Depth Chart Watch: Fallout From Week 10

Poor Christine Michael – that guy just can't catch a break. The Seahawks just love releasing him. And poor Jeff Fisher – almost no potential Jared Goff outcomes this season will make him look good. But the poorest of us all are people like me who finally got frustrated enough to cut Ryan Mathews last week. Oh well. Let's check out who's become poorer and who's become enriched this week as we try build our way toward the fantasy playoffs.

QUARTERBACK

Cleveland Browns

Cody Kessler got benched in the Thursday night game last week despite not playing terribly, but he's expected to keep his job and make another start Sunday. For that we can thank Josh McCown, who was brought in to spark the offense, but instead turned the ball over three times. Ah, Cleveland.

New York Jets

With Ryan Fitzpatrick (knee) out for Week 10, Bryce Petty made his first career start, and he put up pretty Jets-y numbers: 19-for-32 for 163 yards, a touchdown and a pick. Now the Jets go on bye, and it's unclear who'll start when they get back into action against New England in Week 12.

St. Louis Rams

Apparently, scoring nine points en route to a win over the Jets wasn't enough for Case Keenum to keep his job as the leader of the Rams' offense – shocking, I know. So now we finally enter the Jared Goff era, which ought to have LA fans both excited and nervous. What can we expect from Goff? Well, that's rather unclear. I wouldn't go running out to snag him in fantasy outside of two-QB formats.

RUNNING BACK

Atlanta Falcons

Tevin Coleman (hamstring) is expected to get back to full practices and ready to play in time for Week 12 after the Falcons' bye this week. Once that transpires, he'll return to the smaller end of a timeshare with Devonta Freeman.

Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens have been sticking with Terrance West as their starter, but Week 10's results have to give them some food for thought. West rushed 21 times for only 65 yards against the horrendous Browns run defense, marking his fourth straight week under 4.0 YPC. Meanwhile, Kenneth Dixon took only six carries and turned them into 38 yards – a 6.3 YPC, for those keeping track at home. Dixon said Monday that he now feels like he's 100 percent after starting the season on the sidelines with a knee injury, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him keep eating into West's carries if he keeps running effectively.

Denver Broncos

A depressingly ineffective Devontae Booker effort (24 rushes for 76 yards) against the run-friendly Saints defense can't have his fantasy owners pleased, but Kapri Bibbs was equally ineffective on his own seven carries (22 yards). It looks like Bibbs isn't going to take as big a bite out of Booker's workload as it seemed a week ago, but there's nothing set in stone here.

Green Bay Packers

James Starks came back from his knee issue to lead the Green Bay backfield in Week 10, effectively (and surprisingly) marginalizing Ty Montgomery, who was barely used as either a rusher (three carries, nine yards) or a receiver (two targets, two catches, 11 yards). Seems like a strange way to treat a guy who had become such a key part of your offense in recent weeks. Starks has never been able to handle a starter's workload, and I don't see why that'd change now, so this makes for a nice buy-low moment on Montgomery – assuming you haven't passed your league's trade deadline.

Houston Texans

Newly promoted from the practice squad, Akeem Hunt surprised Sunday with 52 yards on eight carries – only seven fewer carries and 31 fewer yards than Lamar Miller totaled. Alfred Blue got seven of his own, but went for only 23 yards and picked up a minor calf injury that forced him to miss some time. It's very interesting that Miller only got half the RB carries in this one, and he took only 24 of Houston's 61 snaps. This will bear watching moving forward.

Kansas City Chiefs

Spencer Ware ended up missing just one game with his concussion before retaking the reins in the KC backfield Sunday. He ran 13 times for 61 yards while marginalizing Charcandrick West to the point of near-total irrelevance. The lack of volume's unfortunate, but the Chiefs had to do a lot of throwing in this one. That said, Ware has often done his best work in the passing game, and he didn't this time (three targets, three catches, 11 yards). He's still a great own, though.

Minnesota Vikings

The Jerick McKinnon-Matt Asiata-Ronnie Hillman competition for 'most useless fantasy asset' was in full swing Sunday. The three of them managed such putrid numbers, they don't even deserve the dignity of being cited. It's bad enough that I've alerted you to their existence.

New York Giants

Rashad Jennings retook a bigger share of the backfield workload Monday night, delivering a sparkling 87 yards on 15 carries to go with another 22 on three catches. Paul Perkins did a lot less, going for only 31 yards on nine rushes. This seems like a hot-hand situation that might vary from week to week, but Jennings definitely has first dibs.

Philadelphia Eagles

So, apparently what we've learned here is that the title of "starting tailback" for the Eagles indicates a very small role. After all, coach Doug Pederson was calling Ryan Mathews the starter while giving him eight snaps a game but this week, he switched to calling Darren Sproles the starter, and Sproles received just two carries (but 10 targets). As for Mathews, he got his biggest workload since Week 1, going off for 109 yards and two touchdowns (plus a couple of catches for 30 more yards) Sunday. I think I speak for everyone when I say, "What the $%#&?" Don't get too excited about Mathews' big day, though – a matchup in Seattle for Week 11 is the opposite of promising.

San Francisco 49ers

Carlos Hyde got back on the field Sunday in Arizona after missing extended time with a shoulder injury, and he was, in a word, awful: 13 carries for 14 yards. DuJuan Harris was relegated to backup duty, where he was only slightly more useful, rushing five times for 14 yards. After going off for a huge receiving effort against New Orleans, he didn't even get targeted once this time.

Seattle Seahawks

A week after losing his starting job to C.J. Prosise, Christine Michael – a guy with a 4.0 YPC and six touchdowns this year – got cut by the Seahawks on Tuesday. He'll surely catch on elsewhere. For his part, Prosise delivered a strong day: 17 carries for 66 yards, plus seven catches on seven targets for a team-leading 87 yards. Thomas Rawls (leg) is currently expected to make his return in Week 11, but probably in a backup role initially. If he can't return quite yet, Alex Collins will serve as the backup.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Doug Martin (hamstring) rather surprisingly made it back to the field in Week 10, offsetting an inefficient performance – 16 carries for 33 yards – with a touchdown. Peyton Barber held onto a significant chunk of the carries though, going 12 times for 38 yards. That 3.2 YPC ain't much, but it's better than Martin's rate. Still, you have to figure Martin was just getting his sea legs under him, and he should be in for a bigger workload as well as increased efficiency moving forward.

Washington Redskins

Rob Kelley carried the load Sunday against Minnesota, and he did so in pretty impressive fashion again, going for 97 yards on 22 carries. Chris Thompson saw pretty light work behind him (four carries, three pass targets), and Matt Jones was a healthy scratch. Looks like Kelley's the guy moving forward, with Thompson probably getting extra work when the 'Skins find themselves behind in games.

WIDE RECEIVER

Jacksonville Jaguars

Welcome to 2016, Allen Robinson! A 1,400-yard monster last year, he's not even on pace to clear 1,000 this season, but that'll change in a hurry if we see more of what he put up in Week 10. He set new season highs with nine catches and 107 yards, scoring a touchdown and a two-point conversion. Marqise Lee continued his solid-yet-unspectacular run, catching four of six targets for 50 yards, while Allen Hurns continued to be just awful – he caught only two of seven targets for 13 yards. If Hurns rightfully sees his role decline further, that could mean Lee starts getting enough targets for serious fantasy relevance.

Kansas City Chiefs

With Jeremy Maclin (groin) out, Tyreek Hill got the target load his fantasy owners were dreaming of Sunday – 13 of 'em – and he caught 10 for a team-leading 89 yards, with a 12-yard carry pushing him over the century mark from scrimmage for the day. Albert Wilson saw a respectable seven targets, but managed only 25 yards on four grabs, while Chris Conley was even less useful, catching one of three targets for 12 yards. Maclin's Week 11 status remains unclear, but it's definitely clear that Hill's stock goes way up in the veteran's absence.

Miami Dolphins

After three straight disappointing weeks, DeVante Parker blew up Sunday in San Diego, putting up his first 100-yard game since Week 2. He out-targeted Jarvis Landry by an 8-6 tally, and his 56-yard reception by itself was enough to lead the team in yardage – although maybe that says more about the rest of the Dolphins than about Parker. But hey, Kenny Stills caught himself a touchdown! In any case, there are more soft matchups on the agenda, but it's unclear whether Parker will see consistent usage.

San Diego Chargers

Travis Benjamin (knee) was forced to sit out Sunday's game, which led to plenty of opportunities for Tyrell Williams, who led the team with 11 targets against Miami. He caught only five of 'em, but that was still good for 125 yards and a touchdown. Dontrelle Inman saw a similarly expanded workload (nine targets), but made much less of it – five catches for 43 yards. It's unclear how much time Benjamin might miss, but his return doesn't seem overly imminent, judging by the lack of updates coming out of San Diego regarding him.

Washington Redskins

DeSean Jackson sat out Sunday with a shoulder issue he apparently picked up at some unknown point within the last week or so. There weren't too many extra targets for Kirk Cousins to distribute, but Pierre Garcon led Washington in every receiving category – targets (10), catches (six) and yards (81). Jamison Crowder was the one we were looking to for a potential double-digit-target game, but he ended up seeing only six – although he did decent work with 'em, catching four for 37 yards and a touchdown. Jackson could return in Week 11, but it's not yet clear whether that'll indeed transpire.

TIGHT END

New England Patriots

Rob Gronkowski reportedly played through an injury he picked up in Week 10 that was believed to be a punctured lung, which sounds patently insane. Monday, however, brought news that his chest injury may be more minor. Perhaps not so coincidentally, Martellus Bennett was the Pats' leading receiver, catching all seven of his targets for 102 yards. We all know how much he stands to benefit if Gronk misses time.

San Diego Chargers

Hunter Henry (knee) got back on the field and caught a touchdown pass, but only had 11 yards to go with it. That didn't stop Antonio Gates, though, as he caught a touchdown for the third straight week, with 63 yards a tasty side dish.

Washington Redskins

Vernon Davis kept it going in Week 10 (three catches for 66 yards and a touchdown), but Jordan Reed surprisingly didn't – he caught only two of four targets for 41 yards. It's possible the two of them can coexist – especially if DeSean Jackson (shoulder) remains sidelined – but there could certainly be a great degree of week-to-week variance here.