The quarterback position got a massive shakeup this week. First, we learned that Matthew Stafford had lost Puka Nacua for at least the next month. Then we found out Michael Wilson was out for the season and Gardner Minshew was hurt and would be replaced by Carson Beck. On Tuesday, we saw Kirk Cousins traded to the Vikings, opening the door for Fernand Mendoza to make his debut. Oh yeah, and Malik Willis is heading to Injured Reserve as well. And Jacoby Brissett is starting for the Ravens this week. Caught up?
The main takeaway from all these moves is that there are very few typical starters that we would call sits. Matthew Stafford is the only real example, though Patrick Mahomes and Jayden Daniels are very borderline starts as well. Other than that, if you have been starting someone, you should probably keep starting them.
Of the guys who changed situations this week, Cousins is the most difficult projection. He knows the system, but he hasn't been with the team. He has Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison, but he also has a very difficult matchup against the Packers. I am being cautious this week and don't rank him as highly as I did most weeks with the Raiders. But I wanted to touch on this because it is a very low-confidence projection and ranking. Cousins does have huge upside virtually every week with the Vikings. This week's projection has a wide error band because we don't have any data on Cousins with the 2026 Vikings and the Packers defense has been playing lights out. But I fully expect that within a few weeks, we will be more confident and Cousins will be a borderline QB1.
Let's get to the rest of the preview:
Week 10 QB Preview
Numbers to know
- -7.8% -- The Vikings have the 22nd pass rate over expected, while the Raiders have the fifth. A big part of Cousins' Fantasy success will rely on that number going up.
- 41.4 -- Jacoby Brissett averaged 41.4 dropbacks per game in Arizona. That number could fall significantly in Baltimore.
- 11.1% -- Jordan Love has an 11.1% explosive per dropback rate. Only Josh Allen has a better mark.
- 20 -- Bo Nix is up to 20 designed runs this year; only Josh Allen has more.
- 21 -- The Raiders have given up at least 21 Fantasy points to seven straight quarterbacks.
- 228 -- Matthew Stafford has not thrown for more than 228 yards in a game in a month.
Waiver Wire Targets
 
Drew Lock
QB
SEA
Seattle
• #2
Age: 30 • Experience: 8 yrs.
Even after last week's disappointment, this is just about the best Drew Lock we have seen. He's averaging 7.9 yards per attempt and hasn't thrown a pick. In Week 10, he gets a great matchup against the Raiders. This is more of a bye-week replacement play than anything else; the only starter I would sit for Lock is Matthew Stafford.
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NYG
N.Y. Giants
• #18
Age: 23 • Experience: 3 yrs.
The Commanders have given up the fourth most Fantasy points to opposing QBs. When they played the Giants in October, Jameis Winston threw for 326 yards and three touchdowns. The touchdowns will be the key. McCarthy is averaging nearly three more yards per attempt than Winston and has done a much better job of avoiding turnovers, but he still only has one touchdown pass this season. That should change this week.
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DFS Plays
 
Tyler Shough
QB
NO
New Orleans
• #6
Age: 27 • Experience: 2 yrs.
I am very interested in stacking this game between the Panthers and the Saints, and Tyler Shough is my favorite QB in the game. His efficiency has taken a downturn this year, but I expect that to improve the more Jordyn Tyson gets involved. I also think Carolina will score at will in this game, which should keep Shough passing. He's also cheap enough that you can put an impressive stack around him.
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Cam Ward
QB
TEN
Tennessee
• #1
Age: 24 • Experience: 2 yrs.
This game could get out of hand quickly, but as far as contrarian plays go the matchup works in Ward's favor. Jacksonville's defense is a pass funnel and I don't think their standing against quarterbacks is reflective of their ability to stop the pass. They have faced Joe Fagnano and Daniel Jones the past two weeks but before that they were giving up 280 yards per game. Ward just scored nearly 30 FanDuel points in a loss to the Bengals. Just make sure Carnell Tate is back before you plug Ward into a lineup.
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Heath's projections
My full set of Week 10 Fantasy football projections for every position is here. Find out which of my favorite plays are projected to score higher than consensus rankings and which don't live up to their draft hype, at least in Week 10. Projected stats for all starting quarterbacks are available and will be updated throughout the week as I make changes.
