Thursday Night Fix-Up - Week 10

CAR @ PIT

My TNF articles tend not to get read but for those who do, thank you and I hope it brings you luck.

This week is a really interesting and hopefully matchup between two powerful offenses and middle of the road defenses.

Carolina:
Cam Newton is having arguably his best season to date both in reality and fantasy. His game is unlike any other QB and in reality, he and Christian McCaffrey are always their main TD threats. The Steelers are good at defending the run but with the RPO and read option in play, they (like many teams) will struggle.

McCaffrey is in Stud status right now and if you own him there’s no matchup where I wouldn’t play him. Any other running backs are irrelevant. All the pre-season hype around CJ Anderson crashed to a halt within a few weeks.

The receiving positions are a little bit trickier to call. Devin Funchess still seems to be the main WR but DJ Moore is starting to see more target and bringing them in. Greg Olsen looks to finally have had his resurgence and be back to his best so Cam does have passing options. I’d struggle to justify playing Moore and I’d only play Funchess if there isn’t a potentially better option. Olsen meanwhile is a starter, even on a short turnaround.

The Carolina defense is very much in the middle. They’re maybe a little underrated but that’s normal.


Pittsburgh:
Big Ben at home is usually a hit. The offensive line is still one of the best in the league and the Bell saga isn’t affecting their play as much as many expected. Roethlisberger is nursing a small injury but should be in for a decent game.

James Connor had a brief dip for a few weeks but has returned in some style. 107 rushing yards, 7 catches for 56 yards and a TD last week and an overall stat line of 1085 total yards and 10TDs make him a hot property.

Antonio Brown is always a given. You have to start him. JuJu is in a similar position but he has been disappointing in recent weeks with x occasions scoring less than x points. James Washington seems to be taking that WR3 role but it’s not productive enough to make him a fantasy starter. Vance McDonald might have some value, especially if the waiver wire is rather bare but with Jesse James still sniffing around and the other options the Steelers have, it’s getting harder to warrant playing a Steelers TE.

The defense started off poorly but seem to have improved into a top 10 outfit again. The run defense has been quite good so far but they’ve struggled against the pass. That’s starting to tighten up although their opponents recently haven’t been so hot on offense.


Overview:
It’s a game where you play your studs but really after that, it’s hard to justify playing anyone else. Funchess is the borderline player and with Olsen’s resurgence, I’m less keen to risk it unless there’s a big gap to my next flex option or WR. For the Steelers McDonald is maybe the turn player and his inclusion will be purely based on who else you have at TE. I’d want Austin Hooper over him but maybe not David Njoku.