Week 10 Fantasy Football Stars Who Will Struggle: Patrick Mahomes, Brian Robinson Jr., Marvin Harrison Jr, and Sam LaPorta

Last week’s attempt to find fantasy stars who would struggle was a success, with just one good performance and three duds:

• Tua Tagovailoa played well, racking up 231 passing yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. He was very efficient against a tough Buffalo defense.
• Jonathan Taylor has had great performances when I’ve listed him here in the past, but that wasn’t the case in Week 9: Taylor had just 48 rushing yards on 13 carries with three catches for 11 yards.
• Marvin Harrison Jr. caught two balls for 34 yards. Part of that was the game, as Chicago’s offense couldn’t do anything, and Arizona only threw 20 times. We’ll see more of Harrison later since he plays another tough opponent in Week 10.
• Dalton Kincaid had four receptions for 32 yards against the Dolphins.

Let’s do it again and find one fantasy star at each offensive position who will struggle to excel in Week 10. I used defensive stats from NFL.com and our FantasySP defensive fantasy rankings to help determine the toughest matchups. I will reference those numbers often.

Quarterback

Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs vs. Denver Broncos

Mahomes has fallen off the fantasy pedestal: After finishing as a top-five fantasy quarterback each year from 2020-22, Mahomes finished as QB8 last season and is QB17 entering Week 10.

His name and ceiling will carry his fantasy reputation a long way, but it’s accurate to say that Mahomes hasn’t been a starting fantasy QB in 2024. He’s only finished among the top 10 quarterbacks once: Week 9 against the Bucs.

The matchup turns against him in this one, as the Broncos have given up the fifth-fewest fantasy points per game to quarterbacks and the sixth-least yards per pass attempt. A Broncos team I thought might finish last in the league has a winning record because of their defense.

Putting up a string of middling performances and now facing a division rival with a great pass defense doesn’t give me a lot of confidence in Mahomes. He might be off the “fantasy star” radar soon (if not already).

Running Back

Brian Robinson Jr., Washington Commanders vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Injury is always a concern at the running back position, and Robinson missed his second game of the season last week with a hamstring issue. He was limited in practice to start the week and listed as questionable, so if he does suit up, there are injury concerns with Robinson.

If he makes it onto the field, the matchup waiting for him won’t be a nice one. Pittsburgh has allowed the fourth-least yards per carry and the eighth-fewest fantasy points per game to running backs.

Washington also has multiple backs who can help limit his workload and one of the best running quarterbacks in the league. A team that looks destined for the playoffs has reason to ease their lead back into the rotation as he returns from injury.

With the matchup not in his favor, injury concerns, and other players ready to pick up the workload, Robinson is a risky play this week. He might be your best option, but he’s also a player to monitor heavily heading into the weekend.

Wide Receiver

Marvin Harrison Jr., Arizona Cardinals vs. New York Jets

Let’s go back to the well with Harrison. It’s premature to call him a “star,” as he is only a rookie and has uneven fantasy results, but Harrison is a guy being started every week; that’s close enough, especially when there aren’t many great candidates for the spot.

Harrison has topped 100 yards just twice and 50 yards only one other time. He has left fantasy owners underwhelmed most weeks, unable to find consistent production. Last week’s matchup against the Bears was tough, and this week against the Jets might be even harder.

New York has allowed the least fantasy points per game to receivers and the fourth-least yards per pass attempt. Other than Russell Wilson randomly blowing up against the Jets in Week 7, they haven’t allowed anyone to throw for more than 215 yards since Week 1.

Star cornerback Sauce Gardner is always lurking around to harass top receivers, so things don’t look good for Harrison heading into Week 10. He has superstar upside, but it’s important to remember that some of these guys are rookies and will take more than two months to dominate.

Harrison is a guy to consider sitting this week. Some owners won’t have the option, but it’s worth looking to see what you can do.

Tight End

Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions @ Houston Texans

LaPorta hasn’t been much of a star this season compared to expectations. He racked up 86 receptions, 889 yards, and 10 touchdowns last year, topping tight ends in the latter. There was no reason to expect he wouldn’t at least approach similar numbers, even with an expected decline.

Instead, LaPorta is on pace for 47 catches, 638 yards, and four touchdowns. Those 87.8 standard fantasy points would have put him at TE13 last season (not factoring in fumbles, two-point conversions, etc.). That puts him in a very different light than the guy who led tight ends in fantasy scoring in 2023.

The matchup is the worst part about LaPorta’s outlook in Week 10. The Texans have allowed the second-fewest yards per pass attempt and the least fantasy points per game to tight ends. Houston has the second-best defensive DVOA, nestled right between Minnesota and Detroit.

Given the extra tough matchup and LaPorta’s status among the middle of the tight ends, he looks better on someone’s bench than in a lineup in Week 10.