Top five FLEX plays for fantasy football Week 10

A glorious week out on the gridiron approaches once more, accompanied this week by more devastating, long-term injury news for many of our favorite marquee fantasy players—Puka Nacua and Lamar Jackson, namely, here. The Jaguars are the cream rising to just about the top, here, and the Bengals are back in midseason form as fantasy darlings. Lots hasn’t gone right this year; lot’s still has plenty of time to correct or mutate or sharpen itself as we look to maximize the potential of our fantasy lineups, here with the fantasy playoffs just a month off, now.

And so—I’m here with the Five Lists of Five: Week 10 edition. The turning-point edition.

For the (somehow) newly-ordained: Soundbite-length blurbs with advanced analysis on my favorite plays of the week. We begin now with my Top five FLEX plays for fantasy football Week 10. Here are my other offerings in this edition:

• Top five must-start WRs for fantasy football Week 10
• Top five must-start RBs for fantasy football Week 10
• Top five sleepers and upside plays for fantasy football Week 10
• Top five streamer plays for fantasy football Week 10

All data provided by Fantasy Points Data Suite 2.0, unless otherwise noted.

Fantasy football Week 10: Top five FLEX plays to start

Tyler Warren, IND (vs. Dolphins)

Daniel Jones has leaned heavily on Tyler Warren since the Colts tight end returned from injury, targeting him 17 times over the last two games. Those throws have produced only 62 yards, a frustrating 3.65 yards per target. With receivers Josh Downs and Keenan Allen traded away, Indianapolis needs Warren to turn that involvement into more substantial gains.

Miami may oblige. The Dolphins have allowed tight ends to catch 52 of 62 targets for an average of 8.4 yards per target, and they’ve surrendered six touchdowns to the position. Warren has also shown he can earn attention against zone coverage, drawing 35 targets on 139 routes against zone this season (25.2%). Give Jones an accessible throw into the middle of Miami’s defense and Warren can start adding PPR points in a hurry.

The Colts’ passing game still has to function well enough to exploit the matchup. Warren caught four of seven targets for 44 yards against Dallas last week, and another large target total would carry more weight if those catches moved him downfield. I’m starting him at FLEX for the combination of established involvement and a defense that has struggled to limit tight ends once the ball arrives.

Travis Kelce, KC (at Falcons)

After all these years, Patrick Mahomes has continued to find Travis Kelce when the Chiefs need a receiver who can work through traffic. Kelce has caught 33 of 48 targets for 482 yards and two touchdowns this season, averaging 14.6 yards per reception. Kansas City also faces a new set of questions at wide receiver after trading for Josh Downs, whose role in his first game with the team remains to be seen.

Atlanta’s defensive backfield is adjusting, too. The Falcons traded safety Jessie Bates to Jacksonville, leaving them to redistribute his responsibilities ahead of Sunday’s matchup. DeMarcco Hellams is among the options to step in, and Atlanta has discussed moving defensive backs around. Kelce and Mahomes have the experience to test those adjustments, though the replacements deserve to be judged on their own work.

The Falcons have defended tight ends well enough to temper the projection: they’ve allowed 7.3 fantasy points per game to the position. Kelce has averaged about 60 receiving yards per game himself, and Mahomes can still turn to him when Atlanta’s rush closes in. I’d start him at FLEX for his place in Kansas City’s passing game and his ability to exploit a coverage mistake.

Tony Pollard, TEN (vs. Jaguars)

Tony Pollard charged into Tennessee’s bye with two enormous performances, piling up 292 scrimmage yards and five touchdowns against Cleveland and Cincinnati. Since Week 6, he has averaged 23.7 touches and 122.6 total yards, a workload that keeps him squarely in the FLEX conversation even against Jacksonville’s imposing front.

Pollard has earned those yards through contact. Among 45 qualifying rushers, he ranks fifth in yards after contact per attempt and 17th in explosive-run rate. Tennessee will need that resilience Sunday: over their last five games, the Jaguars have allowed the league’s lowest rushing success rate and explosive-run rate, along with the seventh-fewest rushing yards over expectation per attempt. They’ve since added defensive tackles Jordan Davis and Davon Godchaux to the interior, so the group Pollard meets will have a different look from the one that built those numbers.

His receiving work can matter if Jacksonville forces the Titans to throw. Across the two games before the bye, Pollard caught six of eight targets for 46 yards. I’m starting him on the strength of his workload and tackle-breaking, while expecting the Jaguars to make the rushing yards far harder to collect than his recent totals suggest.

Ollie Gordon II, MIA (at Colts)

Ollie Gordon’s last appearance on our FLEX list went south fast. In Week 8, he carried 19 times for 69 yards, caught no passes and finished with 6.9 PPR points. A 7.4-point follow-up against Detroit left the same problem exposed: without receiving production or a touchdown, his rushing workload has to do a great deal of heavy lifting.

Indianapolis has struggled to stop exactly that kind of workload. Over their last five games, the Colts have allowed the eighth-highest rushing success rate, the fifth-most rushing yards over expectation per attempt and the 11th-most yards after contact per attempt. Gordon ranks 10th in explosive-run rate among 45 qualifying backs and has averaged 20 touches and 80.1 scrimmage yards since Week 5. Dallas backs just combined for 178 rushing yards against Indianapolis.

Miami will start Kyle McCord at quarterback for the first time, so the Colts can make life difficult by crowding Gordon and challenging the rookie to throw. Even so, the Dolphins have reason to lean on their lead back against a front that has surrendered so many successful runs. I’m returning to Gordon as a FLEX, with a stronger matchup and his thin receiving cushion both in view.

Khalil Shakir, BUF (at Jets)

When defenses send extra rushers, Khalil Shakir has become a particularly useful answer for Josh Allen. Against blitzes this season, Shakir leads Buffalo with 0.29 targets and 3.63 yards per route. The Jets rank fourth in blitz rate (41.2%), setting up the sort of quick throws Shakir can catch underneath and carry into open space. Among qualified receivers, he leads the league in yards after the catch per reception.

We featured him in Week 8 and received five catches for 64 yards and 11.4 PPR points. Shakir followed with four catches for 58 yards against Minnesota, although Buffalo’s heavier personnel packages limited him to 21 routes on 35 dropbacks (60%). That route share matters: even an efficient receiver needs enough chances to earn targets.

Buffalo’s offensive-line health adds another wrinkle. Tackle Spencer Brown missed Thursday’s practice after working on a limited basis Wednesday, while several other linemen were limited. Allen may need the ball out quickly if protection falters, and Shakir has thrived on those throws against the blitz. I like him as a PPR FLEX whose yards after the catch can elevate a modest target total.