Fantasy Football: 3 Things We Learned From Week 10

Ryan Mathews Is Back, But Be Careful

This season has been rough for those fantasy owners who invested in Ryan Mathews in their drafts this offseason. Mathews has already suffered an ankle injury earlier in the season and has been maddeningly inconsistent in his usage in the Philadelphia Eagles' offense, having only led the team's backfield in touches in four out of their eight games headed into Week 10.

Things hit a new low recently when head coach Doug Pederson publicly toyed with the idea of making an official switch to Darren Sproles as the lead back.

But Mathews came out scorching hot against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 10, torching them for 108 rushing yards on 19 attempts to go with 2 touchdowns, while adding 30 yards through the air on 2 catches.

And for the season, Mathews' numbers are looking good. With a 47.37% Rushing Success Rate and a 0.04 Rushing NEP per rush, Mathews should continue to be the top dog in the Eagles' backfield.

But while Mathews' performance against the Falcons should assuage some of his nervous owners, there are some lingering worries we'll need to look out for.

Per Nathan Jahnke, Darren Sproles still managed to out-snap Mathews 31 to 26. And Mathews received 21 total touches on those snaps, which is absurdly high usage given the amount of time he was actually on the field. One would think the Eagles increase his snap percentage in the coming weeks, but sometimes coaches and teams can be unpredictable.

Moreover, the Eagles still seem to be using a timeshare, doling out 13 rushing attempts to Wendell Smallwood, which could, if they adopt a "hot hand" approach, eat into Mathews' value in the future.

Start Mathews moving forward until his actual usage proves you shouldn't. But don't be taken completely off guard in the event that happens.