FAAB Waiver Wire Bidding - Fantasy Football Pickups to Target for Week 10 (2024)

November 5, 2024

Nick Mariano's fantasy football waiver wire FAAB bidding guide for Week 10 (2024) -- how many FAAB dollars (free agent acquisition budget) to spend on waivers.

We've now battled through nine weeks of fantasy football and most of you know whether you're cruising for the playoffs, battling hard for each week, or needing a win every week! Regardless of your needs, joining our famous waiver wire pickups list and our weekly fantasy football waiver wire columns by position, this column focuses on suggested waiver wire bidding percentages in fantasy football leagues using a Free Agent Acquisition Budget (FAAB).

These prices do not indicate how much these free-agent players will go for, especially as some leagues have seen teams use all of their FAAB already, and percentages are based on your starting budget. Each league values players differently, so context is king, especially based on your record. These values provide a baseline to understand how much you should be looking to spend on a particular player, with different categories to reflect team-need situations.

Keep track of your leaguemates' FAAB to understand whether you're an oil baron amongst paupers or sifting through the dollar bins. As always, diligently monitor the drops! Let's jump into my median FAAB bid ranges and adds going into Week 10, which removes the Browns, Packers, Raiders, and Seahawks from the player pool.

FAAB Waiver Wire Pickups - Quarterbacks

If guys like Justin Herbert and Bo Nix are still available then be sure to give them a long look. But we’ll focus on players sitting around 10-20% rostered. Herbert is well known/established and Nix has been covered in previous weeks.

Drake Maye (QB, NE) - 11% rostered

FAAB Bid: 2-3%
Aggressive Bid: 3-5%

Maye worked a miracle in the final play of regulation to find Rhamondre Stevenson in the end zone after 10 seconds of scrambling. But his second interception of the day sealed the loss in overtime. Alas, growing pains will occur here and Tennessee’s defense is robust.

The main point is having eight rushes for 95 yards. This comes after logging 46 yards and a TD on the ground before a first-half concussion in Week 8. Get used to his rushing as this has roots in his collegiate play.

Drake Maye’s 14% career designed rush rate and 11% scramble rate ranked second behind Jayden Daniels.

He is going to run once he takes the starting job.

pic.twitter.com/rvadbii2rE

— Dwain McFarland (@dwainmcfarland) August 16, 2024

Daniel Jones (QB, NYG) - 11% rostered

FAAB Bid: 0-2%
Aggressive Bid: 2-3%

Jones’ rough October looked to bleed into November with a horrible first half but then he found his rhythm. While the Giants fell short of beating Washington, Jones had 174 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 20-of-26 passing. He also added 54 rushing yards and another score on the ground. The Giants now face a generous Panthers D that can give Dimes some momentum going into their Week 11 bye.

Joe Flacco (QB, IND) - 16% rostered

FAAB Bid: 0-2%
Aggressive Bid: 2-3%

While Russell Wilson is also 16% rostered and deserves a look, especially if Pittsburgh adds a receiver, I’ll stump for a potential Flacco rebound. Indy got mauled by Minnesota’s defense on Sunday night but their next opponent, Buffalo, just gave up 25-of-28 passing for a pair of scores to Tua Tagovailoa. It won’t be easy like that Jacksonville spike week, but Buffalo should score often and force Flacco into keeping the pedal down.

FAAB Waiver Wire Pickups - Running Backs

Khalil Herbert (RB, CIN) - 8% rostered 

FAAB Bid: 3-5%
Aggressive Bid: 5-7%
Desperation Bid: 7-12%

Herbert is freed from Chicago's prison and joins a potent Cincinnati offense to help ease the burden on Chase Brown following the IR move for Zack Moss (neck). The 26-year-old has a career 4.8 YPC and a 74% catch rate, which could help spring Cincy's screen game and keep Brown fresh.

Brown should still be the lead back here, especially after totaling 157 yards on 32 touches. The Bengals have a quick turnaround this week with a Thursday game so greatly temper expectations for Week 10, though Joe Burrow seems to have a simple solution for that.

Joe Burrow was asked if it's possible for Khalil Herbert to learn the offense quick enough, to play Thursday night.

"He's standing next to me and doesn't know what to do. I lean over & tell him. He's right next to me."

Herbert was acquired in a trade today.#Bengals @WCPO pic.twitter.com/QpHJcVyhz5

— Caleb Noe (@CalebNoeTV) November 5, 2024

Ray Davis (RB, BUF) - 21% rostered 

FAAB Bid: 3-4%
Aggressive Bid: 4-6%
Desperation Bid: 6-10%

Davis once again turned a handful of touches into magic, with a 67-yard TD catch reminding us of the playmaking ceiling. We’ve already seen what a full workload from Davis looks like from Week 6 so he’s a proven concept. And this makes twice in the last three weeks that he’s scored on a big play with just six weekly touches.

Isaac Guerendo (RB, SF) - 17% rostered 

FAAB Bid: 1-2%
Aggressive Bid: 2-3%
Desperation Bid: 3-5%

Guerendo eclipsed 100 total yards with a touchdown in Week 8 after Jordan Mason aggravated his shoulder injury and left the game. San Francisco had their Week 9 bye and is hopeful Christian McCaffrey (Achilles) returns for next week, but we know not to bank on SF injury timelines.

Audric Estime (RB, DEN) - 1% rostered 

FAAB Bid: 1-2%
Aggressive Bid: 2-3%
Desperation Bid: 3-5%

Estime turned five carries into 35 yards to bump his rookie yards-per-carry mark up to 6.3 through five games. It’s a wildly small sample at 15 total carries, but it’s enough for HC Sean Payton to say Estime’s snaps should rise in the second half. There’s little room for him to go backward (zero games above a 10% snap share) but the performance and coach acknowledgment are worth a shout amidst another barren waiver week at RB.

Sean Payton said it's fair to expect more Audric Estime moving forward.

— Zac Stevens (@ZacStevensDNVR) November 4, 2024

**Handcuff backs such as Trey Benson and Cam Akers are making some waves. Benson should get the goal-line work over Emari Demercado if James Conner is out (and Conner took an awkward fall and briefly was out). Akers looks like the Aaron Jones handcuff over Ty Chandler now.

FAAB Waiver Wire Pickups - Wide Receivers

Xavier Legette (WR, CAR) - 27% rostered 

FAAB Bid: 8-12%
Aggressive Bid: 12-16%
Desperation Bid: 16-20%

Despite a brief exit to get a wrist injury taped up, Legette had a team-high six targets with 23 routes. All six looks were first-read targets and he also had the only end-zone target, per Fantasy Points Data Suite. This came alongside a hyped Jalen Coker rotating with Jonathan Mingo in the slot while David Moore ate up the other perimeter role.

Carolina is still a bad team that won’t face the injured/broken Saints always, but drawing the Giants at home should bring a competitive game. Legette hasn’t hit a high yardage game but has TDs in four of his last six games and is a clear primary read in the red zone. Do note a Week 11 bye, in case you are grinding every edge. Adam Thielen at 25% rostered is also a decent add assuming he's activated off of the IR.

Quentin Johnston (WR, LAC) - 15% rostered 

FAAB Bid: 6-8%
Aggressive Bid: 8-10%
Desperation Bid: 10-12%

Johnston made a triumphant return after missing two weeks with an ankle injury, scoring his fourth TD of the season alongside a season-high 118 yards. While Ladd McConkey is the No. 1 WR, Johnston edged Joshua Palmer in snaps, routes, and touches. It’s great that he runs home-run routes but he’s also benefited from lousy defense.

Per @FantasyPtsData, Quentin Johnston has 30.8 fantasy points on busted coverages this year.

That's +53% more than any other player, and accounts for 44% of his total fantasy output. pic.twitter.com/sshvH884o3

— Ryan Heath (@RyanJ_Heath) November 4, 2024

But hey, you have to run good enough routes and get looked at to benefit from mistakes! We just have to be honest with expectations around these big-play, lower-volume WRs on offenses with strong rushing/defense identities.

Ricky Pearsall (WR, SF) - 37% rostered 

FAAB Bid: 4-6%
Aggressive Bid: 6-8%
Desperation Bid: 8-12%

Jauan Jennings remains available in 41% of Yahoo leagues and should be scooped in all, but Pearsall remains a healthy pivot after totaling 77 yards on five touches. The 39-yard designed rush was especially encouraging as they trusted him for a schemed play.

Pearsall’s fantasy value lies on the health of other SF stars, namely Jennings (hip) and Deebo Samiel Sr. (ribs). If either is limited or out then Pearsall could pop against a vulnerable Tampa Bay secondary.

Ray-Ray McCloud III (WR, ATL) - 16% rostered 

FAAB Bid: 3-5%
Aggressive Bid: 5-7%
Desperation Bid: 7-10%

McCloud caught all three of his targets for 28 yards and a touchdown (with a seven-yard rush tossed in). He got bumped up the food chain after Drake London injured his hip and oblique on a TD catch. Now, McCloud doesn’t boast a high ceiling but McCloud would be a flex play at New Orleans next week if London is out or limited.

Parker Washington (WR, JAX) - 4% rostered 

FAAB Bid: 3-5%
Aggressive Bid: 5-7%
Desperation Bid: 7-10%

As projected, Washington slid into Christian Kirk’s vacated role, running a route on 91% of Trevor Lawrence dropbacks (the same as Brian Thomas Jr.), per FPDS. While Washington only wound up with three catches for 41 yards, he paced the team with 107 air yards on a day when Gabe Davis (shoulder) was out. We’ll see if Washington stays as involved when Davis is healthy given two big games against the Vikings and Lions on the horizon.

Noah Brown (WR, WAS) - 2% rostered 

FAAB Bid: 3-5%
Aggressive Bid: 5-7%
Desperation Bid: 7-10%

Terry McLaurin made headlines with two touchdown grabs but Brown led the team with five catches and 60 yards. FPDS charted all six of Brown’s targets as first-read ones, with his 19 routes run right behind McLaurin’s 20 while Olamide Zaccheaus nor Dyami Brown combined for 12. The Commanders can skew run but a clear starting role is valuable.

The highest-graded Commanders in Week 9 vs the Giants:

🥇 Jayden Daniels - 88.2
🥈 Noah Brown - 79.0
🥉 Bobby Wagner - 78.9
🏅 Dorance Armstrong - 78.8
🏅 Austin Ekeler - 78.7 pic.twitter.com/RAUaoFtj4H

— PFF WAS Commanders (@PFF_Washington) November 4, 2024

This line of thinking can also justify low bids on Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and Mason Tipton, even if you hate the passing offenses.

Jalen Tolbert (WR, DAL) - 22% rostered (EDIT: Pivoting this from Brandin Cooks to Tolbert, it doesn't sound like Cooks will be ready for Week 10.)

FAAB Bid: 4-6%
Aggressive Bid: 6-8%
Desperation Bid: 8-12%

Cooks has been out on the IR since Week 5 due to a knee infection that requires surgery, but was seen on the practice field two weeks ago and could return for Week 10. (Update: The Cowboys are not formally opening Cooks' official practice window leading up to Week 10, so unless you have depth/IR room to toy with then move onto Tolbert.)

We’ve talked up Jalen Tolbert (23% rostered) plenty already, and he just had a 3-19-1 line on six targets. This writer would still target Tolbert first but Cooks’ return means folks might have forgotten about him. If CeeDee Lamb’s shoulder injury proves serious and costs him time, Tolbert and now KaVontae Turpin are intriguing against Philly. Dak Prescott’s hamstring injury leaves us with Cooper Rush, but he’s the one who threw the Tolbert TD late anyway.

Jahan Dotson (WR, PHI) - 4% rostered 

FAAB Bid: 0%
Aggressive Bid: 1%
Desperation Bid: 2% (if ailing AJB team)

Dotson had a nice 36-yard grab that showed excellent hand-eye coordination, but it was also his first reception in three games.  It’s no coincidence that it came after A.J. Brown was forced from the game with a knee injury. Early reports say Brown avoided anything serious but that doesn’t assure his return for Week 10 either. Dotson could hold deep-league appeal against Dallas’ secondary as a result.

*Late addition: Sterling Shepard (WR, TB) - 7% rostered - I'd aim for ~3-5% FAAB with Jalen McMillan's late-week injury as Shepard got six touches to Trey Palmer's two.

FAAB Waiver Wire Pickups - Tight Ends

Taysom Hill (TE, NO) - 37% rostered 

FAAB Bid: 4-7%
Aggressive Bid: 7-10%
Desperation Bid: 10-14%

With Jamaal Williams out and Kendre Miller on IR, Hill had five rushes for 19 yards and a touchdown on top of four catches for 41 yards. The injuries were compounded by Chris Olave’s head injury and a Cedrick Wilson Jr. shoulder issue, especially with Bub Means going to the IR earlier in the week. Hill became the No. 2 rusher and receiver and even had a pass attempt thrown in.

Taysom Hill has only played in four full games this year.

He's been a top-5 PPR fantasy TE in two of those four games.

— Dave Kluge (@DaveKluge) November 4, 2024

Mike Gesicki (TE, CIN) - 13% rostered 

FAAB Bid: 4-7%
Aggressive Bid: 7-10%
Desperation Bid: 10-14%

Gesicki had a monstrous Sunday, totaling 100 yards and two touchdowns on five catches against the Raiders. This makes three straight games where Gesicki has more than 14 PPR points when Tee Higgins is out.

While the TE has disappeared when Higgins is on the field, the momentum is undeniable and fellow TE Erick All Jr. is done for the year with a torn ACL. Will Cincy ramp up his involvement consistency?

Mike Gesicki only played 36% snaps that led to 100 yards 2 TDs off of 19.7% target share.

CIN will likely be playing against BAL Thursday night without Tee Higgins. https://t.co/IzYK5n8kzW

— Jeff Mueller, PT, DPT (@jmthrivept) November 5, 2024

Hunter Henry (TE, NE) - 36% rostered 

FAAB Bid: 2-4%
Aggressive Bid: 4-6%
Desperation Bid: 6-10%

Henry brought in seven catches for 56 yards in Sunday’s losing effort, which gives Henry at least five catches in three consecutive games. Unfortunately, Henry and the Pats face a tough Bears’ pass defense and should happily run on them instead, just as Arizona did. However, Henry's long-term outlook is promising as Drake Maye infuses life into the aerial attack.

FAAB Waiver Wire Pickups - Defense/Special Teams

New York Giants Defense (at CAR) - 6% rostered

FAAB Bid: 1-2%
Aggressive Bid: 2-3%
Desperation Bid: 3-5%

The Giants' defense just had its first week of the season without a sack, but facing Washington is tough sledding. And they’d generated at least four sacks in their previous four games, and six of their last seven.

Now, they face a Panthers team riding high off of a win over New Orleans. But the Saints are broken beyond the Giants and Bryce Young pushed Carolina’s interception streak to six games.

Atlanta Falcons Defense (at NO) - 6% rostered

FAAB Bid: 1-2%
Aggressive Bid: 2-3%
Desperation Bid: 3-5%

The Falcons just tallied a season-high three sacks against the Cowboys and could make a deadline move for more D-line help. They now travel to the Superdome to take on a Saints team coming off of a humiliating loss to Carolina. The Saints may also be without star wide receiver Chris Olave, who was carted off after a brutal hit to the head.

Arizona Cardinals Defense (vs. NYJ) - 3% rostered

FAAB Bid: 0-1%
Aggressive Bid: 1-2%
Desperation Bid: 2-3%

Arizona had its finest defensive effort of the season on Sunday, with the team holding the Bears to nine points with six sacks. That’s as many as they’d posted across their last five games combined. This likely reflects more on Chicago than Arizona, but it’s still good momentum for deep leaguers.

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