eli Manning hasn’t been throwing accurately or smartly in three of the past four games under 200 yards. Hakeem Nicks and Martellus Bennett have been ineffective while playing through injuries, allowing defenses to get extra physical with lone playmaker Victor Cruz.

Philip Rivers’ Week 10 opponent boasts the NFL’s best run defense but worst pass defense. … Vick can no longer be trusted. He’s shown no awareness at the line adjusting to blitzes, and the offensive line is down to one healthy starter. Vick was sacked a season-high seven times Monday night by a Saints defense that had just 13 sacks through the first seven games. Pro Football Focus ranks Dallas No. 4 in pass rushing this season. … Carson Palmer is on pace to join Drew Brees (2008) and Philip Rivers (2010) as the only quarterbacks with 4,500 passing yards and no 1,000-yard receiver.

To no one’s surprise, Jake Locker’s shoulder is fully healthy just days after Matt Hasselbeck’s offense imploded against the Bears. Barring a setback, Locker will get the nod at Miami. … Excluding the Thursday night bout in San Francisco, Russell Wilson is averaging 19-of-29 (65.5 percent) for 234 yards (8.1 YPA) and 2.7 touchdowns over the past three games. … Schaub can’t be trusted in Chicago against the Monsters of the Midway. … Cassel, the NFL’s turnover king, is facing a defense that has held Andy Dalton, Robert Griffin III, and Eli Manning to an average of 129 yards the past three weeks.

Week 10 Running Backs

RB Notes: How amazing is Adrian Peterson? More than half of his yards have come on his league-leading 18 runs over 15 yards. As he’s been for his entire career, Peterson remains matchup proof. … Ridley is a no-brainer plug-and-play against a 32nd-ranked run defense that he torched for 106 yards and a pair of scores in Week 4.

By now you know that Doug Martin became the first player in history with three touchdowns of 45+ yards in the same game on his way to posting the fourth-best fantasy game since the 1970 merger. His 486 yards from scrimmage are the most in a two-game span since Walter Payton in 1977, and he’s one of just four rookies in NFL history with 200 yards in consecutive games. To put Martin’s performance in perspective, the Raiders run defense plummeted from 11th in average (3.9 YPC) and yards per game (102.1) to 27th (4.6 YPC) and 21st (124.1) respectively after Week 9. Over the past five weeks, Martin is averaging nearly 10 more fantasy points per game than Arian Foster and Adrian Peterson.

Vick isn’t the only Eagles star being killed by a turnstile offensive line. LeSean McCoy has been hit in the backfield at a higher rate than any back in the league this season. … Arian Foster has been overly reliant on goal-line opportunities this season. It’s fair to wonder if that good fortune will stay true against the league’s most dominant defense.

Frank Gore summed up his renaissance season succinctly: The league’s best offensive line is opening the widest lanes he’s ever seen this season, and OC Greg Roman is scheming the run better than any coach in the league. It certainly helps that LG Mike Iupati is a monster. Mon-ster. … Bad news for Matt Forte and Michael Bush: Texans haven’t allowed a rushing touchdown in 11 games dating back to last season. … It’s no coincidence that Chris Johnson is averaging 116 rushing yards over the past six weeks while Fernando Velasco has emerged as one of the league’s best run-blocking centers. Now averaging 5.0 YPC, Johnson has noticeably ditched his early-season hesitation. It’s a symbiotic relationship!

It’s disturbing that Reggie Bush was on the field for fewer plays than Daniel Thomas in Week 9, losing passing-down work. The good news is that Bush faces two of the four most generous run defenses the next two weeks before a grueling three-game stretch versus the Seahawks, Pats, and 49ers. … The Lions are the only team in the NFL without a run of 20+ yards. Mikel Leshoure is long overdue. He lost his footing on potential long gainers in two of the past three weeks.

It may be premature to throw in the towel on Ryan Mathews as a weekly fantasy asset, it’s clear that he’s never going to flirt with RB1 value as long as Ronnie Brown is stealing third-down work and Jackie Battle is vulturing goal-line scores. After nine weeks, Mathews’ Week 10 opponent has league’s stingiest run defense. … According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Steelers OC Todd Haley won’t hesitate to run up the score on the Chiefs. Something tells me Jamaal Charles will find tough sledding against a surging Pittsburgh defense. … Ahmad Bradshaw is averaging just 3.5 YPC over the past three weeks while losing goal-line looks to Andre Brown. … Vick Ballard is shaping up as a solid RB2 with Donald Brown battling knee inflammation on a short week.

Here’s what we know about the Raiders backfield: Taiwan Jones is running with the starters in practice. He flirted with a 4.30 forty as an injury-prone big-play prospect out of Eastern Washington. He’s had just one carry this year because coach Dennis Allen doesn’t trust him to hold onto the ball. When Darren McFadden and Mike Goodson went down with high-ankle sprains last week, Jones played five snaps to Marcel Reece’s 63. The Raiders don’t want Reece carrying the ball, either, but they clearly trust him on passing downs. We suspect they will end up passing heavily against the Ravens in Baltimore. Jones is risky start because he’s bench bound if Oakland abandons the run.

The backfields in Pittsburgh and New Orleans aren’t much different. Isaac Redman is expected to get the nod as the Week 10 starter, though it’s quite possible that Jonathan Dwyer will develop the hot hand early in the game. … Pierre Thomas is the best bet among the Saints backs, but coach Joe Vitt made it clear this week that he’s looking to get Mark Ingram and Chris Ivory on track as well. This is a true three-headed hydra which could graduate to four-back timeshare if Darren Sproles (hands) beats the clock to suit up in a key divisional game versus the Falcons.

Week 10 Wide Receivers

WR Notes: We knew Calvin Johnson could play effectively through knee soreness, and he was on pace for a 200-yard game last week before the Lions took the air out of the ball with a commanding lead. Megatron has been tackled at or inside the 2-yard line five times this season and has several end-zone drops. The touchdowns are coming.

After a two-game lull, Julio Jones is now on pace for 80 receptions, 1,300 yards from scrimmage and 10 touchdowns. … Andy Dalton has a 107.3 passer rating on throws to A.J. Green. … Brandon Marshall leads all receivers with 2.94 yards per route run, putting him on pace to join Jerry Rice and Herman Moore as the only receivers in NFL history with 115 catches, 1,500 yards, and 14 touchdowns in a season. … Roddy White has dropped just 4.08 percent of catchable balls this year after dropping 13 percent in 2011. … Perception meets reality: Vincent Jackson’s 408 yards on passes aimed over 20 yards lead all receivers by a healthy margin.

Defenses are starting to get physical with Victor Cruz in the slot, and he vows to fight back this week. With Hakeem Nicks battling knee inflammation again, Cruz figures to be targeted heavily versus the Bengals. … Reggie Wayne admits he’s now Hines Ward in ex-Steelers OC Bruce Arians’ offense. Hines’ best fantasy finish was third in 2002. Wayne has a chance to match it under Arians and Andrew Luck.

With a touchdown at Carolina, Eric Decker can tie the franchise record for consecutive games with a receiving score. He’s on pace for a 92/1,166/14 stat line at mid-season. ...Half of Joe Flacco’s touchdowns this season have ended up in the hands of Torrey Smith. … Dez Bryant was open throughout last week’s game while the Falcons played off coverage. What we’ve seen at least twice this season is that Dez isn’t a major part of the game plan when he misses practice due to injury. It’s worth noting that he resumed full participation on Wednesday.

I would never bet against Harvin playing through pain, but he’s going to be limited against the Lions this weekend. The real danger is that he could spend half the game on the sidelines after aggravating the injury. … Andre Johnson averaged 2.25 receptions and 41 yards from Weeks 2-5 with the Texans leaning heavily on the run in non-competitive games. He’s averaged 8.25 catches and 99.5 yards in the other four games, just missing three long scores.

Stevie Johnson (thigh) sat out Wednesday but remains on track to play in an inviting matchup at New England. … Mike Williams is on pace to equal or better his rookie numbers of 955 yards and 11 scores. … Danny Amendola is expected to start and dominate targets in a tough matchup versus the 49ers. … Keep an eye on Titus Young’s status this week. He’s missed two straight practices with ongoing knee soreness. … Sidney Rice will see plenty of Antonio Cromartie, arguably the NFL’s premier shadow corner this season.

Dominik Hixon and Reuben Randle will see increased snaps if Hakeem Nicks’ knee doesn’t cooperate this weekend. Randle has been running ahead of Ramses Barden as the No. 4 receiver the past two weeks. … It’s the same scenario for Emmanuel Sanders and Jerricho Cotchery in Pittsburgh Monday night with Antonio Brown out. Sanders played more snaps than Cotchery last week and offers more playmaking ability. … Donnie Avery’s full practices this week have taken the wind out of the T.Y. Hilton sleeper sails at Jacksonville. … Danario Alexander is an intriguing deep sleeper against a Bucs defense allowing the third-most fantasy points to opposing wideouts.

Week 10 Tight Ends

TE Notes: Not a surprise: Gronk’s 2.31 Yards Per Route Run is the highest figure of any tight end. He had a 5/104/1 stat line in the Week 4 meeting with the Bills. … Jimmy Graham is back where he belongs, atop the Saints’ target list. … Aaron Hernandez practiced on Wednesday and remains on track to play on Sunday.

Antonio Gates’ Week 9 stat line would have been even better if the Chargers defense didn’t score twice in the fourth quarter, taking the ball out of Philip Rivers’ hands. Gates faces three of the top 10 most generous tight end defenses in the next month. … Don’t blame Vernon Davis for his disappearing act of late. He’s caught 78.1 percent of the balls thrown his way, but defenses are game-planning to take Alex Smith’s most dangerous weapon away. Perhaps Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman devised a plan to get him the ball during the bye week.

With Hakeem Nicks banged up again, it’s fair to expect an increased role for Martellus Bennett against a defense allowing the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends. … Greg Olsen has a second straight plus matchup against a Broncos defense allowing the third-most fantasy points. … Gresham’s speed may leave a lot to be desired, but he’s coming off the best six-game stretch of his career, averaging over 60 yards per game.

Brandon Myers is on pace for 78 receptions, which would be the highest total for a Raiders tight end since Todd Christensen’s 95 in 1986. … Scott Chandler is overdue for a touchdown. He burned the Patriots down the seam for a pair of scores in Week 4. … Dwayne Allen racked up career highs in targets, catches and yards with Coby Fleener out of the lineup last week. Fleener is out again Thursday night. … Keep an eye on Owen Daniels’ painful hip injury. He has the look of a game-time decision this week against the NFL’s best defense.

Week 10 Defense/Special Teams

Week 10 Kickers