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With 10 weeks of the NFL season in the books, most fantasy football teams have solidified their starting lineups. However, hidden gems on your bench or the waiver wire could still be the difference between a win and a loss.
The Cincinnati/Pittsburgh Matchup
Here is one player from each position who could start for your roster this week that may not already be in your lineup. Interestingly enough, all of these examples are Steelers and Bengals, and guess what - they play each other this week. This game has the potential to be a tremendous fantasy matchup.
Quarterback to Start
Joe Flacco, Cincinnati
The Bengals may be 1-3 with Joe Flacco under center, but the team has scored 18, 33, 38, and 42 points in his starts, with a 342-yard game and a 470-yard game under his belt. This week, the Bengals will travel to division-rival Pittsburgh, which has allowed four 300-yard passers in the last six games. One of which was against Flacco and the Bengals. Both defenses have struggled this year, and yet both teams' offenses have done fairly well, especially Cincinnati's. A back-and-forth battle of moving the sticks seems imminent once again, which favors Flacco, but you could also put Aaron Rodgers into this equation as well. He has not had a 300-yard game since Week 14 of 2024, but in the earlier meeting at Cincinnati, he had 249 yards with four touchdown passes.
There are fantasy points to be mined in this game, especially if poor defensive execution continues to be an issue for both teams. The Vegas line for this game is 49.5, which seems low considering how both teams have fared this season. One reason for the sub-50 line may be the lack of fourth-down attempts by both teams. Combined, both teams have only 13 attempts on fourth down this season. 25 teams have 13 or more fourth-down attempts on their own. Pittsburgh is still allowing a league-high 291 passing yards per game, and Cincinnati isn't that far behind at 267 yards per game. This game has the potential to be a fantasy gem.
Running Back to Start
Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh
Jaylen Warren sits at RB20 in PPR scoring through Week 10. He has two finishes in the top-12 of weekly rankings, and he has only one 100-yard game. He is just good enough to consider a weekly starter for your lineup. He does have seven top-25 weekly finishes in eight games (inactive Week 4), which means he is good often, and sometimes great. His one 100-yard game came in Week 7 at Cincinnati, where he had a top-10 finish despite not scoring a touchdown. He ran for 127 yards on 16 carries (7.94 YPC) with four receptions for 31 yards. He already had some success vs the Bengals, and if we combine that with Cincinnati's league-high 33.0 fantasy points allowed to running backs per game, we get the potential for another good outing for Warren.
The Bengals have allowed huge games to running backs all season. Every single game this year, Cincinnati has allowed at least 15 fantasy points to a running back. Zero exceptions. And that's not even PPR scoring. In some cases, multiple backs have turned the trick. Last week, Kyle Monangai exploded for 176 yards; the week prior, Breece Hall had his big game of 133 yards and 2 scores. Warren's 127 was the week before that, and it just keeps going. Josh Jacobs, David Montgomery, and Jahmyr Gibbs fared well; J.K. Dobbins and Jordan Mason had 100-yard games. You see where this is going. We have a nine-game sample size of struggling to stop the opposing team's running backs. In case you are wondering, the carry totals for Jaylen Warren vs Kenneth Gainwell since the Week 5 bye are Warren 68 and Gainwell 17. Warren is the clear, primary back. Both backs could thrive this week, but the greater likelihood is Warren.
Wide Receiver to Start
Andrei Iosivas, Cincinnati
You are already going to start Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins this week.
If you need another wide receiver to start, consider Andrei Iosivas. We know Pittsburgh gives up a ton of passing yards (291 on average), and we know Joe Flacco is capable of throwing the ball downfield (313 yards per game since joining the Bengals). If Flacco does throw for 300 yards, there is a good chance that another wide receiver joins the fray, and that could be Iosivas. Chase Brown has more targets than him, but among wide receivers and tight ends, Iosivas is third. He had three receptions for 49 yards in the previous meeting against Pittsburgh, and he finished with five receptions for 66 yards, including the go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter last week. Cincinnati later gave up a last-minute touchdown to Chicago, but Iosivas was relied upon by Flacco when the game was on the line. The matchup is a strong one this week, and Iosivas could wind up being on the winning end of a bet or lineup decision.
Tight End to Start
Pat Freiermuth and Jonnu Smith, Pittsburgh
This one should be a no-brainer. Cincinnati has allowed 12 touchdowns to opposing tight ends this season in only nine games. They are far and away the top team in fantasy points allowed to tight ends this season. A tight end has scored against them in seven of nine games, and Pittsburgh scored four times by tight end against them in Week 7, led by Pat Freiermuth's two scores. Freiermuth is an excellent start this week, but so is Jonnu Smith, and even Darnell Washington in a pinch. Freiermuth is TE24 this season, but since Week 7, he is TE8. Smith leads the Steelers in snaps at tight end, followed by Washington and then Freiermuth, but Freiermuth is more apt to make the big play. Pittsburgh has a tendency to use both 12- and 22-personnel formation groupings to get extra blockers on the field. This is good for both the rushing and passing game. It also means multiple options for Aaron Rodgers to target in mismatches against poor coverage linebackers and safeties, which Cincinnati has been determined to have. Both Freiermuth and Smith have the potential to be productive this week. Consider adding them to your starting lineup.