Welcome to our 2025 Plays & Fades for Week 10!
The trade deadline.
It’s a day when dreams are realized, or potentially go to die for players all around the NFL.
The same can be said for fantasy football owners. All the delusions of grandeur of your favorite fantasy stud going to a new team to watch them blossom go up in smoke like any sort of greenery around Cheech & Chong.
Breece Hall to the Chiefs … ? Light it up homie.
Chris Olave to the Patriots … ? Blaze it.
Well, what about Tony Pollard getting a new home? Another rumor we’re gonna burn.
When push came to shove, your biggest fantasy movers were Rashid Shaheed, Jakobi Meyers, and A.D. Mitchell?
Dang … we’re not nearly as high as we wanted to be off of these Deadline Strange Clouds.
That’s OK. At the end of the day, you’ve got lineups to set. Championships to win. And ultimately, you’re stuck doing it on your lonesome, bucko.
Let’s get to these post-deadline Plays & Fades for Week 10.
* Stats courtesy of the good folks over at PFF, Fantasy Points Data Suite, FantasyData.com, Player Profilers, and FTN Fantasy. Fantasy point references will be made from Half-PPR scoring*
Quarterbacks
Play: Jaxson Dart @ Chicago
Jaxon Dart has recorded 50 rushing yards or a rushing touchdown in every game played this season. After posting 56 yards and a touchdown in Week 9, it marks the third time he’s had both 50+ rushing yards and a score. Elite? I say yes!pic.twitter.com/OORwH41eW5
— Tipp Major (@tippmajor) November 5, 2025
- Dart is at his best when his rushing upside is at its peak. Without Skattebo and a committee of Tyrone Tracy and Devin Singletary, Dart becomes perhaps the biggest threat in the Giants’ run game.
- Dart pushes the ball downfield, averaging 8.9 air yards per attempt and .69 fantasy points per dropback. That means you have an actual dual-threat Konami Code guy who will give you a safe floor.
Play: Jared Goff @ Washington
- We thought it would be nearly impossible for Goff to replicate his high TD rate last year. Yet, here we are with Goff throwing TDs at a 7.4% rate again this season.
- The only thing that could hold Goff back is a game script this week. But, for some reason, I expect Washington to be pesky and therefore have Detroit throwing a little more.
Fade: Drake Maye @ Tampa Bay
- This one hurts. Drake is an MVP candidate. But a game like this lends itself to a couple of interceptions, which can ruin his upside.
- Furthermore, his primary touchdown target, Kayshon Boutte, probably misses this week with a hamstring injury.
Fade: Jalen Hurts @ Green Bay
- Hurts’ biggest games are when his legs are working. He hasn’t rushed for 40 yards or more since Week 4.
- The passing game has caught up, but an elite Green Bay pass rush should provide some issues this week as well.
Fade: Jordan Love vs. Philadelphia
- He’s just two weeks removed from being the QB1 in fantasy, but it’s been more bad than good for the Utah State product.
- I’m expecting a defensive battle where the running backs will ultimately make the difference.
Running Backs
Play: James Cook III @ Miami
- Outside of Jonathan Taylor, it’s hard to find a more consistent fantasy running back than Cook. His team runs it more than any other team in the NFL (31.1 att./gm.), and he’s the workhorse back in that situation.
- Cook has seven breakaway runs this season and continues to sparkle, being top 5 in both true yards per carry and yards per touch.
Play: Quinshon Judkins @ NY Jets
- When the game script is right, Judkins is a must-start. A Jets team that just traded its two best defensive players feels like the right game script situation.
- Judkins is something of a plodder at 4.1 yards per carry. But if Cleveland gets ahead this week, the volume is undeniable.
Play: Rico Dowdle vs. New Orleans
Rico Dowdle as a starter…
— Underdog (@Underdog) November 2, 2025
234 yards, 1 TD
239 yards, 1 TD
141 yards, 2 TDs pic.twitter.com/vitl7N1ALR
- 42-13. That wasn’t the score of Carolina’s game last week; that was the snap split between Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard. It’s his backfield, and he’s earned it with his performances.
- Another team that loves running the ball. Carolina is third in rushing attempts/game. That, combined with Dowdle’s insane 6.6 YPC against base front, is a recipe for a guy who can perform in all aspects.
Fade: Breece Hall vs. Cleveland
- Oh boy. A team that is selling and asset piling. It means a team that is likely playing for the future. I’m not super confident that Breece’s touches will be scarce, but that Cleveland defense is famously stingy.
- Breece is coming off his best game of the season against Cincinnati in Week 8. But that’s proving little. It’s a different beast against the Browns.
Fade: D’Andre Swift vs. NY Giants
- This is a Kyle Monongai fade. You can’t exactly put the toothpaste back in the tube after the type of performance Monongai had in Week 9.
- Swift has been solid all season and certainly will still have a role. However, if this becomes a 50/50 situation, that’s never good news for the incumbent.
Fade: Travis Etienne @ Houston
- In a game with a low game total like this matchup with Houston (projected points: 38), the end zone may be hard to come by for Etienne.
- That, coupled with the fact that his receiving upside has been somewhat limited this season, makes it hard to find a path for Etienne to overperform his RB20 ECR.
Wide Receivers
Play: Drake London @ Indianapolis
- You’d think that Indy acquiring Sauce Gardner would scare me off this scent. Not at all, London did some DAMAGE last week against Christian Gonzalez and should continue that path this week.
- 14 targets in that kind of matchup lets you know precisely where Penix is looking.
Play: Justin Jefferson vs. Baltimore
- It hasn’t been as splashy this year as it has been in past years. That’s the JJ McCarthy/Carson Wentz experience for you.
- Yet, when McCarthy is healthy, he heavily targets Jefferson, especially in the red zone. It’s a spot where, once again, in a game with a high over/under (48.5), we should expect fireworks.
Play: Tory Horton vs. Arizona
Tory Horton, a FIFTH round pick, has more touchdown receptions than AJ Brown and Devonta Smith COMBINED 😬
— JavonteSZN (@JavonteSZNN) November 3, 2025
pic.twitter.com/IQRiNQgyTM
- Shaheed, Schmaheed. We may not see another big week from Horton for the remainder of 2025, given the current composition of the receiver room. But it’ll be hard to see Rashid Shaheed in anything but a special teams role this week.
- Horton is coming off a big game. Being ranked in the 40s in the ECR, it won’t take much for him to be a solid flex for you this week.
Fade: Chris Olave @ Carolina
- A team in tank mode with a rookie quarterback that just traded one of its most dangerous offensive weapons, therefore causing defenses to focus even more energy on Olave? No thanks.
- Olave has been a target hog. However, increased attention, as well as a tough matchup against Jaycee Horn, makes it tough sledding this week.
Fade: Ladd McConkey vs. Pittsburgh
- Ladd’s target share has been fine throughout the season. Thirty-two targets over the past three weeks illustrate that.
- However, increased target competition with the emergence of Keenan Allen and Orande Gadsden (more on him later) somewhat limits his upside in another tough matchup this week.
Fade: Stefon Diggs @ Tampa Bay
- A neutral matchup against a good team should reflect upside for Diggs, and it potentially does.
- However, being rated as the ECR WR17, with the possibility of an emerging Kyle Williams, puts him in a spot where he may underperform.
Tight Ends
Play: Orande Gadsden vs. Pittsburgh
- Fluke run or league winner? Things appear to be trending more towards the league winner side.
- Since Week 6, Gadsden has hauled in 24 of 27 possible targets and has totaled 65 or more receiving yards. That’s not just upside. That reflects a stable role in an offense. Continue to play with confidence.
Play: Theo Johnson @ Chicago
I was high on Theo Johnson because he’s an insane athlete, and it showed on this TD
— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) November 2, 2025
Jaxson Dart leading TD drives even with a depleted weapons group 👀 pic.twitter.com/qTSCmztAFd
- Since Dart has taken over at quarterback, Johnson has emerged as a favorite for Dart.
- Per research laid out by Pat Fitzmaurice, Johnson has been a top 12 option at the position and has hauled in five touchdowns. At a touchdown-dependent position, that’s almost impossible to ignore.
Play: Kyle Pitts @ Indianapolis
- Are you sensing a theme this week at the position? Targets matter. Pitts has 26 over the past three weeks.
- Last week, two of those targets were red zone targets and had three or more receptions in every game this season. Pitts is finally settling into a stable role.
Fade: Tyler Warren @ Atlanta
- It’s hard to love talent as much as I love Warren’s. But, over the past few weeks, Daniel Jones has found some serious rapport with his receivers.
- Michael Pittman is emerging. Alec Pierce is emerging. Josh Downs is stable. Johnathan Taylor might be the best player in fantasy this season. Someone has to be the odd man out. Not say it’s definitely Warren, but it does make who is emerging as the Colts’ primary pass catcher rough on a weekly basis.
Fade: Colston Loveland vs. NY Giants
- Fair play, Loveland was a monster last week. But before that, he wasn’t.
- I need more data and consistency (think Gadsden) before I commit to a guy. Let’s hope the data trends in Loveland’s direction, because I think he’s a player with real fantasy upside. I just can’t bet on it this week.
Fade: Zach Ertz vs. Detroit
- When your quarterback, who loves targeting you, goes down with a gruesome injury, it’s an immediate downgrade for me.
- When he has been targeted, it’s been more fizzle than sizzle. It’s hard to imagine another week where Ertz suddenly breaks out. He hasn’t had 60 yards since Week 2.
D/ST
Play: Denver vs. Las Vegas
- This might be the biggest slam dunk of the week—the league’s best defense against a struggling offense that was a deadline seller.
- Denver’s defense has recorded multiple sacks in every game but two this season.
Play: Buffalo @ Miami
- This is a battle between an improving unit and a struggling one.
- Data from earlier this season would indicate a dangerous matchup for Buffalo. However, Miami’s stock has dropped significantly since then.
Play: Carolina vs. New Orleans
- A good unit that held Green Bay to 13 points last week plays an even worse offensive unit.
- Feels pretty safe.
Fade: New England @ Tampa Bay
- I love this Patriots team. However, Tampa appears to be regaining its health with Bucky Irving back.
- A lot of aspects to handle, and with the way Baker is taking care of the ball, I think interceptions and sacks will be hard to come by for the Pats.
Fade: Atlanta @ Indianapolis
- Lots of points coming in this one.
- Indianapolis has emerged as a hugely efficient offense. Atlanta’s unit did a fine job last week against New England. It’s hard to see it carrying over for two weeks in a row.
Fade: Seattle vs. Arizona
- Hear me out. On paper, this is a bad call.
- But Jacoby Brissett has made this Arizona offense immediately better. McBride and Harrison are a lot for any team to handle. It’ll be hard for the Seahawks to live up to the ECR D/ST2 ranking this week. Start them. But, proceed with caution.
Thank you for checking out my 2025 Plays & Fades for Week 10. I hope you found it helpful and enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed putting it together. Best of luck in Week 10, and let’s get those wins!
Rhett Manuel is A FantasyPros ECR ranker, writer, and podcaster for FANTASY IN FRAMES, specializing in Redraft and Dynasty Fantasy Football. Follow him on Twitter/X at @RManuelSports. You can find more of his work here at FANTASY IN FRAMES by clicking here.
