Fantasy Football 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 roster percentages coming from Yahoo.com

Quarterbacks

Taysom Hill, Saints (18% Rostered): Hill was not the starter this week, and the Saints fell to the Falcons while looking putrid offensively for much of the game. It’s possible that Sean Payton prefers the traditional QB at this point, as he went with Jameis Winston over Hill before Week 1, and stuck with Trevor Siemian over Hill this week. However, if Payton decides to flip and name Hill the starter, he immediately carries QB1 upside because of his rushing ability. Unless there’s news ahead of waivers, the situation is probably going to remain murky; this is good, because it’ll keep Hill basically free on waivers. If you can afford to stash him, I’d recommend doing so even if you’re set at QB, because he could serve as high-end insurance for your starter or tasty trade bait.

Running Backs

Jamaal Williams, Lions (47% Rostered): Williams’ roster % dropped this week, likely due to being on bye, but the last time we saw him he garnered 12 carries for 57 yards against the Rams. That isn’t anything special, but at this point in the year there’s not much in the way of impact backs on waivers. He already has a role in this offense that renders him playable in any given week if you’re desperate, and if D’Andre Swift gets nicked up Williams becomes an instant RB2. He’s not a guy who should be on waivers.

Mark Ingram, Saints (38% Rostered): Ingram, like Williams, is the clear-cut second option for the Saints, but does have a pretty established baseline of work he will see. Most weeks, it won’t be fantasy relevant, but he can be played in a desperate moment and you could possibly be rewarded with a touchdown. Should Alvin Kamara go down, Ingram would leap into the FLEX conversation, a la Adrian Peterson with the Titans.

Alexander Mattison, Vikings (47% Rostered): Mattison should be rostered immediately by any Dalvin Cook manager in leagues where Mattison is available. He doesn’t have a meaningful role while Cook is healthy, which he is right now, but if Cook goes down Mattison is a legitimate RB2 and he showed that already this season. Cook managers should grab him up if they can, and try to trade for him if the Mattison manager is being reasonable.

Alex Collins, Seahawks (43% Rostered): Collins’ roster % dropped like Williams’ did, likely due to the bye week, but also because he ceded a bit of work to Rashaad Penny the last two games. Collins hasn’t been impressive of late with Chris Carson sidelined, but that has a lot to do with Geno Smith being the QB. Russell Wilson is expected to start this week vs. the Packers though, and that changes everything. The Seahawks running game will once again be viable when defenses have to respect the pass, and the Packers entered Week 9 with the NFL’s third-worst Rush DVOA per Football Outsiders. The biggest thing to monitor is the health of Carson, whose status is extremely unclear. He’s dealing with a neck issue, which is always frightening, but there have been reports he’s pushing to practice this week. If Carson is active, it becomes tough to play Collins. If Carson needs more time, Collins immediately becomes my favorite short-term add of the week.

Latavius Murray, Ravens (35% Rostered): Murray’s return from an ankle injury is coming along slowly, but the Ravens’ primary RB is always fantasy relevant. Perhaps Murray has lost that designation following a pretty good showing from Devonta Freeman in Week 9, but he saw 18 carries in Week 4, and has scored twice in three weeks before getting hurt. Upon his return, he’ll likely lead the Ravens RBs in rushing attempts; Lamar Jackson is the true RB1 here, but the role offers TD upside, and weekly FLEX appeal.

Devonta Freeman, Ravens (20% Rostered): Freeman isn’t too attractive if Murray can suit up, but the Ravens do have a short turnaround for Week 10, and a cake matchup vs. the Dolphins. Should the Ravens decide to let Murray heal up again and be ready for Chicago in Week 11, Freeman has a smash matchup in store. Freeman gobbled up 79 yards on 13 carries vs. Minnesota, and scored for the third straight game on a short red zone reception. He’s very playable in soft matchups like these, provided Murray stays on the shelf.

Sony Michel, Rams (33% Rostered): Michel ever so briefly had the lead role Sunday night when Darrell Henderson had an injury scare, and he found the end zone. Michel was inefficient – 20 yards on seven carries – but it was a tough night overall for the Rams, and he did see three targets. Michel has basically no standalone value as long as Henderson is healthy, but he has Mattison-esque upside in the event of an injury. If he’s a free agent, Henderson managers are doing this wrong.

Jordan Howard, Eagles (12% Rostered): Howard has somehow become a borderline workhorse for the Eagles after not being active until Week 8. He’s seen 12 and 17 carries in his last two games, scoring three touchdowns and bursting past Boston Scott and Kenneth Gainwell for backfield supremacy. It’ll likely be short-lived because Miles Sanders isn’t too far from a return, but he could very well retain some role in the offense and just ruin Sanders’ rest of season value. For now, he has a date with Denver in Week 10, who had the sixth-worst rush defense in football heading into Sunday.

Wide Receivers

Rashod Bateman, Ravens (36% Rostered): Bateman, a first rounder in the 2021 draft, continues to impress. While he hasn’t broken out yet, he has yet to see fewer than six targets in a game where he’s been active. And while the Ravens continue to be a run-heavy offense, even with their stable of worn out retread rushers, Lamar Jackson has shown improved efficiency as a passer. “Hollywood” Brown is the obvious WR1 here, and Mark Andrews remains the primary target in the red zone, but it seems like it’s just a matter of time before Bateman has a blowup game.

Tim Patrick, Broncos (25% Rostered): Patrick continues to thrive, even with Jerry Jeudy back in the lineup. Patrick earned five targets on Sunday in a shocking whooping of the Cowboys, including a long bomb touchdown. He finished the game with four catches for 85 yards and a score, and now has 1.4 fewer points than Courtland Sutton in half-PPR formats. He may be perceived as a player with a lower floor than his brand-name teammates, but the truth is he has been more consistent than Jeudy when he’s played, and he has double Sutton’s TD total.

Darnell Mooney, Bears (44% Rostered): Mooney continued to show he’s the pass-catcher to own in Chicago, hauling in three touchdowns for 41 yards and a touchdown, while adding a second touchdown on a 15-yard run. Mooney is still a player who does damage down the field, but he’s receiving a healthy enough target share that he’s more than a prayer for a bomb play. Justin Fields’ inconsistency limits him from being a locked-in WR2, but at this point I’d feel pretty comfortable playing him as a FLEX in most weeks, and I’m certainly more excited about him rest of season than Allen Robinson.

Tight Ends

Tyler Conklin, Vikings (38% Rostered): Conklin put forth a respectable TE effort last week in a plush matchup – five receptions, 45 yards – and he did draw a target in the end zone. His next two matchups, at Chargers, vs. Green Bay, are very favorable as well, so if you have been streaming the position he carries some TD potential for the next two games.

Dan Arnold, Jaguars (27% Rostered): Arnold has become an unlikely target hound, drawing at least five in all but his first game with the Jaguars. Since Week 5, Arnold has notched 60 yards or more three times in four games, and has yet to find the end zone, making him a positive regression candidate. His upcoming matchups aren’t the best, but they’re also not the worst, and with that kind of target share he appears to be a legit weekly option rest of season.