We are now firmly in the second half of the 2023 fantasy football season. The NFL landscape continues to shift, and fantasy managers should always be looking to improve their rosters. Let’s take a look at the top Week 10 waiver wire targets and pickups that fantasy managers should consider adding to their rosters.
Top Waiver Wire Pickups in Week 10 | Quarterbacks
Note: As always, all players are rostered in 50% or less of Yahoo leagues.
Joshua Dobbs, Minnesota Vikings (16% Rostered)
One of the NFL’s best stories, journeyman Joshua Dobbs was traded to the Minnesota Vikings to back up Jaren Hall, at least for one week. After Hall left with a concussion in the first quarter, Dobbs was thrust into action after being with the team for a mere five days.
Dobbs played better than anyone could’ve asked, throwing for two touchdowns and running for a third. He added 66 rushing yards to boot.
Simply put, Dobbs is a gamer. The state of the quarterback position in fantasy is as bad as I can remember. Dobbs was one of just two QBs to crack 20 fantasy points after the completion of the 1 p.m. ET slate. He’s well worth picking up.
FAAB Recommendation: 5-10%
Top Waiver Wire Pickups in Week 10 | Running Backs
We don’t have a clear priority add off the Week 10 waiver wire at running back, but Keaton Mitchell and Tyjae Spears are worth picking up.
Keaton Mitchell, Baltimore Ravens (3% Rostered)
To be clear, Gus Edwards is still the lead back in Baltimore. But when a rookie runs for 138 yards, it’s worth paying attention.
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Most weeks, Mitchell probably isn’t going to be startable in fantasy. But we’ve seen enough to know that if Edwards were to get hurt, Mitchell is the most likely beneficiary. He is better than Justice Hill and would likely play ahead of him. That’s worth stashing this late in the season.
FAAB Recommendation: 8-15%
Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans (41% Rostered)
Tyjae Spears still isn’t a real threat to Derrick Henry, but he does play on almost every passing down. There’s a desperation standalone role here. Most importantly, the value of Spears comes in his handcuff status. If Henry were to go down, Spears would be a three-down back. At this point in the season, guys with that sort of upside need to be stashed. Stash him.
FAAB Recommendation: 3-8%
Antonio Gibson, Washington Commanders (45% Rostered)
Many fantasy managers have dropped Antonio Gibson in recent weeks. It’s completely understandable. Gibson is well behind Brian Robinson and was even losing carries to Chris Rodriguez.
Over the past two weeks, though, Gibson’s receiving role has returned. He’s caught all five of his targets in each of his past two games, scoring 9.2 and 12.6 fantasy points. For many, that’s good enough. It also seems as if he’s once again one injury away from being the lead back.
FAAB Recommendation: 5-10%
Ty Chandler, Minnesota Vikings (1% Rostered)
This one is purely speculative. Cam Akers tore his Achilles in the Vikings’ comeback win over the Falcons. While Alexander Mattison remains the clear RB1, Chandler now resumes his handcuff status.
Chandler has no standalone value but would stand to benefit if something happened to Mattison. Similar to Spears, any player one injury away should be stashed.
FAAB Recommendation: 0-5%
Top Waiver Wire Pickups in Week 10 | Wide Receivers
We have a clear priority add off the Week 10 waiver wire at wide receiver. If Tank Dell is out there in your league, go get him.
Tank Dell, Houston Texans (47% Rostered)
I was stunned to see Tank Dell eligible for the waiver wire column by being rostered in fewer than 50% of leagues. Dell commanded 11 targets, catching six of them for 114 yards and two touchdowns.
Dell is the real deal. Tied to C.J. Stroud, the arrow is firmly pointed up on him. He now has three games with over 20 fantasy points as a rookie. If he’s out there in your league, pick him up.
FAAB Recommendation: 50+%
Demario Douglas, New England Patriots (35% Rostered)
The new Patriots WR1 is clearly Demario Douglas. He only managed five receptions for 55 yards, but his seven targets tied for a team-high. There were also a couple of near misses. Douglas was close to a big game.
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Going forward, Mac Jones is always going to limit Douglas’ upside. Nevertheless, he’s the WR1 for an NFL team, and he seems to be pretty good at football. I would pick him up and see what happens.
FAAB Recommendation: 5-10%
Darnell Mooney, Chicago Bears (14% Rostered)
For the first time since Week 1, Darnell Mooney cracked double-digit fantasy points. He caught five of six targets for 82 yards.
I’m not interested in Mooney at all. Every once in a while, he posts a usable fantasy week. Predicting it is an exercise in futility and expecting Tyson Bagent or Justin Fields to support a receiver beyond DJ Moore is unrealistic. There’s no need to add Mooney.
FAAB Recommendation: N/A
Noah Brown, Houston Texans (2% Rostered)
It was quite an anomalous game for the Texans. C.J. Stroud had the game of his young career, throwing it up 42 times and completing 30 passes for 470 yards and five touchdowns. Six of his Stroud’s passes went in Noah Brown’s direction. The former Cowboy caught all six of them for 153 yards and a touchdown.
Brown is still the WR3 behind Nico Collins and Tank Dell. I find it hard to believe Brown will ever have a game like this again or even be startable. He is not a recommended pickup.
FAAB Recommendation: N/A
Top Waiver Wire Pickups in Week 10 | Tight Ends
The tight end position is not in a good spot this season, but there are some players who are solid adds.
Cade Otton, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5% Rostered)
After failing to score more than 10.3 fantasy points in any game this season, Cade Otton exploded for 23 fantasy points against the Texans. He caught six of nine targets for 70 yards and two touchdowns. All of those numbers are season highs.
Tight end production is largely an exercise in chasing your tail. A player does well. We pick him up. We start him. He goes back to not mattering. That’s probably what’s going to happen with Otton. On the off chance it doesn’t, he’s worth having on your roster to find out.
FAAB Recommendation: 3-8%
Jonnu Smith, Atlanta Falcons (28% Rostered)
There’s a lot we can’t be sure of, especially at the tight end position. But one thing I am sure of is that Jonnu Smith is a better tight end than Kyle Pitts. Yet, one is rostered in over 90% of the leagues, and the other is largely on waivers.
How many weeks must Smith outproduce Pitts before we accept that he’s just better? This week, Smith caught five of six targets for 100 yards and a touchdown. I doubt we see a better week from Smith in the future, but the fact that he’s even capable of this makes him worth a look on the waiver wire.
FAAB Recommendation: 2-5%
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