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This week, the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, New England Patriots, and New York Jets are all on a bye during Week 10. This may make things difficult as far as stashing players if you've been hit hard by injuries or have a fair number of players on a bye this week as you may be forced to put together a lineup with duct tape and spare parts while hoping for the best.
As we are nearing the end of the fantasy football regular season, picking up the right players in time for your league's playoffs could be the difference between winning and losing. As we have already seen with the Carolina Panthers, offenses can change when coaches are fired and players who were buried on the depth chart like D'Onta Foreman can emerge when the starter ahead of them is traded away. Teams like the Chicago Bears can improve their offenses over the season as well. In the first few weeks, players like Darnell Mooney and Cole Kmet were considered droppable. Now they are intriguing options for fantasy for the rest of the season.
Week to week, it is my job to keep my ear to the ground of all that is going on with 32 teams to help you bargain hunt for some free options on your league's waiver wire. Several weeks ago, D'Onta Foreman was suggested as a late waiver stash with Christian McCaffrey potentially being traded and teams who planned ahead by picking up Foreman were rewarded handsomely. Broncos tight end Greg Dulcich was a big name on this list just several weeks ago and now he is rostered in the majority of leagues. Here are some top players to stash away before Week 10 kicks off.
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Weekend Waiver Wire Stashes Before Week 10
Mack Hollins, Las Vegas Raiders - 22% rostered
Earlier this week, Hunter Renfrow and Darren Waller were both placed on Injured Reserve by the Raiders, which makes Hollins the de facto No. 2 passing option on the team almost by default. Hollins has played a minimum of 85 percent of the team's offensive snaps all season and had an epic performance in Week 3 where he had 11 targets to go along with eight receptions for 158 yards and a TD. Hollins has seen a total of 44 targets in eight games this season and that number should go up with the players listed above out for the next four games.
While the next two matchups are tough against the Colts and Broncos defenses, the Raiders get the Seahawks in Week 12, which could be a high-scoring affair. Nonetheless, if you are hurting at wide receiver this week and need a warm body to put in your lineup at WR or even the Flex spot, Hollins is a great pickup. He has an upside and is going to get fed by Derek Carr regardless.
Isaiah Spiller, Los Angeles Chargers - 4% rostered
One of the dynasty community's favorite prospects this offseason, Spiller fell on draft day after a poor showing at the NFL Combine where he slipped into the fourth Round. He was mostly inactive for a large part of the early season but now appears to have earned the trust of the Chargers coaching staff. Spiller is now listed as the No. 2 running back on the Chargers depth chart to Austin Ekeler. While likely an injury would need to occur to Ekeler for Spiller to have major fantasy value, he is a player worth keeping an eye on for the rest of the season being how good we know their offense can be at full strength.
Last week against Atlanta, Spiller had seven carries for just 29 yards, but it was nice seeing him out there nonetheless. Sony Michel and Joshua Kelley haven't been viable options for the team this year and they have needed a backup who can come in and spell Spiller in the worst way. So far that hasn't happened, but it's fair to say that Spiller has by far the most upside of anyone not named Austin Ekeler on the Chargers' depth chart, so he is a player worth rostering and holding just to see what happens.
Treylon Burks, Tennessee Titans - 17% rostered
The 18th overall selection in the 2022 NFL Draft, Burks was starting to emerge as the top pass catcher on the Titans before being sidelined by a turf toe injury. He is a big-bodied receiver who can stretch the field. After spending the last four weeks on the Injured Reserve, Burks is eligible to return in the next 21 days after the team designated him to return on November 9th. The most likely return for Burks is the November 17th Thursday night game against the Green Bay Packers.
After the Titans traded A.J. Brown on draft night for the selection that became Burks, they have every intention of making him involved in the offense and even making him the No. 1 target, so the targets and the production should come. Burks doesn't have much competition on the Titans' current depth chart at wide receiver with the likes of Robert Woods, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Cody Hollister, and Chris Conley. While we don't yet know when Burks will return, he is going to be an important asset for the Titans' offense as they look to make a playoff push at 5-3 and secure their place atop the AFC South. Before turning pro, Burks finished up his junior season at Arkansas with 66 receptions for 1,104 yards and 11 TDs.
Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh Steelers - 28% rostered
It's no secret that Najee Harris hasn't looked like his normal self this season after suffering a Lisfranc injury during training camp over the summer. While we haven't yet seen a lot of Jaylen Warren, he has easily looked like the more explosive running back between the two this season. So far in 2022, Warren has 29 rushes for 153 yards (5.3 AVG) while catching 12 passes for 88 yards. He is a smaller but much faster running back than Harris.
Since Ben Roethlisberger retired, the Steelers offense hasn't looked anything like its old self as they are near the bottom-five in just about every offensive category this season. Is there a chance the Steelers could just simply shut Najee Harris down for the season? It's within the realm of possibilities and for this reason, Warren should be rostered whenever possible. There have been rumors of Warren becoming more involved in the Pittsburgh game plan for the rest of the season and we should scoop him up now while he is free just in case.
Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Bucs - 19% rostered
A fourth-round selection by the Bucs in the 2022 NFL Draft, Otton has been catching on in the last few weeks and has seen 26 total targets over the last five games. In a Week 9 epic comeback against the Los Angeles Rams, Otton had the game-winning touchdown and finished the day with five receptions for 68 yards and a TD. We know that Tom Brady and the Bucs have been missing Rob Gronkowski since he retired in the offseason and there is a chance for Otton to step in and fill that role.
While generally it has been wise to avoid rookie tight ends for fantasy purposes, Otton has looked good over the last month and could be a great option at tight end if you are hurting at the position or on a bye week. If Tampa can ride the momentum and turn their offense around after last week, then Otton could be a great play for the rest of the season.
Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns - 37% rostered
While still suspended, Deshaun Watson is eligible to return in Week 13 against his former team, the Houston Texans. Watson has been a fantastic NFL quarterback in the seasons that he's played, but he hasn't taken a snap since 2020. Just how rusty will he be when he finally plays for the first time in nearly two years? Nonetheless, if you are hurting at the quarterback spot or still have a late bye week coming up, Watson could be a fantastic spot start for your lineups.
Sometimes it's wise to roster a player with upside in fantasy just so no one else in your league can roster him and end up starting that player against you. Watson finished as the QB5 in 2020 and 2019, as well as the QB4 in 2018. He has some viable weapons around him with Nick Chubb, Kareem Hunt, Amari Cooper, and David Njoku. Toward the end of the season, the Browns play the Texans, Bengals, Ravens, Saints, and Commanders. With Watson's abilities and upside, he is worth rostering in just about all formats.
DeAndre Carter, Los Angeles Chargers - 28% rostered
The Chargers offense has been decimated by injuries this season. Currently, starting wide receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Williams are set to miss the team's contest against the San Francisco 49ers here in Week 10. Last week, Carter played 83 percent of the team's offensive snaps against the Atlanta Falcons and caught five passes for 53 yards. While the 49ers have one of the better defenses in the league, the way they can be beaten is through the air.
Josh Palmer has been the No. 3 WR on the team and is currently the WR1 with the injuries to Allen and Williams. However, given we know how good Justin Herbert is, there is room for Carter to have some good games even while competing with Palmer, Ekeler, and Gerald Everett for targets. Coming up, the Chargers get the Chiefs in Week 11 followed by the Cardinals in Week 12.
Taylor Heinicke, Washington Commanders - 9% rostered
Last week against Minnesota, Heinicke was the QB15 on the week with 14.7 fantasy points, but he had a solid game the week before with 23.1 fantasy points against the Colts. Heinicke is 2-1 as a starter on the season for the Commanders and starter Carson Wentz will be eligible to return after next week. If Heinicke and the Commanders can upset the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night, is there a chance that Ron Rivera and company stick with him?
After a rough start, the Commanders have bounced back to 4-5. Ron Rivera likes Heinicke and the weapons around him are much better than last year with a healthy Curtis Samuel and rookie phenom Jahan Dotson on top of having the talented Terry McLaurin. Heinicke has rushing upside for your lineups and although the matchup is a tough one this week against the Eagles defense, Heinicke would get to play the Texans, Falcons, and Giants over the next three weeks should he remain the starter.
I hope you enjoyed these picks. Feel free to follow me on Twitter for more waiver and player analysis throughout the season!
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