Fantasy Football: 4 Bold Predictions for Week 10

There's nothing quite like the NFL.

Football is one of the most intense, exciting sports on the planet. The source of the now-ubiquitous saying "Any Given Sunday," the NFL is a place where even struggling teams have a chance to topple the best in the league. Anything can happen when you only play 17 regular season games a year.

That uncertainty is a huge driver behind the excitement the NFL generates each and every season. What's more fun than watching something totally unexpected unfold before your eyes?

That's why, this year, we'll be bringing you four bold predictions to watch for each week of the 2023 NFL season.

NFL Bold Predictions for Week 10

Kyler Murray Will Finish as a Top-3 QB

It's been almost a year since we've seen Kyler Murray play a snap in the NFL, but the Arizona Cardinals' quarterback is gearing up to make his first start of the 2023 NFL campaign. The team has looked surprisingly feisty in Murray's absence, playing hard for new head coach Jonathan Gannon after years spent toiling away under Kliff Kingsbury and former GM Steve Keim. It's a new era in the desert.

It's a little nerve-wracking betting on a quarterback in his first game back in almost a year, but Murray is set up for fantasy success this week against an Atlanta Falcons defense that just let former Cardinals interim quarterback Joshua Dobbs run all over them.

The Falcons' defense has allowed opposing passers to average 18.8 fantasy points per game this year (ninth-most) despite playing what Sharp Football Analysis considered the easiest schedule in the NFL entering the year. It's a feat that looks even more concerning after giving up 59 combined points to Dobbs (who had joined the team just days earlier via trade) and the Will Levis-led Tennessee Titans.

The most exciting part of Murray's 2023 debut is that it will be the first time we've seen Murray play outside of Kingsbury's "horizontal raid" passing offense. Kingsbury's Cardinals were notorious for chiefly operating at or around the line of scrimmage. If the Cardinals let Murray air it out -- and Dobbs' 8.1 average intended air yards per pass attempt (12th-highest in the NFL) in his time with the team implies that they will -- we could see some truly exciting fantasy football production from Murray down the stretch here.

The young quarterback's ability to combine rushing production with the passing game has seen him finish among the top fantasy quarterbacks in multiple seasons, and he'll kick things off with a bang as a top-three fantasy passer in Week 10.

David Montgomery Will Punch in 2 TDs

A lot has happened in the two games Detroit Lions running back David Montgomery missed with a rib injury. The team finally handed the keys to the offense over to 12th-overall pick Jahmyr Gibbs, an opportunity the exciting rookie converted into RB3- and RB2-overall performances in Weeks 7 and 8. It will be hard for the team to put that lightning back in a bottle.

That said, the team has clearly laid out that Montgomery and Gibbs have separate roles in their offense, so it's perfectly possible for both backs to thrive in fantasy -- we saw it last year with Jamaal Williams and D'Andre Swift, as well. As good as Gibbs has looked in space, the team clearly prefers Montgomery in short-yardage situations as they did with Williams a season ago.

Even after missing multiple games, Montgomery leads the team in carries inside their opponents' five-yard line by a wide margin and is the only back on the team to convert any of those carries into scores -- he has flipped his eight inside-the-five carries into four rushing touchdowns. By comparison, Gibbs and backup rusher Craig Reynolds have combined for just three carries in that area of the field and were not able to punch in any touchdowns on those totes.

Even if Gibbs' role expands in the coming weeks -- and it should -- the Lions still seem likely to turn to Montgomery's larger frame at the goal line. This week they'll face off against the Los Angeles Chargers in a game with the highest total of the slate, according to the FanDuel Sportsbook's NFL Odds.

This one could be a fantasy-point-extravaganza, and Montgomery will capitalize by notching two more rushing touchdowns to his season total.

D.K. Metcalf Will Be the WR1

Predicting someone to finish as the WR1 doesn't leave a lot of room for error -- there can only be one each week -- so the circumstances have to line up exactly right for anyone to take home the crown. Seattle Seahawks wideout D.K. Metcalf absolutely has what it takes to put himself on top of the ranks in Week 10 against the Washington Commanders.

The Commanders are bleeding fantasy points to opposing wideouts, allowing the third-most fantasy points per game to the position -- and that was mostly before they shipped out two of their best young pass-rushers at the trade deadline. They have simply not been able to contain opposing WR1s at all this season. Just check out these stat lines from some of their games this year:

The receivers above indicate that there's a specific type of player the Commanders just cannot handle -- big, fast playmakers. If anyone fits that mold in the NFL, it's Metcalf, who blazed a ridiculous 4.33-second 40-yard dash at the NFL combine at 6'4", 235 lbs.

Metcalf hasn't quite had the season many were hoping for so far in 2023 -- he's the WR43 in total fantasy points scored while averaging 10.2 per game -- but a matchup with the Commanders is exactly what the doctor ordered. He'll capitalize on the soft matchup by finishing as the WR1 in Week 10.

49ers vs. Jags Will Send 3 Receivers to the Top 12

It's pretty rare to see as much wide receiver talent on the same field as we're going to see on Sunday when the Jacksonville Jaguars host the San Francisco 49ers.

Each of Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, Christian Kirk, and Calvin Ridley have had stretches of time with elite fantasy football production despite competing against each other for opportunities. Heck, even WR3s Zay Jones and Jauan Jennings have looked like they could be difference-makers at times on these loaded offenses.

They might all have an opportunity to shine this week when they square off against each other. Both the 49ers and the Jags have had strong defenses to start the year but haven't quite locked down opposing wideouts. Their defenses both rely on strong pass rushes to cover for average secondaries -- both teams rank in the league's top half in fantasy points allowed per game to opposing receivers.

There are only so many passing opportunities to go around in each offense, making it difficult for one team alone to send multiple receivers into the top 12 for the week -- especially if the running game steals plays away from the aerial attack. Both of these teams have gotten some excellent play from their running backs this season, but the Jags (3rd-best) and 49ers (5th-best) have been two of the stoutest defenses against the run. If those strong rushing defenses hold up, it should push more plays toward the passing game.

We have also seen pretty much all of the receivers on these teams produce with extreme efficiency, so they might not necessarily even need elite volume to crack the WR1 leaderboards this week. Don't be surprised to see multiple representatives from this game near the top of the ranks when the Week 10 scores come in.

Interested in playing NFL DFS? Head over to FanDuel’s daily fantasy football lobby to see all the offerings for this week's slates.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.