NFL Week 10 Recap: Immediate fantasy football takeaways from Sunday's games

Jahmyr Gibbs and Amon-Ra St. Brown power Detroit to victory: Gibbs racked up more than 200 yards and two touchdowns, while St. Brown found the end zone twice despite battling a rib injury.

Drake Maye’s injury derails the Patriots offense: Maye completed three of four passes for 48 yards on the opening drive before an ankle injury ended his day. Remarkably, he remained the game's leading passer for more than half of the contest despite his early exit.

Injured Patriots stars struggle to make an impact: New England running back Rhamondre Stevenson and wide receiver A.J. Brown both played through injuries but combined for just 32 yards.

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Jump to a game:

New England Patriots @ Detroit Lions

Rhamondre Stevenson plays through knee injury: Stevenson initially appeared at risk of missing multiple weeks, but he was able to suit up against Detroit.

Corey Kiner was a popular waiver-wire target this past week. TreVeyon Henderson has been sidelined by an unexplained illness and was placed on injured reserve Saturday. Stevenson suffered a knee injury late last week, missed practice Wednesday and was limited Thursday and Friday before being listed as questionable. However, New England didn't elevate Terrell Jennings from the practice squad Saturday, an early sign Stevenson would play.

Stevenson started the game but came off the field after one play, with Kiner handling the next five snaps. That raised concerns that Stevenson's workload would be significantly limited. However, Stevenson returned for the final four plays of the drive and played every snap over the next two drives. Kiner saw a few more snaps in the first half, while Lan Larison opened the two-minute drill before Stevenson finished it. Kiner frequently received carries when he was on the field, while Stevenson was used more often on passing plays.

As the game got further out of hand in the third quarter, Stevenson rotated out more frequently. He didn't play at all in the fourth quarter. His playing time shouldn't be a major concern, particularly with the Patriots on their bye next week.

Stevenson's fantasy value will depend largely on Drake Maye's health. Assuming Maye is healthy, Stevenson is a buy-low candidate. The Patriots have two favorable matchups coming out of the bye, along with additional favorable matchups in the final two weeks of the fantasy playoffs.

Kiner can be dropped in some fantasy leagues, but he should remain rostered in leagues that hold most handcuff running backs.

A.J. Brown‘s return to New England was cut short by another injury: Brown missed the past two weeks with ankle and knee injuries before leaving this game with a hamstring injury.

The Patriots have dealt with several injuries to their outside receivers this season, with Brown, Mack Hollins and Romeo Doubs all spending time on injured reserve. From Weeks 5-9, no more than one of their top three outside receivers was healthy at a time, giving Efton Chism III and Kyle Williams extended playing time. Hollins returned last week but played a slightly limited role.

Hollins played his most extensive role of the season — he was fully healthy for the first time and his primary competition for snaps, Doubs, remained sidelined. Brown rotated out more frequently than he would have at full strength. He played 92% of snaps in Week 7 before suffering his most recent injuries, but his snap rate stood at 65% at halftime against Detroit. Williams has primarily served as Brown's backup, so he played notably more snaps than Chism in the first half. Douglas continued to play in 11 personnel but rarely saw the field in other personnel groupings. The passing game's struggles likely stemmed more from Drake Maye‘s injury than from the health of the wide receivers.

Brown entered the medical tent after a 22-yard catch in the third quarter. He was subsequently listed as questionable to return before being ruled out in the fourth quarter. Given the lopsided score, the Patriots may have held him out as a precaution, just as they did with Stevenson in the fourth quarter.

The Patriots have their bye next week, giving Brown and Maye additional time to recover. Doubs is eligible to return from injured reserve next week, so New England could have its full complement of wide receivers for the first time since Week 1. In deeper leagues where Chism is rostered, he can be dropped with Hollins back at full strength and Doubs potentially returning after the bye. If Brown's hamstring injury proves minor, Williams can also be dropped.

Amon-Ra St. Brown delivers despite rib injury: St. Brown was limited in practice all week with a rib injury and was listed as questionable, but he was active against New England.

The Lions have one of the simplest wide receiver rotations in the NFL, with St. Brown and Jameson Williams serving as the primary receivers and Isaac TeSlaa joining them in 11 personnel. St. Brown typically takes a few plays off in 12 personnel. The only complication is Detroit's increased use of 13 personnel. Williams has led the team in 13-personnel snaps, but all three receivers have played significant snaps in that grouping.

None of the three receivers have missed a game this season, so backups Tay Martin and DeAndre Carter have barely seen the field on offense. In fact, St. Brown is the only Detroit wide receiver to appear on the injury report at any point this season. He has been limited in practice over the past two weeks and has rotated out slightly more often in 12 personnel in favor of TeSlaa during those games. However, the change hasn't affected his fantasy production.

St. Brown caught four passes for 98 yards and two touchdowns against New England. After scoring five touchdowns in the first three weeks of the season, he went five straight games without finding the end zone. His performance against the Patriots was a welcome sight for fantasy managers.

The Lions‘ good fortune with wide receiver health may not last all season, but as long as St. Brown is healthy enough to play and Williams remains healthy, both are fantasy starters.

Miscellaneous Notes

New England quarterback Drake Maye suffered an ankle injury on the Patriots' opening drive and was ruled out. Tommy DeVito took over at quarterback and will remain the starter for as long as Maye is sidelined. Fortunately for New England, the Patriots have a bye next week, giving Maye additional time to recover and potentially avoid missing a game.

Patriots running back Reggie Gilliam returned to practice Wednesday and was activated from injured reserve Saturday. He was limited in practice all week with a knee injury and was listed as questionable but was active against Detroit.

The Patriots waived tight end Tanner Arkin Monday before signing him to the practice squad Wednesday.

Lions running back Jacob Saylors returned after missing last week's game with a neck injury. He was a full participant in practice all week despite being listed with neck and hamstring injuries.

After four consecutive healthy scratches, the Lions waived tight end Jackson Meeks Monday before signing him to the practice squad Wednesday.

The Lions pulled their starters and primary backups for the final five minutes of the game, allowing quarterback Joshua Dobbs and running back Jabari Small to set season highs in offensive snaps. Neither player appeared on offense before those final five minutes.

NFL Week 10 Recap: Immediate fantasy football takeaways from Sunday's games

Jump to a game:

New England Patriots @ Detroit Lions

Kansas City Chiefs @ Atlanta Falcons

Houston Texans @ Cleveland Browns

Minnesota Vikings @ Green Bay Packers

Miami Dolphins @ Indianapolis Colts

Carolina Panthers @ New Orleans Saints

Buffalo Bills @ New York Jets

Jacksonville Jaguars @ Tennessee Titans

Los Angeles Rams @ Arizona Cardinals

Seattle Seahawks @ Las Vegas Raiders

San Francisco 49ers @ Dallas Cowboys

Pittsburgh Steelers @ Cincinnati Bengals