Fantasy Football Breakout Candidates for Week 10

November 13, 2026

Kipp's fantasy football breakouts, sleepers, must-starts for Week 10 of 2026. You should target these emerging players with big upside and start them with confidence.

Welcome to Week 10 of our fantasy football breakout candidate piece for the 2026 NFL season. Each week, we'll point you to emerging players who aren't just top pickups but could see their fantasy values surge by the end of the weekend.

All players listed in this article are rostered in less than 50% of fantasy football leagues, as I try to find players who are more widely available when I can. So some of the guys on this list may be lesser-known, but that doesn't mean they can't impact your squad in future weeks.

As this article is published each and every Friday, this list should be helpful for additions in the current week as well as ones to consider for the following week. Let's dive in!

Week 10 Waiver Wire Running Backs

Audric Estime, New Orleans Saints - 35% rostered

Audric Estime was cut by the Browns after Week 8 and then immediately signed by the New Orleans Saints heading into Week 9. While you may have thought that he was not going to be involved in the Saints' offense so early, this was not the case.

He actually led the Saints in carries and yards in Week 9 against the Cleveland Browns. Overall, he carried the ball 15 times for 72 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown. He also added one reception on one target for five receiving yards.

The matchup this week, should Estime see a similar workload, against Carolina is a good one. The Panthers are currently allowing an average of over 100 rushing yards per game to the running back position, which ranks sixth-worst in the league. The question becomes whether Travis Etienne Jr. is back in the fold.

While it looks likely that Etienne could be activated, he may not see a full workload, which would still leave some room for Estime. His efforts last week may go a long way in keeping him involved in this backfield for the remainder of the season.

Audric Estime go-ahead TD! (He was a Brown earlier this week)

CLEvsNO on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/BCgkHzAqhJ

— NFL (@NFL) November 8, 2026

Kaelon Black, San Francisco 49ers - 38% rostered

Kaelon Black has started to see his role expand once again in the San Francisco offense. Over the previous two weeks, he has carried the ball a total of 23 times for 133 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown. He has also seen three receiving targets over this span.

It appears that the 49ers are opting to rotate Black in to give Christian McCaffrey some much-needed rest in order to keep him healthier for the stretch run and the playoffs. If this trend continues, Black could once again find success this week against a struggling Dallas Cowboys defense.

In 2026, Dallas is allowing an average of nearly 113 rushing yards per game to the running back position, which ranks fourth-worst in the league. They also allow over four receptions and nearly 30 receiving yards per game to the position. The 49ers are favored by 4.5 points in this game as well.

Black should see work regardless of the outcome, but his role could substantially increase if the 49ers are able to get out to a big lead, which is not that far-fetched given the matchup against this defense coupled with how strong the 49ers defense has been this season.

Kaelon Black put on the burners to get 6

SFvsATL on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/DFth3gvB6M

— NFL (@NFL) October 25, 2026

More RB Options:

• Dylan Sampson, Cleveland Browns - 28% rostered

Week 10 Waiver Wire Wide Receivers

Adonai Mitchell, New York Jets - 39% rostered

Adonai Mitchell has been up and down this year and has missed some time due to injury. As recently as Week 8, against the Las Vegas Raiders, Mitchell hauled in seven of nine targets for 142 receiving yards and one touchdown. Then, he followed that up last week with zero receptions on seven targets.

The seven targets are meaningful, as Geno Smith was clearly interested in getting him the ball, but not coming away with a single catch on that type of volume is obviously disappointing. That being said, Mitchell has seen seven or more targets in three of his five starts this season, so if he is involved this week against the Buffalo Bills, he could turn in a solid performance.

Overall, the Bills allow over 11 receptions and over 146 receiving yards per game to the wide receiver position, both of which rank in the bottom half of the league. They have also allowed an average of 1.38 receiving touchdowns per game to the position, which is tied for worst in the league with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Mitchell has seen at least one red zone target in four of his five games and saw two of them last week against the Kansas City Chiefs, so he could be a strong candidate to find the end zone here against the Bills.

Geno and Adonai Mitchell connect for a big play

NYJvsTEN on CBS/Paramount+
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/5p8rLXItYS

— NFL (@NFL) September 13, 2026

Mack Hollins, New England Patriots - 9% rostered

Mack Hollins missed Weeks 5-8 due to injury, but returned in Week 9 and hauled in three of six targets for 36 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown. He has now seen four or more targets in all but one of his starts in 2026.

Hollins has also been targeted heavily in the red zone, as he has seen at least one red zone target in three of his five games this season. The matchup this week comes against the Detroit Lions, which could be good news for him.

Overall, Detroit has allowed an average of over 13 receptions per game to the wide receiver position, which ranks fourth-worst in the league. The Lions also allow an average of nearly 165 receiving yards per game to wide receivers, which ranks seventh-worst in the league.

Fantasy managers could do a lot worse than Hollins in a pinch, especially when you consider this matchup.

Mack Hollins adds a TD to the board for the Patriots

GBvsNE on FOX/FOX One
Stream on @NFLPlus https://t.co/lsNcdsPjER

— NFL (@NFL) November 8, 2026

Rashod Bateman, Baltimore Ravens - 6% rostered

Rashod Bateman has had some ups and downs this season. His best days came when Zay Flowers was out of the lineup due to injury; however, he has struggled a bit recently, likely due to the fact that the starting quarterback position has been in flux. The Ravens recently traded for Jacoby Brissett, who will replace Joe Fagnano.

This could be good news for Bateman and the whole Ravens offense moving forward. It certainly could not get any worse, one would hope. Bateman only saw five total targets in games played with Fagnano, but there is hope he could rebound and be a legitimate piece in this offense, and that could start as early as Monday night against the Los Angeles Chargers.

This season, the Chargers are allowing nearly 12 receptions and close to 160 receiving yards per game to wide receivers. Additionally, they allow nearly 24 fantasy points per game to the position, which ranks fifth-worst in the league.

To be clear, it is getting harder and harder to pinpoint wide receivers who could go off in any given week, especially when you consider that we have to look for players who are rostered in 50% or fewer leagues. Bateman is a guy that I am hoping could see a rebound under these parameters.

The fact that he is getting help at the quarterback position, is rostered in just six percent of leagues, and has a matchup against a defense that leaks an abundance of fantasy points to wide receivers makes him a strong candidate for this article.

More WR Options:

• Devaughn Vele, New Orleans Saints - 43% rostered
• Jakobi Meyers, Jacksonville Jaguars - 49% rostered

More Fantasy Football Analysis