Welcome to the Fantasy Football Waiver Wire for Week 10.
We’re at the halfway point of the NFL season, and for most fantasy leagues, only five weeks remain before the playoffs start. A critical stretch of the season is here, and with the bye weeks still in play and lots of players battling injuries, the Waiver Wire continues to be an important resource, even if it’s mostly been picked clean in the last month or so.
The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday at 4 p.m., and whether certain players (Jonathan Taylor,
Tony Pollard, George Pickens, Josh Downs, Dallas Goedert, and a few others) get shipped will have an impact on waiver moves. Pay close attention to trade news.
The Process: Each week, I try to identify the top Waiver Wire targets and evaluate the short- and long-term prospects of those players. I also do my best to reveal which players who are coming off a big week are fool’s gold. Finally, I look at streamers who might help you in a pinch (this is usually more important during Bye weeks).
Some players discussed won’t be available in your league. I try to list players who are available in more than 50% of leagues. But what does that even mean? A 10-team league with six bench spots will have a much larger Free Agent pool than a 14-team league with eight. Most leagues fall somewhere in between. This isn’t “one size fits all.” By way of example, I won’t list Bryce Young, Kirk Cousins, Tyler Allgeier, Devin Singletary, Jordyn Tyson, or Ryan Flournoy, among others who probably aren’t available in any of your leagues.
Note that I’m writing this column BEFORE the Week 10 Monday night game (MIN@BUF).
WEEK 10 BYES: Bears, Broncos, Buccaneers, and Eagles
Week 10 Waiver Wire
Quarterback:
Geno Smith makes my list once again. I think that makes five straight weeks. He struggled against the Chiefs, as expected, in a game played without Garrett Wilson (concussion). The Bills are up next, and Geno will be forced to play catch-up in that contest. The Chargers and Dolphins follow. Geno continues to be a viable play as a QB2.
Aaron Rodgers has been decent for fantasy this season and a mainstay in my QB waivers list. Coming off the bye this week, the Steelers get the red-hot, high-scoring Bengals. Rodgers threw for almost 300 yards and three TDs against Cincinnati in Week 6. He should be getting some more receiving help soon, and is a nice streaming option this week and beyond.
The QB2 options have thinned out due to injuries and poor play. Here’s a telling statistic: 47 QBs have started games through Week 9 and that’s the second highest total this century. There are quite a few available “starters” that I wouldn’t look to add, either because they don’t offer much upside (Joe Milton III, J.J. McCarthy, Gardner Minshew II, any QB on the Chargers) and/or it’s not clear how long they’ll be the starter (Shedeur Sanders, Drew Lock).
I’m curious to see how Carson Wentz plays on Monday night, and he could be one to consider if you’re desperate. I have him ranked ahead of the guys I just listed.
Note that McCarthy and Lock are not locks to be healthy enough to play this week.
Need a Week 10 streamer? Jacoby Brissett might be available in your league. I’m not a big believer, but he should be ready to start for the Ravens in Week 10 and if you’re stuck, you could do worse than a date with the Chargers, who gave zero effort on defense against the Texans.
I don’t think the Raiders are trading Kirk Cousins or benching him any time soon. Stashing Fernando Mendoza isn’t worth the roster spot at this point.
Running Back:
The trade deadline figures to have the biggest impact here. Seth McGowan is apparently still available in more than half of leagues on some big platforms. If Jonathan Taylor gets moved, his value shoots up. Even if he stays put, McGowan is getting more work and is one of the better handcuffs to roster.
The same is true for Tyjae Spears and Nick Singleton on the Titans, if Tony Pollard gets traded.
Corey Kiner stands to be the Week 10 starter for the Patriots if Rhamondre Stevenson misses time. Stevenson left Sunday’s blowout loss to the Packers with a knee injury (plus, he lost a fumble), and TreVeyon Henderson missed the game with an illness. The Patriots only have one game before their Week 11 bye, so I wouldn’t go too crazy with a bid for Kiner, but he’s going to be a very popular add this week.
Audric Estime is another back who could get more run as the de facto “starter”, but it could be short-lived, depending on when Travis Etienne, Jr., is back. Estime ran well as the “early downs” back on Sunday (15-72-1), while Alvin Kamara got most of the third down and passing game work. He’ll be a competitive add this week, as this is a good offense and Etienne’s imminent return isn’t assured. This week’s matchup (CAR) is a juicy one.
Kaleb Johnson and Marshawn Lloyd are worth adding, with Josh Jacobs possibly headed to IR. Green Bay can’t run the ball, but volume is volume. Lloyd missed Week 9 with a knee injury so I’d prioritize Johnson.
Backs who should be rostered: Kenneth Gainwell, Dylan Sampson, Emmett Johnson, and Kaelon Black.
Jonathon Brooks (IR stash) is another to consider if you have an IR spot.
Wide Receiver
DeMario Douglas is filling the void created by A.J. Brown and Romeo Doubs being out of the lineup, and he’s my top choice at WR. The volume is inconsistent, but he’s quietly put up three Top-10 weekly finishes at his position over the past five weeks.
I’ll recommend another guy with the same last name. Miami’s passing offense is bad, but Caleb Douglas is emerging as their top target, and a decent downfield threat. He’s put up between 70-95 receiving yards in three of four complete games he’s played.
Kayshon Boutte and Tank Dell both went off in the Texans’ rout this week, but I’d be careful chasing those performances too hard. Both receivers are boom/bust deep threats, and the Chargers didn’t show up at all this week.
The 49ers and Rams continue to lose receivers like I lose my eyeglasses. I always eventually find them, though. These two teams have struggled to find replacements who can step up. It’s hard to recommend much here, but I think you can consider Jordan Watkins, De’Zhaun Stribling (IR stash), and with Puka Nacua now joining Davante Adams on IR, one of Konata Mumpfield or Tutu Atwell is likely to step up (and keep an eye on the Rams trying to add a receiver via trade).
Need depth? I’ll repeat a bunch of names I’ve listed in recent weeks, together with some new ones: Antonio Williams, Pat Bryant, Keenan Allen, Jahan Dotson, Jakobi Meyers, Savion Williams, and Chimere Dike.
Tight End:
Mike Gesicki finally didn’t score last week. He’s very TD-or-bust, and so is Pat Freiermuth. If you need a replacement this week, I like both as streaming options (their teams face each other).
Darren Waller went off in Week 9, after vanishing for more than a month, so he’ll be a popular target this week. It’s buyer beware, but an 8-90-1 line on 10 targets will always turn heads. Just know that you might get one catch for four yards next week.
Chig Okonkwo has been in this column for a solid month now. He hasn’t popped but has been serviceable.
Terrance Ferguson was expected back last week but wasn’t activated. Hopefully his ankle will be OK this week, as the Rams will be without Nacua and Adams for at least the next month. Ferguson will compete with the other tight ends in L.A., but when all is said and done, he should be the best of the bunch, in an offense that’s going to have to feature them.
That’s all I’ve got. Good luck with your waiver claims!
***This column appears each Monday right here at Big Blue View. Each Thursday, my weekly fantasy preview with my rides, fades and sleepers (start/sit) appears here, and on Fridays you can find my weekly Giants Props of the week, also right here. ***
