Fantasy
11/4/24
3 min read
2024 Fantasy Football: NFL Week 10 Waiver Wire Targets
As a firm believer in being a straight shooter, it’s important to note up top that the waiver wire is about as barren as last week.
The only tricky part is that fantasy managers will be without players from the Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, Las Vegas Raiders, and Seattle Seahawks in Week 10. Each of those four franchises will be on their bye, and the absences of running backs Kenneth Walker III and Josh Jacobs, just to name a couple, will be felt heavily.
The wire doesn’t boast any true impact running backs for the second week in a row. As such, the intelligent thing to do would be to pick up any of these high-impact handcuffs in case something happens to the players ahead of them on the depth chart:
- Braelon Allen, New York Jets
- Blake Corum, Los Angeles Rams
- Ray Davis, Buffalo Bills
- Roschon Johnson, Chicago Bears
- Jaylen Wright, Miami Dolphins
Beyond them, we’ll talk about a couple of running backs in this article, although one is likely already rostered, and the other holds contingent value based one a player ahead of them not healing up an injury in time for next Sunday.
But just because circumstances are dire doesn’t mean that actionable insight and quality advice need to stop rolling, so without further adieu…
Week 10 Fantasy Waiver Wire Targets
Drake Maye, QB, New England Patriots
- ESPN Rostership: 10.6 percent
- Yahoo Rostership: 11 percent
Guess who’s got that secret Komani Code?
Drake Maye concluded Sunday’s showdown vs. the Tennessee Titans with a season-high, team-leading 95 rushing yards on eight carries. While his passing efforts leave some to be desired (205 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions), Maye’s contributions on the ground led to a total of 15.7 fantasy points in four-point per passing touchdown scoring, per FantasyData.
To contextualize the value of his rushing, according to Campus2Canton, Maye averaged 43.7 rushing yards per game across two collegiate seasons as a starter at North Carolina. Since becoming the Patriots’ starter in Week 6, the rookie has been averaging 49.3 rushing yards per game.
That is the highest of any quarterback in that span, ahead of players like Lamar Jackson (35.5) and Kyler Murray (45.0).
The fact is that whatever Maye lacks as a thrower is more than made up for on the ground. After all, most fantasy leagues give one point for every 25 passing yards and one point for every 10 rushing yards. Mathematically, you’re getting more value out of Maye than many other quarterbacks.
Be patient as he continues to improve as a passer because when he does figure that out more, we’re potentially talking about a weekly top-10 option.
Bo Nix, QB, Denver Broncos
- ESPN Rostership: 58.1 percent
- Yahoo Rostership: 34 percent
Calling back to the last section, do you know who ranks third among quarterbacks in rushing yards per game (44.0) since Week 6?
That’s right; rookie Bo Nix continues to mount fantasy success despite a less-than-ideal cast of characters in the Denver Broncos’ offense. The former Oregon standout didn’t light up the box score on Sunday against the Ravens, posting 223 passing yards with an interception through the air.
However, he contributed a two-yard receiving touchdown and 36 yards on the ground, resulting in 17.7 fantasy points.
Managers have now seen Nix post at least 15 fantasy points in four out of the past six weeks, and he’s found the end zone (as a passer, receiver, or rusher) in five of those six contests. Is it pretty to watch? No, but the results are there.
By hook or by crook, Nix continues to finagle his way into the conversation as a fantasy starter, and it’s about time that I stop doubting him and just trust it.
Chris Rodriguez Jr., RB, Washington Commanders
- ESPN Rostership: 0.1 percent
- Yahoo Rostership: 0 percent
Keep in mind that Brian Robinson Jr. wound up as late inactive vs. the on Sunday because of a hamstring injury. There’s a world in which “B-Rob” will be healthy enough in time for Week 10 vs. the Pittsburgh Steelers, and this entire write-up becomes moot.
Still, fantasy managers should at least be proactive in picking up Chris Rodriguez Jr. off waivers if he gets another nod.
The 2023 sixth-round pick from the University of Kentucky is rarely a factor in the Commanders’ offense and spends most of his time on the team's practice squad. He typically gets the call-up when injuries on the depth chart require a 1A, between-the-tackles bruiser.
His contributions didn’t amount to a ton of fantasy success this go-around, but Rodriguez Jr. did receive an identical number of carries (11) as the team gave to veteran Austin Ekeler, and Rodriguez Jr. led the way with 52 rushing yards in the contest.
The risk involved means you should avoid spending a priority claim or a hefty portion of your FAAB budget on this move, but it’s at least worth a shot.
Jaylen Warren, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers
- ESPN Rostership: 55.2 percent
- Yahoo Rostership: 42 percent
Admittedly, this one is a bit of a stretch.
Like Nix, Jaylen Warren is a touch above the rostership threshold on ESPN to qualify for this article normally. However, the dearth of options on the waiver means that some exceptions must be made, and the Steelers' bye in Week 9 means it’s possible a manager in your league dropped him to make room for someone to start.
So, as a reminder, the former UDFA has accounted for a 35.1 percent touch opportunity (carries + targets) share in the Steelers' backfield in their past two games while appearing on 45 percent of the offensive snaps, per Fantasy Points Data.
We’re not talking about a massive role here, but Warren consistently participates in flex conversations whenever he’s fully healthy, as he’s been since Week 7.
Maybe you’ll get lucky with this one.
Xavier Legette, WR, Carolina Panthers
- ESPN Rostership: 32.6 percent
- Yahoo Rostership: 27 percent
Before you ask, Los Angeles Chargers WR Quentin Johnston didn’t make the cut for this article because he scored that 66-yard touchdown vs. the Cleveland Browns on egregiously busted coverage.
The second-year wideout’s contributions were otherwise quite limited, and I’d rather spend my time talking about players with more than one blip on the radar going for them.
Xavier Legette falls into that category of player.
The rookie ended Sunday’s NFC South showdown vs. the New Orleans Saints with a team-leading six targets, resulting in four catches for 33 yards and a touchdown.
For as bad as the Panthers’ offense is, the former South Carolina big man is seeing a hefty volume of targets lately (12 targets in the past two games). He seems to have an excellent rapport with QB Bryce Young, as the two have connected for scores in consecutive contests.
As a bonus, I’d also encourage managers in deep leagues to look and see if fellow rookie Jalen Coker is available.
Though Coker received plenty of hype from DFS touts and dynasty analysts leading up to this week, the UDFA from Holy Cross is still broadly available in redraft leagues and has received nine targets in the past two weeks.
That advice is more for season-long managers in leagues with 14 or more managers, but feel free to stash both in shallower formats, too, ahead of the more complicated bye-week messes we’ll be facing later this month.
Parker Washington, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
- ESPN Rostership: 3.9 percent
- Yahoo Rostership: 4 percent
Parker Washington is another “deep league” name to consider.
In the past two weeks, the ex-Penn State wideout has 10 targets and recorded back-to-back efforts with at least 40 receiving yards and seven points in point-per-reception (PPR) scoring while serving as the de facto slot receiver replacement for the injured Christian Kirk.
These aren’t eye-popping totals by any means, but as the NFL’s bye weeks get more aggressive, players like this could be the best healthy options available to managers.
Planning ahead now will prevent you from needing to scramble in, for example, Week 14, when six teams will be out of fantasy commission. The only caveat here is that Washington and the Jaguars are set to be one of six teams resting in Week 12, so perhaps you may not want to spend a bench spot on a player for two weeks until they become deadweight.
Regardless, Washington is someone with a budding role and might be helpful to managers in more dire situations.
Ja’Tavion Sanders, TE, Carolina Panthers
- ESPN Rostership: 0.4 percent
- Yahoo Rostership: 1 percent
It seems odd to continue highlighting players from one of the league’s more inefficient offenses, but when you remember that fantasy football is a numbers-based game, it starts to make a little more sense.
In addition to his teammates Legette and Coker, Ja’Tavion Sanders makes this list on the strength of his efforts since the beginning of October. Excluding his disappearing act in Week 8 against the Broncos, the fourth-round pick from Texas is averaging 5.8 targets and 52.5 receiving yards per game dating back to Week 5.
When considering the scarcity and positional advantage of tight end, I’m arguing that Sanders would be a higher relative priority above all of his teammates.
A standout wide receiver is critical for fantasy success, but most leagues start multiple wideouts and only one tight end. The potential impact of Sanders in that context stands as the basis of that “hot take” on my part.
So, if you’ve made it this far in the season and still don’t have a reliable tight end, here’s one you can feel pretty decent about.
