The NFL schedule is now fully into Week 10 after the Washington Redskins blew the Thursday night game to the Minnesota Vikings and that means fantastic football owners will be looking for the best sleepers and players to start or sit and some options include, Arian Foster, Dez Bryant, Calvin Johnson, Julius Thomas and Riley Cooper, as those players are banged up heading into the week.
Johnson is a top player to watch after his amazing game last week and he is dealing with a knee injury and was limited in practice on Thursday and while that likely won't keep him out on Sunday, fantasy owners should be cautious with him. Johnson is a START option unless any reports come out saying his knee injury is anything more serious, as he is coming off of a game where he had over 300 receiving yards against the Dallas Cowboys and obviously he is the top wide receiver in fantasy this season and should continue to be that way for the rest of the season as long as the Lions keep passing like they do and they surely will keep that going.
Matthew Stafford is one of the top fantasy quarterbacks in the league because of the way the Lions play on offense and Johnson is the biggest beneficiary of that. Two weeks ago Johnson had 14 catches for 329 yards and touchdown against the Cowboys in the stunning victory and after they bye week they now have a huge divisional game against the Chicago Bears and that game could have big implications going forward for the playoffs and the division. Johnson has double digit targets in four of the past five games, including 14 against the Bengals the week before the Cowboys matchup and in three of his past five he has had a catch of over 20 yards.
Johnson has been one of the most productive wide receivers in the league and he should continue to be that this season and he now has five touchdowns in his past five games and is one of the leaders in the league in that category. Johnson is ranked fifth in the league in touchdowns and third in yards while he is also first in receiving yards per game and he now has 47 catches this season for over 800 yards and now he comes into a tough game with the Bears and their defense has been giving up a ton of yards and that could mean another big game. The Bears have given up touchdowns to wideouts in five games this season and Johnson could be in for more this time around, even with the game on the road.
Dez Bryant is dealing with a back injury and since he was limited in practice, he should be looked at as a possible SIT, but the injury report will tell the tale officially. Even if he does play, if he is dealing with a back issue, that could force him to not be at his best and after having six catches and 11 targets last week he could be a lesser option. Two weeks ago against Johnson he had three catches for 72 yards and two scores and in two of his past five games he has been over 100 yards receiving and has four touchdowns in that span as well. Riley Cooper, Arian foster and Julius Thomas are players to watch as well.
