The top of the Week 10 fantasy football quarterback and tight end rankings doesn’t require much explanation. Josh Allen, Brock Purdy, Drake Maye, and Joe Burrow lead the quarterback position, while Trey McBride, George Kittle, and Brock Bowers remain among the safest tight end options.

The more useful decisions come farther down PFN’s consensus rankings from Jason Katz and Kyle Soppe. Jacob Infante highlighted several players with matchups that could push them above their current projections, along with a couple of established names carrying more risk than usual.

Bryce Young stands out among the quarterbacks outside the QB1 range, while Hunter Henry has one of the clearest matchup-based paths to outperforming his ranking at tight end.

Bryce Young, QB, Carolina Panthers

Bryce Young enters Week 10 as PFN’s QB15 with a 15.2-point projection, putting him firmly in streaming territory against the New Orleans Saints.

New Orleans has allowed 17.9 fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks through Week 9, the 11th-most in the NFL. It isn’t the type of matchup that automatically turns any quarterback into a starter, but the Saints haven’t played well enough defensively to make Young someone fantasy managers need to avoid.

Volume gives him another path to production. Young has attempted at least 39 passes in five of his past six games as Carolina has regularly been forced to lean on its passing offense.

Tetairoa McMillan remains the primary option in the passing game, while Jalen Coker gives Young another receiver capable of earning consistent targets. Carolina also gets to play indoors in New Orleans, removing weather from the list of variables fantasy managers have to consider.

Young has been difficult to trust on a weekly basis, but Infante sees Week 10 as an opportunity for Carolina’s passing game to get back on track.

The ranking reflects that uncertainty. Young isn’t being treated like a locked-in QB1. He’s a quarterback to consider when the usual starter is on bye, injured, or facing a substantially worse matchup.

J.J. McCarthy Has a Favorable Thursday Night Matchup

J.J. McCarthy sits two spots behind Young at QB17 with a 14.3-point projection, but the matchup gives him some deeper-league appeal against Washington.

The Commanders have allowed 18.9 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, fifth-most in the NFL. McCarthy also offers some rushing ability, which gives him another way to accumulate fantasy points even if the passing production remains inconsistent.

New York’s offense has two clear focal points in Malik Nabers and Isaiah Likely, and McCarthy has generally done a good job directing opportunities toward both players.

There is still plenty of risk. McCarthy has thrown only one touchdown on 68 attempts this season, and a hip issue kept him from playing last week. He was a full participant in Tuesday’s practice, however, putting him on track to return against Washington.

He is better suited to Superflex leagues or deeper formats than as a preferred one-quarterback starter, but the opponent makes the upside more interesting than his season-long production would normally suggest.

Matthew Stafford’s Matchup Is Better Than His Situation

Few quarterbacks have a better opponent on paper than Matthew Stafford.

Arizona is allowing 20.9 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, second-most in the NFL. PFN still has Stafford outside the QB1 range, though, and the problem isn’t difficult to identify.

Puka Nacua suffered MCL and PCL sprains along with turf toe in Week 9 and is expected to miss significant time. Davante Adams is already on injured reserve. That leaves Stafford trying to take advantage of a favorable matchup without either of his top receivers.

He also may not need to throw very much.

The Rams are heavy favorites against an Arizona team preparing to start rookie Carson Beck. Los Angeles can lean on Kyren Williams and Blake Corum rather than asking Stafford to carry the offense with a depleted receiving corps.

Stafford remains capable of producing an efficient two-touchdown game, and Infante isn’t writing off the reigning MVP with Sean McVay calling plays. The combination of limited weapons and potential low passing volume makes him difficult to trust as more than a QB2.

Jordan Love Draws the Toughest QB Matchup

Jordan Love has played well enough to remain inside PFN’s top 10 quarterbacks for Week 10. The opponent is the reason fantasy managers may still need to consider alternatives.

Minnesota is allowing only 8.4 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks, the fewest in the NFL by a substantial margin.

The Vikings also rank first in PFN’s Defense Impact metric and just held Buffalo to 23 points despite Minnesota’s offense repeatedly putting the defense in difficult situations.

Love has been one of the league’s better quarterbacks recently, so this isn’t a recommendation to bench him for any available streamer. It does make the matchup worth considering when choosing between him and another legitimate QB1 option.

Hunter Henry, TE, New England Patriots

Hunter Henry is the player Infante likes most to outperform his current tight end ranking.

PFN has Henry at TE14 for Week 10. The Detroit Lions have allowed 25.1 PPR fantasy points per game to tight ends, easily the most in the NFL.

Henry already has established chemistry with Drake Maye, who enters the week as PFN’s QB3. New England may also be forced to lean even more heavily on its passing game with injuries throughout the offense.

A.J. Brown is questionable with an ankle injury after struggling to stay healthy this season, while Romeo Doubs remains on injured reserve. Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson are also dealing with injuries in the backfield.

That combination creates an obvious opportunity for Henry in the middle of the field.

Infante floated a stat line around five catches, 50 yards, and a touchdown. That would produce 16 PPR points and comfortably push Henry into the weekly TE1 range.

There is one updated concern. Henry entered Week 9 with a foot injury and split playing time nearly evenly with Eli Raridon against Green Bay. Both tight ends played roughly half the snaps and ran a similar number of routes.

There have been no reports of a setback since then, but the reduced snap share keeps Henry from being an automatic start despite the matchup.

Detroit is still the defense fantasy managers should be looking to attack at tight end. If Henry’s workload moves back toward its earlier-season level, the opportunity is there for him to finish well above TE14.

Isaiah Likely Gets Another Strong Matchup Against Washington

Isaiah Likely doesn’t require nearly as much projection as Henry.

Likely ranks third among tight ends in PFN’s Tight End Impact metric with an 87.3 grade. He has 46 receptions for 448 yards and six touchdowns through eight games and remains one of New York’s two primary passing-game options alongside Nabers.

Washington has allowed 19.0 PPR points per game to tight ends, third-most in the NFL.

Likely has already taken advantage of this matchup once. His combination of role, talent, and opponent keeps him directly behind the elite names at the top of the position.

McCarthy returning at quarterback shouldn’t materially change Likely’s status. The Giants have consistently funneled targets toward him regardless of who has been under center.

Tyler Warren Remains a TE1 Against Miami

Tyler Warren sits at TE9 in PFN’s Week 10 rankings despite an Indianapolis passing game that has become increasingly difficult to trust.

The matchup gives him a chance to remain useful. Miami has allowed 17.7 PPR points per game to tight ends, fourth-most in the league.

Warren caught four passes for 44 yards against Dallas last week. That wasn’t a difference-making performance, but it was enough for 8.4 PPR points in an offense where Daniel Jones threw for only 180 yards.

Indianapolis has also lost several receiving options, giving Warren an opportunity to remain one of the more stable target earners on the roster.

Infante’s interest is based largely on Warren’s talent and the opponent. The Colts’ offensive limitations keep him from carrying the same ceiling as McBride, Kittle, Bowers, or Likely, but he remains a reasonable TE1.

Travis Kelce Can Beat His Ranking Against Atlanta

Travis Kelce has fallen outside the clear top tier at tight end, but Infante still sees a path to a productive Week 10 against Atlanta.

The Falcons traded Jessie Bates III to Jacksonville at the deadline, removing one of the best players from their secondary. Kansas City has also dealt with injuries and inconsistent production at wide receiver, keeping Kelce important to Patrick Mahomes.

Kelce isn’t commanding the type of target volume fantasy managers became accustomed to earlier in his career. That limits his weekly floor and makes him more dependent on efficiency and touchdowns.

He remains one of the most trusted options Mahomes has in critical situations, particularly near the end zone.

The matchup itself isn’t as extreme as Henry’s against Detroit or Likely’s against Washington. Infante’s case is more about betting on Kelce’s role after Atlanta weakened its secondary and Kansas City continues searching for reliable receiving production.

At a volatile position, that is enough to keep Kelce firmly in the starting conversation.