With the NFL trade deadline in the rearview mirror and the season past its midpoint, many members of the 2026 rookie class have already established themselves. They've either settled into key roles on their teams or proven to be week-to-week producers. Either way, they no longer feel like unknown first-year players.
But Week 10 brings a new wave of intrigue, including a No. 1 overall pick preparing for his first NFL start and several rookies looking to make an impact after injuries or extended absences.
In this week's NFL Rookie Fantasy Football Start 'Em, Sit 'Em, see which players need to start, sit, or be stashed on your fantasy football rosters.
NFL fantasy football rookie starts for Week 10
Start 'Em: Carnell Tate
The matchup: The Tennessee Titans are facing the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 10. The Jaguars are 15th in fantasy points allowed to wide receivers this season, but that's after facing two of the worst passing offenses in the NFL.
In the last two weeks, Jacksonville faced the Joe Fagnano Ravens and the sputtering Indianapolis Colts. They gave up fewer than 200 passing yards combined in those two games.
Why I'm starting him: Carnell Tate might be an easy fantasy option to forget after missing the game against the Bengals in Week 8, followed by Tennessee's Week 9 bye.
It only took until Week 3 for Tate to become a relevant fantasy option, and he delivered week after week. He had a minimum of five receptions and 58 yards in four of the five games between Weeks 3 and 7.
With this being the first game after the trade deadline, there's the added intrigue of Jacksonville's new safety, Jessie Bates III. Bates is an excellent player, but if he sees significant action in his first week with the team, there's always a chance of a miscommunication and a coverage bust or two.
That could open a window for the Titans' passing game.
You'll have to monitor Tate's practice participation this week, but if healthy, Tate is the No. 1 receiving option for the Titans, and he's been productive nearly all season long.
Fantasy outlook: FLEX
Start 'Em: Omar Cooper Jr
The matchup: The New York Jets are facing the Buffalo Bills in a divisional matchup this weekend. Buffalo is allowing the eighth-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers this season.
The advanced metrics and total points tell us the Bills are an average defense this season. But the raw numbers that impact fantasy football tilt heavily in favor of rival passing attacks.
Because of their own high-octane offense, opposing teams enter "shootout" mode when playing Buffalo. The Bills have seen the third-most pass attempts and rank 29th in passing yards allowed and 27th in passing touchdowns allowed.
Why I'm starting him: Omar Cooper Jr. had another big game last week against the Kansas City Chiefs. New York was down big, losing 35-12, so they were in one of those "shootout" games we mentioned.
Cooper was a big beneficiary of that. He had eight receptions on 11 targets against a Chiefs defense that has been stingy against the pass this season.
Similar to the Jaguars and Jessie Bates, the Bills just added a new safety in Amani Hooker. If Hooker is on the field this early in his time with the team, there's a chance of a miscommunication and an opportunity for Cooper to make a big play.
In what will likely be another pass-happy game script against a more favorable opponent, it's smart to ride the Cooper Jr. wave. He's had double-digit fantasy points in three of his four games back from injury and is poised for another productive outing.
Fantasy outlook: FLEX
Start 'Em: Eli Raridon
The matchup: The New England Patriots are facing the Detroit Lions this week in Munich, Germany. Normally, I wouldn't recommend a player in one of the international games because you just never know what is going to happen, but the matchup is too appealing.
The Lions are allowing the most fantasy points to tight ends this season. The points-per-game differential between Detroit at No. 1 and the Washington Commanders at No. 2 is the same differential between Washington and the Baltimore Ravens at No. 14.
It's the most fantasy points allowed to tight ends in the FantasyPros database going back to 2015.
Why I'm starting him: Along with the favorable matchup, Eli Raridon has become a consistent part of the Patriots' offense. He has had at least four targets in each of the last three games, including a season high of six last week.
And in half of his games since Week 5 he has had at least three receptions.
The season-high target total last week was impressive, considering Mack Hollins returned to the lineup and had three catches on six targets and a touchdown.
With the extremely favorable matchup and consistent role in the offense, Raridon could be a nice bonus to fantasy lineups before the main slate of games even begins.
Fantasy outlook: TE2/FLEX
NFL fantasy football rookie sits for Week 10
Sit 'Em: Fernando Mendoza
The matchup: The Las Vegas Raiders are playing the Seattle Seahawks in their first game with No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza in the starting lineup.
Despite the offensive struggles, the Seahawks' defense is as strong as ever. They are the No. 4 scoring defense, rank first in passing yards allowed and fourth in rushing yards allowed.
Specifically in fantasy football, they are giving up the second-fewest points to quarterbacks this season.
Why I'm sitting him: It's a huge moment for the 2026 No. 1 overall pick as he prepares to make his first NFL start. And from a fantasy perspective, we know the Raiders are actually a viable offense for quarterbacks.
Kirk Cousins is the fifth-ranked quarterback on Sleeper for fantasy this season. So Mendoza is stepping into a good situation.
But he's still a rookie quarterback, making his first start against one of the elite defenses in the NFL.
It's worth making sure you have Mendoza on your roster - especially if you might need a quarterback in the fantasy playoffs. But this probably won't be a storybook first start for Mendoza.
Fantasy Outlook: Bench/stash
Sit 'Em: Jordyn Tyson
The matchup: The New Orleans Saints are in a divisional matchup with the Carolina Panthers this week. Carolina is allowing just the 20th-most fantasy points to wide receivers this season, despite its injuries at cornerback and the shootout nature of its games.
The Panthers rank ninth in passing yards allowed and 18th in EPA per dropback allowed.
Why I'm sitting him: Jordyn Tyson made his season debut last week against the Browns. He had four receptions on five targets for 30 yards. It wasn't a breakout performance by any means, but it was nice to see Tyson out there and working his way into the offense.
But he's not fully involved in the offense just yet. He was only on the field for 24 percent of the Saints' offensive snaps, which was fourth on the team among wide receivers.
Until Tyson starts to make bigger plays or is on the field more, he shouldn't be in fantasy lineups. But the No. 8 overall pick should be stashed on rosters for when he does start to take on more of the offense.
Fantasy outlook: Bench/stash
Sit 'Em: Caleb Douglas
The matchup: The Miami Dolphins will face the Indianapolis Colts this week. The Colts are giving up the ninth-most fantasy points to wide receivers this season and are the 30th-ranked defense in points allowed.
Defensive starters Justin Walley, A.J. Haulcy, and Akeem Davis-Gaither all missed Indianapolis' last game without clear indications of their availability for this week.
Why I'm sitting him: Despite the matchup, Caleb Douglas should go to the bench this week for fantasy managers.
Miami will be playing this game with backup quarterback Kyle McCord. It'll be McCord's first taste of regular-season NFL action since being taken in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Douglas could be quarterback-proof in this offense with his role on the team. Last week, he had six receptions on eight targets for 70 yards. There's even a chance he takes on a bigger role as the team's No. 1 receiver, with passes being funneled to him from the backup.
But with the Miami offense already ranking 31st in points this season and now turning to a backup quarterback making his first career start, it's better not to take the risk of playing Douglas if you can help it.
Fantasy outlook: Bench/stash
Rookie sleeper of the week: Kaelon Black
The matchup: The San Francisco 49ers are playing the Dallas Cowboys in Week 10. The 49ers are third in the league in scoring, and Dallas is 25th in points allowed.
San Francisco is second in offensive DVOA, and the Cowboys are 29th in defensive DVOA.
The 49ers rank second in rushing yards and third in rushing touchdowns, while Dallas ranks 31st and 25th in those same defensive categories, respectively.
Dallas also happens to be allowing the sixth-most fantasy points to running backs this season.
You see where I'm going with this.
This could be one of the most lopsided matchups of the entire NFL season when it comes to the quality of the offense versus the defense. And that could mean production for Kaelon Black.
Why he's my sleeper: Over the past two weeks, Kaelon Black has seen his second- and third-highest rushing-attempt totals of the season. He's made the most of those opportunities with 5.25 and 6.36 yards per carry in those games.
In this game against Dallas, there's a very real chance the 49ers take a significant early lead and lean on their run game for a large portion of the contest, especially given the state of their wide receiver room.
Not only do I think Black could see a season high in rushing attempts, but with the porous nature of the Dallas defense, he could have a big game in both rushing yards and touchdowns.
Fantasy Outlook: FLEX
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