We are now in the home stretch of the fantasy football season, which means we know which of our teams look like contenders and which ones are fighting for a playoff spot. We need to cater our pickups toward our team situations. It’s now time to improve our 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. Note that all players are rostered in less than 50% of Yahoo, ESPN, and/or Sleeper leagues.
I have done away with FAAB recommendations this year, as there are too many variables to account for. Instead, I replaced it with my opinion on how aggressive fantasy managers should be in pursuing the player on a scale of 1-10.
QB Waiver Wire Targets in Week 10
Justin Herbert | Los Angeles Chargers (44%)
The winds of change might be blowing in Los Angeles. Over the past two weeks, Justin Herbert has been doing damage through the air. He’s thrown for 279 yards and 282 yards in his last two games with two passing touchdowns in each.
The Los Angeles Chargers have a below-average matchup coming up against the Tennessee Titans. However, after that, four of their next five opponents are bottom-10 pass defenses. Herbert could be a QB1 for at least the remainder of the fantasy regular season.
Aggressiveness Rating: 4.5
Joe Flacco | Indianapolis Colts (16%)
Maybe — just maybe — benching your 22-year-old athletic sophomore QB after 10 starts for a 39-year-old statue wasn’t the best idea.
We’ve seen a lot of bad quarterback play this season. There’s an argument to be made that Joe Flacco’s performance on Sunday night against the Minnesota Vikings was the worst of it all.
Flacco threw for 179 scoreless yards with an interception and a lost fumble. He attempted just 27 passes as the Indianapolis Colts were completely incapable of sustaining drives.
Flacco hasn’t quite been as fun this year as he was last year in Cleveland. He’s only given fantasy managers one QB1 performance in three starts. Following last week’s disaster, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Anthony Richardson got back in there sooner rather than later. Do not add Flacco.
Aggressiveness Rating: 0.0
Matthew Stafford | Los Angeles Rams (60%)
The Los Angeles Rams QB is slightly above the usual rostership threshold but worth mentioning nonetheless. Matthew Stafford did not give fantasy managers a single useful start over the first seven weeks of the season. However, over the last two weeks, he’s posted games of 25.76 and 18.92 fantasy points. We can work with that.
The issue with Stafford comes down to how the Rams score their touchdowns. From Weeks 1-7, he somehow threw a mere three touchdowns, as Kyren Williams took them all. He’s thrown six over the past two weeks.
While Stafford is talented enough to overcome any matchup, I have concerns. The Rams do not have a favorable matchup in terms of the caliber of the opposing pass defense until Week 17. Their next seven matchups range from below-average to extremely challenging. Therefore, I would not be looking to add Stafford.
Aggressiveness Rating: 0.0
Jameis Winston | Cleveland Browns (13%)
After lighting up the Baltimore Ravens’ league-worst pass defense two weeks ago, Jameis Winston came crashing back down to Earth against the Chargers. He threw for 235 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions. That’s the same Winston we all know and love.
More importantly, though, Winston threw it up 46 times. He’s now attempted a whopping 87 passes over his last two games.
The Cleveland Browns are on bye and then have a very difficult slate of pass defenses upcoming, which probably makes Winston a difficult start. I wouldn’t quite add Winston, but keep an eye out post-bye just in case there are some promising signs.
Aggressiveness Rating: 0.0
RB Waiver Wire Targets in Week 10
Jaylen Warren | Pittsburgh Steelers (42%)
Heading into the season, Jaylen Warren was valued ahead of Najee Harris in many drafts. These are two players in a timeshare with relatively even workloads. Now, Warren can’t even get on half of fantasy rosters?
Yes, Harris is having the best season of this career. He’s running the ball well and is the clear goal-line back. But since returning from his knee injury, Warren has looked great. He earned 15 opportunities in his second game back two weeks ago and another 12 last week against the New York Giants.
The Pittsburgh Steelers just had their bye, which means when managers go to look at the top scorers from the past week, Warren’s name won’t be there.
The Steelers have a brutal second-half schedule, facing a bunch of very good run defenses. That may seem like a negative for Warren, but as the primary passing-down back, it could lead to him playing more snaps and seeing more work as a receiver. At the very least, Warren is a handcuff-plus with upside. He needs to be rostered.
Aggressiveness Rating: 6.0
Ray Davis | Buffalo Bills (21%)
Don’t overreact to Ray Davis’ 17-point outing against the Miami Dolphins — he only touched the ball six times. It was entirely a product of a 63-yard touchdown catch and run. He’s still firmly behind James Cook.
RAY DAVIS. 63-yard TD for the lead!
📺: #MIAvsBUF on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/N5btgphjZ2— NFL (@NFL) November 3, 2024
Rather, Davis should be added because he’s one of the highest-upside handcuffs in the game. If Cook ever went down, Davis would be the feature back and at least a high RB2. This late in the season, you want to stack your bench with potential league winners. There are few better than the Buffalo Bills’ rookie RB.
Aggressiveness Rating: 4.0
Dalvin Cook | Dallas Cowboys (9%)
The only reason Dalvin Cook’s name is on this list is so anyone wondering whether they should pick him up knows that they shouldn’t. Please do not pick up Cook in the year 2024.
The best way to describe Cook is to add an “ed” to the end of his last name. He was one of the worst running backs in the NFL last season. He spent half of this season on the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad. In his two games back, he’s run the ball a total of eight times for 14 yards, which is about what we should’ve expected.
The Cowboys told us all we needed to know about what they think of their running backs last week. Rico Dowdle saw his heaviest workload of the season. He is the only NFL-caliber running back on the roster. Cook should not be in the NFL, let alone your fantasy roster.
Aggressiveness Rating: Negative infinity
Julius Chestnut | Tennessee Titans (4%)
Julius Chestnut was a hot pickup Friday afternoon following the combination of Tyjae Spears being ruled out and Tony Pollard’s third consecutive DNP. There seemed to be a very real chance Chestnut would not only start but be the feature back.
Instead, Pollard played despite not practicing all week with a foot injury and completely dominated touches, handling a career-high 28 carries. Chestnut did operate as the RB2 and would be the clear beneficiary if Pollard got hurt. However, Pollard did not get hurt and Spears should be back within the next week or two. There is no reason to add Chestnut.
Aggressiveness Rating: 0.0
Khalil Herbert | Cincinnati Bengals (7%)
Fantasy managers are a savvy bunch. Khalil Herbert hasn’t touched the ball in five straight games and has been a healthy inactive for the past two. He had zero fantasy value on the Chicago Bears, and there was zero hope of that changing.
The reason fantasy managers were adding Herbert is because he’s proven to be a talented running back in the past and there was a chance he got traded ahead of this week’s deadline. As it turns out, that is exactly what happened.
Herbert now joins the Cincinnati Bengals, which, all things considered, is not a bad landing spot. The Bengals just lost Zack Moss for the season, and it’s abundantly clear they have less than zero confidence in Trayveon Williams.
If something were to happen to Chase Brown, there’s a high chance Herbert would take over as the lead running back. That gives him some semblance of handcuff value.
Aggressiveness Rating: 2.5
WR Waiver Wire Targets in Week 10
Quentin Johnston | Los Angeles Chargers (15%)
Returning from a two-game absence, Quentin Johnston made his presence felt, catching four passes for 118 yards and a touchdown. Games like this always pique fantasy managers’ interest. However, this was really just one long touchdown on a busted coverage.
Johnston has yet to see more than six targets in a game. He’s capable of big games, but they will be reliant on a splash play. I don’t think there is anything here.
Aggressiveness Rating: 1.5
Jerry Jeudy | Cleveland Browns (48%)
In two games with Jameis Winston, Jerry Jeudy has seen a total of 19 targets. He’s caught five and seven passes for 79 and 73 yards. Those are very usable numbers in fantasy.
Winston is the presumptive starter for the remainder of the season. If Jeudy can be this productive in a game where the Browns score 10 points, his rest-of-season outlook should be pretty favorable.
The Browns don’t have a great schedule of pass defenses, but the volume will be there with Winston. Jeudy has proven to be a viable WR3.
Aggressiveness Rating: 4.0
Xavier Legette | Carolina Panthers (27%)
It’s quite common for rookie WRs to play better over the second half of their inaugural season. We may get that from Xavier Legette.
The rookie has only caught four passes for 34 and 33 yards in each of his past two games, but he’s scored in two straight and three of his last four.
Following the Diontae Johnson trade, Legette looks like the Carolina Panthers’ WR1 going forward. Adam Thielen’s expected return next week throws a slight wrench in things, but he’s 34 years old. Legette should remain the top option for a team frequently trailing and throwing.
Aggressiveness Rating: 5.0
Jalen Tolbert | Dallas Cowboys (23%)
It wasn’t a great day for Jalen Tolbert and the Cowboys. Tolbert caught just three passes for 19 yards but did find the end zone.
It’s pretty clear Tolbert won’t be a reliable weekly option with everyone healthy.
Cowboys pull within one-possession on the Jalen Tolbert TD
📺: #DALvsATL on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/MFQHLeTJHC— NFL (@NFL) November 3, 2024
However, CeeDee Lamb injured his shoulder. It’s likely a sprained AC joint and something he can play through. But with the Cowboys’ season just about over, there’s a chance Lamb sits a game or two or gets shut down later in the year if he aggravates it. That could lead to Tolbert in the WR1 role. He’s worth a speculative addition.
Aggressiveness Rating: 3.5
Demarcus Robinson | Los Angeles Rams (12%)
It’s a bit ironic, isn’t it? After essentially failing to produce a single usable week in fantasy for the first two months of the season, Demarcus Robinson’s two best games have come after the returns of Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp.
Robinson has somehow caught two touchdowns in two straight games. He’s posted totals of 17.5 and 27.4 fantasy points.
It’s clear Robinson is the WR3 behind Nacua and Kupp. Once Nacua was ejected for throwing a punch, Robinson stepped into an every-down role, running just five fewer routes than Kupp.
Fantasy managers should not expect this level of production going forward. However, Robinson does, at the very least, have handcuff value. I wouldn’t start him whenever Nacua and Kupp are active, but you can pick him up and throw him on your bench if you want.
Aggressiveness Rating: 3.0
Cedric Tillman | Cleveland Browns (58%)
I know Cedric Tillman is over the 50% rostership threshold, but it is truly shocking to see his number so low. That warrants discussion.
Tillman’s rookie season certainly suggested he would never amount to anything in the NFL. Perhaps what we’re seeing is just a blip and he will fade into irrelevancy. That may happen. But right now, Tillman looks like a weekly WR2, and that needs to be on fantasy rosters.
Since the Amari Cooper trade, which coincided with Winston taking over at quarterback, Tillman’s worst fantasy outing has been 18.1 points. He’s legitimately been a WR1 over the past three weeks.
Even though the Browns are on bye this week, Tillman is absolutely worth holding. The rest-of-season schedule is tough, but Tillman already overcame a challenging matchup last week against the Chargers. The volume will be there as long as Winston is there. Add him if he’s still available in your league.
Aggressiveness Rating: 9.0
Elijah Moore | Cleveland Browns (14%)
Most NFL quarterbacks cannot sustain more than two fantasy-relevant WRs. That goes for even the best of the best. Winston is not like most quarterbacks.
The NFL’s premier gunslinger will make a medley of throws every week, good and bad. He does not care, which is great for fantasy. Winston has been able to sustain the fantasy values of Tillman, Jeudy, and Moore.
While the latter is clearly third (fourth if you count David Njoku), he’s still seen target counts of nine and 12 over the past two weeks. He may have only caught three of his nine targets for 28 yards, but the volume is what we’re chasing here. In deeper leagues, you can consider adding Moore.
Aggressiveness Rating: 2.0
Adam Thielen | Carolina Panthers (25%)
We don’t have much of a sample size of what Adam Thielen can still do. He played just three games before a hamstring strain sidelined him indefinitely. He’s been out nearly two months.
Thielen has been designated to return from IR. However, he was noncommittal on his ability to return the week.
With the Panthers playing overseas and on the cusp of their bye week, it seems highly unlikely they would bring back their 34-year-old wide receiver amid a lost season. In all likelihood, Thielen will return in Week 12.
Is it worth it to stash someone like Thielen for two weeks? If you have an available IR spot, sure. There’s no harm. With Johnson gone, perhaps Thielen can reclaim the WR1 role upon his return. However, I’m not optimistic.
The Panthers have no reason to turn away from Legette and should look to see more of what they have in Jalen Coker. We’ve also seen an increase in Ja’Tavion Sanders’ role. There’s just not a compelling reason to add Thielen.
Aggressiveness Rating: 1.0
Darius Slayton | New York Giants (16%)
There’s a tangible upside with Darius Slayton. We saw it in the two games he played without Malik Nabers. But with Nabers healthy, Slayton is essentially the backup to the same job. He may have gotten to a passable 9.0 fantasy points last week, but Slayton did it on a mere three targets. That type of volume is not something we should bother with in fantasy.
Slayton remains a handcuff WR. For certain managers, perhaps those who roster Nabers, he may be worth stashing. The Giants have the easiest rest-of-season schedule for wide receivers. If something were to happen to Nabers, Slayton would at least be a weekly WR3. He will still likely have some moments, but predicting them will be impossible. Only add Slayton in deeper leagues if you have the spot.
Aggressiveness Rating: 1.0
TE Waiver Wire Targets in Week 10
Mike Gesicki | Cincinnati Bengals (13%)
What a day for Mike Gesicki. He only saw six targets but caught five of them for 100 yards and two touchdowns. This came one week after he caught seven of eight targets for 73 yards.
I don’t entirely buy Gesicki as startable, but I would be remiss not to mention him as an option, given how he’s performed the past two weeks and how good Joe Burrow looks right now.
Aggressiveness Rating: 1.0
Taysom Hill | New Orleans Saints (37%)
This happens every couple of weeks with Taysom Hill. We know who Hill is. He has these spike weeks every so often. They’re largely random and unpredictable.
Against the Panthers, Hill had one of those games. He caught four passes for 41 yards and ran the ball five times for 19 yards and a touchdown.
If you want to add Hill and hope for another game like this next week, go for it. He’s going to do this again at some point. If you want to take a shot on the upside, you know what you’re getting into.
Aggressiveness Rating: 3.0
Ja’Tavion Sanders | Carolina Panthers (1%)
For the second time in three weeks, Sanders scored 12+ fantasy points. The rookie tight end has come along slowly, but he may be starting to emerge into the Panthers’ TE1.
Carolina has a game against a tough Giants defense (against TEs) next week and then the bye week. Perhaps this is not the week to grab Sanders. Instead, maybe wait a week or two and grab him for the stretch run.
Aggressiveness Rating: 3.0
Hunter Henry | New England Patriots (36%)
It feels like Hunter Henry has been on the waiver wire column for more than half the season. He’s too good to be this available but not quite good enough for fantasy managers to trust every week.
Tight end production has been better lately, but Henry is still underappreciated. He’s scored at least 9.5 fantasy points in four straight games.
With Drake Maye playing well and the New England Patriots frequently in negative game scripts, Henry is actually a pretty safe option. He should be added if you have a hole at tight end.
Aggressiveness Rating: 4.0
Jonnu Smith | Miami Dolphins (9%)
What is going on with the Dolphins? This Jonnu Smith thing is just weird. They have Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle. Yet, the journeyman tight end has seen 6+ targets in four straight games.
It stands to reason the Dolphins will get back to their usual offense featuring their actual two top receivers. Combined with De’Von Achane looking like one of the best running backs in the league, Smith’s production feels like a mirage. But times are tough at tight end. Smith has scored 9.6 fantasy points or more in three of his last four. He’s got a great matchup this week against the Rams. At the very least, Smith is on the streaming radar.