By Welcome to the 10th of 17 weekly articles spotlighting the fantasy fades of the week! I am your host, Matt Okada, and I'll be bringing you half a dozen potential busts each and every Friday, from now until fantasy championships.
As a note, just because a player earns a "fade" or "bust" designation doesn't automatically mean they should be benched — it depends on the rest of your roster or the options on your waiver wire. But you can expect them to fall short of expectations (when I get them right). I include a "What to Do" section for every player to help with that.
Without further ado, here is my list for Week 10 of the 2026 season.
QB Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams at Arizona Cardinals
Things have fallen apart quickly for Matthew Stafford and the Rams offense with the loss of Davante Adams late in Week 6 and the loss of Puka Nacua late last Sunday. The reigning MVP has not finished higher than QB12 in any week without Adams this season, and roughly half of his yards and touchdowns have gone to those two wide receivers in combination. Starting in Week 10, he'll be playing with both receivers absent for the first time since early 2024, when he averaged 8.5 fantasy points per contest over a four-game stretch, with just two touchdowns and three interceptions.
Without Adams' ability to separate, particularly in the red zone, or Nacua's ability to create tough catches and yards out of thin air, Stafford is left with very few reliable options moving forward (no disrespect to Tutu Atwell and Konata Mumpfield). After consecutive outings with fewer than 13 fantasy points — including just 12.22 points against an extremely soft Commanders defense — it's hard to imagine him being more productive without Nacua, regardless of matchup. So while the Cardinals are probably "bright green" against quarterbacks in your fantasy app, I fear Stafford is a trap this week and I would look to stream a QB instead.
What to do ❓ Don't play Stafford (outside of 2QB leagues) if you can find any reasonable streaming alternative. That includes names like Tyler Shough, Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud (whom I actually love as a QB1 moving forward).
RB Ashton Jeanty, Las Vegas Raiders vs. Seattle Seahawks
On one hand, this feels bold. Fade Ashton Jeanty, a second-round fantasy pick who's been the RB17 in points per game? On the other hand, it also feels expected, following the trend of Jeanty's season into a matchup with the Seahawks. From Week 1 through Week 8, Jeanty's carry count stayed equal or dropped lower every single successive game and, when it bumped back up for the first time in Week 9, it was from two carries to six.
Since Week 5, he's tied for 51st among running backs in carries per game (with Corey Kiner) and 64th in rushing yards per game (behind, unironically, Sione Vaki). Jeanty’s producing the entirety of his dwindling fantasy value through receiving, with at least three catches in every outing, 35+ receiving yards in seven of nine games and three of his four touchdowns coming through the air. Unfortunately, everything gets tougher against the Seattle defense, especially with a rookie quarterback in Fernando Mendoza making his debut start. Vegas is tied for the second-lowest implied total on the week (17 points) behind only the Cardinals (the other team with a rookie QB debut against a tough defense), and the 'Hawks are allowing the eighth-fewest receiving yards per game to running backs.
Even if Jeanty manages six or seven catches for 50 to 60 yards, he's still on a collision course with single-digit fantasy points. It's hard to sit him, I get it, but it was hard to sit Derrick Henry last week on TNF — and that was the right move.
What to do ❓ Jeanty slides out of RB2 range for me this week, so if you have decent depth and can turn to backs like Zach Charbonnet, Blake Corum, Woody Marks (if healthy) or even Corey Kiner … strongly consider it.
RB Tony Pollard, Tennessee Titans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
I have to imagine that Pollard's 62.2 fantasy points in his last two games entering this week are the most for any player to crack this column in its history. Yes, he was revelatory in Weeks 7 and 8 against the Browns and Bengals. He averaged 5.4 yards per carry and scored five touchdowns in those two weeks, for 1.15 fantasy points per opportunity. But let's exercise some prudence here. Through the first six weeks, Pollard had logged just 4.0 yards per carry, scored just one touchdown and averaged 0.47 points per opportunity, dead last among qualified players. Can we really trust that drastic of a two-week breakout for the 29-year-old running back in the Titans offense?
I'm hesitant … especially this week against Jacksonville. Entering the trade deadline, the Jaguars had allowed the second-fewest fantasy points per game to running backs (15.3), with just 68.3 rushing yards per game (also second-fewest) and just four touchdowns in eight games. Then, they significantly strengthened their defense with the acquisitions of DTs Jordan Davis and Davon Godchaux and safety Jessie Bates III. One of the other teams tied with the Raiders for second-lowest implied total this week is, unsurprisingly, the Titans. That's even worse for Pollard than it was for Jeanty, and I think the Tennessee RB comes crashing back down to earth this Sunday.
What to do ❓ You'll likely see Pollard projected and ranked quite highly around the industry … I've got him right in Jeanty's range in half-PPR (outside the top 24), which means you can pivot to the same group of names mentioned above.
WR DK Metcalf, Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals
Frankly, DK Metcalf has been one of the most annoying and unpredictable calls in all of fantasy from week to week this season. He's hit double-digit fantasy points three times — just barely in Week 3, thanks to a touchdown — but fewer than seven points in every other game. His best performances came against the Browns and Buccaneers, theoretically tougher matchups for receivers, and then in the rematch with the Browns, he caught one pass for four yards. A big part of the problem is that he sees significant target volume but is usually horribly inefficient with that volume. He's one of 16 wideouts averaging 8+ targets per game but has scored just 7.7 fantasy points per game on those targets … while every other receiver on that list has averaged 10+ PPG.
His 51.6% catch rate and 5.9 yards per target are both dead last on that list as well, and his 0.94 fantasy points per target is the lowest among 64 wideouts with more than 30 targets this season. At this point, I'm convinced the inefficiency is the expectation for Metcalf, rather than an opportunity for a breakout. He'll likely see solid volume against the Bengals — although he only had five targets in their first meeting — but the way he's played so far in 2026, he needs double-digit targets to approach double-digit fantasy points. I'd prefer a player with a higher floor, even on fewer expected opportunities.
What to do ❓ Metcalf is sort of the Jeanty of wide receivers — he slides out of WR2 range for me this week and I'd prefer "streamier" plays like Jalen Coker, DeMario Douglas, Omar Cooper Jr. or either Browns rookie.
WR Tre Tucker, Las Vegas Raiders vs. Seattle Seahawks
Tre Tucker has done just enough, just often enough, to keep himself in the fantasy starter conversation week to week this season. That ride includes 18+ fantasy points in three games … but it also includes fewer than eight fantasy points in the other six games, including a doughnut two weeks ago against the Jets. And in Week 10, that ride will be as bumpy as it gets. Not only are the Raiders starting rookie Fernando Mendoza in his NFL debut — after trading a productive Kirk Cousins at the deadline — but they're doing it against the Seahawks. Seattle's defense has allowed the fewest fantasy points per game to wide receivers in 2026, with a league-low 99.6 receiving yards per contest and 6.2 yards per target.
They've also been particularly tough against downfield throws — where Tucker sees the vast majority of his targets — allowing the lowest yards per target, catch rate, success rate and EPA per play on those throws. And, unsurprisingly, they've surrendered the lowest explosive pass rate in the league, at just 10.1%. Nothing about this game instills confidence in Tucker and his occasional shot at a big fantasy day — barring a lucky breakaway play, expect another game with fewer than eight fantasy points.
What to do ❓ Tucker is already a volatile FLEX option week-to-week, but between Mendoza and the Seahawks secondary, he's outside the top-40 wide receivers and should not crack any reasonable redraft (or DFS) lineup.
TE Tucker Kraft, Green Bay Packers vs. Minnesota Vikings
Last week, I tagged Dalton Kincaid as the tight end fade against Minnesota and he ended up with just 4.3 fantasy points on three catches on Monday Night Football. While Tucker Kraft might feel like a slightly better tight end in a vacuum, he's also extremely risky against this Vikings defense. They've allowed just 3.9 receptions and 7.4 fantasy points per game to tight ends, both the fewest in the league, with just one touchdown in eight games. The 57.4% catch rate they've surrendered to the position isn't just the lowest in the league this season; it's the lowest for any defense in any of the last four seasons.
It also doesn't inspire confidence that Kraft is coming off his worst game of the year, with just one catch against the Patriots, a game in which he accounted for just an 11% target share and 0.3% of Jordan Love's 372 passing yards. And while Kraft's 8.0 points against this unit in Week 1 are actually the second-most by any tight end they've faced, no one has yet hit double digits and strong options like Sam LaPorta (5.0) and Colston Loveland (0.8) have been busts in this matchup as well.
It's hard to sit a regular TE1 in fantasy, but Kraft is on the absolute fringe this week.
What to do ❓ The most reasonable "streaming" name you can confidently start over Kraft is Hunter Henry — whom I love against the Lions — but if you happen to have someone like Kincaid, Brenton Strange or possibly even Darren Waller, give it some thought.
