4 Biggest Dynasty Story Lines of Week 10

We’re officially over halfway through the season. We’re just six weeks away from the fantasy football playoffs starting. I know it’s hard to believe. With the trade deadline in the books, teams have shown their hand as they jockey for position. Week 10 has it all: we have glorious returns, devastating injuries to contend with, and the start of the Fernando Mendoza era. 

And that’s where we will start. 

Here are the biggest dynasty storylines of Week 10. 

Fernando Mendoza makes his Debut

Fernando Mendoza’s journey to the NFL has been far from conventional. Coming out of high school, Mendoza was a little-known two-star recruit who didn’t attract any attention from top FBS schools. At one point, Mendoza ranked as the 134th-best QB prospect in the 2022 class and the 250th-best player in Florida by 247Sports.

He initially committed to Yale before the University of California became the only Power Five school to offer him a scholarship – that offer came late in the cycle after another QB de-committed. Over two seasons in California, Mendoza threw for 4,700 yards and 30 TDs. Solid stats. But not stats befitting a number one pick. Mendoza got the call from Curt Cignetti and transferred to Indiana in his third season. Heading into last season, you would have been called crazy if you said that Mendoza would be the number one pick. But these are crazy times – and Mendoza certainly earned it.

At Indiana, Mendoza produced one of the best seasons in recent college football history.

Mendoza completed an incredible 72% of his passes for 3,535 yards and 41 TDs, while rushing for 444 yards and 7 TDs, as the Hoosiers went 16-0 on his way to winning both the Natty and the Heisman. Mendoza had the highest QBR in the country, whilst recording an astonishing 7:1 TD-to-INT ratio. While his season wasn’t comparable to Joe Burrow’s insane 2019 campaign, it was certainly statistically comparable to some recent QBs drafted at the top of the draft. 

If you’re the No. 1 pick, you’ll have to play at some point, regardless of minority owner Tom Brady’s commitment to giving young quarterbacks time to learn. Well, let’s hope Mendoza learned a lot. He gets a baptism of fire. The Raiders face the defending Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks, who boast one of the league’s most potent defenses. Despite averaging the eighth most PPG in the league, the Raiders have the worst run game by EPA/rush and success rate, one of the worst offensive lines, and a threadbare wide receiver room. They do have Brock Bowers, who is on a historic pace this season. Only two quarterbacks had tight ends as their leading receivers in their rookie seasons. Hunter Henry led the Patriots in receiving yards and finished as the TE12 in Drake Maye‘s rookie season, while Zach Ertz led the Eagles in receiving yards during Carson Wentz‘ rookie season, finishing as the TE6. Week 10 is the first chance for fantasy managers to see their shiny new toy.

Will it work out for Mendoza and the Raiders? Who knows. But Mendoza’s rise to the top is a true underdog story, and his success is impossible not to root for.

Justin Jefferson and Kirk Cousins Reunite 

One of my favorite Halloween episodes of The Simpsons is in Season 5. Homer sells his soul to Ned Flanders, who is the devil, for a donut. When Homer is dragged down to Hell, he is placed in the Ironic Punishment Division where he is strapped to a chair and force-fed every donut in the world – to which Homer gleefully chomps down every last one. I can’t help but feel like Justin Jefferson will gleefully take all the force-feeding he can take after a couple of miserable years. 

Last season, Jefferson ranked as the WR32 in PPG. Nine weeks into the season, Jefferson ranked as the WR20 in PPG. Jefferson has been dragged down to the level of mere mortals through abject quarterback play. At the deadline, the Minnesota Vikings traded for Kirk Cousins – a move that reunites Cousins with Jefferson, who has been pouting more than a child who has been told they can’t have ice cream for dinner. It’s hard to imagine there was anyone more thrilled than Jefferson upon hearing the news. Well, perhaps Kyler Murray, who can now dedicate his time to playing GTA VI. 

Jefferson will be happy for a good reason. Kirk Cousins feeds his studs. This season, he had Brock Bowers on a 17-game pace to lead the league in fantasy points for tight ends by 40 points. A few years back, Cousins guided Jefferson to the WR1 in 2022, when he had over 1,800 yards, 128 receptions, and eight touchdowns. Kirk Cousins’ return sparks new life in Jefferson’s dynasty stock, firmly placing him back in the top five wide receivers in dynasty rankings. 

Puka Nacua: What Now? 

At the time of writing, Puka Nacua hasn’t been moved to the IR. NFL Insider Dan Graziano reported that the Rams are expecting him back around Week 14 or 15. Delightfully vague. Nacua has been diagnosed with a trifecta of injuries that would make Ladd McConkey blush. Nacua suffered MCL and PCL sprains in his right knee, in addition to turf toe, after Sean McVay ran a jet sweep for three yards, much to the chagrin of the fantasy football community. Seriously, McVay should sit alongside Sean Payton at the top of the list of head coaches who hate your fantasy team. 

Moving on, Puka Nacua’s injury opens the door to a plethora of dynasty opportunities. Given what we know about turf toe injuries and the fact that this is a reinjury to his right knee, we should taper our expectations even if he does return this season. Here’s how I’m approaching Puka Nacua for the remainder of the season on my dynasty rosters.  

When healthy, Nacua is one of the premier wide receivers. In the last three seasons, he has ranked as the WR2, WR1 and WR3 in PPG. If I’m a contender, I’m testing the waters given his injury history. But I need a package that is commensurate with Nacua’s upside. Likewise, if I’m a rebuilder, I’m keen to trade for a player who has shown his upside when healthy. I would be looking at players like Drake London, Chris Olave, Tee Higgins, and Zay Flowers. If I can’t get that as a contender, I’m standing pat.  

What can you do for Zay Flowers, Jacoby Brissett? 

Last season, no player averaged more pass attempts per game than Jacoby Brissett. Since he got the start in Week 6 last season, Brissett has averaged over 40 pass attempts per game. He is the garbage time king. Brissett has proven he can support a fantasy-friendly offense against the backdrop of 20-point fourth-quarter deficits. The key difference is that the Ravens’ defense is considerably better than the Cardinals’. 

If Zay Flowers were a stock, his chart would resemble a volatile crypto asset. Flowers started off the season on fire before sustaining a hamstring injury. Then Lamar Jackson missed time. He looked good with Tyler Huntley. Lamar Jackson returned before injuring his thumb on the first snap of the game against the Bills. Then Joe Fagnano, who doesn’t have a three-episode arc in Season Four of The Sopranos. Now, it’s Jacoby Brissett for the foreseeable. 

Flowers has a lot of encouraging underlying metrics. Of all wide receivers, Flowers ranks: 

• 3rd in YPRR (3.41)
• 3rd in YAC (311)
• 6th in TPRR (0.3)
• 7th in target share (29.7%)

Flowers has teased an ascension to the truly elite wide receivers in dynasty rankings. With just under half the season left, Flowers owners are turning to Jacoby Brissett for answers. As a Zay Flowers owner, I’m content to wait this one out on both contending and rebuilding teams. 

Hey, you made it to the end! Good job by you. Thanks for taking the time to read my article; hit me up on X to talk ball anytime @StartSitEmFF.