By: Ryan Humphries

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NFL Week 10 Primetime Preview

A fairly strong set of primetime games awaits us in the days ahead in week 10. The TNF match-up is pretty ‘so-so’ but, to wrap up the week, we may be treated to a couple bangers with these two divisional games scheduled for SNF and MNF! Will Lamar Jackson and the Ravens continue to stay hot in Miami? Will the Chiefs and their problems on the field outweigh the Raiders and their problems off the field in this AFC West clash? Can the Rams bounce back after a week nine primetime drubbing at the hands of the Titans on SNF or will the 49ers, who sit at 3-5, look to play spoiler in this NFC West showdown? Time will tell but let’s go ahead and dig further into these three primetime showdowns!

Note: At the time of this writing, showdown salaries are not available for the SNF & MNF games.

Due to how the rosters are constructed for single-game NFL slates, this article is more geared towards a DraftKings-specific GPP approach.

Perfect Lineups from Week 9 Primetime Games

Baltimore Ravens (-7.5) at Miami Dolphins | 46.5 O/U

BAL: 27.0 implied points | MIA: 19.5 implied points

Notable DFS Relevant Injuries: QB Tua Tagovailoa (finger) - Questionable, RB Latavius Murray (ankle) - Doubtful, WR Sammy Watkins (thigh) - Questionable, WR DeVante Parker (shoulder/hamstring) - IR/Out

Score Prediction: BAL - 29, MIA - 17

Game Notes: The major question mark ahead of this game is the availability of Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa as he continues to deal with a fractured middle finger on his throwing hand. While Tua was active in week nine, he was listed as the backup behind Jacoby Brissett and never ended up seeing the field as he was more or less an “emergency option.” Given the short week and the fact that the fracture in his finger will still not be healed, I am going to work under the assumption that Brissett will step in as the starting QB once again. Meanwhile, the Ravens are rolling with a 6-2 record and sit a half-game back from the Titans for the top overall seed in the AFC. Lamar Jackson continues to be “must-see TV” while averaging over 350 combined yards per game, both through the air and on the ground. I could certainly imagine a scenario where Miami can hang around and keep this a one score game for the better part of three quarters. But ultimately, this feels like a spot where, even on the road, the Ravens have a strong shot at winning by double-digit points as the noticeably healthier and more talented team.

Showdown Roster Construction (in order of preference): 4-2 Ravens, 3-3 Balanced, 4-2 Dolphins, 5-1 Ravens ‘smash’ builds

Players & Stacks to Consider

Top Captains and Core Flex Plays:

QB Lamar Jackson: You’re shelling out $20,700 in salary by going with Lamar at CPT, but he should still easily lead all players in CPT ownership by a wide margin. His rushing ability (75.0 YPG) obviously gives him an excellent floor and MIA has allowed the 5th most FPPG to QBs this season.

WR Marquise Brown: Brown will likely have around half the CPT ownership as Jackson so he’ll make for a decent leverage option as most will look to find the extra salary to pay up for CPT Lamar. Brown has posted a strong 25.7% TGT% this season alongside a healthy 14.5-yard aDOT. He has double-digit targets in three of his last four games and has scored at least 19 DKFP in 6-of-8 games. MIA has allowed the 3rd most FPPG to WRs this season.

QB Jacoby Brissett (assuming Tua doesn’t start): Brissett’s CPT ownership could be extremely low for a QB, perhaps around 10-15%. It makes sense as he hasn’t scored more than 20.3 DKFP in his four starts this season. He has attempted at least 39 passes in 3-of-4 starts, so expect him to chuck it quite a bit. He’ll need his best game of the season to come away as the optimal captain, but the game script should favor a pass-heavy approach and BAL’s defense ranks 23rd in pass DVOA. BAL’s 7.7 YPA is also the 5th highest in the NFL. While it’s not overly likely, if they continue to allow around 7.7 YPA and Brissett throws it 40+ times, Brissett will have a reasonable shot at a 300+ yard passing day.

WR Jaylen Waddle: With DeVante Parker now on the IL, Waddle will operate as the alpha receiver in a likely pass-happy game script. Great bet to see 10+ targets. BAL has allowed the 6th most FPPG to slot WRs (Waddle: 65% slot routes). He’s my favorite CPT pivot off of Lamar in showdown GPPs.

Flex Plays and Leverage Captain Options:

TE Mark Andrews: He has only found the endzone in two games this season but, for a tight end, his 22.8% TGT% remains borderline elite. While MIA has held TEs out of the endzone in their last four games, TEs are averaging six receptions and 83.3 YPG. If Andrews can snag a TD or two, he could certainly venture towards a fantasy score that could make him an optimal captain.

RB Myles Gaskin: In week nine, he saw a season high in snap% (72%) and usage (20 carries, 6 targets). Malcolm Brown being on the IR with a quad injury has boosted Gaskin’s workload but the game script may not be ideal for him. That will likely increase his role in the passing game, however. His chances of 20+ total touches accompanied by a TD is high enough to make him a core FLEX play and a leverage CPT candidate.

TE Mike Gesicki: He’s seen at least seven targets in every game without DeVante Parker this season and is more or less the “WR2” in this offense. That expanded role should continue in this game and tight ends have feasted against BAL this season, who allows the 2nd most FPPG to the position.

Flex Fillers, Fliers, and Sleepers:

WR Rashod Bateman: The likely return of Sammy Watkins will probably take more snaps away from Devin Duvernay than Bateman. After returning from the PUP, Bateman has garnered at least six targets in all three of his game and the rookie should continue to build more rapport with Lamar Jackson.

RB Devonta Freeman: He’s pretty much TD or bust but he’s found the endzone in three straight games and will obviously have a more secure snap share with Latavius Murray doubtful. Played 58% of snaps last week. If the Ravens get up big in this game, they may not risk calling as many designed runs for Lamar Jackson, which would also benefit Freeman.

K Justin Tucker: The most reliable kicker in the game. With the Ravens carrying an implied team total near 30 points, Tucker’s ceiling is 15+ FP, which most players in this price range cannot provide without extreme luck.

WR Mack Hollins: Played 80% of snaps last week (3/22/1 on six targets) and should see the field quite a bit once again this week.

Baltimore D/ST: This defensive unit is pretty banged up which has led to an underperforming season, but they’ll remain a FLEX option against a Dolphins offense that may struggle to score 20 points.

RB Patrick Ricard: Complete dart throw at a $1,000 price tag. Last week, he played over 60% of snaps for the fifth time this season and was actually decently involved, catching 3-of-5 targets for 35 yards and a TD. He could go back to being a relative non-factor and used primarily as a blocker, but if you’re trying to get very different, he may be worth a sprinkle in some GPP lineups.

Stack Concepts:

Note: [*Player Name] indicates captain selection

*Lamar Jackson, Marquise Brown, Justin Tucker: Due to his rushing prowess, you don’t necessarily have to force two BAL receivers with CPT Lamar but Hollywood Brown would be the clear-cut top stacking choice. With Tucker thrown in with this stack, you may legitimately gain exposure to all BAL offensive points scored in this game.

*Marquise Brown, Jaylen Waddle, Mack Hollins: Brown’s role has been borderline elite this season and he should be primed for another strong performance on TNF against a vulnerable MIA secondary (3rd most FPPG allowed to WRs). Running it back with a couple of Dolphins pass catchers makes plenty of game flow sense.

*Jacoby Brissett, Jaylen Waddle, Mike Gesicki: Waddle and Gesicki are quite easily the top two receiving current threats in this banged up Dolphins offense, so if Brissett comes away as the optimal captain, both guys should also put up strong numbers.

*Jaylen Waddle, Lamar Jackson, Mark Andrews: Waddle should get peppered in this game so his floor is already solid given the full PPR scoring system on DK. If the TD variance falls in his favor, he could easily come away with 25+ DKFP.

4-2 Dolphins Stacks: Expect 4-2 Ravens builds and balanced 3-3 builds to make up around 70% of total lineups. Going heavier on the home underdogs with 4-2 Dolphins builds will set you apart from a large portion of the field in GPPs and there are enough viable Dolphins fantasy assets to make it feasible. If last week taught us anything, it’s that no heavily favored team is safe in the NFL and Miami could certainly pull off this Thursday night upset.

Kansas City Chiefs (-2.5) at Las Vegas Raiders | 51.5 O/U

KC: 27.0 implied points | LV: 24.5 implied points

Notable DFS Relevant Injuries: RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire (knee) - IR (designated to return), WR Hunter Renfrow (ankle) - Questionable

Score Prediction: KC - 23, LV: 27

Game Notes: The Chiefs can’t catch a break on the field and the Raiders can’t catch a break off the field. For very different reasons, this NFL season has not gone anywhere close to the initial plan for either of these teams. And yet, both teams are still in the thick of things when it comes to not only the division title but the No. 1 seed in the AFC as well. In a wild stroke of parity, all four teams in the AFC West have either a 5-3 record (LAC & LV) or a 5-4 record (KC & DEN). Despite averaging 12 PPG over their last three games and Patrick Mahomes playing some of the worst football of his still fairly young career, the Chiefs have managed to eek out a 2-1 record despite the offensive woes. On a positive note, the KC defense (which was allowing historically bad numbers at the start of the season) has begun to turn things around. KC has surrendered only 24 points across their last 10 quarters. However, barely beating the Giants and an Aaron Rodger-less Packers team in the last two weeks is not exactly a resounding endorsement. On the Raiders side of things, this has to be one of the worst month-long stretches of just terrible off-the-field issues that an NFL team has experienced in recent history. But they have persevered is spite of it all and, like the Chiefs, have gone 2-1 over their last three games. This will certainly set up as a major “swing game” -- a win on Sunday night could provide a significant stepping stone towards either team’s playoff aspirations while a loss could signal the start of a mediocre and forgettable season. Both games between these teams last season were highly competitive and resulted in a 1-1 split. I honestly believe this game can be considered a true toss-up and could go in either direction. If I was forced to predict a winner here, I’m taking the Raiders squeaking out the dub at home.

Showdown Roster Construction (in order of preference): 3-3 Balanced, 4-2 Raiders, 4-2 Chiefs -- (not too interested in any 5-1 builds myself).

Players & Stacks to Consider

Top Captains and Core Flex Plays:

QB Patrick Mahomes: The Raiders have had no real answers against Mahomes the last three seasons. In six previous meetings, Mahomes has averaged 313.7 YPG with a 15:3 TD:INT ratio and has been sacked only six times. Of course, he is not playing anywhere near the level we’ve come accustomed to seeing but it’s still much too early to be doubting Mahomes moving forward. He’s obviously in play as a CPT selection in this game and, if anything, his recent performances should keep his CPT ownership suppressed… to an extent.

QB Derek Carr: Carr has led the NFL’s 7th most pass-happy offense (63.1% pass play%) which has resulted in him averaging 320.6 YPG on 39 att/gm. While the Chiefs defense is holding opposing QBs to 15.1 FPPG over the last four weeks, that has been against Jordan Love, Daniel Jones, Ryan Tannehill, and Taylor Heinicke -- not the scariest of QB gauntlets. On the year, KC is allowing 7.8 YPA through the air (3rd highest) and Carr should likely push for another 40+ pass attempts in a close, competitive game.

WR Tyreek Hill: His role is much different this season than what we’ve seen in the past but his 28.4% TGT% is elite and I wouldn’t put much concern towards his awfully inefficient 4/37/0 stat line from last week. He was still targeted 11 times and it was a day where Mahomes completed only 54.1% of his passes for 166 yards. If Mahomes turns it around this week, so will Tyreek.

TE Travis Kelce: I mean, it's kinda much of the same here with Kelce as it is with Hill, right? Despite the notable struggles from Mahomes and the offense in general, Kelce is still the top scoring fantasy TE on the season. The Raiders have also given up plenty of production to opposing TEs (4th most FPPG allowed).

TE Darren Waller: He’s been a little banged up (missed week seven) and there was a stretch between week two and week six where he didn’t see more than eight targets and didn’t surpass more than 65 yards receiving. Last week was much more encouraging (7/92/0 on 11 targets). Much like his counterpart in this game (Kelce), Waller can come through with a massive performance at any moment going forward.

FLEX Plays and Leverage Captain Options:

RB Josh Jacobs OR Kenyan Drake: This is another one of those split backfields where it kinda makes more sense to highlight both backs together. Over their last two games, Drake has seen 57 offensive snaps while Jacobs has handled 58. In the post-Gruden era, we can likely expect much of the same moving forward. However, as cheesy as it sounds, you do want your showdown lineups to ‘tell a story.’ Jacobs would likely benefit from a game script where the Raiders play with a 7+ point lead while Drake, with his better pass catching profile, would benefit from more of a play-from-behind game script (e.g. last week vs. NYG where he was targeted eight times). Under a neutral game script, expect basically a 50/50 split in situational usage. I believe you can play either one of these RBs, depending on how you see the game playing out, but I wouldn’t play both in the same lineup.

WR Hunter Renfrow: As long as Renfrow isn’t in danger of missing SNF with that ankle injury, he should be a rock solid FLEX play against a Chiefs defense that has been middle-of-the-pack at defending slot WRs.

RB Darrel Williams: This is really all dependent on whether or not Clyde Edwards-Helaire suits up. CEH has been sidelined since sustaining a knee injury in week five but he returned to practice on Wednesday and could potentially be activated for this game. If CEH plays, he would likely be eased back into action and this KC backfield would set up as a three or four-man RBBC between CEH, D. Williams, J. McKinnon, and potentially D. Gore. If CEH sits for another week, Williams should handle around 65% of offensive snaps and push for 20 touches in a high-scoring game. The Raiders have allowed 4.5 YPC to RBs in their last four games, so if Williams gets the bulk of the RB work for one more week, he’s well within play. 

Flex Fillers, Fliers, and Sleepers:

K Daniel Carlson & Harrison Butker: With so much offensive production concentrated between only a handful of guys between these two offenses, both kickers can be viewed as fair salary relief options in the FLEX (wouldn’t play both in the same lineup, however).

WR Bryan Edwards: In the Raiders first game without Henry Ruggs last week, the WR snap% broke down as follows: Zay Jones - 96%, Bryan Edwards - 93%, Hunter Renfrow - 65%. Of course, Renfrow posted the only fantasy relevant game as both Jones and Edwards were targeted four times each. Edwards caught none of his targets while Jones caught one for 20 yards. Now that DeSean Jackson is set to join the Raiders, I expect he will take more snaps away from Jones rather than Edwards. That will leave Edwards as the preferred Raiders WR to punt in this game, though every Raiders receiving option outside of Waller and Renfrow will be extremely volatile for the time being.

WR Byron Pringle: Behind Tyreek and Kelce, the Chiefs receivers are even more of a headache to predict. While Mecole Hardman has been on the field more (59% snap% L4Wks), Pringle (36% snap% L4Wks) has been making more of his opportunities from a fantasy perspective. Pringle is averaging 0.211 FP/snap (L4Wks) compared to 0.177 FP/snap for Hardman. I can’t give any of these secondhand Chiefs WRs a resounding endorsement, but Pringle feels like a decent enough dart throw (pending showdown salaries).

WR DeSean Jackson: DJax isn’t currently included in the Thursday-Monday slate but I assume he will be once salaries are released for this single game slate. Given his burner profile, he’s presumably going to be worked into the deep threat role that Henry Ruggs has left behind -- though he may not play a full complement of snaps right away. Regardless, Jackson is always a threat to catch a deep TD any time he’s on the field, so he’s a perfect boom/bust flier to take a shot on in GPPs.

Stack Concepts:

Note: [*Player Name] indicates captain selection.

*Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, Byron Pringle: While pairing both Tyreek and Kelce with CPT Mahomes is doable, it’s usually sub-optimal due to the massive amount of salary that trio eats up in showdown lineups. I’m usually going to look for two pass catchers when slotting a more prototypical QB in at CPT, so here I’m landing on Tyreek (could be subbed for Kelce) and Pringle, who I highlighted above.

*Derek Carr, Darren Waller, DeSean Jackson: The same “CPT QB + Two Pass Catchers” stack shown above with Mahomes, but instead on the Raiders side of the ball. If Carr throws for 300+ yards this game, Waller and Renfrow could be on the receiving end of half of that yardage. After those two, take your pick on who makes up the rest. I’m banking on DJax seeing at least a couple of deep shots with his new team, and he needs to just connect on one of those to be a potential optimal play.

*Tyreek Hill, Hunter Renfrow, Kenyan Drake: It’s always worth trying out Tyreek at CPT in case of a ceiling game. If he goes off, that means the Raiders are likely playing catch-up. Renfrow and Drake are two Vegas players who may benefit in that game script.

*Darren Waller, Derek Carr, Darrel Williams (if CEH is out): We haven’t seen it since week one, but Derek Carr is no stranger to auto-locking onto his big playmaker at TE. We somewhat saw it last week when Carr delivered 11 targets to Waller but if going with Waller at CPT, you’d really like to see one of the crazy 15+ target games. In a potential back-and-forth shootout, this may be as good of a time as any for one of those “Carr-to-Waller” games to break out, especially if the WRs not named “Renfrow” continue to provide little production.

*Josh Jacobs, Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce: This is a contrarian stack idea where I’m envisioning the Raiders jumping out to a surprise 14+ point lead early on. As a result, they feed Jacobs 20+ carries, he runs for 100+ yards and multiple touchdowns. Meanwhile, you run it back with Mahomes + one of his top receivers in a Chiefs pass-heavy game script.

Los Angeles Rams (-4) at San Francisco 49ers | 49 O/U

LAR: 26.5 implied points | SF: 22.5 implied points

Notable DFS Relevant Injuries: QB Matthew Stafford (ankle) - Questionable, RB Jeff Wilson Jr. (knee) - Activated off PUP list, WR Mohamed Sanu (knee) - Doubtful

Score Prediction: LAR - 31, SF - 24

Game Notes: After getting boat raced in the primetime spotlight by the Derrick Henry-less Titans last Sunday night, the Rams will look to regain some lost pride in another primetime showcase on MNF. The Rams have not fared well in the Bay in recent seasons but they also didn’t have the arm of Matthew Stafford at their disposal. While the 49ers have dropped five of their last six games, they should be expected to hang tough in this game as they’ll be playing with a “nothing to lose” house money mindset. Getting George Kittle back in action last week is a huge plus and RB Jeff Wilson Jr. is expected to make his season debut after getting cleared off the PUP list. On paper, the Rams are easily the more balanced team who boasts a top 10 offense and top 10 defense. I’d be surprised to see the Rams drop a second game in a row but I don’t expect the 49ers to make it an easy win for them… and the home underdog upset is also firmly within the realm of possibilities!

Showdown Roster Construction (in order of preference): 4-2 Rams, 3-3 Balanced, 4-2 49ers, 5-1 Rams ‘smash’ builds (just a sprinkle in GPPs). 

Players & Stacks to Consider

Top Captains and Core Flex Plays:

WR Cooper Kupp: The volume is absurd (11.4 tgt/gm, 32.1% TGT%) and the production has been through the roof (74/1,019/10). The 49ers have also been more susceptible to the pass (25th in pass DVOA) than the run (6th in run DVOA). At this point, Kupp doesn’t require much of an argument to be made in his favor.

WR Deebo Samuel: This game features the top two NFL receiving leaders with Kupp and Deebo (882 yards)… though Deebo has played one fewer game than Kupp. Deebo’s 32.3% TGT% is basically on par with Kupp, however, the 49ers are a bit more run-heavy which has resulted in right at 10.0 tgt/gm for the 49ers alpha WR1. The Rams have not been utilizing Jalen Ramsey in shadow coverage this season so Samuel should find plenty of more advantageous match-ups against Rams CBs Donte Deayon and Darious Williams.

QB Matthew Stafford: His ankle injury isn’t expected to be anything serious so he should be all systems go by Monday night. After a poor showing on SNF, this is a nice bounce back spot for Stafford against a 49ers defense that has allowed the 6th most FPPG to QBs.

QB Jimmy Garoppolo: The top scoring fantasy QB over the last two weeks has been none other than Jimmy G himself. He has posted 648 yards passing in that stretch with a pair of touchdowns both on the ground and through the air. Now that Kittle is back in the mix, Deebo can still do Deebo things, and Brandon Aiyuk (6/89/1 last week) seems to have a pulse now, Garoppolo may continue to flourish with his current compliment of weapons.

Flex Plays and Leverage Captain Options:

RB Darrell Henderson Jr.: It’s not the greatest of match-ups as the 49ers have allowed only 3.8 YPC to opposing RBs this season. However, they have still given up a decent amount of fantasy points (12th most FPPG to RBs) and Henderson is operating in a true workhorse role this season. The game script didn’t work out in his favor in the last game, but that could easily change in week 10.

TE George Kittle: In the last three games Kittle has been healthy, he has averaged 9.3 tgt/gm. TEs have been a point of weakness for this Rams defense (11th most FPPG allowed) and if the 49ers pull off the upset at home, Kittle may very well be the x-factor that helps to put the offense over the top.

WR Robert Woods: After a bit of concern early in the season, Woods still very clearly has a valuable role within this elite offense. He’s averaging 8.8 targets over the last five games and has 16 redzone targets on the season (only five fewer than Kupp). His ability to land in the 15-20 DKFP range on a routine basis makes him a strong FLEX play with some contrarian captain upside to boot.

RB Eli Mitchell: His goal line work may be threatened by Jeff Wilson Jr.’s return, but until we see how the ‘Shanahanigans’ play out, I believe we have to proceed in viewing Mitchell as the primary ball carrier in this offense that loves to run the ball. Mitchell also saw a career-high five targets last week (and caught all five for 43 yards). If that is a new facet that is being added to his usage, then he becomes even more of a high-end FLEX play with captain viability.

WR Van Jefferson Jr.: With DJax out of town, Jefferson has a stranglehold on the Rams WR3 job. Some weeks, that won’t mean much (like last game). Other weeks, he’ll come through with a handful of catches, 70+ yards, and a touchdown. This could be one of those games if the 49ers place too much focus on stopping the Rams’ three primary weapons (Kupp, Woods, DHJr.).

Flex Fillers, Fliers, and Sleepers:

WR Brandon Aiyuk: Was he previously in someone’s doghouse? Did he have the yips? Off the field distractions? Who knows… but Aiyuk finally showed up in week nine catching 6-of-8 targets for 89 yards and a TD (19.7 DKFP) while playing on 93% of snaps. Aiyuk now has 15 targets in his last two games and is showing some flashes of what caused people to place such high expectations on the second-year player heading into the season.

RB Jeff Wilson Jr.: I can’t imagine he sees more than around 10 touches in his first game of the season, fresh off the PUP list, but a couple of those touches could very well come near or at the goal line. Around 50-60 yards and a TD or two isn’t all too far-fetched, especially with Kyle Shanahan calling the shots.

K Matt Gay & Robbie Gould: Strong median projections at these price points. Gay has scored at least 8 FP in every game this season and Gould, one of the more reliable PKs in the NFL, was activated off the IR last week and should be a worthy FLEX option as well. (As usual, I would usually avoid playing both kickers in the same GPP lineup).

WR Trent Sherfield: Mohamed Sanu had been playing on about 50% of snaps lately but is looking doubtful for MNF with a knee injury. Many of those vacated snaps would likely fall to Sherfield. He hasn’t done much of anything this season on a 21.9% snap%. However, his time on the field could realistically double so with added opportunity comes added fantasy point potential. GPP dart throw only, however.

Rams D/ST: This unit has surprisingly scored double digit FP in just one game this season but with all the talent they have on that side of the ball, they could certainly break through with a 5+ sack game with multiple turnovers and potentially a defensive (or special teams) touchdown. You’ll probably need that touchdown for them to be an optimal FLEX play, so I wouldn’t go overboard with rostering the Rams D/ST here, but they’re also worth a sprinkle here and there.

QB Trey Lance: So, it’s almost a guarantee you’re throwing money away on entries that roster a backup QB so DO NOT pay attention to this play if you only roll out a few lineups or just a single bullet. However, over the years, I’ve seen single game lineups win five and six figure takedowns because they chose to take the blind risk on rostering a backup QB. Hell, it just happened last week in the Jets/Colts game on TNF after Mike White went down early with a wrist injury. Sure as hell, Josh Johnson came in and scored 28.48 DKFP. He was out there in a few dozen lineups within a massive GPP at like 0.2% ownership and someone’s Josh Johnson lineup binks $50k. In Lance’s case, it isn’t as if he’d need a Jimmy G injury to see the field. Garoppolo could just come out looking flat and throw an early pick or two and Lance could play the remainder of the game. Before I get too long-winded, all I’m saying is, if you play 50 lineups, for instance, it may be wise to throw Lance in one or two for the hell of it. 

Stack Concepts:

Note: [*Player Name] indicates captain selection.

*Cooper Kupp, Jimmy Garoppolo, George Kittle: Kupp can have a monster game without necessarily requiring Stafford to be paired with him in the same lineup. So, in this scenario, I like the idea of rolling Kupp at CPT with a Jimmy G stack in the FLEX (preferably Kittle or Deebo being the priorities, unsurprisingly).

*Deebo Samuel, Matthew Stafford, Robert Woods: Take the above concept and just reverse the teams. Either one of these two WRs could break the slate with a massive solo performance of their own without their QB necessarily “going off” and becoming an optimal FLEX play.

*Matthew Stafford, Robert Woods, Van Jefferson Jr. (fade Kupp): I’m purely guessing without knowing the showdown salaries at this time, but I assume Kupp will be the priciest option on the board. Most people who roster Stafford at CPT will look to stack Kupp with him in the FLEX. If Kupp has one of his more ho-hum performances (e.g. weeks 4 & 5) then it will be extremely unlikely that he returns enough value to make the final optimal lineup. Going with two alternative Rams receivers with Stafford at CPT would stand out as a unique build.

*Jimmy Garoppolo, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle: I would dub this the “Jimmy G double stack onslaught.” Going with this exact trio would probably leave little room to squeeze in the elite Rams plays, which won’t sit well with many folks. If San Francisco pulls off the upset and Garoppolo throws for 300+ yards for the third straight game, this could be a sharp contrarian stack to roll out (even though, on the surface, it doesn’t seem all too crazy).

*George Kittle, Brandon Aiyuk, Darrell Henderson Jr.: I believe some people may forget just how much of a match-up nightmare George Kittle can be. He’s had a thing for destroying the Rams as well. In his last six games vs. LAR, he has averaged 6.3 catches for 106.3 YPG with four total TDs. I’d expect his CPT ownership to be around 15% and he definitely looked fully healthy last week despite missing a month of football.

That will wrap us up for the Week 10 Primetime Preview! Be sure to check out the main slate breakdown linked in the header. Once again, you can find me on Twitter or in LineStar chat @Ryan_Humphries. Good luck this week! Be on the lookout for the newsletter covering the main slate tomorrow!

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