The fantasy football season is heading toward the stretch run. Whether you’re in playoff position or fighting to save your season, it’s never time to get complacent. Let’s take a look at the top Week 10 waiver wire targets and pickups that fantasy managers should consider adding to their rosters.
As always, all players are rostered in less than 50% of Yahoo leagues.
I eliminated FAAB recommendations last year, as there are too many variables to account for. Instead, I replaced them with my opinion on how aggressive fantasy managers should pursue the player on a scale of 1-10.
JJ McCarthy, QB, Minnesota Vikings
Rostered: 29%
Fresh off nearly a two-month layoff, JJ McCarthy came to play against his division rival. The Minnesota Vikings went into Detroit as heavy road underdogs and upset the Lions.
McCarthy played very well despite throwing for only 143 yards. He threw two touchdown passes and added a third on the ground.
The Vikings have a very favorable rest of the season schedule, beginning next week with a home date against the Baltimore Ravens in what should be a high-scoring contest, requiring McCarthy to air it out. McCarthy could be a high QB2 the rest of the way.
Aggressiveness Rating: 1.5
Michael Penix Jr., QB, Atlanta Falcons
Rostered: 19%
The floor is very low for Michael Penix Jr. The Atlanta Falcons are not going to score every touchdown through the air, particularly often. But it’s nice to know Penix has this type of game in him.
Against a Patriots pass funnel defense, the sophomore quarterback threw for 221 yards and three touchdowns. Now, he has a road date with the Indianapolis Colts, who are also a pass funnel defense.
Bijan Robinson will undoubtedly play better next week. Even so, Penix could throw for two scores in what should be a high-scoring affair. He is a viable streamer if you need to replace Dak Prescott or Patrick Mahomes.
Aggressiveness Rating: 1.0
Isaiah Davis, RB, New York Jets
Rostered: 12%
It makes sense as to why Isaiah Davis wasn’t a more popular waiver wire pickup last week. Sure, he had 109 yards on 12 touches, scoring 17.9 fantasy points. But the New York Jets were headed into their bye. Fantasy managers are not apt to add fringe players who cannot benefit them immediately.
Well, the Jets are now out of their bye. Davis can help you this week if you need a desperation flex play.
There’s also the matter of a Breece Hall trade, which is fascinating from the perspective of this waiver wire column.
You are probably reading this before the NFL trade deadline passes. But waiver wire claims are finalized Tuesday night, which will be after the deadline. We will know if Hall was traded (spoiler alert: he won’t be).
Obviously, if Hall does get moved, that makes Davis the single highest priority add of the week. If not, he is still worth picking up as a guy with some standalone value and RB2 upside if Hall were to get hurt.
Aggressiveness Rating: 4.0
Terrell Jennings, RB, New England Patriots
Rostered: 1%
Did you expect anything else from Mike Vrabel? TreVeyon Henderson started and played well, but Vrabel can’t help himself. Terrell Jennings has to be involved.
Jennings carried the ball 11 times and caught one pass. He was inefficient on his touches, but he was also the goal line back. But the main reason he’s worth adding is because he is the handcuff to Henderson. If the speedy rookie were to miss time, Jennings would be the lead back.
It’s unclear how much time Rhamondre Stevenson will miss. The instant he returns, Jennings can be dropped. However, unless we receive positive news on the veteran by the time waivers are due, Jennings is worth adding.
Aggressiveness Rating: 3.5
Tyjae Spears, RB, Tennessee Titans
Rostered: 45%
Tyjae Spears hasn’t exactly lit the world on fire since returning. But he’s putting up somewhat useful numbers every single week.
Spears has now hit 9.0 fantasy points in three of his last four games. Given all the injuries and players on bye, there are plenty of fantasy teams out there that would sign for those numbers.
The Tennessee Titans are on bye next week. So, Spears isn’t as much of a priority as he would otherwise be. But he’s been playing just as much as Tony Pollard, if not more in some games. Spears has a standalone RB3 value, and if Pollard missed time, he’d be a volume-based mid RB2.
Aggressiveness Rating: 5.0
Devin Singletary, RB, New York Giants
Rostered: 5%
With no Cam Skattebo, the New York Giants’ backfield is led by Tyrone Tracy Jr., with Devin Singletary backing him up. Singletary is not startable for now. Although he notably handled eight carries and saw two targets in a game, the Giants were never really in.
Singletary ran well, totaling 43 yards on the ground. He’s obviously not the most gifted back, but he’s been a weekly fantasy starter before. He is the handcuff to Tracy. If you have an available spot, you can do worse than putting Singletary in it.
Aggressiveness Rating: 1.0
DeMario Douglas, WR, New England Patriots
Rostered: 4%
This one is obligatory. DeMario Douglas posted 20 fantasy points, which requires his name in this column.
The Patriots rotate their wide receivers weekly. One game, it’ll be Kayshon Boutte. Next, it’ll be Mack Hollins. This week, it was Douglas.
Now, there is a little more to this because Boutte strained his hamstring, which could consolidate the rotation a bit. Thus, Douglas has some appeal, which would otherwise lead me to dismiss him.
At the same time, he’s scored more than 5.7 fantasy points just twice in the last eight weeks. You will never feel confident starting Douglas, but there’s at least some weekly upside given how well Drake Maye is playing.
Aggressiveness Rating: 2.0
Olamide Zaccheaus, WR, Chicago Bears
Rostered: 1%
After failing to reach double-digit fantasy points for the first six games of the season, Olamide Zaccheaus has now done it in back-to-back games. Is there something here for fantasy? It seems doubtful.
Zaccheaus does have 15 targets over his last two contests. That’s certainly something worth paying attention to. But it’s also essential to understand the context. The Chicago Bears played the Cincinnati Bengals, who have the worst defense in the NFL. Luther Burden III was also absent due to a concussion.
The Bears have a couple of favorable spots, but their remaining schedule is mostly more difficult than not. You can add Zaccheaus if you are desperate for a spot starter with all the players missing in Week 10 due to byes or injuries, but he is far from a priority.
Aggressiveness Rating: 1.0
Alec Pierce, WR, Indianapolis Colts
Rostered: 26%
This was a unique game for the Indianapolis Colts, who faced an extreme negative game script for the first time all season. As a result, Daniel Jones tossed it up 50 times. Naturally, every Colts receiver was able to eat.
Alec Pierce caught six of 13 targets for 115 yards. He’s definitely worthy of being added. But obviously, don’t expect this often.
Pierce does have two double-digit target games in his last three. He’s also a deep ball merchant. That lowers his weekly floor, but it means he is capable of producing on limited volume.
Given that his big game was not predicated on a single long catch or a touchdown, he is one of the strong pickups this week.
Aggressiveness Rating: 5.5
Parker Washington, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
Rostered: 18%
Even before Brian Thomas Jr. injured his ankle, Parker Washington was serving as Trevor Lawrence’s preferred target. Now, he’s essentially the only one left.
The Jaguars have been without Brenton Strange for weeks. Travis Hunter is on IR. Thomas is likely to miss time with his sprained ankle. Dyami Brown also got hurt in the Jaguars’ overtime win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Who else is Lawrence going to throw to?
Washington caught eight passes for 90 yards. He’s now seen 19 targets over his last two games. He needs to be added everywhere.
Aggressiveness Rating: 8.0
Troy Franklin, WR, Denver Broncos
Rostered: 48%
After two straight strong performances, Troy Franklin came back down to earth against the Houston Texans. He caught just four of 10 targets for 27 yards. It was a disappointing outing, albeit an expected one, against a very good defense.
The Denver Broncos won’t face an opponent as problematic as this for the rest of the season. Franklin has proven upside and should be much better next week against the Raiders. He is very much worth adding.
Aggressiveness Rating: 4.0
Tory Horton, WR, Seattle Seahawks
Rostered: 5%
A popular deep league sleeper, Tory Horton has flashed upside the season, but hasn’t been on the field enough to really do anything for fantasy managers. In Week 9, that changed when Cooper Kupp tweaked his hamstring at practice, leading to him missing Sunday night’s game.
With Kupp out, Horton served as the clear WR2 opposite Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The rookie actually led all wide receivers in snaps and ran a route on 83% of Sam Darnold’s dropbacks. Horton caught all four of his targets for 48 yards and two touchdowns, bringing him to five on the season.
Kupp’s injury is reportedly minor, and he expects to return soon, possibly next week. But perhaps Horton is simply too good to deny. He’s very clearly a superior receiver to Kupp at this point in his career. The young Seahawk is absolutely worth a pickup after his breakout performance.
Aggressiveness Rating: 5.0
Dalton Schultz, TE, Houston Texans
Rostered: 27%
Last week, Dalton Schultz was a popular streamer with Nico Collins and Christian Kirk out. He let fantasy managers down with two catches for 24 yards. Naturally, this led to managers abandoning him. Of course, he bounces back this week with six catches for 77 yards.
Schultz now has double-digit fantasy points in three of his last four. How sustainable is this? Probably not very. However, Schultz may very well be the second option in the Houston Texans’ passing game. If you need a tight end, you can do worse.
Aggressiveness Rating: 2.5
Colston Loveland, TE, Chicago Bears
Rostered: 23%
This is your top tight end add of the week. He might be the top pickup overall. Colston Loveland had his breakout performance in Week 9. It was against the Bengals, who are the worst defense against tight ends. But when talented rookies show signs, we cannot wait.
Loveland caught six of seven targets for 118 yards and two touchdowns. It helped that Cole Kmet left the game, but it stands to reason Loveland will be the primary tight end going forward. Surely Ben Johnson won’t try to put this genie back in the bottle. Do what it takes to get Loveland.
Aggressiveness Rating: 8.5
Harold Fannin Jr., TE, Cleveland Browns
Rostered: 42%
Bye weeks tend to cause fantasy managers to overlook players. Harold Fannin Jr. caught six passes for 62 yards and a touchdown when we last saw the Cleveland Browns play two weeks ago.
The rookie has now posted double-digit fantasy points in three of his last four. Ironically, he’s been better with David Njoku on the field than without him.
The Browns do not have a favorable schedule for tight ends for the rest of the season, which is not ideal. However, Fannin continues to maintain a consistent role in the offense and has proven to be at least streamer-worthy for fantasy.
Aggressiveness Rating: 3.5