This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Football series.
The Week 10 NFL main slate begins Sunday at 1 p.m. EST and features 10 games. The Browns, Packers, Raiders and Seahawks are on bye in Week 10, while the Thursday Night Football (Bengals-Ravens), Germany game (Giants-Panthers), Sunday Night Football (Lions-Texans) and Monday Night Football (Dolphins-Rams) participants play outside the main slate. Yahoo will be running plenty of NFL DFS contests for Week 10, but the biggest is the Sunday Baller, which pays out a guaranteed prize pool of $115,000 to the top 1,156 finishers, including $25,000 to the winner. You can submit up to 150 entries into this contest, which has a maximum total capacity of 6,700 entries but will still run if it doesn't fill, potentially providing you with enhanced odds of winning, also known as overlay.
Playing in guaranteed prize pool (GPP) contests is about chasing upside, while lineups geared towards head-to-head, 50/50 or double-up formats should prioritize high floors. The players you want to target for these different contest types aren't mutually exclusive, but winning a GPP tournament usually requires finding a hidden gem or going against the grain in a spot or two, while building a solid base of the same chalk plays you would use anywhere. Against-the-grain plays typically consist of big-name players in tough matchups or boom-or-bust types with uncertain roles.
Keep in mind that Yahoo DFS contests use 0.5 PPR scoring rather than full PPR, which lowers the comparative value of wide receivers and running backs (in that order) while especially affecting high-volume pass-catchers. Your NFL $115k Sunday Baller lineup will consist of one QB, two RBs, three WRs, one TE, one FLEX (RB/WR/TE) and one D/ST unit. Suggested Week 10 plays include a QB-WR stack facing an underwhelming pass defense, as well as a surging RB and TE that are poised to keep rolling after bouncing back from slow starts.
QUARTERBACK
Brock Purdy, SF at TB ($31): Purdy should have little trouble piling up yardage through the air, as he ranks fifth in passing yards per game and will face a Buccaneers defense that's allowing the third-most passing yards per game. He'll also benefit substantially from San Francisco's Week 9 bye, which gave Kyle Shanahan extra prep time as the head coach goes for a 10th consecutive win in the month of November while providing additional opportunities for banged-up WRs Deebo Samuel (oblique/ribs) and Jauan Jennings (hip) to heal up. Speaking of healing up, Christian McCaffrey (Achilles) could make his season debut, which would significantly improve the pass catching capabilities of San Francisco's backfield. Purdy has been sneaky good with his legs as well, with 83 yards and three TDs rushing in his last two games.
Honorable Mentions:
Russell Wilson, PIT at WAS ($28); Sam Darnold, MIN at JAC ($26); Aaron Rodgers, NYJ at ARI ($26)
Against the Grainers:
Josh Allen, BUF at IND ($32); Kirk Cousins, ATL at NO ($29); Patrick Mahomes, KC vs. DEN ($27)
RUNNING BACK
D'Andre Swift, CHI vs. NE ($31): Swift's slow start to his Bears tenure has become a distant memory, as he has averaged 87.4 rushing yards and 35.8 receiving yards over the past five games while scoring four rushing TDs over that span. The favored Bears will likely lean heavily on the running game against the 2-7 Patriots, who just gave up 154 scrimmage yards to Tony Pollard. New England's 1,121 rushing yards and 10 rushing TDs allowed to RBs are both second-most in the NFL behind the Panthers, who play outside the main slate in Week 10.
James Cook, BUF at IND ($31): The yardage totals for Buffalo's lead back have fluctuated substantially from week to week, as the team like to mix in backups Ray Davis and Ty Johnson, but Cook has kept his fantasy stock high with eight TDs in his last seven games. The Colts have allowed the fourth-most rushing yards to RBs (1,096), and while Indianapolis has done a decent job of limiting the damage by holding the position to five TDs, Cook's nose for the end zone suggests he has a good chance of adding another TD or two to what's likely to be one of his better yardage totals.
Honorable Mentions:
Jonathan Taylor, IND vs. BUF ($35); Aaron Jones, MIN at JAC ($31); Kareem Hunt, KC vs. DEN ($30)
Against the Grainers:
Christian McCaffrey, SF at TB ($33); James Conner, ARI vs. NYJ ($29); Austin Ekeler, WAS vs. PIT ($20)
WIDE RECEIVER
Justin Jefferson, MIN at JAC ($35): Jefferson should be worth paying up for on a week that sees a lot of big-name WRs playing outside the main slate. He has at least 81 receiving yards in each of the past seven games, and 252 yards in his last two outings. Jefferson should keep rolling against a Jaguars defense that has allowed 1,576 receiving yards to WRs, which is third-most in the NFL behind the Ravens and Lions, both of which play outside the main slate.
Deebo Samuel, SF at TB ($25): Samuel has had a few underwhelming performances while hampered by injuries, but he has usually excelled when on the healthy side, and the physical wideout will be refreshed coming out of a bye week. At $2 less than TE George Kittle, Samuel's a strong value proposition if you want to stack with Purdy against the generous Buccaneers secondary. If you disregard the game Samuel essentially misses with pneumonia, he has at least 54 receiving yards in all but one other game and has averaged 3.8 rushing attempts to bolster his value.
DeAndre Hopkins, KC vs. DEN ($17): After being brought along slowly in his Kansas City debut, Hopkins showed impressive chemistry with Patrick Mahomes in the veteran WR's second game for the team, burning the Bucs for eight catches, 86 yards and two TDs. Denver's secondary has been far tougher, but if Hopkins even comes close to replicating his Week 9 performance, the buy-low window will slam shut and he won't be available for anywhere near this salary. Working as the clear top dog in KC's depleted WR corps and motivated by a chance to play in the postseason for the first time since 2019, Hopkins is an appealing value play, even against a Denver defense that had looked good before surrendering 41 points to the Ravens last week.
Honorable Mentions:
Garrett Wilson, NYJ at ARI ($32); Brian Thomas, JAC vs. MIN ($27); George Pickens, PIT at WAS ($24)
Against the Grainers:
Ladd McConkey, LAC vs. TEN ($25); DJ Moore, CHI vs. NE ($23); Calvin Ridley, TEN at LAC ($21)
TIGHT END
Cade Otton, TB vs. SF ($20): With Tampa Bay's receiving corps banged up, Baker Mayfield has peppered Otton with 31 targets over the last three weeks. The surging TE has rewarded that decision by posting at least eight catches and 77 yards in three consecutive games while scoring three TDs over that span. Mike Evans (hamstring) remains out and Chris Godwin (ankle) won't be back during the regular season, so Otton's volume is unlikely to regress, especially since the Bucs could find themselves playing catch-up against the favored 49ers.
Honorable Mentions:
George Kittle, SF at TB ($27); Travis Kelce, KC vs. DEN ($24); T.J. Hockenson, MIN at JAC ($17)
Against the Grainers:
Trey McBride, ARI vs. NYJ ($22); Jake Ferguson, DAL vs. PHI ($17); Taysom Hill, NO vs. ATL ($16)
DEFENSE
Philadelphia Eagles at DAL ($15): This unit got off to a slow start, but the Eagles have corrected course thanks to improved play in the secondary from rookies Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. Philadelphia has held its last four opponents to 11.8 PPG while averaging 9.8 fantasy points over that span, with three games of at least 9.0 fantasy points and no more than 17 points given up in any game over that span. That success should continue against a banged-up Dallas offense that will be starting Cooper Rush under center with Dak Prescott (hamstring) sidelined. Star WR CeeDee Lamb (shoulder) could also be limited or unavailable, and the Cowboys don't have a running game to make up for the personnel losses in the passing game, as only the Raiders average fewer rushing yards per game than Dallas' 82.0.
Honorable Mentions:
Los Angeles Chargers vs. TEN ($19); Chicago Bears vs. NE ($19); Kansas City vs. DEN ($16)
Against the Grainers:
New York Jets at ARI ($13); Washington Commanders vs. PIT ($12); Atlanta Falcons at NO ($11)
