We’re headed into Week 10 and with the trade deadline getting closer, it’s time to ensure the wide receiver position in your fantasy football lineups is deep enough to handle injuries and other factors down the home stretch.
Let’s take a look at the top wide receivers to target on the waiver wire in Week 10 that you should consider adding to your team. All players listed below are rostered in less than 50% of Yahoo, ESPN, and/or Sleeper leagues.
Note that I have done away with FAAB recommendations this year, as there are too many variables to account for. Instead, I replaced it with my opinion on how aggressive fantasy managers should be in pursuing the player on a scale of 1-10.
Looking for other positions? Check out our Week 10 Waiver Wire article, which covers a plethora of players from all positions.
Quentin Johnston | Los Angeles Chargers
Percentage Owned: 15%
Returning from a two-game absence, Quentin Johnston made his presence felt, catching four passes for 118 yards and a touchdown. Games like this always pique fantasy managers’ interest. However, this was really just one long touchdown on a busted coverage.
Johnston has yet to see more than six targets in a game. He’s capable of big games, but they will be reliant on a splash play. I don’t think there is anything here.
Aggressiveness Rating: 1.5
Jerry Jeudy | Cleveland Browns
Percentage Owned: 48%
In two games with Jameis Winston, Jerry Jeudy has seen a total of 19 targets. He’s caught five and seven passes for 79 and 73 yards. Those are very usable numbers in fantasy.
Winston is the presumptive starter for the remainder of the season. If Jeudy can be this productive in a game where the Browns score 10 points, his rest-of-season outlook should be pretty favorable.
The Browns don’t have a great schedule of pass defenses, but the volume will be there with Winston. Jeudy has proven to be a viable WR3.
Aggressiveness Rating: 4.0
Xavier Legette | Carolina Panthers
Percentage Owned: 27%
It’s quite common for rookie WRs to play better over the second half of their inaugural season. We may get that from Xavier Legette.
The rookie has only caught four passes for 34 and 33 yards in each of his past two games, but he’s scored in two straight and three of his last four.
Following the Diontae Johnson trade, Legette looks like the Carolina Panthers’ WR1 going forward. Adam Thielen’s expected return next week throws a slight wrench in things, but he’s 34 years old. Legette should remain the top option for a team frequently trailing and throwing.
Aggressiveness Rating: 5.0
Jalen Tolbert | Dallas Cowboys
Percentage Owned: 23%
It wasn’t a great day for Jalen Tolbert and the Cowboys. Tolbert caught just three passes for 19 yards but did find the end zone.
It’s pretty clear Tolbert won’t be a reliable weekly option with everyone healthy.
Cowboys pull within one-possession on the Jalen Tolbert TD
📺: #DALvsATL on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/MFQHLeTJHC— NFL (@NFL) November 3, 2024
However, CeeDee Lamb injured his shoulder. It’s likely a sprained AC joint and something he can play through. But with the Cowboys’ season just about over, there’s a chance Lamb sits a game or two or gets shut down later in the year if he aggravates it. That could lead to Tolbert in the WR1 role. He’s worth a speculative addition.
Aggressiveness Rating: 3.5
Demarcus Robinson | Los Angeles Rams
Percentage Owned: 12%
It’s a bit ironic, isn’t it? After essentially failing to produce a single usable week in fantasy for the first two months of the season, Demarcus Robinson’s two best games have come after the returns of Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp.
Robinson has somehow caught two touchdowns in two straight games. He’s posted totals of 17.5 and 27.4 fantasy points.
It’s clear Robinson is the WR3 behind Nacua and Kupp. Once Nacua was ejected for throwing a punch, Robinson stepped into an every-down role, running just five fewer routes than Kupp.
Fantasy managers should not expect this level of production going forward. However, Robinson does, at the very least, have handcuff value. I wouldn’t start him whenever Nacua and Kupp are active, but you can pick him up and throw him on your bench if you want.
Aggressiveness Rating: 3.0
Cedric Tillman | Cleveland Browns
Percentage Owned: 58%
I know Cedric Tillman is over the 50% rostership threshold, but it is truly shocking to see his number so low. That warrants discussion.
Tillman’s rookie season certainly suggested he would never amount to anything in the NFL. Perhaps what we’re seeing is just a blip and he will fade into irrelevancy. That may happen. But right now, Tillman looks like a weekly WR2, and that needs to be on fantasy rosters.
Since the Amari Cooper trade, which coincided with Winston taking over at quarterback, Tillman’s worst fantasy outing has been 18.1 points. He’s legitimately been a WR1 over the past three weeks.
Even though the Browns are on bye this week, Tillman is absolutely worth holding. The rest-of-season schedule is tough, but Tillman already overcame a challenging matchup last week against the Chargers. The volume will be there as long as Winston is there. Add him if he’s still available in your league.
Aggressiveness Rating: 9.0
Elijah Moore | Cleveland Browns
Percentage Owned: 14%
Most NFL quarterbacks cannot sustain more than two fantasy-relevant WRs. That goes for even the best of the best. Winston is not like most quarterbacks.
The NFL’s premier gunslinger will make a medley of throws every week, good and bad. He does not care, which is great for fantasy. Winston has been able to sustain the fantasy values of Tillman, Jeudy, and Moore.
While the latter is clearly third (fourth if you count David Njoku), he’s still seen target counts of nine and 12 over the past two weeks. He may have only caught three of his nine targets for 28 yards, but the volume is what we’re chasing here. In deeper leagues, you can consider adding Moore.
Aggressiveness Rating: 2.0
Adam Thielen | Carolina Panthers
Percentage Owned: 25%
We don’t have much of a sample size of what Adam Thielen can still do. He played just three games before a hamstring strain sidelined him indefinitely. He’s been out nearly two months.
Thielen has been designated to return from IR. However, he was noncommittal on his ability to return the week.
With the Panthers playing overseas and on the cusp of their bye week, it seems highly unlikely they would bring back their 34-year-old wide receiver amid a lost season. In all likelihood, Thielen will return in Week 12.
Is it worth it to stash someone like Thielen for two weeks? If you have an available IR spot, sure. There’s no harm. With Johnson gone, perhaps Thielen can reclaim the WR1 role upon his return. However, I’m not optimistic.
The Panthers have no reason to turn away from Legette and should look to see more of what they have in Jalen Coker. We’ve also seen an increase in Ja’Tavion Sanders’ role. There’s just not a compelling reason to add Thielen.
Aggressiveness Rating: 1.0
Darius Slayton | New York Giants
Percentage Owned: 16%
There’s a tangible upside with Darius Slayton. We saw it in the two games he played without Malik Nabers. But with Nabers healthy, Slayton is essentially the backup to the same job. He may have gotten to a passable 9.0 fantasy points last week, but Slayton did it on a mere three targets. That type of volume is not something we should bother with in fantasy.
Slayton remains a handcuff WR. For certain managers, perhaps those who roster Nabers, he may be worth stashing. The Giants have the easiest rest-of-season schedule for wide receivers. If something were to happen to Nabers, Slayton would at least be a weekly WR3. He will still likely have some moments, but predicting them will be impossible. Only add Slayton in deeper leagues if you have the spot.
Aggressiveness Rating: 1.0