Fantasy Football 2019 Week 10 Waiver Wire Pickup Advice

Is your fantasy team in need of new blood? Each week I’ll bring to you the best pickups to make ahead of the waiver deadline. All the players I list will be owned in fewer than 50 percent of leagues, with the ownership percentage coming from Yahoo.com

Quarterbacks

Daniel Jones, Giants (26% Owned): Jones was up and down again this week against a tough Dallas defense. He threw for 210 yards and a touchdown, while notably gashing the Cowboys on the ground for 54 yards on six attempts. He was also picked off once, and fumbled twice. Jones has become a blowup candidate in good matchups, and a QB to avoid against solid to above-average defenses. If you’re desperate in Week 10, however, he’ll face the Jets in a “road” game. That’s one of them good matchups, especially since the Jets are a very strong run defense, and very vulnerable through the air.

Sam Darnold, Jets (26% Owned): Darnold is a complete mess right now, so it’s understandable if you don’t want to touch him with a 10-foot pole. Still, fantasy owners are dealing with Deshaun Watson, Gardner Minshew, Tom Brady and Carson Wentz on bye, so some are desperately searching for a playable quarterback. Hold your noses…I believe Darnold is playable this week, and for several weeks moving forward. Darnold gets the Giants, the Redskins, the Raiders, the Bengals and the Dolphins for his next five matchups. Those are some of the worst pass defenses that the NFL has to offer, carrying you through the end of the regular season. Some of his plays have been hideous, but at the end of the day his 260 yards and one touchdown vs. Miami were serviceable. He also threw for 338 yards and two scores vs. Dallas, before the wheels began to come off mentally for him. These soft matchups are just what a young, frazzled QB needs to get his head on straight.

Running Backs

Derrius Guice, Redskins (32% Owned): Guice is extremely injury-prone, but talented enough to be trusted as an RB2 when he returns. Prior to going out with an injury in Week 1, Guice had been fed 10 carries. The Redskins may ease him in the first week back, especially with Adrian Peterson running hard under interim coach Bill Callahan, but ultimately this job belongs to Guice. He was their second-round pick last season, and he was brought to Washington to serve as a three-down back. With the season over (in terms of any playoff hopes), the rest of the year is about seeing whether core pieces like Dwayne Haskins and Guice are worth building on or discarding. Guice will have ample opportunity to prove he is a foundational player in this offense. Guice shouldn’t cost much either, as the Redskins are on bye in Week 10.

Alexander Mattison, Vikings (32% Owned): Mattison is a must-own for any Dalvin Cook owner, and he merits ownership from non-Cook owners also. His usage while Cook is healthy is dependent on opponent; Mattison has taken advantage of Vikings blowouts in which he’s been able to receive double-digit carries. Minnesota’s upcoming schedule doesn’t seem to offer those opportunities, but a Cook injury thrusts Mattison directly into the RB1 conversation.

Darrell Henderson Jr., Rams (24% Owned): Henderson is in the same boat as Mattison, except that his workload is more secure than Mattison’s even without an injury. Todd Gurley, simply put, is not a workhorse back anymore. Regardless of opponent, Henderson’s going to see around 10-13 carries/targets, and he’s explosive enough to do damage with them. We haven’t seen an explosion yet, but he’s due. He’s also a fringe RB1 option if Gurley winds up missing games altogether, which is very possible. Any Gurley owner with playoff aspirations needs to make an effort to get Henderson on their roster.

Wide Receivers

DeVante Parker, Dolphins (35% Owned): Another week, another useful outing from DeVante Parker, who is quickly becoming a poster boy for the post-hype sleeper concept. Parker had been left for dead by us all, and despite turning in useful game after useful game, finds himself only 35% owned. Few people want to buy in on this guy, because they’ve been burned in the past and because he plays for a train wreck of a team. But facts are facts, and Parker has scored in four of his last five games, and put up at least 55 yards in six of his eight tilts. Parker is a steady WR2 right now, and Ryan Fitzpatrick is competent. This type of production is legit, and can help any roster, especially with heavy bye weeks from now through Week 12.

Cole Beasley, Bills (29% Owned): Beasley has morphed this season from a high-volume PPR beast into a touchdown machine. He’s scored in three straight games, but only caught eight passes total for 70 total yards in that span. It’s a bit difficult to trust, but the matchups remain stellar for Beasley for two more weeks: at Cleveland, and at Miami. After that, I’d recommend cutting ties, but he’ll be a strong bet for touchdowns in each of his next two, and always has the upside of 75-90 receiving yards.

Parris Campbell, Colts (3% Owned): Campbell has been an injury-prone fantasy bust as a rookie this year, but he’s healthy now, and has opportunity to step up for T.Y. Hilton. Campbell caught five passes for the second time in three weeks on Sunday, and he also totaled 27 rushing yards on three carries. With Hilton out the Colts sorely lack playmakers; that’s exactly what Campbell brings to the table, and Frank Reich is one of the NFL’s most creative offensive coaches. They’ll keep trying to get Campbell chances to break big ones. He’s a high-risk play for sure, but he’s got a juicy matchup with the Dolphins in Week 10.

Tight Ends

Dallas Goedert, Eagles (27% Owned): Pickings are slim at TE, but Goedert has seen enough targets that he warrants being owned. Zach Ertz is still the man in Philly, but Goedert has seen at least four targets in each of the Eagles’ last four games and he’s scored twice. Goedert has become a thorn in Ertz owners’ sides, but if you are really hurting, Goedert is probably good for at least 30ish receiving yards with decent TD upside. Problem is, they’re not in action this week.

Cameron Brate, Buccaneers (7% Owned): My enthusiasm for Brate this week is tempered, and completely matchup-based. Assuming O.J. Howard continues missing time, Brate has an excellent chance of scoring a TD on the Cardinals, who entered Week 9 as the league’s worst defense vs. the TE and proceeded to allow George Kittle to put up 79 yards and a score. Even if Howard suits up, Brate will retain value as a desperation TD source, but the likelihood would drop.