Waiver Wire Sleepers for Week 10

Below, I will highlight some fantasy football waiver wire sleepers for Week 10 of the NFL season.  In most fantasy football leagues, waivers run on Tuesday nights.  But there’s still plenty of time to make waiver wire pickups, and as injury reports get released throughout the week new players should be targeted off your fantasy football waiver wires.  The players listed below may have slipped through the cracks, or are just being overlooked for different reasons.  Let’s get to it!

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Sleepers for Week 10

Montee Ball – RB, Denver Broncos – 37% owned in Yahoo leagues

Baller Move:  Stash in Deeper Leagues, Monitor in All Leagues
Analysis: Ball has clearly emerged as the #2 running back for the Broncos after Knowshon Moreno, as Ronnie Hillman wasn't even active in their last game.  The Broncos have already said that they want to lighten the workload for their lead running back Moreno over the next few weeks, to keep him fresh for the stretch run and playoffs.  This has opened up opportunities for Ball in the running game, as he racked up 11 rushing attempts in week 8 (Denver's last game) including a touchdown.  Ball only had 3 less carries than Moreno for that entire game, and more importantly received 3 of the 4 goal-line carries for the Broncos. This could be a sign of things to come in the next few weeks - if Ball runs well and protects the ball, he can potentially work himself into a weekly FLEX option for fantasy football owners down the stretch.  If you have extra room on  your bench, or are hurting at running back, target Ball as a sleeper off the week 10 waiver wire.

Chris Ogbonnaya – RB, Cleveland Browns – 6% owned in Yahoo leagues

Baller Move:  Stash in PPR Leagues, Deeper Standard Leagues
Analysis: There are a few things we know about the Cleveland Browns in 2013.  Their team is much improved, sitting at 4-5, after bringing in a new head coach and offensive scheme.  They didn't love what they saw in Trent Richardson, and decided to trade their starting RB to the Colts for a draft pick.  And they weren't impressed with the remaining running back options rostered at the time, instead signing the veteran Willis McGahee to try and carry the RB workload.  Well, after 7 weeks of the McGahee show in Cleveland - we can safely say that he is no longer an effective NFL running back.  He's received 100 carries in that timespan, racking up only 262 rushing yards (a very low 2.6 YPC average) and only 1 touchdown.  Furthermore, he isn't effective in the passing game.  Enter Ogbonnaya, who has been functioning as the fullback for the Browns.  He has been very effective in the passing game with 42 targets, 28 receptions, 207 yards and 2 touchdowns in limited playing time.  He also has a 5.3 YPC average on the rushing attempts he's been given.  While Cleveland is on BYE in week 10, the coaching staff has already confirmed that Ogbonnaya will see more carries going forward - and they have all of week 10 to prepare.  If you are hurting at running back, or play in deeper PPR leagues, target Ogbonnaya as a RB sleeper off the week 10 waiver wire.

Denard Robinson – RB, Jacksonville Jaguars – 1% owned in Yahoo leagues

Baller Move:  Continue Monitoring in All Leagues
Analysis: Earlier this week the Jaguars stated that Robinson would be their #2 running back going forward, over both Justin Forsett and Jordan Todman.  At this point of the season, the Jaguars need to be looking towards the future, and the very realistic probability that Maurice Jones-Drew will not be with the team next year as he is in a contract year.  Over the next few weeks, the Jaguars will need to evaluate the talent on their team to plan for next year and beyond, including the RB position.  And it looks like they have made the decision on Robinson being the next-in-line at running back.  Realistically we can't expect much fantasy value from Robinson in the near-term, even though the Jaguars have claimed they want to get him about 14 carries per game going forward.  But if MJD were to go down with an injury, Robinson could find himself as a potential FLEX/RB2 option.  Those in very deep leagues, or those in dynasty leagues with room on their bench, can consider stashing Robinson as a waiver wire sleeper option in week 10 and beyond.

Garrett Graham – TE, Houston Texans – 29% owned in Yahoo leagues

Baller Move:  Add in All PPR Leagues
Analysis: In the 2 weeks that rookie quarterback Case Keenum has been under center, Houston's tight end Graham has seen a slight bump in his passing targets.  In week 9 he saw 6 targets, and in the previous game he saw 8 targets.  This is a nice development, and hopefully a sign of things to come.  Anyone who has seen Keenum play knows that he can throw the ball, and hasn't been making many mistakes.  He can spread the ball around the field, which is a nice upgrade over former Texans quarterback Matt Schaub.  Graham is a decent NFL tight end, and should be seeing at least 5-8 targets per game going forward.  The recent news of Foster's injury only adds more necessity for the Texans to throw the ball effectively - and as more teams double-team Andre Johnson, others on the team like Graham should be open for receptions.  If you're looking for a decent TE option with some upside, especially in PPR leagues, then target Graham as a tight end sleeper off the week 10 waiver wire.  He faces the Cardinals defense in week 10, which has given up the most fantasy point to TEs this season, and could be in for a nice day at the office.

Andrew Quarless – TE, Green Bay Packers – 4% owned in Yahoo leagues

Baller Move:  Stash in Deeper PPR Leagues
Analysis: Since Jermichael Finley went down with his injury, Quarless has been the only relevant tight end in Green Bay.  While his numbers haven't been great, he did see a big increase in targets and receptions last week after Aaron Rodgers left the game with an injury. Seneca Wallace was then under center for the Packers, and he didn't seem to possess the confidence or ability to throw the ball downfield to his WRs.  Enter Quarless, who acted as Wallace's safety valve, seeing 7 targets and hauling in 5 of them.  This could be a sign of things to come over the next few weeks, as Wallace will be asked to manage the game and not turn the ball over.  He will be looking for short quick passes, and most likely be targeting his tight end often.  If you're hurting at TE, or are looking to take a flier in PPR leagues, target this tight end as a week 10 waiver wire sleeper option.

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In case you missed them, here are some other RotoBaller Week 10 articles.  Let’s win some leagues!

• Week 10 Fantasy Football Rankings: Standard and PPR Leagues
• Going Bonkers – Week 10 Sleepers for Fanduel
• Week 10 Waiver Wire – Wide Receivers (WR) & Defenses (DEF)
• Week 10 Waiver Wire Pickups – Quarterbacks (QBs)
• Fantasy Football Waiver Wire – Running Backs (RBs) for Week 10
• Week 10 Waiver Wire Running Backs (RB) – Overlooked Players
• Week 10 Waiver Wire Pickups: Tight Ends (TE)