Fantasy Football 2024 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 rostered in fewer than 50 percent of leagues, with the roster percentages coming from Yahoo.com.

Immediately Useful

Xavier Legette, WR, Panthers (27% Rostered): Legette hasn’t been a model of consistency in his rookie season, largely because his offensive environment is mostly awful, but the trade of Diontae Johnson has opened the door for him to be the Panthers leading man. His snap counts have been very high since Week 6, and while he has only crossed the 60-yard threshold once in 2024, he has scored in three of his last four games. Volume’s not his bag, big athletic plays are and with Johnson gone Carolina will be taking several shots per game for Legette. Rookies improve as the season progresses and we’re seeing Legette continue that trend. I can see Legette being a steady FLEX as the weather gets colder and we start thinking about the postseason.

Jauan Jennings, WR, 49ers (50% Rostered): Jennings has proven this season that he can do heavy damage when targeted enough, and with Brandon Aiyuk out for the year, and Deebo Samuel in and out of the lineup with injuries, Jennings is a solid bet for an increase in target share than what he’s seen in the past. I wouldn’t view his Week 3 explosion – 11 receptions, 175 yards, three touchdowns – as instructive, but it’s proof that this is a very good player who would be doing more if the skill players surrounding him weren’t so loaded. There’s potential for him to be a rest of season starter, but for now I’d view him as high-ceiling depth.

Ricky Pearsall, WR, 49ers (28% Rostered): Pearsall is in a similar boat as Jennings, but with more risk. Pearsall hasn’t shown he can pop off at the NFL level like Jennings has, but the flip side is that he’s a first round pick whose skill set more closely resembles what Aiyuk brought to the table than Jennings’. Jennings seems to be the safer bet for targets and usefulness, but Pearsall will have a chance to be very fantasy relevant. Of course, the return of Christian McCaffery could lower the ceilings of every skill player on the team. Don’t go crazy, but also don’t be afraid to burn a few FAAB bucks on the upside.

Hunter Henry, TE, Patriots (36% Rostered): I’m officially convinced Henry is no longer a TD or bust option, and he’s someone you can plug in and expect some points. Henry has shown rapport with rookie QB Drake Maye, drawing five or more targets in each of his last four games and topping 40 yards in all of them. He’s only scored one touchdown this season, which can be viewed as a cry for positive regression, but I view moreso as a terrible offense. Henry isn’t someone who can really elevate a fantasy team, but he does offer stability at a volatile position, and his upside in any given week is pretty high. It’s worth noting Henry currently leads New England in targets with 53 on the year.

Jerry Jeudy, WR, Browns (48% Rostered): Jeudy has become very playable since Jameis Winston took over, and on Sunday, even in a game in which Winston was throwing wretched interceptions and the Browns scored just 10 points, Jeudy still put up seven catches and 73 yards. Jeudy still doesn’t have the star potential many of us hoped for when he was drafted, but he is settling into a high-volume role as a valuable depth option for fantasy managers. Jeudy’s on bye in Week 10, so expect him to be on waivers very soon if he’s not there now. Throw in a small bid, or even a $0 one to get him on your bench. You’ll be happy in the coming weeks when other guys are on bye or get hurt and you have a safe option to turn to.

Justin Herbert, QB, Chargers (44% Rostered): It’s taken time, but my vision for Herbert is coming to life! I did not believe that Jim Harbaugh would take over this team and simply run it through J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards with a diamond at QB. Initially, that’s exactly what happened, but it appears that probably had more to do with Herbert’s health. He’s looked much healthier of late, and he’s thrown for two touchdowns in back-to-back games, while amassing 279+ yards in each of his last three. Herbert still doesn’t have great WRs or TEs to throw to, but he’s so good he makes it work. His upcoming schedule is marvelous, and teams with struggling QBs should absolutely try and pick up Herbert as a potential season-long solution.

Aaron Rodgers, QB, Jets (43% Rostered): Rodgers and the Jets have been punchlines for a lot of 2024, but fantasy-wise he’s been better than you may realize. Rodgers has thrown for 2+ touchdowns in six of nine games, and he finally showed some chemistry with both Garrett Wilson and Davante Adams. He has soft matchups with Arizona and Indianapolis ahead of his Week 12 bye, so if you can’t snap up Herbert, have a backup bid in for Rodgers whose back is against the wall if he hopes to drag the Jets to the playoffs.

Taysom Hill, QB/TE, Saints (37% Rostered): Hill found the end zone vs. a dreadful Panthers defense on Sunday, and while Hill’s production is volatile, and his usage is inconsistent, he should be a more integral part of the offense moving forward with Chris Olave set to miss time, as well as Bub Means and possibly Cedrick Wilson. The Saints are flat out running out of playmakers, and Hill is certainly a playmaker, albeit an unusual one. Does he offer the week to week safety of Henry, or some of the other TEs I’ll bring up? Not really, but he also offers a higher ceiling than any of them. So if you can stomach risk, he makes sense.

Jonnu Smith, TE, Dolphins (9% Rostered): Smith has the physical ability to be a playmaker, but the reality is that he’s a mere safety valve in an offense designed to funnel big plays to Tyreek Hill, De’Von Achane and Jaylen Waddle. Smith has seen 6+ targets in four consecutive games though, so he does have a pretty defined role in a very good offense. That’s certainly good enough to play in your lineup, it’s just that he doesn’t possess a ton of ceiling for you. Deciding between Smith and Hill requires a look at your own roster and whether you need safety or ceiling.

Zach Ertz, TE, Commanders (39% Rostered): Ertz finally produced a complete dud, catching only one pass for five yards on a single target. It was a bad game, but the Giants are a quietly solid defense. Ertz is still a good bet for around five targets and 40ish yards most weeks. These are pretty meager goals to hit, but TE can be rough out there.

Speculative/Deep Cuts

Quentin Johnston, WR, Chargers (16% Rostered): After a truly horrendous rookie season, Johnston has been a very productive player statistically this year when he’s on the field. He has scored four times in six games played, and just ripped off 118 yards on Sunday vs. Cleveland. He’s still not a crisp route runner and volume will likely never be part of his repertoire, but he is big as hell and can get downfield in a hurry. He can win one-on-one for chunk plays, and if he finds an opening in a busted coverage he’s totally housing it. As Herbert’s pass volume goes up, so does Johnston’s opportunities for big plays. He carries a goose egg risk every week, but now the upside is beginning to justify taking the chance in deeper leagues.

Joshua Palmer, WR, Chargers (13% Rostered): Palmer is in the same boat as Johnston, as a downfield threat hoping for chunk plays while Ladd McConkey does the dirty work and soaks up more short targets. This season Johnston’s been the recipient of more long-range strikes, but it’s a toss up every week which of them will deliver a few big plays. For what it’s worth, I tend to think Palmer is the better overall player, even if he’s less physically imposing.

Demarcus Robinson, WR, Rams (12% Rostered): Robinson has scored twice in back-to-back games. I highly recommend not chasing those TDs, and will remind everyone that prior to these two games he had accumulated 13 receptions for 198 yards and one touchdown in six tilts. So know that his floor is a big old doughnut if you decide to fire him up in a FLEX role. I was close to not including him here, but his QB is too good for a guy with four touchdowns in two games to not even be brought up.

Ray Davis, RB, Bills (21% Rostered): Davis is definitely way behind James Cook, but even with his limited role I have to treat him as more than a pure handcuff simply because he’s shown to be electric. Davis, even in very limited action, can make plays and the fact that he does get a handful of opportunities every week makes him a deep, fringy FLEX. Last week he turned six opportunities into 90 scrimmage yards and a score. That’s not going to be the norm obviously, but for many players that’s not even possible. A Cook injury doesn’t make Davis playable, it transforms him into a possible league-winner.

Trey Benson, RB, Cardinals (16% Rostered): Benson is also a very explosive player lurking behind a high-end starter. James Conner’s keeping Benson from being a stud, and rightfully so! I’m in no way advocating for less Conner touches. But if Conner gets hurt, and that is his history, Benson becomes a very, very desirable play.

Tyler Allgeier, RB, Falcons (39% Rostered): Allgeier’s pass-catching role has all but disappeared, and in competitive games he’s become unplayable without a touchdown. He scored on Sunday, saving his six-carry, 18-yard effort from the abyss. He’s very much trending toward pure handcuff status, but he isn’t quite there yet because he can definitely put up major garbage time production when Atlanta is in the right game script.

Pure Handcuffs

Zach Charbonnet, RB, Seahawks (49% Rostered)

Justice Hill, RB, Ravens (20% Rostered)

Braelon Allen, RB, Jets (33% Rostered)

Roschon Johnson, RB, Bears (13% Rostered)

Kimani Vidal, RB, Chargers (8% Rostered)

Khalil Herbert, RB, Bengals (8% Rostered)