Week 10 Fantasy Football Sleepers: Puka Nacua injury opens up opportunity for Konata Mumpfield
DeMario Douglas was the lone hit on the sleeper page last week, while Adonai Mitchell drove us batty (seven targets, tons of air yards, no catches). We're onto Week 10. Let's see what undervalued options we can find.
RB Audric Estime vs. Panthers (36%): The status of this sleeper comes down to Travis Etienne Jr.'s status - if Etienne is ready to play again, Estime is too risky to use. But Estime came out of nowhere to post a useful 15-72-1 log last week, and the Panthers have been the second-easiest defense for RBs to score against.
WR Konata Mumpfield at Cardinals (12%): He's had just one relevant game all year, a 4-93-1 surprise at the Broncos in Week 3. But with Puka Nacua and Davante Adams both hurt, the Rams need some new songs in the passing game; perhaps this is a reasonable spot for Mumpfield and Sons. The Cardinals have been an average matchup for pass production.
RB Dylan Sampson vs. Texans (28%): The Houston defense is parceling out just 3.9 YPC, so it could be another slog for RB Quinshon Judkins. So we'll leave the light on for Sampson, who has 12 catches the last three weeks and is coming off a season-best 11 touches. Deshaun Watson is also returning, and he steered six passes to Sampson two weeks ago.
QB Aaron Rodgers at Bengals (42%): Hopefully you don't need a QB streamer this week, though Caleb Williams managers might in a pinch. Rodgers has seen his fantasy score drop in his last three weeks, but he's rested off the bye and facing a Cincinnati team that could be weary after a Europe trip. Rodgers posted 23 fantasy points when the teams met in Week 3.
RB Kaleb Johnson vs. Vikings (16%): It's probably a touchdown-or-bust case for Johnson, as the Minnesota defense has been outstanding all year. But solving for volume is most of the puzzle when scouting RBs, and Johnson might be the last back standing in Green Bay, with Josh Jacobs (finger) out and MarShawn Lloyd (knee) uncertain. Johnson was surprisingly useful (14-68-1) at New England last week.
WR Jordan Watkins at Cowboys (5%): Do your injury diligence on this one, as the Niners aren't sure if Mike Evans or Deebo Samuel Sr. will play this week. If even one of them sits at Dallas, then Watkins could be in play against one of the league's worst defenses. Watkins had an impressive 4-86-1 breakout against the Raiders last week, including a nifty TD catch on a contested target.
TE Darren Waller at Saints (18%): Maybe you shrugged off his Week 9 breakout, as the Broncos are a TE-funnel defense. But the Saints are the seventh-friendliest defense for TE production, so Waller can help us again. His target share seems to fluctuate weekly, but he always offers touchdown equity (four spikes in eight starts), and that's what tight-end streaming is usually about.