“Time flies when you’re having fun” — we are already halfway through the NFL regular season. It seems just like yesterday we saw the Lions upset the Chiefs on opening day; oh, how so much has changed since.
Something that hasn’t changed recently is how barren the waiver wire has been, especially this week. With lots of good teams on a bye week, it is hard to find a guy worth playing, but we’ll see if we can find some needles in haystacks. Happy shopping!
*Player rostered in under 65% of ESPN leagues considered*
Week 10 players to add
Pickup of the week – Kyler Murray
By all accounts, it appears this is finally the week Kyler returns to the Cardinals as their starting QB. This is the last week they can activate him from his 21-day window, so it appears the time is now or never.
While there is a slight chance they decide to shut Kyler down for the year and not play him, I think this new coaching staff will want to evaluate him and see how he’s looking coming off ACL surgery. If he can return to anywhere near what he’s been for fantasy in the past, he can be a league winner for QB-needy teams. At worst, he’s a very solid insurance plan for your QB going into the fantasy playoffs. At best, he shows some flashes of old Kyler and helps people win fantasy championships.
Quarterback
Top pick – Sam Howell
Howell continues to be an absolute enigma at the QB position, but with how suspect the Commanders’ defense will be the rest of the year, Howell is the ultimate pick-up, and QB play off the waivers. This week, he gets a Seattle defense that has amazing defensive backs, which gives me a little pause, but I think he will get enough volume to have a good fantasy day. This could be a nice garbage time game for Sam.
Next – Derek Carr
Carr had another solid week last week, so we’re going back to the well with him. He gets a Minnesota defense that hasn’t had much luck stopping the pass all year, hopefully leading to some easy points for Carr. The biggest thing going against Carr right now is that Taysom Hill is getting so many QB snaps, especially in the red zone. Minnesota will also put up more points than the Bears did last week, which will force Carr and the Saints to match.
Stash – Will Levis
Levis came back down to earth this week against the Steelers, but he was officially named the Titans starting QB going forward. It is tempting to play him this week against a Tampa defense that just gave up historic passing numbers to C.J. Stroud, but I’d rather stash Levis if I can.
Check to see if available
Gardner Minshew goes to Europe for a matchup with the Patriots; if they look to take away the Colts run game, then Gardner could be in for a big game passing.
Running Back
Top pick – Khalil Herbert
I was shocked to see Herbert was owned in less than 60% of leagues! I know that he’s been on the IR, and the Bears seem to have a crowded backfield, but he’s still a starting running back in fantasy football that is as good as gold. Before his injury, Herbert was the clear lead back, while the man who has taken over for him (D’Onte Foreman) was a healthy scratch.
It will be interesting to see which Bears RBs will suit up and what the snap percentages will be, but at worst, you need to pick up Herbert as a good insurance running back for your bench. At best, he gets his old role back and is an RB 2/3 for the rest of the season.
Next – Zach Charbonnet
He has continued to see his work increase week after week and has been getting more valuable touches in the passing game and near the red zone. While it doesn’t appear that he will fully take over for Ken Walker, it does appear Charbonnet will get enough work to be fantasy-relevant, with the adding-in ceiling that if Walker does go down to injury, then he instantly becomes an RB1.
Stash – Keaton Mitchell
Mitchell had a very nice breakout game this week in a blowout win over Seattle. The young RB had 138 yards rushing and a rushing TD to boot. Mitchell is only a stash for now, as he’s still technically 3rd on the depth chart, but that should change after this performance. While I don’t see him taking over the goal line and short yardage from Gus Edwards, I think Keaton can carve out a nice roll as the change of pace back for the Ravens and their amazing rushing offense.
Check to see if available/others of note
Antonio Gibson continues to see more work in the passing game; the Commanders will be chasing points all year, so Gibson will continue to see work. Emari Demercado should be back this week, and could be worth a play with Kylar back. Tyjae Spears is still one of the best handcuffs in football, especially now that Levis is giving the Titans offense some juice.
Wide Receiver
Top pick – Tank Dell
After an injury and some down weeks, it was easy to forget about Tank. Well, he made you remember him Sunday. With six receptions for 114 yards and 2 TDs, Tank showed that he can explode on any given week. Given that he and star rookie QB Stroud have an amazing connection (Stroud told the Texans brass he wanted them to draft Tank on draft night so they could play together), I see Tank being a viable starting fantasy WR moving forward. Be prepared for some boom-and-bust games, but Tank appears to be the perfect player to throw in your flex, and hope it’s the week he goes off.
Next – Jahan Dotson
Dotson caught another TD pass Sunday and appears to finally be the player most were predicting him to be this offseason. As I’ve stated in this article already, the Commanders’ defense is going to be a doormat the rest of the season, making their offensive pieces very intriguing for fantasy as they will be in catch-up mode in most games. Dotson has been feeling the effects of that lately, as he has blown up the past two games. If you need WR help this week, go grab Dotson and hope that the third week is still the charm for him against Seattle.
Stash – Demario Douglas
Pop Douglas had a solid game last week, but it was a better real-life game than fantasy. Fifty-five yards on five catches isn’t great, but I still want to stash Douglas to see if he improves this week and is worth keeping over his bye week. I still think he will be the #1 WR in this offense, which isn’t saying much, but he will be valuable in the right matchups.
Check to see if available/others of note
Khalil Shakir has been solid since Knox went out injured; solid PPR play. Rashid Shaheed is a boom-or-bust flex but can be a nice bye-week replacement.
Tight End
Top pick – Taysom Hill
Taysom Hill did it again, and this week, he didn’t even need a rushing TD. This week, he decided to not only add a receiving TD, but he also threw a TD. Hill is not a conventual TE by any measurement, but the amount of red zone work he gets along with the sheer amount of ways he’s used has made him a must-start player until further notice. With a matchup against Minnesota this week, Hill seems set up to keep his success rolling.
Next – Jake Ferguson
We finally had the breakout dominant game that seemed like it was coming any week for Ferguson. Seven receptions for 91 yards and a TD is a Travis Kelce-type line for a TE, showing that Fergy needs to be picked up in all leagues. Dallas has become a pass-first team, and the argument can be made that Fergy is Dak’s second favorite target behind Ceedee Lamb. With Dak’s history of featuring his TE, it’s time to fully buy into Ferguson.
Stash – Trey McBride
While he didn’t have the best follow-up game last week, no one did with Clayton Tune at QB for the Cardinals. Now that it appears Kyler Murray will be back this week, make sure not to drop McBride. While I’m not sure I’d want to trust him in Kyler’s first game back, I think he’s still a must-add to any fantasy bench.
Check to see if available/others of note
David Njoku got another TD this week and appears to be playable, no matter who is at QB. Logan Thomas has been streaky but has a high ceiling in the right matchup; the Commanders also look to be in shootouts the rest of the year, which is good for fantasy value.
Defense/Special Teams
Top pick – Steelers D/ST
Nothing changed from last week when we looked ahead and told you to stash the Steelers; the Packers still look like an offense without an identity. If the Steelers offense can get the lead, then TJ Watt should have a field day in this one. The Rams had four sacks and two fumble recoveries last week against this inept Packers defense; pick up the Steelers and hope they do the same or even more damage.
Next – Raiders D/ST
As someone who lost a fantasy matchup last week due to the Jets being so bad that the Chargers D/ST scored 26 (I needed them to just not score 23), I can tell you firsthand that it’s a good idea to play a D/ST against a Zach Wilson-led offense. You may be scared to start an average Raiders defense, but just remember the Chargers’ defense looked average all year before the Jets made them look like the 1985 Chicago Bears. While the Raiders defense isn’t going to scare anyone, I think Maxx Crosby and the boys can do enough against this weak Jets offense to get you some valuable points.
Stash – Chargers D/ST
The defense that everyone had to watch massacre the Jets on Monday gets the Lions this week, so they will more than likely be dropped to waivers. Go ahead and grab them if you need a stash for Week 11, as they will get the Packers offense that we have been targeting. Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack are rounding into form this season, which is terrible news for the Packers and their terrible offensive line. While you shouldn’t expect 26 points like Monday, you’ll be happy you grabbed them.
Check to see if available
Colts D/ST is coming off a good performance and gets a good matchup against the Panthers; it is a solid pickup.
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