Getting to the fantasy football playoffs is not an easy task — it requires crucial decision-making and a little bit of luck.
The choices about who to start and who to sit become all the more agonizing as we gear up for a playoff run, so let's go through some of the tougher choices heading into Week 10.
DEFENSIVE LINE
START — Brian Burns, DE, Carolina Panthers (vs. TB)
It’s been a quiet couple of weeks for Brian Burns and his fantasy managers, as he hasn’t recorded a sack since Week 7, which can seem like forever ago for fantasy purposes. While it can be frustrating for those who have been starting him and hoping for big games, we have to be patient and continue to roll with the Panthers’ top defensive lineman.
Burns enters this week’s game against the Buccaneers as PFF’s second-highest graded pass rusher at the edge position, behind only T.J. Watt, with a very impressive 90.5 grade. So, even though we haven’t seen the efficient sack numbers that he posted last season, he’s actually been playing better than his rookie year, giving me plenty of reason to believe that the sacks will follow.
Burns has also posted 10 total pressures over the past two weeks, so there’s not much of a concern that he isn’t winning his reps or getting after the quarterback. He is a versatile edge rusher, playing against both sides of the offensive line. His best matchup this weekend comes against Buccaneers left tackle Donovan Smith, who has a 67.8 pass-blocking grade, having allowed 24 total pressures and four sacks on the year.
SIT — Cameron Jordan, DE, New Orleans Saints (vs. SF)
Cameron Jordan has long been one of the best defensive ends in the NFL and someone who we can easily rely on in our IDP leagues every single week. Unfortunately, this season has been a tough one for those rostering Jordan, as he comes into this week with his lowest pass-rushing grade (71.5) over the past six seasons. While the grade itself would be good for a lot of players, it is certainly less than what we’ve come to expect from Jordan, who has had more bad IDP games than good in 2020.
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