Week 10: Heroes, Bums, and Sleepers

Heroes:

1) Rob Gronkowski (TE - NE)
With Aaron Hernandez officially listed as out, you can bank on the Brady-Gronk connection hitting for at least two TDs. Patriots have had a week to rest and prepare for another beatdown of the Buffalo Bills. Tom Brady has never lost to Buffalo at home, and we the two teams played back in Week 4, Brady posted his best fantasy day of the season. Expect a repeat, and expect Gronk to reap the benefits.

2) Julio Jones (WR - ATL)
Julio has had two straight 120+ yard games, and both came against better defenses than what he'll face on Sunday in New Orleans. Throw in the face that Drew Brees will make this a shootout, and you can expect fantasy points flying through the air for three hours.

3) CJ Spiller (RB - BUF)
The Patriots have the 3rd-best fantasy run defense, but check out some of the RBs they've faced: Chris Johnson, Beanie Wells, Injured Fred Jackson, Injured CJ Spiller, and Shonne Greene. This time around Spiller is healthy, and Chan Gailey has promised to increase Spiller's workload (hey, better late than never). Spiller has absolutely thrived when he's received the majority of the carries, and even if Buffalo falls behind early, he's electric in the passing game. Expect one big TD from Spiller, compounded by an assload of yardage.

4) Vincent Jackson (WR - TB)
He's playing his old team, the Chargers, who have probably done nothing but study Doug Martin footage all week long. The Chargers are pretty tough against the run as is, so the streaking hot Josh Freeman will get to show off in the passing game. And if anyone's eager to show off against San Diego, it's Vincent Jackson. If he was willing to sit out nearly an entire season of his Bolt's career, imagine how motivated he'll be when they come to town (during the 1pm timeslot no less).


Bums:

1) Russell Wilson (QB - SEA)
Everyone loves to point at the fact that Wilson's TD:INT ratio is 9:0 at home, but he'll see the best pass defense of his short career on Sunday. Expect heavy doses of Marshawn Lynch and solid defensive play from Seattle.

2) Brandon Marshall and Matt Forte (WR and RB - CHI)
Texans defensive coordinator Wade Phillips vowed to double-cover Marshall on every play Sunday night. Now, Marshall has proven he's capable of beating double-coverage, but when it's shutdown corner Jonathan Joseph plus one, you'd be wise to look elsewhere for a stud WR this week. As for Matt Forte, here's a stat for you: zero. That's the number of rushing TDs the Texans have allowed this season. This game will be an offensive disaster for the Bears. Expect Cutler to be on his back more often than not tomorrow night. And when he is upright, I expect J.J. Watt to be batting passes everywhere.

Sleepers:

1) Andy Dalton (QB - CIN)
The phrase "sophomore slump" keeps getting thrown around, but Dalton has posted double-digits in all but two games this season. A.J. Green is still playing at an elite level, Jermaine Gresham is heating up, and Dalton will be at home to face a dreadful Giants pass defense (ranked 26th in the league, 18th in terms of fantasy pass defense). Andy Dandy should post a solid day, possibly a top-5 day if Eli forces a shootout.

2) Emmanuel Sanders (WR - PIT)
Sneaky play. Sanders has been solid as Pitt's No. 3 WR this year, and no he gets bumped up to No. 2 with Antonio Brown out. And his opponent? The lowly Chiefs, who've given up 6 TDs and over 500 yards to WRs in their past three games.

3) Taiwan Jones (RB - OAK)
It's risky since Jones has only had one carry all year, but if you're digging for a cheap/desperate RB this week, roll the dice on Taiwan Jones. He's speedy, he's starting, and the Ravens have surrendered double-digit fantasy points to RBs in every. single. game. this season.