Welcome to the Week 10 starts and sits. We’ve highlighted some options that we like and some that we don’t like for the upcoming week’s games. If you need deeper analysis, please feel free to join us at Rotobahn.com and check out our comprehensive lineup rankings. If you want information on late-breaking injury information on game day, follow us on Twitter. Just follow the link on our home page. Good luck to all in Week 10!

Quarterbacks

Starts

Tony Romo vs Bills

Romo looked like he was throwing the ball well last week. The injury seems to be affecting him less and we like this matchup for him.  The Cowboys will make big plays on play-action and we see Romo throwing multiple scores and close to 300 yards. He’s a QB1 in week ten.

Tim Tebow @ Chiefs

Did you really think we’d pull back on him now? Say and think what you want about this kid, but he is built for fantasy football whether he succeeds as a NFL starter or not. They have embraced his ability as a runner and that is the key thing here. It seems that they have made the decision to not try and change him. That means lots of option and some targeted throws down the field. The bottom line is that the foot-points raise his fantasy floor to the point where he is a safe play. We see him as a QB1 this week.

Jay Cutler vs Lions

If you’ve been reading Rotobahn for the last two years, you know how much respect we have for Cutler. He’s really playing well right now and they seem to have found ways to work around their offensive line. Getting WR Earl Bennet back also seems to have helped as Cutler has a real trust factor with his old college teammate. He may not be a fantasy stud yet, but he is worth a start this week if you need him. He’s a fringe QB1 playing at home versus Detroit.

Sits

Alex Smith vs Giants

After what I saw last week, I am not looking to start any QB against the Giants and especially not a guy like Smith, who does not have the arm to make them pay for their aggression. The 49ers will probably win, but they will do it in typically ugly fashion.

Josh Freeman vs Texans

I am a big fan of Freeman’s, but you can do better right now. He just doesn’t have the kind of support that he had in 2010 as his number one receiver has struggled and his other targets have battled injuries. He has a chance to do well, but in a week with no byes, there are plenty of better options, especially in smaller leagues.

Running Backs

Starts

DeMarco Murray vs Bills

Are we guilty of just pimping our guy here? Yeah, maybe a little bit, but on the off chance that you are worried about the return of Felix Jones, we’d like to ease your worry. Jones may cut into Murray’s production party at some point, but we very much doubt that this week is that week. We’ve got the kid ticketed for RB1 production and he’s in my lineup in a few leagues over guys like Mendenhall and Chris Johnson for what that is worth.

Chris Johnson @ Carolina

A little ironic given my write-up on Murray, but I’d roll with CJ at this point unless you’d be benching a guy like DeMarco. Johnson looked much better last week and if they give him a few more touches, he could get back to being a solid weekly contributor.  Tennessee getting into the red zone with more consistency would help too. We see CJ as a strong RB2 play in week ten.

Roy Helu @ Dolphins

We hope you picked this guy up before the bust-out. You can’t say we didn’t warn you.  Helu now has a shot to become the clear-cut back in DC and we like his chances as long as they give him a legit opportunity. Nobody has ever gotten rich trying to read the mind of Mike Shanahan, but this is his guy. They drafted him pretty high and Helu was a volume back in college. The stage is set. All the things you look for are there. Helu could be a major fantasy asset for the rest of the season and he is obviously a great guy to own in all long term leagues. This week, he is a RB2 or strong flex and he has some nice upside too.

Ben Tate @ Bucs

More of an option in deeper leagues, but even with 10-14 touches, this kid can do serious damage. The Texans run the ball like nobody’s business and it really doesn’t matter which back is in there. The more Tate plays, the better he gets. He’s got flex appeal in week ten.

Sits

Brandon Jacobs @ 49ers

The urge to start him is strong with Ahmad Bradshaw out again, but proceed with caution and consider other options if you are deep. This matchup is potentially brutal as the 49ers’ front seven is playing great football. Jacobs has nice value if he starts and he’s worth a look as a flex here, but don’t expect big numbers unless he gets a few cheap scores.

LeGarrette Blount vs Texans

We are Blount fans at Rotobahn, but he could have problem in this game unless he gets going early. The way Houston is playing, they will have a chance to get a lead and to dominate time of possession with their two-headed monster running attack. Once behind, the Bucs will scrap Blount and go to the air. I’m not saying you need to bench the guy, but this is a week to at least consider other options. Check out our full rankings at Rotobahn.com and see if you have some better options before starting Blount.

Wide Receivers

Starts

Dez Bryant vs Bills

I know. We’ve been wrong on him a few times. At least we’re consistent, right?  Really though, with Austin out and with Romo getting healthier, we like Bryant to start doing the things he is capable of. Dez makes a strong start as a WR2 this week.

DeSean Jackson vs Cardinals

Here’s another guy that has cost me a few sawbucks in 2010. And, though I am sure most folks will be sticking with him this week, I wanted to point out that you are doing the right thing. We like him a lot in this matchup and while there’s risk, we think his upside in this game is way too big to bench. Stick with him.

Percy Harvin @ Packers

We’re feeling Percy this week … for a few reasons. First, we think he is finally feeling healthy enough to take a full complement of snaps and touches. Second, we think Green Bay is going to force Minny to open it up as the game progresses. Finally, we really like what we’re seeing from QB Christian Ponder. Harvin looks like a strong WR3 option to us in week ten.

Laurent Robinson vs Bills

He is always a good bet to succumb to injury, but as of right now, he is healthy and starting.  He’s also formed a quick bond with Tony Romo and we think he is a good bet as a flex or even as a WR3 if you need him.  Long term, who knows, but as long as he’s starting for Miles Austin and healthy, we think he’s a healthy play in fantasy.

Jonathan Baldwin vs Broncos

We goofed with him last week, but in our defense, he did have a score called back on a penalty. In a further attempt at fairness, the penalty was on him. Still, this kid looks very good and he will see some extra love this week with stud CB Champ Bailey doing his thing on Dwayne Bowe. We see Baldwin having a nice game. Use him as a flex if you need him.

Sits

Sidney Rice vs Ravens

The matchup is tough and he’s battling a foot injury. While the injury doesn’t scare us too much, his quarterback is also banged up and this matchup is just brutal. Rice will have a chance as his team plays from behind, but be careful playing him if you have other quality options. There’s a lot of risk here.

Early Doucet @ Eagles

While I hate benching one of our guys, you have to respect the matchup here. Normally, Early gets single coverage with a number two corner. Well, he will get the single coverage, but the Eagles have three number one caliber corners, so the matchup is rough no matter how the coverage shakes out. Also consider that John Skelton, and not Kevin Kolb, will be the quarterback and you have multiple red flags. Play him if you need him, but this is not one of his better match-ups when you look at the logistics.

Tight Ends

Starts

Brent Celek vs Cardinals

While we spent the first month of 2011 wondering what happened to this guy, we’re now fully bought-in. Celek has lived up to his talents lately and Vick is now looking for him. He makes for a solid fantasy start if you need him.

Jake Ballard @ 49ers

We’ve begged folks to pick this guy up and now he is looking more and more like a weekly starter. He’s a tough guy and Eli Manning looks for him often and that includes the red zone. Ballard is a very good play in any format right now. Start him with confidence.

Dustin Keller vs Patriots

He has looked better and we like the matchup with New England. Keller is more involved these days and Mark Sanchez has settled in a bit. If you need him this week, we’d use him.

Sits

Jacob Tamme vs Jaguars

We’ve seen a lot of folks picking him up, but we’d use caution putting him in lineups. First of all, you can probably do better on the average waiver wire. The worry we have is that Tamme was a product of Manning’s accuracy and timing. If you watched some of his bigger games, you’d see this. Tamme is a good player, but we need to see him do it with a mediocre quarterback before we put him in our lineup. We suggest you do likewise.

Jermaine Gresham vs Steelers

You know how much we like this kid, but he’s been too in and out of practice for our tastes. We’d make him prove it on the field before putting him back in lineups. If you have another solid option, this is a week to consider that player.