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Michael Florio's deeper-league waiver wire pickups and fantasy football sleepers for Week 10. His top free agent options for 14-team fantasy leagues or deeper.
With nine weeks in the books, we are starting to get to crunch time. It’s not quite desperation time with must-win weeks, but we are getting close to that point. Right now you should have an understanding if you are a true contender or not. Even if you feel you are not a true contender, but are in competition to make the playoffs, this is where you have to shake things up a bit.
It can be harder in deeper leagues since the talent pool available on waivers is just thin. But, that makes taking upside fliers even more important. You also should be trying to make some trades, to buy low on some players with high upside, but that is an article for a different day.
The thing about waiver wire targets when going this deep is they usually fall into two categories. A safe-floor but low-upside type of player, or they bring no floor and a high ceiling. If you are a team that feels like you are not a real contender, take a shot on the upside players as they can change your lineup if they hit.
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Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Targets for Week 10
Trey Lance may have been thrown back on the waiver wire as byes and injuries hit, which made bench spots more valuable. If so, grab him now. The 49ers are sputtering and sitting at 3-5. Another loss or two could be all they need to see themselves out of Jimmy Garoppolo to make the switch. Lance brings a ton of fantasy upside because he has a strong arm, but mainly because of what he can do with his legs. Lance topped 20 fantasy points in just a half of play earlier this season. Given the play caller and the talent around him, he has league-winning upside if and when he gets the chance to start.
Rhamondre Stevenson led the Patriots in rushing (62) and receiving (44) yards in Week 9. He went for 106 yards on 12 touches. He has now seen at least eight touches in the last four games he has been active, but he has a weird healthy scratch mixed in there. Stevenson may find himself on the waiver wire even in deeper leagues after being a healthy scratch and playing behind Brandon Bolden. But he is getting more work and showing how explosive he is, and the Pats should look to get him more involved. He is an upside play worth taking a shot on.
D'Onta Foreman only played 22 percent of the snaps, rushing for 29 yards on five carries. Those numbers do not move the needle, but Foreman passed the eye test. Watching the Titans, Foreman looked the part and was their most explosive runner. Adrian Peterson saw the most work, and it was a feel good moment when he found the end zone, but the Titans operated like a team searching for a running back as all three options received meaningful touches. If Peterson continues to look his age (translated: slow), then Foreman could see more and more work. This is exactly the upside shot you take in deeper leagues.
D'Ernest Johnson may get another chance as the Browns lead runner since Nick Chubb and Demetric Felton both tested positive for Covid-19. Both are reportedly vaccinated, so they have a shot of suiting up Sunday if they test negative by then. But, if not, Johnson will once again be the lead runner and we saw what he did last time he got this chance. The volume he would see alone would make him worth starting, and he has been cut in many leagues the past two weeks after Chubb returned and took all the volume away.
Eno Benjamin played 25 percent of the snaps and saw nine carries for 39 yards and a touchdown. James Conner will take over the lead back role with Chase Edmonds dealing with an ankle injury, meaning that Benjamin will take over as the secondary back. He could see double-digit touches weekly until Edmonds returns. He is worth a grab in deeper formats.
Ty Johnson continues to barely be rostered, but that should change. He saw only six touches in Week 9, but did find the end zone. It was his fourth straight game with over 11 fantasy points. He is the secondary back on a bad offense, but that has not halted his fantasy production. He gets a boost if Mike White starts again this week, as no one loves throwing to RBs more.
Donovan Peoples-Jones is playing the part of OBJ in Cleveland now. He started in Week 9 and played 61 percent of the snaps, the second most among Cleveland receivers. He had just three targets, but only Jarvis Landry (five) had more. He finished with two catches for 81 yards and a touchdown. He should continue to see deep shots in this offense, and you can expect more volume as this was simply a game script where the Browns did not have to throw much. He is an upside player worth taking a shot on off the waiver wire, especially in deeper leagues.
DeSean Jackson will now be playing in Las Vegas, on a team with plenty of opportunity up for grabs. This past week the Raiders clearly were in need of an outside receiver presence, as the bulk of targets went to Darren Waller, Hunter Renfrow and Kenyan Drake. Jackson is still a field stretcher who can fill the void in Vegas. He will be up-and-down each week, but in deeper formats, he is worth taking a shot on.
Russell Gage led the Falcons in targets (eight) and catches (seven). He finished with 64 yards and 13.4 fantasy points, and that was just a week after not seeing a target. But he has now scored over 13 fantasy points in two straight games ,and is on a team with targets available with Calvin Ridley currently sidelined. He also has a favorable matchup next week against the Cowboys. He may have been dropped after last week's zero -- if so, grab him now off the waiver wire. He is a safe-floor type of play.
Deonte Harris led the Saints in targets (eight) and catches (six) in Week 9, finishing with 52 yards and 11.2 fantasy points. Harris has seen at least seven targets now in three of his last four games, and topped 10 fantasy points in those three – with 8.7 in the other. He has been a safe floor player over the last month. While he has not shown much of a ceiling, he does see the occasional deep target. Marquez Callaway is more of the upside play here. He has seen at least five targets in four straight games. He has six fantasy points in two of them, 11.5 and 24.5 in the other. He is a boom-or-bust option for receiver needy teams.
Randall Cobb has seen five targets in two straight games, showing that he is becoming a more consistent part of the offense. He has scored 16.5 and eight fantasy points in those past two games. He is a more appealing option when Aaron Rodgers is out there (obviously). But if he can see five targets from Rodgers, he would bring a safe floor in deeper formats.
Danny Amendola saw seven targets in Week 9, the second-most on the Texans. He saw the second most targets from Tyrod Taylor in Week 1 as well, his only other full game this season. On the year, Amendola has 13 targets from Taylor, the second most on Houston behind only Brandin Cooks (24). That nugget is the type you can use to take a shot on a player in a deeper format. He is purely a safe floor type of player.
Dan Arnold led the Jaguars in targets with seven in Week 9. He caught four of them for a team-high 60 yards. Arnold is no stranger to this column, as he has seen at least five targets in four straight games and seven or more in three of them. He has topped double-digit fantasy points in three of the past four weeks. That makes him a TE1 in deeper fantasy formats.
Adam Trautman had seven targets in Week 9, tied for the second-most on the Saints. He finished with four catches for 47 yards, and a season-high 8.7 fantasy points. He has seen 13 targets in his past two games, showing that the usage is starting to come. Trautman is a good athlete who can do damage after the catch and in the red zone. His athleticism is what made him a popular breakout pick in the offseason. He is worthy of taking a shot off the waiver wire for those in need of a tight end.
Make sure to follow Michael on Twitter, @MichaelFFlorio.
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