In many ways, the waiver wire gets slimmer every week. Sure, there are a few legit midseason breakout candidates, like Elijah Moore and Pat Freiermuth, but for the most part, we're at the mercy of injuries when it comes to the top waiver wire pickups. Heading into Week 10, Devonta Freeman and Jordan Howard continue to take advantage of injuries in their respective backfields, while Brandon Bolden (or possibly Rhamondre Stevenson) could be preparing to start in place of Damien Harris. Some of those players will demand a good chunk of your FAAB budget, while others will merely garner token bids or be among free agent adds.
As we'll do every week this season with the help of our friends at Fantasy Alarm, let's break down the top pickups and project how much of your FAAB budget you should bid on them.
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Week 10 Fantasy Football FAAB Advice: Waiver wire QB pickups, streamers
Carson Wentz (IND). When you roster and start Wentz in fantasy football, it can get pretty frustrating. Overall, you might end up pleased with the end result, betting to that point is a little stressful because he does make some boneheaded plays. However, he's thrown multiple touchdowns in six straight games and scored three touchdowns in three straight games. Despite shutting down Josh Allen and the Bills in Week 9, the Jaguars are still a secondary we can target, so Wentz should have another solid game in Week 10. Projected FAAB Bid: 6-8% of total budget
Matt Ryan (ATL). One week, Ryan and the Falcons are shut down by the Panthers; the next, Ryan’s throwing for 340-plus yards and recording three touchdowns. Hopefully, we get the same production next week against the Cowboys, who had a rough Week 9, similar to most of the league. This game opened with the over/under settling in around 50.5 but it’s already been bet up to 53.5 on some sportsbooks. Proj. FAAB Bid: 5-6%
WEEK 10 PPR RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
Week 10 Fantasy Football FAAB Advice: Waiver wire RB pickups, streamers
Jordan Howard (PHI). Fears of Boston Scott and Kenneth Gainwell owners were confirmed on Sunday when the Eagles used Howard as their feature back. Even when Miles Sanders (ankle) returns, we could still see multiple running backs touching the ball. Here's the good news: Philadelphia is not letting Jalen Hurts throw the ball nearly as much right now. He has just 31 pass attempts in his past two games, so he’s not even a must-start based on passing volume. The Eagles have ran 85 times in their past two games. Yes, you read that right. While we may not know who to trust every week going forward, it looks like there are an ample amount of touches to go around. A concern worth monitoring is that Howard and the Eagles have had success running against the Lions and Chargers. Tougher matchups will come. Projected FAAB Bid: 15-18% of total budget
Devonta Freeman (BAL). As annoying as the Baltimore backfield has been, Freeman truly hasn't looked awful when he’s been given the ball. The workload over the past few games has been light (26 carries), but he is averaging 5.6 yards per carry in that span and scored in each of his past three games. It’s helped that Latavius Murray (ankle) has been inactive, but Murray wasn’t even that good when he found his way onto the field. Freeman’s looked like the best running back of late, and the team is aware of it. Freeman led the backfield on Sunday with 58 percent of the snaps compared to Le’Veon Bell’s 23 percent and Ty’Son Williams’ 18. When Murray comes back, Williams will likely be a healthy scratch, but Freeman will still likely get a significant workload. Proj. FAAB Bid: 12-14%
Brandon Bolden (NE). Both Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson suffered head injuries in Sunday’s win against Carolina. Bolden is the obvious pivot, but hopefully we hear get an idea of Harris's and Stevenson's situations prior to making waivers claims. Bolden’s been a better weapon in the passing game, but if the other two are out for Week 10’s game against Cleveland, then Bolden is stepping into an increased workload and could see 12-15 touches. The opportunity and workload would be tremendous, and Bolden is available in plenty of leagues. Stevenson has looked very good, as well, so if he's active and Harris isn't, Stevenson would bet he back to own here. Proj. FAAB Bid: 7-8%
Eno Benjamin (ARI). Benjamin doesn’t garner a ton of excitement, nor should he, but Chase Edmonds sprained his ankle and he’s likely to miss some time. Benjamin is now the No. 2 running back in Arizona behind James Conner. Conner has a bit of an injury history, so it's likely Benjamin will get eight-to-10 touches per game. He scampered into the end zone on Sunday for a nice 21-yard score, so there is some upside here. Proj. FAAB Bid: 2-3%
WEEK 10 STANDARD RANKINGS:
Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | D/ST | Kicker
Week 10 Fantasy Football FAAB Advice: Waiver wire WR pickups, streamers
Rashod Bateman (BAL). A breakout game for Bateman is coming. He’s seen 20 targets through his first three games, including eight last Sunday. With five catches for 52 yards, it’s refreshing to see Lamar Jackson utilize the rookie so quickly. The Ravens draw Miami on a short week this week, and it’s a prime spot for Bateman to find the end zone for the first time in his career. Projected FAAB Bid: 10-15%
Elijah Moore (NYJ). Similar to Bateman, Moore has 20 targets over his past three games, but he found the end zone twice last week against the Colts. The bad news for Moore is that the Jets now draw the Bills, who just lost to the Jaguars this past week. The Week 10 matchup isn’t great, but the Jets will play Miami, Houston, and Philadelphia in Weeks 11-13, so we could see some decent games there. Corey Davis’ return from a hip injury is also looming, and that figures to cut into Moore’s. However, with little to play for, the Jets could just as easily opt to give their young receiver just as many looks. Proj. FAAB Bid: 10-12%
Van Jefferson (LAR). On paper, this looks like a great add. You get a young player on an explosive offense who figures to see the field more with DeSean Jackson gone. The production might not always be there, though. We have a better shot trying to predict workload and opportunity rather than touchdowns. Jefferson has seen 20 targets in his past three games including Sunday’s game where he caught three of his seven looks. He’s often targeted downfield and has big-play potential. Sure, it’s not ideal that he doesn’t get the looks that Cooper Kupp, Robert Woods, or Tyler Higbee get, but he’s an inexpensive way to get exposure to this offense. Proj. FAAB Bid: 6-7%
Russell Gage (ATL). Gage is going to have performances like Week 8 where he gives you nothing, but he'll also have games like Week 9 where he gets seven catches for 64 yards. The oscillating production will be hard to read, but he’s been on the field more with Calvin Ridley away. There’s no set timetable for Ridley’s return as he deals with some personal mental health problems. The Falcons visit the Cowboys this week, and that could be a game script that benefits Gage. Proj. FAAB Bid: 4-5%
MORE WEEK 10: Top waiver pickups | Buy-low, sell-high
Week 10 Fantasy Football FAAB Advice: Waiver wire TE pickups, streamers
Logan Thomas (WFT). By all accounts, it sounds like Thomas could return this week. That’s not a guarantee, but he did test out the hamstring in a series of workouts on Monday. If all goes well and he practices this week, then he should play against the Bucs. We know Thomas has touchdown upside at a touchdown-dependent position. He does have a slightly favorable schedule down the road in a few weeks. Projected FAAB Bid: 7-9%
Dan Arnold (JAC). It’s a little crazy that ownership is so light on Arnold at the moment because since his arrival in Jacksonville, he’s been getting targets. Over the past two weeks he has a dozen catches on 17 targets. He just hasn’t found the end zone at all this year. It will happen in time, but for now you have to feel good that he’s running a decent amount of routes and lining up at wide receiver a fair amount as well. Proj. FAAB Bid: 7-8%
Pat Freiermuth (PIT). Freiermuth’s ownership is steadily on the rise -- and for good reason. His involvement and production has increased over the past few weeks, so this could very well be last call on Pittsburgh’s rookie tight end. A matchup against the Lions in Week 10 could mean we see him find the end zone, and he found the end zone multiple times Monday night. Recency bias is in his favor. Proj. FAAB Bid: 7-8%
Tyler Conklin (MIN). We should probably come to terms with the fact that Conklin is just going to give fantasy owners a relatively safe floor of maybe four-to-five catches for 50 yards per game. From the tight end position, you should take that production and run. Conklin ran a route on over 60 percent of Kirk Cousins’ drop backs and he still managed to see seven targets. It wouldn’t surprise me if he has similar production next week against Denver. Proj. FAAB Bid: 7-8%
Week 10 Fantasy Football FAAB Advice: Waiver wire Defense pickups, streamers
As we always caution, you shouldn't spend more than one percent of your FAAB budget on a D/ST. Here are this week's potential streaming pickups:
- Las Vegas Raiders (vs. Chiefs)
- Philadelphia Eagles (@ Broncos)
- Tennessee Titans (vs. Saints)