If you follow me on Twitter, you’ve probably noticed a series of tweets I share on a weekly basis regarding player and team defensive performances, all from a fantasy lens. I’m going to be sharing some of that same information with you here.
I use this each week as I am making my own lineup and waiver wire decisions and thought you might find this valuable as well.
Note: The scoring system used for this data is always PPR with four points for passing touchdowns.
All year to date fantasy ranks are based on total points.
Quarterbacks
Week Ten QB1s (top 12 scorers)
QB1 Mitch Trubisky, CHI
QB2 Ben Roethlisberger, PIT
QB3 Drew Brees, NO
QB4 Russell Wilson, SEA
QB5 Baker Mayfield, CLE
QB6 Marcus Mariota, TEN
QB7 Dak Prescott, DAL
QB8 Blake Bortles, JAX
QB9 Cam Newton, CAR
QB10 Carson Wentz, PHI
QB11 Jared Goff, LAR
QB12 Matt Ryan, ATL
Bears second-year quarterback Mitch Trubisky came through with his second overall QB1 game of the season, joining Drew Brees as the only players to do this. Marcus Mariota posted his second straight QB1 game after early-season struggles.
Year to Date QB1s
QB1 Patrick Mahomes, KC
QB2 Matt Ryan, ATL
QB3 Jared Goff, LAR
QB4 Drew Brees, NO
QB5 Ben Roethlisberger, PIT
QB6 Cam Newton, CAR
QB7 Mitch Trubisky, CHI
QB8 Andrew Luck, IND
QB9 Aaron Rodgers, GB
QB10 Philip Rivers, LAC
QB10 Deshaun Watson, HOU
QB12 Tom Brady, NE
Trubisky’s big week pushed him from QB11 to QB7 for the overall season, while Ben Roethlisberger moved from QB8 to QB5. The bye week cost Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins a spot in the top twelve and Chargers veteran Philip Rivers jumped back in at QB10.
QB1 Games this Season
8 Patrick Mahomes
7 Andrew Luck, Matt Ryan
6 Ben Roethlisberger, Cam Newton, Deshaun Watson, Jared Goff
5 Aaron Rodgers, Blake Bortles, Drew Brees, Mitch Trubisky, Russell Wilson
Most QB1 Games Allowed
7 ATL, TB
6 CIN, NE
5 KC, NO, PHI, WAS
4 CLE, DEN, IND, LAR, NYJ, OAK, PIT, SF
3 ARI, BAL, BUF, CAR, CHI, DAL, DET, JAC, LAC, MIN, NYG
2 GB, HOU, MIA, TEN
1 SEA
You know the story by now. Target the Falcons and Buccaneers defense with opposing quarterbacks on a weekly basis. This week, Atlanta hosts Dallas and quarterback Dak Prescott, who has three QB8 or better games over his past four contests. There will be a battle of wills when the Bucs travel to New York to face veteran Eli Manning and the Giants. Manning has just one QB1 game this season, coming against the Falcons. Even with this plum matchup, he’s not a definite start.
Cincinnati has allowed four straight games of QB13 or better and travel to division rival Baltimore this week. At this point, we’re not even sure who will start at quarterback for the Ravens considering veteran Joe Flacco is dealing with a hip injury. Rookie Lamar Jackson might fall into an excellent matchup for his first NFL start.
Rams quarterback Jared Goff finally broke the Seahawks perfect streak but they are still the best in the league in this category. That will be challenged again when they host Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. This matchup won’t be pushing me away from using Rodgers in all of my leagues.
Running Backs
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Week Ten RB1s (top 12 scorers)
RB1 David Johnson, ARI
RB2 Christian McCaffrey, CAR
RB3 Ezekiel Elliott, DAL
RB4 Nick Chubb, CLE
RB5 Aaron Jones, GB
RB6 Matt Breida, SF
RB7 Leonard Fournette, JAX
RB8 Melvin Gordon, LAC
RB9 Alvin Kamara, NO
RB10 Mark Ingram, NO
RB11 Todd Gurley, LAR
RB12 Kerryon Johnson, DET
It’s nice to see Cardinals running back David Johnson back at the top of this list as we continue to see the difference a change in the coaching staff can make. I hope you bought DJ when you had the chance. Leonard Fournette returned from a long absence and was very impressive while Packers second-year back Aaron Jones enjoyed a breakout game that has the fantasy community very excited.
Year to Date RB1s
RB1 Todd Gurley, LAR
RB2 Alvin Kamara, NO
RB3 James Conner, PIT
RB4 Saquon Barkley, NYG
RB5 Kareem Hunt, KC
RB6 Melvin Gordon, LAC
RB7 James White, NE
RB8 Christian McCaffrey, CAR
RB9 Ezekiel Elliott, DAL
RB10 David Johnson, ARI
RB11 TJ Yeldon, JAX
RB12 Tarik Cohen, CHI
It is surprising to see pass-catching back TJ Yeldon and Tarik Cohen still hanging around as low-end RBs1 considering they’ve slowed down over the past couple of weeks. Johnson moves back into the RB1 range at tenth overall, while Broncos rookie Phillip Lindsay fell out of the group of twelve.
RB1 Games this Season
10 Todd Gurley
9
8
7 Alvin Kamara, Melvin Gordon
6 Christian McCaffrey, Saquon Barkley, James Conner
5 James White
4 Ezekiel Elliott, Karrem Hunt, Joe Mixon, Kenyan Drake
Most RB1 Games Allowed
8 ATL, KC, MIA
7
6 CIN
5 ARI, CLE, DET, IND, NYG
4 BUF, DEN, HOU, OAK, TB
3 DAL, JAX, LAC, NYJ, SEA, SF
2 BAL, CAR, CHI, GB, MIN, NE, NO, PHI, PIT, WAS
1 LAR, TEN
At the running back position, three teams have set themselves apart in a not so good way. The Falcons, Chiefs and Dolphins have each allowed eight RB1 performances through ten weeks. Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott is coming off one of his best games of the season and is ready to feast on Atlanta’s defense, which does get linebacker Deion Jones back after activating him from the injured reserve. The Chiefs also face a high profile back, none other than Todd Gurley but you don’t need me to tell you to play him every single week. The Dolphins are on bye this week and might still find a way to give up 100 rushing yards and a touchdown.
The Rams and Titans are tops in this category, each allowing just one RB1 game this season. This could be bad news for Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt and Colts back Marlon Mack. In most situations, each of these players still need to be in fantasy lineups despite what look like difficult matchups.
Wide Receivers
Week Ten WR1s (top 12 scorers)
WR1 Tyreek Hill, KC
WR2 Allen Robinson, CHI
WR3 Michael Thomas, NO
WR4 Brandin Cooks, LAR
WR5 Corey Davis, TEN
WR6 Julio Jones, ATL
WR7 Odell Beckham, NYG
WR7 Zay Jones, BUF
WR9 Anthony Miller, CHI
WR10 Davante Adams, GB
WR11 Antonio Brown, PIT
WR12 Julian Edelman, NE
The Bears got Allen Robinson back and in a big way. His 133 yards and two touchdowns pushed him to the WR2 spot for the week, easily his best game in a Chicago uniform. Second-year receiver Corey Davis and Zay Jones both popped with huge games, while rookie Anthony Miller set a new career-high with 122 yards.
Year to Date WR1s
WR1 Adam Thielen, MIN
WR2 Michael Thomas, NO
WR3 Tyreek Hill, KC
WR4 Davante Adams, GB
WR5 DeAndre Hopkins, HOU
WR6 Antonio Brown, PIT
WR7 Julio Jones, ATL
WR8 Odell Beckham, NYG
WR9 Robert Woods, LAR
WR10 Brandin Cooks, LAR
WR11 Emmanuel Sanders, DEN
WR12 Mike Evans, TB
A bye week didn’t end Adam Thielen’s reign as the WR1 but it did push Texans receiver DeAndre Hopkins from WR2 to WR5. Rams receiver Brandin Cooks moved into the top twelve and injured Bengals star AJ Green moved out.
WR1 Games this Season
7 Adam Thielen
6 Michael Thomas
5 Antonio Brown, DeAndre Hopkins, Julio Jones, Odell Beckham
4 Tyreek Hill, Brandin Cooks, Mike Evans, Stefon Diggs
Most WR1 Games Allowed
9 NO
8 TB
7
6 CLE, GB, PHI
5 ATL, CAR, CIN, DET, LAR, SEA, TEN
4 ARI, MIA, NYJ, WAS
3 CHI, DEN, KC, NE, SF
2 BAL, BUF, DAL, JAX, LAC, MIN, NYG, OAK, PIT
1 IND
0 HOU
Play all receivers against the Saints. We’ve got that figured out by now. This week, that means using Eagles like Alshon Jeffery and maybe even Golden Tate, though his snaps were limited in his Philly debut a week ago. Once again, the Buccaneers are a team to target, which is good news for Odell Beckham and Sterling Shepard.
The Texans had a bye last week so they remain the only team who have yet to allow a WR1. The Redskins surely won’t be the team to break that streak but it is another reason to avoid Josh Doctson, Maurice Harris and anyone else they trot out there. The Colts have allowed just one WR1 game but Titans Corey Davis will try to change that. My guess is he won’t.
Tight Ends
Week Ten TE1s (top 12 scorers)
TE1 Zach Ertz, PHI
TE2 Eric Ebron, IND
TE3 Austin Hooper, ATL
TE4 George Kittle, SF
TE5 Vance McDonald, PIT
TE6 Jonnu Smith, TEN
TE7 Tyler Higbee, LAR
TE8 Mo Alie-Cox, IND
TE9 Travis Kelce, KC
TE10 Ricky Seals-Jones, ARI
TE11 Trey Burton, CHI
TE12 James O’Shaughnessy, JAX
More craziness at the tight end position. There’s a good chance at least three of these players who scored as TE1s last week are not even on a roster in your league. The good news is Zach Ertz, Eric Ebron and George Kittle are keeping up their frantic level of play for fantasy owners.
Year to Date TE1s
TE1 Zach Ertz, PHI
TE2 Travis Kelce, KC
TE3 George Kittle, SF
TE4 Eric Ebron, IND
TE5 Jared Cook, OAK
TE6 Austin Hooper, ATL
TE7 OJ Howard, TB
TE8 Trey Burton, CHI
TE9 Jimmy Graham, GB
TE10 David Njoku, CLE
TE11 Kyle Rudolph, MIN
TE12 Jordan Reed, WAS
Redskins tight end Jordan Reed feels like one of the season’s biggest busts, yet he’s still a back-end TE1. That says more about the state of the position than it does for Reed, who has exceeded 50 receiving yards just three times all season. Falcons Austin Hopper had another huge game, moving him from TE9 to TE6, while the injured Rob Gronkowski sadly fell out of the TE1 group.
TE1 Games this Season
9 Zach Ertz
8 Travis Kelce
7 Eric Ebron, George Kittle
6 OJ Howard, Trey Burton
5 Jimmy Graham
4 Ben Watson, Austin Hooper
Most TE1 Games Allowed
8 CAR
7 TB
6 IND, KC, NE
5 ATL, CHI, CIN, CLE, PIT
4 DAL, DET, HOU, JAX, LAC, MIA, MIN, OAK, SF
3 ARI, BAL, BUF, DEN, LAR, WAS
2 NYG, SEA
1 GB, NYJ, PHI, TEN
0 NO
The Carolina Panthers have allowed the most TE1 games this season and face the Lions this week. While Michael Roberts surprised with a TE4 game in Week Seven but he has no other fantasy finishes inside the top 20 weekly tight ends. It would be a stretch to use him even in this matchup. Surprise, surprise, Tampa Bay is the next team on the list, making Giants tight end Evan Engram an attractive option this week.
The Saints are the last team to allow a TE1 game this season and face their most difficult matchup of the year. Good luck stopping Zach Ertz! The Packers (vs. Nick Vannett), Eagles (vs. Ben Watson) and Titans (vs. Eric Ebron and Jock Doyle) have only allowed one TE1 game this year. The Jets are on bye this week.
Finally, here’s the full defensive chart you might’ve already seen on Twitter.
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Love this series, has definitely helped several times starting the “right” player. Would something like this be possible for idp?
