Noto's NFL DFS Key Personnel: Week 10

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2025-11-07 03:05:49 Premium Content Part of the product NFL DFS

A daily fantasy sports OG, Notorious has been roaming the DFS streets ever since they were invented. So, who better to walk you through all of the key NFL DFS positions each week? Noto has racked up multiple live final seats and several six-figure tournament wins in his DFS career, and he will mix it up in all different types of contests. In his Key Personnel article for Week 10, he will walk you through his favorite NFL DFS picks, ways to pivot away from the chalk, and overall strategy for the upcoming featured slate.

Like my son after his birthday last week, we are officially into the double-digits. It’s hard to believe, but Week 10 is already here. Time goes by too fast.

Week 9 was a real struggle over here. It was my first real losing week of the season. I usually don’t check how my lineups are doing in my contests until the games have all been completed. Yes, I know this is not normal behavior. I’m still watching the games and tracking my players, but I don’t like to see the results until the slate is over. I thought my lineups didn’t stand a chance last week, but when I pulled up my DraftKings app after the games ended, I saw the little $ sign next to contests. I couldn’t believe my eyes, so I quickly clicked into it. Much to my dismay, my current winnings were only $5. I suppose I can take solace in the fact that I didn’t get skunked, but it was certainly a letdown.

Let’s leave last week in the past and move on to this week. We don’t have many options for our retired athlete theme in Week 10. I thought about Lionel Messi, Dennis Rodman when he was with the Pistons, and Chipper Jones. I ultimately settled on Eli Manning, who won two Super Bowls with the Giants. He never had the strongest arm or the most talent, but he made the most out of his opportunities and had a tremendous career. Here are a couple of quotes from Eli during this playing days:

“Pressure is something you feel when you don’t know what you’re doing.”

As long as we prepare for each NFL DFS slate, we shouldn’t feel any pressure on Sundays.

“I’ve always said I’m not flashy. I’m just effective. Like a minivan.”

We recently took a family vacation to Lake Tahoe and decided to rent a minivan. The boys must have mistaken it for a Cyber Truck, because they have not stopped asking us to buy a minivan since we got home. No chance that’s happening, but I will admit that it was very effective. We might need an SUV with bucket seats in the near future.

We are shooting for a Super Bowl-like win this week. Let’s dive into Week 10’s slate.

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NFL DFS Top Picks & Plays: Noto’s Key Personnel for Week 10

This week’s slate has good value plays at every position, but it’s tough to make lineups that have superstars and look good throughout. The tougher pricing makes for a fun slate, as we can’t just jam in a bunch of strong plays. We have to take chances with a roster spot or two. There are a couple of games with weather concerns, so make sure to keep an eye on the NFL weather page.

Top Quarterback Plays

Lineup construction leads me to have more interest in the mid-range and value plays at quarterback, but there are some appealing spends as well. Let’s take a look at my favorite signal callers for Week 10.

Tier 1 – Core Plays

Jayden Daniels has been ruled out of this week’s game, which means we’ll see another start from Marcus Mariota ($5,300 DK / $6,300 FD). He’s always on my radar in these spot starts because he has a high rushing floor. In 4 games this season, he has rushed for 28, 34, 20, and 40 yards. The Commanders want to run the ball when Mariota is under center, but they can’t afford to hand it off 30 times against the Lions. They come into the game as 8.5-point underdogs at home, so we should see at least 30 dropbacks for Mariota. It’s a great spot for the passing game, and the Lions are 24th in fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks this season.

Brock Purdy is getting closer to a return, but it looks like Mac Jones ($5,000 DK / $7,000 FD) will draw another start this week against the Rams. It’s not a great matchup on paper (Rams are 2nd in EPA allowed per dropback and 8th in fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks), but the Niners are playing at home and have a healthy team total of 23 points. He pairs nicely with Christian McCaffrey, Jauan Jennings, and/or George Kittle. We should see a concentrated passing attack in a game that has shootout potential.

Tier 2 – Strong Plays

If you can find the extra salary this week, two spend-up options at quarterback stand out as strong plays. The first is Josh Allen ($7,000 DK / $9,200 FD), who put up 28 fantasy points in a win over the Chiefs last week. This week, he travels to Miami to take on the Dolphins, who are 30th in EPA allowed per dropback and 23rd in fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks. The concern with Allen is always whether his opponent can push the Bills to stay aggressive offensively. I love the upside, but I do worry about the game script, as the Bills are 9.5-point favorites.

Lamar Jackson ($6,800 DK / $9,000 FD) was sharp in his first game back from injury. He only rushed 5 times for 14 yards, but he threw for 204 yards and 4 touchdowns against the Dolphins. He could have had an even bigger fantasy outing if the Dolphins had put up any semblance of a fight. This week, the Ravens travel to Minnesota to take on the Vikings, who have given up 24, 37, and 28 points over their last 3 games. Jackson should be heavily involved regardless of the game script. His price is only going to get more expensive moving forward.

Tier 3 – Sprinkle Plays

Jaxson Dart ($5,700 DK / $7,700 FD) was the chalk at quarterback last week, and he didn’t disappoint. He threw for 191 yards, he rushed for 56 yards, and he scored a total of 3 touchdowns. The weather in Chicago could be a positive for his ownership this week, as many will be scared away by the wind and the potential for rain and snow. I’ll continue to look his way in tournaments, as his rushing upside might be even higher in an ugly weather game. It’s an elite matchup, as the Bears are 22nd in EPA allowed per dropback and 29th in fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks.

As last week progressed, I thought more and more about using J.J. McCarthy ($4,900 DK / $7,100 FD) as a cheap quarterback. He played well (20 fantasy points), but I luckily stuck with Geno Smith. McCarthy is still cheap and draws an excellent matchup at home against the Ravens, who are 24th in EPA allowed per dropback and 25th in fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks. We haven’t seen a huge game through the air from McCarthy, but the Vikings are 4.5-point home underdogs. I’m willing to bet he sets new career-highs in completions and pass attempts in this one.

🏈 Quarterbacks – Noto’s Notes

🏆 Core Plays: Marcus Mariota, Mac Jones
💪 Strong Plays: Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson
🌧️ Sprinkle Plays: Jaxson Dart, J.J. McCarthy
% Ownership Angle: Allen has highest pOWN —> Cook could provide leverage
🔗 Potential Pairings: Jones + Jennings, Jackson + Flowers, McCarthy + Jefferson
❤️‍🩹 Key Injuries: Jayden Daniels (O), Kyler Murray (O), C.J. Stroud (O), Brock Purdy (Q)

Top Running Back Plays

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