NFL Week 10 fantasy football, betting cheat sheet: Tee Higgins out for TNF, Zack Moss hits IR

Welcome to the Week 10 NFL fantasy and betting cheat sheet, a one-stop-shop for The Athletic’s game previews, injury and weather updates, and expert analysis. Bookmark this page and check back often, as we offer regular updates on Thursday and Friday to assist with fantasy lineups and betting decisions. We’ll come back with a special Sunday cheat sheet that morning as well.

Player rankings referenced in this article are current as of 2:15 p.m. ET, Nov. 7. For updated rankings, see the “Fantasy football player rankings” section.

The latest NFL news and headlines

Last updated: 6:50 p.m. ET, Nov. 7

Injury news | Weather report
Featured games | MVP odds
Survivor Pools | Fantasy football player rankings

Injury news

Updated through 6:50 p.m. ET, Nov. 7

Thursday Night Football

Tee Higgins, WR, Bengals (quadriceps) — Out
Higgins is not available for Thursday Night football. Backup WR Andrei Iosivas has not topped two receptions since Week 3, so bet on TE Mike Gesicki to absorb targets left behind by Higgins. In Weeks 8 and 9, Gesicki had seven receptions for 73 yards and five receptions for 100 yards and two touchdowns, respectively.

Zack Moss, RB, Bengals (neck) — Injured reserve
The Bengals added RB Khalil Herbert via trade, but Chase Brown is the RB1 in Cincinnati and racked up 120 rushing yards, 37 receiving yards and a touchdown with Moss out in Week 9.

Isaiah Likely, TE, Ravens (hamstring) — Out
Likely will not play against the Bengals on Thursday night, so expect Mark Andrews to see additional targets. Jake Ciely has Andrews as TE7 this week.

Keaton Mitchell, RB, Ravens (knee) — Active
Mitchell was activated from the injured reserve list ahead of Thursday Night Football. He is known for his speed and adds depth to Baltimore’s backfield, but Derrick Henry is the clear No. 1 (for the Ravens and in fantasy football).

Sunday 9:30 a.m.

Adam Thielen, WR, Panthers (hamstring) — Injured reserve / Questionable
Thielen, who has been on injured reserve, practiced last week before being ruled out ahead of Week 9. So far this week, he has not practiced but could return in Week 10. With Thielen out, the Panthers will heavily rely on Xavier Legette. TE Ja’Tavion Sanders had a big Week 9 with 87 yards receiving, but it’s too early to tell if he’ll continue to see targets, especially with QB Bryce Young’s struggles.

Darius Slayton, WR, Giants (concussion) — Questionable
Theo Johnson, TE, Giants (knee/back) — Questionable
Slayton is questionable for the Germany game after suffering a concussion in Week 9. If he can’t play, WR Wan’Dale Robinson could be second in line for targets behind Malik Nabers, especially if Johnson can’t take the field.

Sunday 1 p.m.

Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jaguars (shoulder) — Questionable
Lawrence is unlikely to play, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. With the Jags QB1 sidelined, Mac Jones is the next man up.  With Lawrence out, Jacksonville’s skill position players, including WR Brian Thomas Jr. (questionable), RBs Tank Bigsby (questionable), and Travis Etienne Jr. (questionable), take a hit heading into Week 10.

Christian McCaffrey, RB, 49ers (Achilles) — Injured reserve / Questionable
Rumor has it that McCaffrey could return in Week 10. If so, bench Jordan Mason and Isaac Guerendo, but pay close attention to how the backs are utilized. It remains to be seen if McCaffrey is used as he was pre-injury.

Deebo Samuel, WR, 49ers (oblique/ribs) — Questionable
Jauan Jennings, WR, 49ers (hip) — Questionable
Samuel and Jennings were limited in Wednesday’s practice. If either or both of them can’t play, WR Ricky Pearsall and TE George Kittle could see more targets.

Mike Evans, WR, Buccaneers (hamstring) — Out
Evans remains out for the Bucs matchup against the 49ers but was seen working out on the sidelines early in the week. With receiver Chris Godwin on IR, the Bucs will continue to rely on TE Cade Otton and WRs Jalen McMillan, Trey Palmer, and Sterling Shepard. Otton is an every-week fantasy starter with 18, 29.1 and 21.7 fantasy points in Weeks 7, 8 and 9, respectively.

Drake London, WR, Falcons (hip) — Questionable
Kyle Pitts, TE, Falcons (hamstring) — Questionable
London was injured after catching a touchdown pass in Week 9 and is questionable heading into Week 10. If he and Pitts can’t play, WR Darnell Mooney could be in for a monster game. Mooney is playing up to his talent level after leaving Chicago and has 588 receiving yards and five touchdowns on the season.

Chris Olave, WR, Saints (concussion) — Doubtful
Cedrick Wilson Jr., WR, Saints (shoulder) — Questionable
The Saints are a mess. They fired head coach Dennis Allen and are floundering at 2-7. Losing Olave this week would be icing on the cake. Without him, the Saints will turn to Wilson (questionable) and TEs Taysom Hill and Juwan Johnson, as in Week 9. With Olave doubtful, RB Alvin Kamara is the only consistent fantasy option on this New Orleans team.

Sunday 4 p.m.

Dak Prescott, QB, Cowboys (hamstring) — Out
Prescott may hit the IR after sustaining a partial avulsion of his hamstring. QB Cooper Rush is next on the depth chart, followed by Trey Lance. Neither QB offers too much upside, though Lance’s legs can supplement weaker passing. The real impact comes to every other Dallas skill position player. Without a passing game, RB Rico Dowdle may not find as much room to run. WR CeeDee Lamb will still see the bulk of targets, but his value decreases as well.

Will Levis, QB, Titans (shoulder) — Questionable
Not much changes for fantasy players if Levis can’t play in Week 10. His dismal 70.7 passer rating bests only recently-benched Colts QB Anthony Richardson and Bryce Young, who are not good company to keep.

Sunday Night Football

Nico Collins, WR, Texans (hamstring) — Injured reserve / Questionable
According to KPRC 2 Houston’s Aaron Wilson, Collins could be activated ahead of Sunday Night Football’s matchup with the Lions. His return is valuable to fantasy players who have C.J. Stroud, as the young QB has struggled in Collins’ absence. If Collins plays, he and Stroud could have a good week in a likely high-scoring affair.

Weather report

Outdoor games only

The only game affected this week is in Chicago, where the Bears are heavily favored and host the New England Patriots.

According to Rotowire, the Bears-Patriots matchup has an 83 percent chance of rain and an expected temperature of 60 degrees.

New England Patriots (2-7) vs. Chicago Bears (4-4)

Rookie quarterbacks Drake Maye (NE) and Caleb Williams (CHI) have never played in rainy conditions in the NFL. During training camp on August 15, the Bears went against the Bengals at Halas Hall in the rain. In that practice, Williams threw an interception on his first pass during 7-on-7 but came back with two completions. He also had some productive 11-on-11 moments, hitting both Keenan Allen and DJ Moore in the endzone for touchdowns.

More relevant is Williams’ first season as the Bears’ QB and his lack of production overall. Williams ranks 29th in completion percentage (61.4 percent), which typically drops for passers in the rain. His 83.0 passer rating ranks 25th, and he’s only averaging 14.3 fantasy points per game. Williams is a bench candidate in any game, but the rain certainly won’t help his fantasy prospects in Week 10. Teams typically shift to a rushing game script in the rain, and over his career, Bears RB D’Andre Swift has averaged 6.4 yards per carry in the rain, with a successful play rate on rush attempts (EPA-based) of 35.3 percent. Even in the rain, Swift can produce and may be heavily utilized in Week 10.

Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson is less productive in the rain, averaging only 2.1 yards per carry, but with a small sample. Maye’s season efficiency stats are slightly better than Williams’. Maye has an 85.1 passer rating and a completion percentage of 65.6 percent. Due to the inexperience of these rookie quarterbacks, both the Bears and the Patriots will likely lean on the run, short option passes, receptions out of the backfield and quick drop-offs to tight ends and slot receivers.

This game has few reliable fantasy producers, and the rain may make it worse. Ciely has Maye as QB20 and Williams as QB21, which means they should both be benched in single QB leagues. Ciely has the most faith in Swift (RB14), Moore (WR35) and Rome Odunze (WR36). He’s also high on New England TE Hunter Henry (TE 13), who has been a favorite target of Maye with 23 targets, second only to DeMario Douglas, who’s been targeted 25 times. Henry could be heavily utilized with a game plan focused on quick, simple passes.

Wondering what the weather impact is on fantasy production? Jake Ciely has you covered like a poncho in rainy season.

Featured games

Game-specific previews and live updates are available on the day of the game. Read about every game on the schedule here.

Thursday night

Cincinnati Bengals (4-5) vs. Baltimore Ravens (6-3)

• Venue: M&T Bank Stadium — Baltimore, Md.
• Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
• TV: Prime Video
• Streaming: Fubo (try for free)

These two teams met once already, and the game ended in overtime with the Ravens narrowly escaping with a 41-38 win, making the line an interesting one.

Lamar Jackson comes into this game with the sixth-highest passer rating (120.7) in Weeks 1-9 in 25 seasons. Three of the five players ahead of him on that list were league MVPs by the end of their efficient seasons. Jackson and Josh Allen are currently favorites (+300 each) to win this season’s MVP Award. Along with Jackson (Ciely’s QB1), the Ravens have loads of offensive weapons, including WR Zay Flowers (WR11), RB Derrick Henry (RB2), TE Mark Andrews (TE7), and, of course, new acquisition WR Diontae Johnson (WR47). While Johnson is ranked lower in Ciely’s projections, Week 9 was Johnson’s first week with the team, and the Ravens should involve him more in Week 10.

For their part, the Bengals have been playing relatively well lately. They began the season 0-3 but have won three of their last four games. When the teams met last, Ja’Marr Chase had 193 yards and two touchdowns, and he’s fantasy’s WR5 on the year with 18.9 PPR points per game. Chase Brown had a monster game last week with Zack Moss out, and the Bengals added Khalil Herbert via trade. I’m waiting to see how Herbert is used, but I believe in Brown (Ciely’s RB19) in Week 10.

This matchup should have fantasy fans excited as production galore waits in the wings.

Read the full preview.

Sunday morning

New York Giants (2-7) vs. Carolina Panthers (2-7)

• Venue: Allianz Arena — Munich, Germany
• Time: 9:30 a.m. ET
• TV: NFL Network
• Streaming: Fubo (try for free)

The Giants and Panthers head to Munich to play in front of fans who were probably hoping to attend a more meaningful game. That the Giants are favored in this game says more about the hapless Carolina Panthers, who continue to roll out Bryce Young. Daniel Jones has been minimally better for the Giants but has the potential for good games. In Weeks 3, 4, and 9, his passer rating was over 100, and he had completion percentages of 70.6 percent, 67.6 percent and 76.9 percent, respectively. Coming off a tremendous Week 9 effort, Jones could do well against this ailing Panthers team. Along with Jones, Tyrone Tracy Jr., Malik Nabers and even TE Theo Johnson could do well in this spot.

Young and the Panthers are running out of weapons. They lost Diontae Johnson and Jonathan Mingo to trades, stockpiling 2025 draft picks. With everyone out of the building, WR Xavier Legette is the clear No. 1 in Carolina — and is a viable flex play, given his expected target share. If RB Jonathon Brooks makes his debut in Week 10, the Panthers’ ground game could certainly benefit, as he and Chuba Hubbard (Ciely’s RB 22) could share the massive load necessary for the Panthers to stand a chance.

I’m all in on Nabers, Tracy Jr., and even Jones in this game. The rule of the 2024 fantasy season is to start anyone who plays the Panthers — a team that can’t stay on the field and is last in opponent yards per game, last in opponent rushing yards per game and 25th in opponent passing yards per game.

Read the full preview (coming Sunday). 

Sunday afternoon

Philadelphia Eagles (6-2) vs. Dallas Cowboys (3-5)

• Venue: AT&T Stadium — Arlington, Texas
• Time: 4:25 p.m. ET
• TV: CBS
• Streaming: Fubo (try for free)

As of Thursday morning, the Eagles were favored by more than a touchdown in this NFC East rivalry game, which is no shock given Dak Prescott’s injury and Cooper Rush under center.

Rush’s career stats for the Cowboys are middling, nearing disastrous — 60 percent completion percentage, 81.0 passer rating, nine touchdowns, six interceptions. If he were a 2024 starter, this stat line would best only Mason Rudolph, Anthony Richardson, Jacoby Brissett and Bryce Young. CeeDee Lamb is week-to-week with a shoulder injury, which doesn’t do much to instill confidence in this Cowboys offense. Sure, they will try to lean on Rico Dowdle (Ciely’s RB26) who’s had average success this year. But Dowdle isn’t Saquon Barkley, and the Eagles have that guy.

Philadelphia could not be playing the Cowboys at a better time, and they are built to capitalize on that. Barkley and DeVonta Smith are healthy and ready for Week 10, and A.J. Brown and Dallas Goedert are practicing this week, giving them a chance to play. If Jalen Hurts has his weapons back, watch out because he’s won without them. Philly skill position players are must-starts most weeks, but against the Cowboys — who should struggle to stay on the field, give up the most yards per attempt and rank near the bottom of the league in opponent yards per game — whoever of Brown, Smith, Barkley and Goedert plays should be slotted into fantasy lineups.

Read the full preview (coming Sunday).

Sunday night

Detroit Lions (7-1) vs. Houston Texans (6-3)

• Venue: NRG Stadium — Houston, Texas
• Time: 8:20 p.m. ET
• TV: NBC, Peacock
• Streaming: Fubo (try for free)

Detroit may be the most complete team in the league. Jared Goff is an MVP candidate, leads the league in completion percentage (74.9 percent), has the second-best passer rating (115), and the second-most yards per attempt (8.7). His success does not come from dumping off short passes left and right, though Expected Points Added (EPA) King Jahmyr Gibbs and his receiving out of the backfield certainly helps. Gibbs leads the league in EPA per carry with a rate of 0.27, which doubles No. RB Derrick Henry’s. And Gibbs is just one of two productive backs for the Lions, as David Montgomery has played excellently this season, too, averaging 15.75 fantasy points per game.

The Lions also have Amon-Ra St. Brown (Ciely’s WR4) and Jameson Williams, who is expected to return from a two-game suspension, along with talented TE Sam LaPorta. Detroit has no shortage of weapons, unlike the Texans, who are down Stefon Diggs and Nico Collins, though the latter could return in Week 10.

But Houston still has C.J. Stroud, who, while having a down year (21st in fantasy points per game) and losing to the Jets last week, has big-play potential with Collins back. Then, there’s Joe Mixon, Ciely’s RB4, ranked third overall in PPR points per game. Before his injury, Collins led the league’s receivers in yards per game (113.4), ranking fourth in targets and fifth in receptions. Tank Dell can’t do it alone, so Collins’ return is essential to Houston’s success — along with good play from the Texans defense.

Houston’s D gives up only 281.7 yards per game (2nd) and 167.4 passing yards per game (3rd). The Lions, on the other hand, rank near the bottom of the league in many defensive categories except rush defense, which happens to be Houston’s only semi-weakness. Given defensive holes, Gibbs, Montgomery and Collins (if available) could all have a good day.

Read the full preview (coming Sunday).

Monday night

Miami Dolphins (2-6) vs. Los Angeles Rams (4-4)

• Venue: SoFi Stadium — Inglewood, Calif.
• Time: 8:15 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN
• Streaming: Fubo (try for free)

Monday night’s matchup features two teams that struggled early in the season due to injuries but are making their way back to better play. The return of Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua, two every-week fantasy starters, gave Matthew Stafford the targets he needed to win games. Now on a three-game winning streak, the Rams are back in the NFL playoff picture.

With injuries to the wide receiver corps, Kyren Williams took over and is fantasy’s RB7 with 18.7 PPR points per game. While he’s certainly helping fantasy teams, the Rams rank 26th in rushing yards per game (97.13), and Williams’ success has been supplemented by his receiving skills and 10 total touchdowns.

The Dolphins have lost their previous two games on last-second field goals and are looking to get rolling with Tua Tagovailoa back in the lineup. Tyreek Hill had his second-best performance of the year in Week 9 with 80 yards on four receptions and five targets. On the other hand, Jaylen Waddle hopes to never see last week’s stat sheet again, as he had two catches for negative two yards.

Tagovailoa’s presence will surely help, though. He ranks fourth in the league in EPA per dropback and first in tight-window completion percentage. But De’Von Achane has provided the most consistency for this team and is fantasy’s RB9 in PPR points per game. As of Thursday morning, Los Angeles was favored but by a very small margin. The Dolphins have had bad luck this season, but they have the talent to turn it around at any point, unlike most of the other NFL teams with 2-6 records.

Read the full preview (coming Monday).

NFL MVP odds

Khari Demos talks MVP odds. Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen top the board. 

Allen vs. Jackson: Who you got?

Allen’s Week 9 was highlighted by continuing his reign over the Miami Dolphins. He totaled 235 passing yards and three touchdown passes, but most importantly, he orchestrated a game-winning drive that was capped by Tyler Bass’ 61-yard boot with five seconds left in regulation.

The Buffalo Bills’ four-game winning streak has seen strong play from No. 17, which follows his trend for the year. In seven wins, Allen’s numbers (19 total TDs, 241.4 passing yards per game, 118.5 passer rating, 71.1 completion percentage) fare much better than in his two losses (one total TD, 155.5 passing yards per game, 65 passer rating, 42.4 completion percentage).

Continuing his clean play (two interceptions, zero lost fumbles) will be key in Allen’s pursuit of his first MVP award. The Bills have matchups against other Super Bowl favorites (Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions) on the second-half slate, giving Allen the platform to show his best against the league’s best.

Jackson spent his Week 9 carving up the Denver Broncos like he was Michael Myers. He went 16-for-19 for 280 passing yards, had three TD passes and a perfect passer rating, his fourth time doing so in his career (the most all-time in NFL history). The three other times Jackson did so? All of them took place during his two MVP seasons in 2019 and 2023. Jackson also did this against a Broncos defense that entered Week 9 ranked No. 3 overall and No. 4 in pass defense.

— Demos

Read all of Demos’ thoughts here.

Survivor pool picks

A weekly guide to staying alive from Renee Miller and Adam Gretz. Odds from BetMGM as of Thursday.

Question from Melissa B.: At what point do you consider what teams your competitors have left when making your pick for the week? Eight left in my pool — most have already used Kansas City. I’ve been sitting on them for weeks 12 (Carolina) or 13 (Vegas), but maybe this is a good opportunity to take them against Denver? Or do I just stick with my original plan and take the Chargers at home vs. Tennessee this week?

Renee Miller: Congratulations on making it to the Elite 8! If you haven’t been monitoring your opponents thus far, now is definitely a good time to start. I wouldn’t let their available options drive me to a suboptimal decision, but you have a few good candidates for this week. KC is the biggest favorite on the slate, but they give me pause this week for a couple of reasons. One is the undefeated streak. Blah, blah, blah … but the ‘72 Dolphins really will tell you how hard it is to accomplish such a feat. Most streaks end. Second, Denver isn’t really as good as they’ve looked at their best, nor as bad as they’ve looked at their worst. We don’t know which version will show up this week, and it’s a divisional matchup. You can see from below that my money is on the Chargers this week, so I’d go with your original plan. Week 12 isn’t too far away and I’d rather have Kansas City for the Carolina matchup when there isn’t much else looking appealing.

Get this week’s top survivor pool tips.

Jake Ciely’s Week 10 fantasy football player rankings

Find out Jake’s top QB, RB, WR and TE for the week!

• There is no perfect widget out there, sadly, still. I know many view this on your phone, but 1) use the rankings widget on a PC/laptop/etc. if possible or 2) open in your phone’s browser, especially for Android users, to get the scrolling to work (or Android people can try a two-finger scroll).
• ECR = “Expert” Consensus Ranking (which isn’t updated by everyone consistently, so take with a grain of salt).
• Updated regularly, so check up to lineups locking.

Get Ciely’s full Week 10 analysis. Plus sleepers and projections.

(Photo of Tee Higgins: Nick Cammett / Getty Images)