Footballguys Fantasy Football Show – Week 10 Rankings, Sleepers, and Busts (Nov 6, 2025)

Hosts: Alfredo Brown & Dave Kluge
Podcast Theme: The Footballguys team breaks down Week 10 fantasy football running back and wide receiver rankings, dives into key start/sit decisions, highlights this week’s top sleepers, and flags notable busts. The episode is loaded with actionable advice, context about injury updates, and a few fun tangents along the way.

Episode Overview

This week, Alfredo and Dave go tier-by-tier through more than 70 running backs and wide receivers for Week 10, weighing injury news, playing time changes, matchups, and shifting depth charts. The emphasis is on actionable insights for start/sit dilemmas, sleeper plays, potential busts, and context for evolving backfields and receiving corps as we hit the latter half of the fantasy season.

Key Segments & Insights

1. Running Back Tiers, Injuries & Depth Chart Shakeups

(02:50–16:10; 21:53–36:12)

Top Tier Backs & James Cook Situation

• Main Players Discussed: Jonathan Taylor, Bichon Robinson, Jameer Gibbs, Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, and most notably James Cook.
• James Cook’s Injury (04:00–07:33):
  • If James Cook plays: “He's a top two, top three running back on the week.”
    — Alfredo, 03:56.
  • If out, it's Ray Davis, not Ty Johnson, who steps into lead back duties.
  • “People are just really misreading the tea leaves here...Ty Johnson, his role won’t change whatsoever. Ray Davis is the guy that gets dropped into the James Cook role”
    — Dave, 04:24.
  • Potential for RB1 volume if Davis starts; Alfredo a bit more conservative but agrees on strong usage.
  • Game script reminder: If Bills get up big, Ray Davis could see even more work.

Tier 2: Clarifying Backfield Splits

• Kyren Williams & Blake Corum (08:51–09:36):
  • Rumor about Corum taking over backfield is overblown – still a 65/35 split, Kyren’s the clear RB1.
• DeAndre Swift & Kyle Manungai (10:09–15:45):
  • Swift DNP to start week; if he’s out, Manungai vaults to RB2 status.
  • Debate about the likelihood of a 50/50 split vs. Swift dominating. Dave prefers Swift:
    “Even in a 50/50 role, he's got big play upside, he's got pass catching chops and that's what makes him a high end RB2.” (15:03)
  • “Ben Johnson has shown a penchant for wanting to have a split backfield...I think it probably just gets closer to being 50/50.”
    — Alfredo, 13:01.
• Traveon Henderson/Breece Hall (16:10–18:52):
  • Henderson a solid RB2, but will definitely see split with Terrell Jennings.
    “It's going to be split kind of 60/40. But since [Henderson is] just a better player getting the high value touches, I prefer him well ahead of Terrell Jennings.” — Dave, 17:13.
  • Breece Hall: Confidence is shaken, both hosts have him below consensus.

Deeper RB Tiers, Sleepers, and Handcuffs (19:53–36:12)

• Aaron Jones (21:22–22:21):
  • Veteran DNPs, but says he’ll play through AC sprain.
  • “If he is playing, he's right at that RB2, RB3 bubble for me.” (22:12)
• Jacory Croskey-Merritt (23:26–26:53):
  • Volume is there, but game script and lack of passing usage make him risky:
    “It's all the same concerns we had at the beginning of the year, but now the offense is bad.” (25:36)
• RJ Harvey & Woody Marks (27:08–30:50):
  • Both have upside as RB3/flex plays this week, Harvey especially if team gets ahead.
  • “He’s the one guy in this tier that could end up finishing realistically as like an RB1 on the week.” – Dave, 29:35
• Stash Watch: Isaiah Davis (30:50–32:37)
  • “Isaiah Davis is the one that jumps out...even when Breece Hall was healthy he still got 100 yards in that matchup.” – Dave, 31:23

2. Wide Receiver Ranks & Matchup Analysis

(35:35–61:49)

Elite Tier “Auto-Starts” with Minimal Concern

(35:58–38:55) Players: Puka Nacua, JSN, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Drake London, Devante Adams, Justin Jefferson, Emeka Egbuka.

• Drake London vs. Sauce Gardner (“Sauce Watch” 35:58–38:55):
  • No downgrade despite Sauce trade to Indy:
    “Drake London, his best traits are as a contested catch pass-catcher. So I’m not too concerned here...he has just turned it on over the last weeks.” — Dave, 37:28.
  • Alfredo: “He's moving all over the lineup...they move him around to get him the matchups that they want.”

Next Tier: Caution with Nico Collins, Rome Odunze

(39:11–43:14)

• Nico Collins with Davis Mills:
  “He’s probably the one that scares me most.” — Dave, 40:14
• Rome Odunze – Social Media Drama:
  • Dad tweeted about wanting a trade; fan base turning against Rome after high early season expectations.

Volume Shifts, Usage Dips & Chris Olave Debate

(43:14–46:14)

• Chris Olave: Was the target monster under Rattler, now less so with Shuck but volume should rebound, especially in the slot.
• Keenan Allen Usage Dip (51:22–52:09): “Not even so much a start, more of a concern...not great for fantasy.”

Mid/Deep Tiers: Sleepers & Flex Plays

(47:03–61:49)

• Jameson Williams as a Week 10 Sleeper (47:31–50:13):
  • “Please tell me this is it. Like, Washington Commanders are giving up so many points to opposing wide receivers...I hope this is another game where they can get Jameson Williams going, get his confidence going.” — Dave, 47:31.
• Wandale Robinson (volume PPR floor), Romeo Doubs (target share in depleted receiving corps), Quentin Johnston (deep bye-week sleeper).
• Troy Franklin & Courtland Sutton (55:01–56:00):
  • Franklin quietly out-targeting Sutton, likened to Michael Thomas role.
• Alec Pierce “Boom” Alert (58:17–58:59):
  • Prime for a touchdown regression; already has more targets than last year but no TDs yet.
• Rashid Shaheed New Debut in Seattle (59:03–61:42):
  • Player familiarity with system and o-coordinator translates to immediate usage – could see a full role week one:
    “He knows the playbook, he knows what his routes, role is going to be...I think for Rashid [Shaheed], if you can get a three wide receiver set out there...I don’t know how you possibly can defend that.” – Dave, 60:06.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Fantasy Overanalysis:
  “All you're telling me is that you just watched Red Zone on Sunday because for whatever reason, they really focused in on this one drive.” – Dave, 08:51 (On Blake Corum taking over Rams backfield)

• On DeAndre Swift vs. Manungai splitting touches:
  “I don't think it's a certainty that Manungai becomes the 60/40 guy or that Swift remains the 60/40 guy. I think it probably just gets closer to being 50/50...I also think Kyle Manungai does those things that coaches love.” – Alfredo, 13:01

• On Breece Hall’s Risk:
  “My confidence is a little shaken with Breece Hall...I'd almost rather have DeAndre Swift in there over Breece Hall.” – Alfredo 17:39

• On Coaching Honesty in 2025:
  “There's a different vibe amongst coaches, coordinators where they're almost too refreshingly honest...hearing Aaron Glenn talk about, like, I'm going to talk to other coaches to see how they dealt with starting 0-6...” – Alfredo, 32:37

• Star Wars/Pop Culture Tangent:
  (48:03–49:26)
  “Obi Wan, I failed you, Anakin!” – Alfredo, trying to illustrate Jameson Williams’ usage with a Star Wars metaphor, followed by Dave’s confusion about the number of “OG” movies.

Important Timestamps

• James Cook Injury Analysis: 03:35–07:55
• DeAndre Swift / Manungai Debate: 10:09–15:45
• Breece Hall / Isaiah Davis Handcuff: 18:31–19:53
• Aaron Jones Status: 21:22–22:35
• Running Back Deep Tiers (Croskey-Merritt, RJ Harvey, Woody Marks): 23:26–30:50
• Wide Receiver Start/Sit Tiers Begin: 35:35
• Drake London vs Sauce Gardner: 35:58–38:55
• Nico Collins / Rome Odunze Worry: 39:11–43:14
• Chris Olave Usage with Shuck: 43:14–46:14
• Jameson Williams Sleeper Hype: 47:31–50:13
• Keenan Allen Usage Dip: 51:22–52:09
• Deep Sleepers: Troy Franklin, Alec Pierce, Tez Johnson: 55:01–58:59
• Rashid Shaheed in Seattle: 59:03–61:42

Actionable Takeaways for Week 10

• Monitor James Cook injury news; Ray Davis becomes an immediate top-15 RB if Cook sits.
• RB backfield splits (e.g., DET, NYJ, NE) will be critical. Don’t overreact to small sample splits—stick to high-value touch players.
• If Aaron Jones is active, he's startable as a borderline RB2/3 even with limited practice.
• Kyren Williams remains a locked-in RB1, Corum is just a desperation flex.
• Wide receiver tiers outside top-10 are flatter than usual—don’t be afraid to trust your gut with upside plays (Jameson Williams, Troy Franklin, Rashid Shaheed).
• Wandale Robinson is an ideal PPR floor play during bye weeks.
• Watch for Rashid Shaheed's Seattle debut—he immediately slots in as a high-upside dart throw.
• High-volume floor runners (Woody Marks, RJ Harvey) are viable RB3 or flexes with strong matchups.
• If you’re desperate, Alec Pierce and Tez Johnson are due for “boom” performances.

Final Thoughts

Alfredo and Dave deftly break down start/sit and sleeper priorities for Week 10, placing a premium on context, game script, and actionable data—not just narrative, hype, or one-drive TV reactions. Injuries and bye weeks may force tough lineup decisions, but the deeper the pod goes into the tiers, the more insights and actionable fantasy football advice you’ll get.

Dave: “We went through all the running backs, the wide receivers, went through over 70 plus players here, and hopefully we gave all of you watching or listening, some sleepers, some flex plays, some guys that you can start this weekend in week 10.” (61:48)

“Adios!” – Alfredo & Dave (61:49)