Fantasy Football Week 10: Top 5 last-minute sleepers to consider

When it comes to fantasy football, finding the right sleepers will ultimately propel your team to victory. Here are the top five last-minute sleepers heading into Week 10 action.

When it comes to finding the right sleepers in fantasy football, a lot more goes into the process than simply considering the player. Big factors include their matchup, injuries on the opposing team, injuries on their team and their upside.

Sometimes a quiet fantasy player can put up a big game if the matchup is favorable. Other times sleepers turn into studs in relief of an injured teammate. Aaron Jones, for example, performed excellently in the absence of Ty Montgomery and has seen the field more ever since.

Another important word is volume. A lot of players will see their volume fluctuate throughout the season. This can be due to injury but sometimes it’s because the player simply needs to be on the field. These things are all important to follow and consider in fantasy. The big news surrounding volume is the Zeke suspension. Alfred Morris‘ volume is going to skyrocket, but he isn’t so much of a sleeper, as we all know he’ll have a big role. In addition, his legs will be 10 weeks fresher than those of his opponents, considering he hasn’t seen much volume until now.

That being said, there will be some diamonds in the rough to throw in your fantasy football lineup each and every week. You’ve just gotta put the work in to find them. Luckily for you, I’ve already done that. Here are the top five last-minute fantasy sleepers for Week 10.

Next: 5. It's not rocket science...

5. Patriots Defense/Special Teams

While it didn’t take any rocket science to find the Patriots defense, perhaps defensive coordinator and former rocket scientist Matt Patricia is using similar theories to propel the unit. While they’ve been strong in years past, defensive struggles have been the Pats’ most glaring weakness. Losing star linebacker Dont’a Hightower to injury has proven to be a crucial blow.

However, for the Pats, their defense has vastly improved in the past few weeks. They’ve held opponents under 20 points in each of their past four games, which they failed to do in their first four. Now, fresh off a bye, we can expect them to come out strong as ever in Week 10.

The most glaring reason you should start the Patriots defense is Brock Osweiler. The “Brock-weiler” never quite lived up to the hype he built two years ago.

Last week we saw Denver unable move the ball anywhere. As long as Osweiler is starting in Denver, any defense facing them will be a good start.

Next: 4. This guy can turn on the Jets, literally

4. Wide Receiver Robby Anderson

Deep down, it hurts to call Robby Anderson a sleeper. This guy is the real deal. Although only about half of his owners (ESPN) are starting him. This tells me that fantasy owners are sleeping on Anderson.

He is red hot right now as he’s scored a big touchdown over the top in each of his past three games. Against a weak Tampa Bay secondary, Anderson is almost guaranteed to score on a long touchdown pass, possibly even two.

Of the Jets top two receivers, Jermaine Kearse may be the better overall receiver. Although Anderson is clearly the better deep threat. Considering that Mr. Check-down-McCown has outgrown the nickname, he’ll air it out to Anderson plenty against the Bucs.

Anderson’s deep-ball ability gives him massive upside. A single big play touchdown could net 10 or more points on that play alone. He’s not the type of receiver who will catch 10 balls per game, slightly limiting his upside in PPR. Although in standard scoring leagues, consider Anderson fantasy gold.

Next: 3. He's going to see a lot of volume this weekend

3. Running Back Elijah McGuire

Elijah McGuire is typically a pretty deep sleeper, considering he’s the third running back on the New York Jets depth chart. Although he’s shown us what he can do once he starts getting some volume.

With Matt Forte out against Tampa, McGuire and Bilal Powell both should see a significant increase in volume. The last time McGuire got a heavy share of the carries, he went for 93 yards and a touchdown. He also caught two passes for 38 yards.

The Jets may have found something in McGuire and he’ll certainly be a name to watch moving forward. Once he has some experience under his belt, he could possibly even emerge as their feature back moving forward.

START OR SIT?: Fantasy Pros Start or Sit Assistant Tool

Not only will he see an increase in volume, but he’ll face a Buccaneers defense which hasn’t defended anything well. They’ve allowed the 3rd most fantasy points to opposing running backs. McGuire is available 90 percent of ESPN leagues and he will have great value in Week 10.

Next: 2. Another guy with an increase in volume

2. Running Back Joe Mixon

Entering the season, the talk surrounding Joe Mixon was that he could eventually take over the feature back role in Cincinnati. Over the past few weeks, his numbers have inflated and he’s finally becoming a somewhat reliable fantasy running back.

More from Jets Fantasy Football

• New York Jets 2019: Ranking the 53-man roster — #25 CJ Mosley
• 2019 Fantasy Football Outlook: Jets Defense/Special Teams
• 2019 Fantasy Football Outlook: Jets IDPs
• 2019 Fantasy Football Outlook: Jets RB Ty Montgomery
• 2019 Fantasy Football Outlook: Jets WR Quincy Enunwa

But now, Jeremy Hill is being placed on IR, so Mixon should see a substantial increase in volume. The injury to Hill made this perfect time for Mixon to get rolling. Now that he’s picking up some steam, he could become a solid RB2 with the upside of an RB1.

He’ll face the Titans this weekend who allowed 26.2 points to the Ravens RBs last week and 26.3 points to Browns RBs before their bye. Now that Mixon is taking over the feature back role, he’s ready to do the same for your fantasy team.

Giovani Bernard is another player who will see an increased volume with the injury to Hill. Mixon owners are likely weary when it comes to starting him, but this will be the week you can finally turn him loose.

Next: 1. He's exceeding everybody's expectations

1. Quarterback Josh McCown

The story surrounding the Jets vs. Bucs game is that Ryan Fitzpatrick will get a shot at his old team. But this could also be a potential revenge game for Josh McCown as well, as he started for the Buccaneers in 2014.

McCown and the Jets have both far exceeded outside expectations and they could elevate to .500 against Tampa. Nobody expected McCown to even become a topic of discussion when it comes to fantasy football. Although now, he sits just outside the top 10 in average fantasy points per game (15.4). But McCown has shown us that he can really light it up. He’s scored multiple touchdowns in five straight games.

The man once called “Check-down-McCown” is now leading the league in touchdown passes of 15 yards or more. With an explosive deep threat in Anderson and two solid targets in Jermaine Kearse and Austin Seferian-Jenkins, McCown could have a field day against the weak Buccaneers defense.

Must Read: Fantasy Football Week 10: Top 5 quarterbacks to start

Tampa Bay has allowed the 7th most fantasy points to opposing quarterbacks this year. If Case Keenum can put up 28.6 points against the Buccaneers, just imagine what an efficient veteran like McCown could do. McCown will put an end to all and any talk about him not being any good this weekend, as he’ll put on a clinic against his former team. While it may not be an attractive name in fantasy, don’t sleep on McCown, because he’ll give you one heck of a wakeup call after being a top five quarterback in Week 10.