CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – OCTOBER 18: Darnell Mooney #11 of the Chicago Bears runs with the ball in the third quarter against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium on October 18, 2020 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)
Need fantasy help? Here are five breakout stars for NFL Week 10.
Yes, you are reading that correctly. The NFL season is entering Week 10 of the regular-season slate.
The actual games on the gridiron are growing in importance, as are the digital matchups in your fantasy leagues. In fantasy football, this week marks a pivotal time in your season.
If you are staring at a losing record that is well under .500, unfortunately, it may be time to lose hope. However, if you are hovering around that .500 mark, this is a massive week. Of course, those looking down from the top of the standings just need to keep padding those wins.
This week, the bye week has the potential to hamper many owners. Why? Here are the four teams not playing this week: New York Jets, Atlanta Falcons, Dallas Cowboys, and Kansas City Chiefs.
While the Jets do not have many, or any, highly owned players, the latter three teams do. The Falcons have Julio Jones, Todd Gurley, Hayden Hurst, Matt Ryan, and Calvin Ridley. Dallas, even without Dak Prescott, has Amari Cooper, Ezekiel Elliott, and CeeDee Lamb.
Finally, and perhaps the most damaging for fantasy players, the Chiefs going on bye this week means no Patrick Mahomes, Tyreek Hill, Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Travis Kelce, and Le’Veon Bell.
Yes, a potential vicious bye week at a rather inopportune time. Who can you look into to fill such holes this week? Below are five players who could be breakout sleepers in Week 10.
Roster percentages as of 11/8/20.
5
Darnell Mooney
WR Chicago Bears
ESPN rosters: 14.2%
Yahoo rosters: 13%
Right away, adding Darnell Mooney seems risky. The Chicago Bears offense has often been stagnant, especially with all the uncertainty around the quarterback spot. Who will continue to be the starter? Nick Foles? Or, Mitchell Trubisky? Although, signs seem to point towards Foles after Trubisky sustained an injury.
Regardless, neither option jumps off the page. But, as Matt Nagy looks to keep the team afloat in the playoff picture, he will need to find ways to make his offense much more potent.
So, where does Mooney’s value stand for Week 10? He is still a receiver who is owned rather low in most league formats, and a player who could see a lot of attention when the Bears play the Minnesota Vikings this week.
Looking further into the matchup, you will find the Vikings have not done well defending the pass. When you look into Mooney’s numbers, you see a receiver who has seen a stabile number of targets so far this year.
Mooney has been involved in the team’s vertical attack, and he went for 69 yards with five catches on six targets for one touchdown during the team’s Week 8 loss to the New Orleans Saints.
Yes, the Bears scoring points is the obvious concern. They have not been able to consistently compile point-scoring drives and games, but that could change against a defense that has struggled in areas in 2020.
Playing as the second option to Allen Robinson, Mooney gets his targets. This week, he could be the direct beneficiary of the Vikings paying most of their attention to Robinson.