Please leave our wide receivers alone.
Chris Olave suffered another concussion, CeeDee Lamb has a painful shoulder injury and a painful quarterback situation with Dak Prescott headed to injured reserve, Drake London left early with a hip injury after making a great touchdown catch, Keon Coleman hurt his wrist, and A.J. Brown is questionable because of a knee injury.
When will it end?
In better news, there are at least some interesting names at running back this week even if they are long shots, but that position still remains relatively dry on the wire.
As a reminder, recommended adds are available in at least 60% of ESPN leagues, and the watch list consists of players worth monitoring.
The deep cuts section for running backs and receivers highlights players who are rostered in no more than 5% of ESPN leagues for all you “not in my league” degens.
I will not list recommended FAAB percentages for every player because that decision comes down to too many factors including league size, team weaknesses, and the aggressiveness of the other managers in your league.
That said, I will try to clarify when there is a player I am going big on in FAAB bidding.
Also, FAAB Lab is a great, crowdsourced way to get a feel for how much a player will cost in FAAB bidding each week.
Finally, I will not be ranking kickers and defenses because frankly I don’t care about them and want them to disappear from the game.
With those caveats out of the way, let’s get to it.
Best Quarterback Waiver Pickups, Fantasy Football Week 10
- Daniel Jones
- Matthew Stafford
- Russell Wilson
Best Running Back Waiver Pickups, Fantasy Football Week 10
- Khalil Herbert
- Audric Estime
- Handcuffs
Best Wide Receiver Waiver Pickups, Fantasy Football Week 10
- Quentin Johnston
- Xavier Legette
- Parker Washington
- Ricky Pearsall
- Sterling Shepard
- Jalen Tolbert
- Noah Brown
- Demarcus Robinson
Best Tight End Waiver Pickups, Fantasy Football Week 10
- Taysom Hill
- Mike Gesicki
- Jonnu Smith
- Grant Calcaterra
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Best Quarterback Waiver Pickups, Fantasy Football Week 10
1. Daniel Jones – Available in 87.6% of leagues
Hear me out. The Panthers allow the fourth-most yards per attempt in the league. They have allowed the sixth-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks despite seeing the 19th-most attempts. While Derek Carr could not make it happen last week, the Panthers were smoked by Bo Nix and Marcus Mariota in the two games before. Could Jones get benched? Sure. Is he good? Almost certainly not. But this is a blowup spot worth the risk.
2. Matthew Stafford – Available in 70.3% of leagues
Stafford did not even have Puka Nacua for half of the game against the Seahawks, but he still managed 298 yards and 2 touchdowns. In the last two weeks, he has averaged 7.4 yards per attempt with 6 touchdowns. He offers nothing as a runner, which keeps him out of the weekly starter conversation, but he is an option at home against the Dolphins in a game with a 50.5-point total.
3. Russell Wilson – Available in 78.4% of leagues
The Commanders are not the great matchup we expected them to be at the start of the season and just added Marshon Lattimore, so looking to Wilson this week is more about the projected game script. Commanders games have featured the fourth-most points this season, and their offense could push the Steelers to throw more away from home – Pittsburgh has been 7% under their expected pass rate with Wilson under center. Wilson likely would not be a recommendation in a normal week, but there are not a lot of good streaming options.
Watch List: Derek Carr has no receivers and has not been good since Week 2, which feels like a lifetime ago. He threw for 236 yards against the Panthers…Trevor Lawrence does randomly have 3 rushing touchdowns in the last two weeks (to be fair, he is usually good for 4 or 5 a year), and the Vikings pass defense is not what it was early in the season. Still, this is a tough spot for a struggling passing game…Drake Maye had an amazing play to force overtime against the Titans and has had a great start to his career, but trusting him against a good Bears defense in Chicago is tough…Joe Flacco did not cover himself in glory on Sunday night, and the matchup against the Bills is not enticing…I’m not even really that interested in Cooper Rush in 2QB formats against an improved Eagles defense.
Best Running Back Waiver Pickups, Fantasy Football Week 10
1. Khalil Herbert – Available in 96% of leagues
Herbert truthers like myself finally got our wish with him leaving Chicago. Unfortunately, he is leaving Chicago for Cincinnati, where Chase Brown appeared destined for clear workhorse usage following the season-ending neck injury to Zack Moss. Yes. I conduct both hype trains. Brown was already establishing himself as the lead back before Moss’ injury and should keep that role, but Moss did have 31.5% of the running back carries and a 9.6% target share in the three games before his injury.
2. Audric Estime – Available in 99.3% of leagues
After a report he would be more involved in the offense moving forward, Estime touched the ball 5 times against the Ravens, all deep into garbage time. Sean Payton said after the game he wants to get Estime more work moving forward – and it is not like there are a ton of great waiver options at running backs – so I guess we have to make note of it. But Estime is not very far ahead of the lottery ticket handcuffs below. It doesn’t help that there are two guys (Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin) ahead of him.
3. Handcuffs
Instead of leaving Braelon Allen as the placeholder for the high-upside handcuffs, I figured I would just lump them all together. We do have a new addition to the group with Cam Akers seemingly taking over the No. 2 job behind Aaron Jones. He joins Allen, Blake Corum, Trey Benson, Ray Davis, Roschon Johnson, Jaylen Wright, and I suppose Kimani Vidal on that list.
Watch List: I assume Ezekiel Elliott will be back this week after missing the Falcons game due to a disciplinary issue, but he returns to an offense without Dak Prescott, perhaps without CeeDee Lamb, and one that has hopefully realized Rico Dowdle is just the better option…The likely return of Christian McCaffrey should send Isaac Guerendo back to the RB3 spot on the depth chart, but there is still a lot of injury uncertainty ahead of him…Justice Hill is probably rostered in the leagues he should be, but this week against the Bengals in primetime feels like a Hill game.
Deep Cuts: Oh, Sean Tucker. It was fun while it lasted. Rest well, sweet prince (until we see another injury)…Dalvin Cook was once again active, but he played just 6 snaps behind Dowdle. As mentioned above, I assume Zeke will return this week…We will see what role Keaton Mitchell has once he returns, but at least he has some big-play upside.
Best Wide Receiver Waiver Pickups, Fantasy Football Week 10
1. Quentin Johnston – Available in 78.9% of leagues
Johnston returned from injury with a bang, catching 4 passes for 118 yards and a touchdown. He now has a touchdown in three straight games and has been targeted on a solid 20.8% of his routes this season. More importantly, the Chargers were once again above their expected pass rate in Week 9 and are 3% over their expected pass rate since their Week 5 bye. We will see if D.J. Chark ever becomes a factor this season, but Johnston is producing well enough to keep that No. 2 receiver job in an offense that is passing more than we expected.
2. Xavier Legette – Available in 67.4% of leagues
I did not know what to do with the Carolina receivers last week, but it seems like Legette might be the answer. Jalen Coker ran a route on just 58.6% of dropbacks against the Saints and played nearly 75% of his snaps in the slot, which could put him in conflict with a returning Adam Thielen assuming the veteran is not moved before the trade deadline. Legette has primarily played outside, ran a route on 93.1% of Carolina’s dropbacks in Week 9, and easily leads the remaining receivers with 6 targets into the end zone this season.
3. Parker Washington – Available in 96.2% of leagues
Even with Brian Thomas active, Washington was second on the team with 6 targets – 2 more than Thomas – and ran a route on 94.3% of Jacksonville’s dropbacks. With Christian Kirk done for the season, Washington should find himself running a route on most dropbacks moving forward for an offense likely to be playing catch up more often than not.
4. Ricky Pearsall – Available in 81.8% of leagues
Jauan Jennings returned to practice on Monday, and it seems like Deebo Samuel will be ready to go coming out of the bye. Still, there is enough injury uncertainty ahead of Pearsall to make him worth a stash without even considering the possibility that he is simply the No. 2 receiver ahead of Jennings with everyone healthy. His matchup this week against the Bucs is exceptional if he gets the snaps.
5. Sterling Shepard – Available in 92.1% of leagues
With Jalen McMillan out, Shepard led Bucs receivers with 5 targets while running a route on 66.7% of Tampa’s dropbacks. More importantly, he played 71% of his snaps from the slot, taking over that high target share role from Chris Godwin and at least giving him a chance to keep earning targets once Mike Evans returns, likely after their Week 11 bye.
6. Jalen Tolbert – Available in 77.4% of leagues
The right answer might be to simply avoid the Dallas offense with Dak Prescott heading to injured reserve, but the potential absence of CeeDee Lamb has to keep Tolbert on the radar. That said, Brandin Cooks is eligible to return, and the team just traded for Jonathan Mingo for whatever that is worth.
7. Noah Brown – Available in 97.9% of leagues
A week after catching the Hail Mary, Brown led the Commanders with 6 targets which he turned into 5 catches for 60 yards. He has at least 6 targets in three of the last four games with a 71.1% route rate over that span. I am not sure what the upside is here behind Terry McLaurin, but he has a decent role in a good offense.
8. Demarcus Robinson – Available in 87.2% of leagues
Robinson is on the add list almost by default because he has scored 4 touchdowns in two games, but his recent run seems wholly unsustainable with both Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua healthy. Robinson has 3 targets over the last two games with both Kupp and Nacua on the field. Only 1 of those touchdowns came in those situations. Robinson was a factor near the end zone at the end of last season, so it is not surprising he has scored a few touchdowns, but picking when those happen will be a challenge moving forward.
Watch List: Mike Williams should eventually end up as the No. 2 receiver in Pittsburgh, but it will likely take him some time to ramp up, and it is fair to question how much fantasy upside that role brings…After complaining about his route rate last week, I have to acknowledge that DeMario Douglas ran a route on 80.4% of dropbacks against the Titans and led the team with 9 targets. New England did bump up their 11 personnel usage a bit from their season average against the Titans, but we have seen too many ups and downs from Douglas this season to trust this after one game. That said, perhaps he was still sick last week and this is the more normal output for him. Time will tell…Jalen McMillan was added to the injury report on Saturday with a hamstring issue and then was inactive on Monday night. That sequence of events suggests he is unlikely to play this week against the 49ers…It will be interesting to see where Adam Thielen is playing once the deadline hits. If it is still in Carolina, it will be interesting to see how he and Jalen Coker shared time. The latter played 72.7% of his snaps in the slot last week…Dontayvion Wicks’ route rate did bounce back a bit last week, but he is clearly the No. 4 receiver right now…A concussion makes Darius Slayton questionable for this week, but if he is active, he will be an interesting name in a great matchup.
Deep Cuts: Jalen Coker did not hit for us last week, and while the Panthers getting rid of Jonathan Mingo does open some snaps for him, the potential return of Adam Thielen is a big concern…If you are really digging, Trey Palmer saw 4 targets on Monday night but ran fewer routes than both Rakim Jarrett and Ryan Miller, who ended up with a touchdown on his only catch…Kayshon Boutte and Kendrick Bourne have become nearly full-time receivers in New England…We have seen the Eagles without A.J. Brown before, and there was no production to chase on the waiver wire. Jahan Dotson is the name for the desperate…I am operating under the assumption Nico Collins will return this week, but if he doesn’t, the route count went Xavier Hutchinson (32), John Metchie (31), and Robert Woods (23) against the Jets with only Woods catching a pass…As has been the case, the receiver rotation behind Courtland Sutton in Denver is hard to predict week to week…There should be opportunities for Mason Tipton and Cedrick Wilson (assuming he is healthy) given the injuries to the New Orleans offense, but it is tough to trust either outside of deep leagues…Since Jermaine Burton decided to miss a walkthrough, Andrei Iosivas was a factor with Tee Higgins out and once again found the end zone…Calvin Austin and Van Jefferson have been getting targets behind George Pickens, but that was before the Mike Williams trade…Drake London missing time would open up more targets for Ray-Ray McCloud, who caught a touchdown last week.
Best Tight End Waiver Pickups, Fantasy Football Week 10
1. Taysom Hill – Available in 73.2% of leagues
I have held off putting Hill in this article because he is not tight end eligible everywhere, but all of the injuries in New Orleans make him a must mention. With Chris Olave off the field last week, Hill had 5 targets (4 catches for 41 yards) and 5 carries for 19 yards and a touchdown. He has New Orelans’ only goal-to-go carry since returning in Week 8. At a low-bar position, Hill is worth the risk given the multi-touchdown upside and likely increased usage.
2. Mike Gesicki – Available in 89.1% of leagues
Tee Higgins once again sat out practice on Monday, and when Higgins misses games, we play Mike Gesicki, who now has an 18.2% target share with Higgins off the field this season and has been targeted on 29.7% of those routes. With Erick All headed to injured reserve, he could also see his route participation rise.
3. Jonnu Smith – Available in 87.1% of leagues
Since Tua Tagovailoa returned, Smith has an 18.5% target share and has run a route on 75.7% of Miami’s dropbacks. He has four more targets than Jaylen Waddle over that span. That has yet to result in a big fantasy day, but Smith has a proven history of creating big plays and is getting a decent number of targets. That is a good combination.
4. Grant Calcaterra – Available in 98.4% of leagues
I have not been all in on Calcaterra because A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith command too many targets, but Brown’s potential absence does make him a lot more interesting. Oddly, 0 of his 5 catches in Week 9 came after Brown left the game, but he should still have a bigger role if Brown is forced to miss some time, assuming Dallas Goedert is not able to return this week.
Watch List: Juwan Johnson could also see more looks moving forward given all the injuries to the Saints, and he ran a route on 72.7% of New Orleans’ dropbacks in Week 9…I don’t want to read too much into Ja’Tavion Sanders’ big game because it came without Tommy Tremble. He saw only 1 target with a 43.9% route participation rate in Week 8 with Tremble active. The Giants have also been a surprisingly tough matchup for tight ends…That has not been the case for the Panthers, who Theo Johnson gets on the other side of that game in Germany. The Panthers are easily the worst fantasy defense against tight ends and have allowed 6 touchdowns to the position in the last three games. Johnson has run a route on 75.9% of New York’s dropbacks so far this season and has 10 targets over the last two games…Will Dissly did still run a route on 67.6% of the Charger dropbacks, but he was targeted just 3 times with the receiver corps more healthy.