Fantasy Football Start-Sit Decisions For Michael Gallup, Mark Ingram, AJ Brown, Odell Beckham, Elijah Mitchell

Fantasy football start-sit decisions get more important every week, especially for players who straddle the line between tiers or find themselves in unique situations.

With that in mind, our expert ranker walks you through key decisions for players like Saints running back Mark Ingram and Cowboys wide receiver Michael Gallup.

If you’re in need of advice for any players not covered below, you can consult our expert’s real-time rankings for Week 10 here.

Cowboys QB Dak Prescott

Look for Dak Prescott to bounce back after a brutal performance against the Broncos last week — he played much worse than his 232/2/1 stat line would indicate, because much of his production came in garbage time.

Getting Michael Gallup back this week will help Prescott's upside.

We shouldn’t expect much from Prescott as a runner this season, but he is due for positive touchdown regression. He has yet to rush for a touchdown despite the fact that he should have 2.3 expected rushing touchdowns this season according to my calculations, which means he’s getting high value rush attempts (four inside the 5-yard line) but not converting on them — yet.

That +2.3 gap is the second-highest on the season.

Verdict: Start Dak Prescott as a QB1

Saints RB Mark Ingram

Mark Ingram is a RB1/2 option this week with Alvin Kamara already ruled out. There's very little depth behind Ingram, so I expect him to become a true workhorse back with 20+ touches.

It doesn’t hurt that Ingram is due for positive touchdown regression as he's scored only one rushing touchdown this season despite having 3.4 expected rushing touchdown. That +2.4 difference leads the league and indicates to me that he is "due" for a score on the ground.

Verdict: Start Mark Ingram as a fringe RB1

49ers RB Elijah Mitchell

Elijah Mitchell was able to play through his rib injury last week, but was held to eight carries for 36 scoreless yards on the ground. However, he was able to chip in with a season-best 5/43/0 receiving line.

The lack of rushing volume was mainly due to the 49ers trailing for much of the game, but Mitchell’s underlying usage still profiles as a workhorse back. We'll have to monitor Jeff Wilson, who returned from the IR last week, but saw zero touches despite being active.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan is known to go with the “hot hand” approach at RB, so while Mitchell's job appears to be safe right now, we can never be 100% certain about any 49ers back.

Verdict: Start Elijah Mitchell as a high-end RB2

Broncos RB Javonte Williams

Javonte Williams has settled in as an every-week high-end RB3/Flex option, and if you can pry him away at that price, I would do it. He is a Melvin Gordon injury from being a “league winner” and would rank as a low-end RB1 in that scenario.

The Broncos are on bye in Week 11, which might be the perfect time to float an offer for Williams, especially if the manager who has him rostered in your league needs a win and/or a RB replacement that week.

Verdict: Start Javonte Williams as a high-end RB3/Flex

Chiefs RB Darrel Williams

Clyde Edwards-Helaire's return from the IR is imminent, which means Darrel Williams has maybe one to two games left of RB2 value until he becomes a high-upside bench stash.

If you aren’t desperate for a win and have plenty of other options at RB, I would try to send Williams to a manager who is desperate for a short-term solution at RB.

Verdict: Trade Darrel Williams if you have RB depth

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Titans WR A.J. Brown

Brown has been dominant over the past four weeks.

Take a look at his percent of the Titans' air yards over that stretch, according to NextGenStats:

• Week 9: 36% (12th)
• Week 8: 45% (seventh)
• Week 7: 59% (third)
• Week 6: 50% (seventh)

With Derrick Henry out for the rest of the regular season, the Titans' pass volume is surely to rise. If that ends up being the case, Brown has top-five upside the rest of the way.

Verdict: Start A.J. Brown as a top-five WR

Chargers WR Mike Williams

There are plenty of theories why Williams has cooled off over the past three games, but I would imagine it's a mix of his knee not being 100% and Justin Herbert resorting back to his rookie habit of targeting Keenan Allen at will. It’s hard to blame Herbert, as Allen is one of the NFL's best route runners and seems to always be open.

Either way, the big games for Williams are coming, but it’s clear that his weekly floor is lower than we would like. He’s a low-end WR2 for Week 10.

Verdict: Start Mike Williams as a low-end WR2

Rams WR Odell Beckham Jr.
Rams WR Van Jefferson

Beckham's signing was a crushing blow to Van Jefferson's projected fantasy value as a rest-of-season low-end WR3. After head coach Sean McVay hinted that the Rams could run more 4-WR personnel, it also looked like Tyler Higbee's mid-range TE1 value was in jeopardy.

However, Robert Woods' injury has re-shuffled every Rams' fantasy football value yet again: Cooper Kupp is still a top-two WR, Beckham is looking like a low-end WR2 (with upside), Jefferson is back in the WR3 mix and Higbee remains a mid-range TE1.

OBJ's Week 10 value will hinge on how much playing time he gets despite having only a couple days to learn the playbook. As of writing on Saturday, I have him penciled in as a low-end WR3 and Jefferson as a mid-range WR3.

Verdict: Start Odell Beckham Jr. as a low-end WR3

Cowboys WR Michael Gallup

Gallup is expected to return from the IR this week. It’s unclear if he'll return to his full complement of snaps, though, or whether he'll be limited.

Cedrick Wilson (questionable) practiced only once this week, and on a limited basis, due to a shoulder injury. If Wilson is unable to suit up, I would expect Gallup to return closer to a full-time role, making him a potential WR3 this week.

Gallup's rank will be volatile leading up to kickoff.

Verdict: Start as a WR4 with WR3 upside

Broncos WR Courtland Sutton

Sutton has predictably seen his production drop off with Jerry Jeudy back in action, but note just how stark the drop-off has been:

• Sutton in games without Jeudy (6): 6.1 receptions, 88 yards, 0.3 TDs
• Sutton in games with Jeudy (3): 1.3 receptions, 21 yards, 0 TDs

With Noah Fant returning from the COVID list this week, it will be even tougher for Sutton to see enough targets to post WR2/3 value. He’s a boom/bust low-end WR3 who is still worth rolling with if you're a heavy underdog who wants to tap into his upside.

Verdict: Start Courtland Sutton as a WR3 if you're a heavy underdog

Jaguars WR Laviska Shenault

Shenault is a sneaky WR4/Flex play this week. While the emergence of Jamal Agnew has been frustrating for Shenault managers, his underlying usage has been solid (83% routes run last game). And he's been much more productive against zone coverage (2.22 yards per route run), so a matchup against the Colts — who play zone at the fifth-highest rate in the league — is a plus matchup for him.

He’s a sneaky bet for 5+ receptions and is a solid WR4 play this week.

Verdict: Start Laviska Shenault as a WR4

Jets WRs

With Corey Davis back in the mix, the Jets' WR situation is difficult to parse out. To make matters worse, they face a Bills defense that currently ranks first in Football Outsiders' DVOA against the pass.

They're all risky WR4 options, but Jamison Crowder has the highest floor of the group with Mike White back under center as Crowder benefits the most from White’s low aDot style of play.

Verdict: Start Jamison Crowder as a risky WR4

Falcons TE Kyle Pitts

Pitts has cooled off over the past couple games, but he's primed for a blow up game here. He’s thrived against man coverage (3.93 yards per route run) and the Cowboys play man at the fifth-highest rate in the NFL.

Pitts is a top-three TE in Week 10.

Verdict: Start Kyle Pitts as a high-end TE1