Week 10 Fantasy Football Takeaways: Chuba Hubbard, T.J. Hockenson, Xavier Worthy, Gus Edwards, Trey Benson and More

With week 10 of the NFL season nearly in the books, it’s time to discuss some fantasy football takeaways from Sunday’s games.

We’ll pick out at least one thing from every game.

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Will Hubbard Ever Lose RB1 Role?

The Panthers toppled the Giants in overtime, with Chuba Hubbard being a big reason behind the win.

Hubbard rushed 28 times for 153 yards and a score, while catching four of his six targets for an additional 16 yards. He also lost a fumble.

He was the clear lead back over Miles Sanders, who only got two touches. Jonathon Brooks did not play again, but is nearing his NFL debut.

With how well Hubbard is playing, and after the team signed him to a big extension, I’m now wondering if he will ever lose the workhorse role in the Carolina offense. Brooks looked to be the future of the Panthers’ backfield, but after not playing and the Hubbard extension, I’m not so sure that’s the case anymore.

Hubbard might lose a few touches per game when Brooks finally suits up, but that doesn’t mean you’ll lose a ton of fantasy value. Brooks should take all of Sanders’ snaps and touches, and then if he takes a little bit off Hubbard’s plate, the rebuilding Panthers might be pleased with that. It’s a wait-and-see game at this point, but I think the fantasy owners who drafted Hubbard should just hang on to him, instead of trying to sell him high in a trade.

Maye Outperforms Williams

Caleb Williams was a pretty obvious choice for the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, but he certainly hasn’t lived up to the hype many times. On Sunday, Drake Maye (the No. 3 pick) outperformed him and the Patriots dominated the Bears.

Williams was just 16-of-30 for 120 yards, and no touchdowns or interceptions. He added 15 rushing yards on two carries and was sacked nine times.

Maye was 15-of-25 for 184 yards, a touchdown and a pick, while adding 24 rushing yards on four carries. He was sacked once.

The difference in sacks is pretty noticeable, and explains a lot of why Williams hasn’t been able to consistently produce for the Bears. He’s got better offensive weapons than Maye (and Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix), but without a solid offensive line, those weapons cannot be utilized.

While both guys are streaming options in standard leagues, dynasty owners of Williams are starting to at least worry a bit about the Bears ruining another young quarterback for the long haul. There’s time to get things turned around, but Williams and the Bears’ other offensive fantasy players are very risky plays until that happens.

Hollins Emerges in Buffalo

With Keon Coleman and Amari Cooper out, I expected Khalil Shakir to go off for a big game. He had 58 yards on six grabs and nine targets, but it was Mack Hollins who ended up leading the Bills’ pass catchers in their win over the Colts.

Hollins had 86 yards on four grabs and targets, with a long reception of 44 yards.

Many fantasy owners are going to write off the performance with Coleman and Cooper out, but in deeper leagues especially, Hollins has some real fantasy value if either of those two remain out.

He’s played at least 45% of the offensive snaps in every game, and has been over 60% in all but three games. If you are in desperate need of a fantasy wideout, don’t write off Hollins.

Hockenson Back to a Fantasy Starter?

T.J. Hockenson didn’t accomplish much in his first game back from injury, but in week 10, he delivered to help the Vikings fend off the Jaguars. The tight end went for 72 yards on eight grabs and nine targets.

Fantasy tight end play has been inconsistent this season, and Hockenson had been one of the better fantasy options before his injury. He’s played 45 and 46% of the offensive snaps, so he’s a bit of a risky fantasy play, but it’s hard to ignore his production.

With some more favorable matchups ahead, I think Hockenson is already back to being a must-start fantasy option. If he can start playing more offensive snaps, look out.

Time to Drop Worthy?

The Chiefs won again on Sunday, and it was the usual players leading the way - Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, DeAndre Hopkins and Kareem Hunt.

Xavier Worthy had another rough outing, catching just one pass for 11 yards across four targets. That was better than his no-catch performance in week 9, but was the fifth time he’s finished under 20 receiving yards in a game. Worthy hasn’t gone over 40 yards since late September.

Even though he’s the team’s No. 2 wideout (behind Hopkins) and No. 3 option overall (tacking on Kelce), Worthy looks like an obvious drop candidate. That’s weird to say one of Mahomes’ top targets, but that’s where we’re at.

Some of you might hold out hope on the rookie, but I think it’s time to make the move and will be doing it this week in one of my leagues. Things aren’t going to get any better when Isiah Pacheco returns to the fold, and Worthy’s only fantasy relevance now might come after a big-time injury. It’s time to move on.

MVS Stands Out for Saints

Marquez Valdes-Scantling had just three catches on as many targets, but they went for 109 yards and two scores in the Saints win over the Falcons.

Chris Olave missed the game, and was placed on injured reserve, so the Saints need some pass catchers to stand up. MVS might be that guy.

As you can see from his statline, he’s still a boom-or-bust guy, but I’d much rather roster a player like Valdes-Scantling going forward than a guy like Worthy.

CMC Returns with a Bang

Most people thought Christian McCaffrey would be eased back into things. Not so fast! He played 88% of the offensive snaps, while Jordan Mason was at just 5%.

CMC had 39 rushing yards on 13 carries and 68 receiving yards on six grabs and seven targets. Mason only got one carry, gaining five yards. Deebo Samuel Sr. even got more rushing attempts than Mason.

McCaffrey is immediately back to being a must-start fantasy player, while Mason is going to probably be dropped in a bunch of leagues. I’d hang on to Mason if I also rostered CMC, but Mason just looks like a handcuff at this point.

Warren Leads Steelers’ Backfield

Jaylen Warren got 16 touches on Sunday, rushing 14 times for 66 yards and adding in two receptions for 29 yards. He also fumbled once.

Najee Harris got 21 touches, all of which were on the ground. He gained just 53 yards, but did score a touchdown to deliver a solid fantasy score.

Harris only got two more snaps than Warren (37-35), and it sure looks like the backfield duo we’ve seen over the years is back again. Both have decent fantasy outlooks on a week-to-week basis, but with several tough matchups ahead, it might be time to sell high on Harris, while buying into Warren.

RB Committee in LA?

J.K. Dobbins has pretty much dominated the Chargers’ backfield all season, but Gus Edwards outperformed him on Sunday.

Edwards had 55 rushing yards on 10 carries. He was not targeted in the passing game. Dobbins had 50 yards on 15 rushing attempts and five yards on three grabs and targets.

It’s just one game, but with Edwards just returning from an injury and getting that much work, we might be on our way to a committee in LA. This is another case where I’d advocate for selling high on Dobbins and buying into Edwards (who might be available as a waiver wire option).

Benson Leaves his Mark

James Conner has led the Arizona backfield all season, but rookie Trey Benson did some impressive things in week 10.

Benson rushed 10 times for 62 yards and added 25 yards on two grabs and five targets. Conner still had a great day in the team’s rout of the Jets, rushing for 33 yards and a score on 12 attempts and adding 80 receiving yards on five grabs and targets.

Conner played twice as many snaps, and might have been limited after going into the game with an injury, but you have to take notice of Benson’s day. On an offense looking for consistency, Benson might be a source of offense. He should be rostered in deeper leagues and dynasties, and with a favorable schedule ahead, could become a flex-level player in standard leagues.

Hurts Back to Top-Level Fantasy Player

Jalen Hurts had some pedestrian fantasy showings early in the season, but has turned things up a notch since the team’s bye in week 5.

He’s gone over 20 fantasy points in five straight, scored over 30 points twice and missed it a third time by just a little bit.

After a shaky start to the season, Hurts is back to being a must-start fantasy player, even in tough matchups.

Time to Worry About Goff?

The Lions won on Sunday night, but Jared Goff struggled for much of the game. He finished with 240 yards and two scores on 15-of-30 passing, but threw five interceptions.

The team threw a lot to catch up, and still won, but the poor showing continued a recent trend for Goff. He’s scored 16 or less fantasy points in three straight, and hasn’t gone over 20 points in the past four games.

The Lions are healthy, and winning, but it hasn’t led to big fantasy days from Goff. There’s more tough outings ahead, and that might leave Goff out of fantasy lineups more often than not for the remainder of the season.