Ruggs, Ridley, and Henry oh my!
All highly of those rostered players may have played their final games of the season. Week 9 was nothing less than chaotic. Lots of off-field and injury drama in addition to one of the lowest scoring fantasy weeks in recent years. We’ve seen it all this season, and hopefully, a rebound is coming via the waiver wire in Week 10. This week’s list will include regular picks, players who are worth a look, and quarterbacks. So, without further ado, here are my Week 10 Waiver Wire picks.
Note: Teams on a bye include Bears, Giants, Texans, Bengals
*Owned % are in terms of the Yahoo platform at the time of writing
Week 10 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Targets: Likely Available (Under 50% owned)
Elijah Moore, NYJ- WR (27%)
3 weeks, 20 targets, 14 catches, 3 scores, and almost 200 yards. Those are some solid fantasy numbers. Since returning from injury, Elijah Moore has been a core piece of the once awful Jets offense. When healthy, Moore has gotten good volume and following next week, he will have a very WR-friendly schedule. His increased volume could just be from the new QBs, but either way, Moore should be a priority pickup in most, if not all leagues.
Devonta Freeman, BAL- RB (20%)
As Ty’Son Williams is involved less and less, Devonta Freeman is involved more and more. With 210 total yards and 3 total touchdowns on 35 total touches in the last 3 weeks, Freeman is beginning to pick up steam. The only thing holding him back is that he is part of a Baltimore offense that is constantly changing. Nevertheless, Freeman should be picked up as an RB3 in fantasy leagues.
Brandon Aiyuk, SF- WR (20%)
The return of Jimmy G brought a significant increase in volume for Brandon Aiyuk. In his last 2 games with Jimmy G, Aiyuk has more yards and catches than the rest of the season combined. Adding a TD and a 2 point conversion on top of those numbers definitely shows that Aiyuk is on the rise. He should be rostered with a fairly easy schedule coming up in case he truly does become the Brandon Aiyuk many expected him to be.
Evan Engram, NYG- TE (40%)
Last week Evan Engram made the list mostly because of his potential for if he got traded. Engram was not moved at the deadline but instead proved his low-end TE1 consistency. Engram had an incredible catch early in the game this past Sunday which certainly gave him a boost, but Engram has also put up solid points for the few weeks prior. Engram can be picked up as either a plug-and-play or as a high-end backup.
Tim Patrick, DEN- WR (25%)
I’ve lost track of how many times Patrick has been on my list. Almost every week Patrick is supporting his case as a high-end backup for fantasy teams. When Jerry Jeudy returned Patrick did slow down a little, but he seems to be back. He caught a deep touchdown and opposing defenses may start to cover him less and focus more on Jeudy. Patrick has a great schedule coming up with a bye week mixed in and should definitely be picked up.
Jordan Howard, PHI- RB (13%)
The mess of the eagles running back core seems to have been solved… for about one week. Jordan Howard has solidified himself as the RB1 in Miles Sanders’ absence and could be trusted as a high-end RB3 or low-end RB2, although Sanders should be back in a week or two, and who knows what Nick Sirianni may choose to do. Howard should be picked up for his short-term value, but nothing more.
Week 10 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Targets: Worth a Look (Over 50% owned)
Christian Kirk, ARI- WR (67%)
In the absence of both Kyler Murray and DeAndre Hopkins, Christian Kirk caught all 6 of his targets for 91 yards, in addition to 33 passing yards on a trick play that almost resulted in a passing TD for the wideout. Even before Hopkins went down, Kirk was still performing well, with 2 consecutive games with scores. If Kirk is still available, a waiver claim for him is certainly worth your while.
Kenyan Drake, LV- RB (63%)
In his last 3 performances, Drake has totaled over 250 yards with 3 TDs and plenty of volume in both the rushing and passing games. One of two things can happen going forward for Drake: A, he continues to play like he has and you’ve found yourself a new starting back, or B, you’ve got yourself a great backup RB. He’s a must-pick-up no matter your running back scenario.
Hunter Renfrow, LV- WR (65%)
Amassing 17 targets and catching 14 of them in the last 2 weeks, Hunter Renfrow could very easily take a big leap now that Ruggs will not be returning to the football field anytime soon. Renfrow should immediately be rostered in all leagues as he could potentially emerge as a weekly starter in fantasy football.
Week 10 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Targets: Quarterbacks
Matt Ryan, ATL- QB (55%)
Matt Ryan showed us on Sunday that he can still perform even without wideout Calvin Ridley. Against a volatile Dallas defense, Ryan can be used as a bye week plug-in Week 10. The boom or bust QB can be used as a one-week solution but isn’t worth a long-term stash.
Carson Wentz, IND- QB (60%)
Carson Wentz is probably the most consistent QB, if not the most consistent player, in all of fantasy football. Wentz has a normally mouthwatering matchup against the Jaguars, although they are coming off of a miraculous defensive win against the Bills. However, I highly doubt the Jags can continue this and Wentz will be startable in Week 10.