Week 10 Fantasy Picks: Start 'Em, Sit 'Em for Panthers vs Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals will aim to grab their ninth win of the season when they host the Carolina Panthers in Week 10 NFL action. FanDuel Sportsbook has the Cardinals slated as 10.5-point home favorites in a game featuring some fantasy football stars.

If you need some help with your fantasy lineups, here's some start 'em, sit 'em advice for this Week 10 showdown.

Christian McCaffrey Fantasy

Start Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers: The Carolina Panthers eased Christian McCaffrey back into action in Week 9 as he accounted for just 49% of the offensive snaps and 19 opportunities, finishing as RB15. That's a slow game for someone who averaged 27 opportunities per game in 2020. McCaffrey will be due for a bigger workload in Week 10 meaning he'll be back as a solid RB1 and, as always, possibly the top RB scorer from week to week. Arizona's stout front seven ranks seventh in Football Outsiders' rush-defense DVOA metric, but there are not many other playmakers to trust on this roster, especially with Sam Darnold hitting the IR.

James Conner Fantasy

Start James Conner, RB, Arizona Cardinals: Chase Edmonds went down with an injury in Week 9 and James Conner responded with a RB1 performance across PPR leagues. This stat line included 21 rushes for 96 yards, 5 receptions on 5 targets and 3 total TDs. Conner will have the backfield to himself again in Week 10 and with Kyler Murray still questionable for Sunday, the Cardinals don't have as many playmaking options aside from Conner. Arizona also rushes the ball at the fourth-highest clip (50.1%) with Murray under center and there's a lot of opportunities for Conner to soak up.

P.J. Walker Fantasy

Sit P.J. Walker, QB, Carolina Panthers: The Panthers went out and signed Cam Newton in the wake of Sam Darnold's injury, but it's unlikely he'll be ready to go by Sunday. We'll operate under the assumption that P.J. Walker is starting under center, but that doesn't mean he's worthy of a start in fantasy football. Arizona's defense allows the sixth-fewest passing yards per game (209.9) and ranks second in Football Outsiders' pass-defense DVOA metric. It's a nightmarish matchup for whoever starts under center and there isn't enough tape on Walker to think he'll succeed in such a matchup.

A.J. Green Fantasy

Sit A.J. Green, WR, Arizona Cardinals: A.J. Green returned from the COVID-19 list on Thursday and will play in Week 10 action. But, we're still keeping him on the fantasy bench. Arizona's injury report is chock full of playmakers from Edmonds to Kyler Murray and even DeAndre Hopkins. It's hard to get a feel for Arizona's standout fantasy performers because of the talent on roster, but Hopkins and Christian Kirk have widened the gap at wide receiver. Green ranks as WR39 in PPR formats compared to Kirk (WR24) and Hopkins (19). With Colt McCoy possibly under center, it's wise to stay away from any Cardinals WR not named Hopkins (if he starts) or Kirk. Carolina also rates as Football Outsiders' fourth-best pass-defense by their DVOA metric.

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Adam Taylor McKillop is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Adam Taylor also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username atmckillop. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.