Fantasy Football: Week 10’s Best Waiver Wire Options
You didn’t go spending all your waiver wire money on Eddie Royal in Week 3, did you? Ok, good. Because unless you are the luckiest injury avoider in the world, you’re going to need to dip into those funds yet again. Sadly, Week 10’s waiver recommendations feature more players capable of stopping the bleeding than those who have emerged as fantasy superstars. But alas, competitive fantasy owners like you simply need to make roster moves to stay afloat. It doesn’t have to be pretty.
Let’s get to your best options this week. As always, players listed are owned in less than 50% of FleaFlicker leagues (unless they’re owned in more because sometimes I like to cheat.)
RUNNING BACKS
Chris Ivory, Jets RB (52% owned): See, I’m already cheating. But Ivory is important to mention as he is by far the best running back available. For the second time in three weeks Ivory had more carries than Bilal Powell. For the second time in three weeks, Ivory had over 100 yards. Most importantly, for the second time in three weeks it was Ivory’s legs of steel that led the Jets to upsets over the Saints and Patriots. I cannot envision any scenario where Ivory does not emerge from the Jets bye week as the featured runner.
Mike Tolbert, Panthers RB (45% owned): Even with Jonathan Stewart back and DeAngelo Williams very much in the mix, it is Tolbert who continues to be a touchdown machine. He has scored in four straight. The Panthers travel to San Francisco Sunday.
Rashad Jennings, Raiders RB (9% owned): With Darren McFadden re-aggravating his right hamstring injury, Jennings is likely to get the start against the Giants Sunday. Playing most of Week 9 in McFadden’s absence, Jennings rushed for 102 yards and a touchdown. Plus, he added 74 yards on 7 receptions.
James Starks, Packers RB (32% owned): Starks will never have a ton of carries with Eddie Lacy present, but he has scored in each of the last two games.
QUARTERBACKS
Josh McCown, Bears QB (11% owned): Say what you will about McCown’s arm strength but he’s great for Marc Trestman’s West Coast system. McCown put up 272 yards and threw for two touchdowns last night following an efficient 204-yard effort in relief of an injured Jay Cutler two weeks ago. Detroit’s a tougher test than Green Bay or Washington but assuming McCown starts (there are rumors Cutler could return early) I would feel comfortable slotting him in as a bye or injury replacement. Any quarterback throwing to Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffrey is a good place to start.
E.J. Manuel, Bills QB (17% owned): Manuel is set to return from the LCL injury that sidelined him during Week 5, and may even start this week, although that’s a decision up to Doug Marrone and won’t be revealed until later in the week. Before the injury Manuel wasn’t a fantasy stalwart by any means but he did have a touchdown in every game and his confidence was building. The Bills face a Steelers team this week that allowed 55 points to New England last Sunday.
Case Keenum, Texans QB (13% owned): Arguably the most exciting of the quarterback options, Keenum has played with fearlessness in his start and a half. He had three monster touchdowns to Andre Johnson on Sunday night, and oh yeah, he gets to throw to Andre Johnson. Keenum already has a combined 621 passing yards in two games.
Jason Campbell, Browns QB (13% owned): And then there’s Campbell, the revitalized one. Two games as a starter: 5 TDs, 0 INTs, 461 passing yards. Not too shabby. The only downfall with Campbell at the moment is his Week 10 bye and his Bengals matchup on the road the following week.
Mike Glennon, Bucs QB (14% owned): Wait, don’t forget about Glennon. The lanky rookie has thrown 8 touchdowns in five starts. He has at least 43 pass attempts in every start except for last week’s loss at Seattle. Tampa’s upcoming opponent – Miami and Atlanta – are no Seattle.
WIDE RECEIVER
Lance Moore, Saints WR (37% owned): Judging by Week 9, Moore is a reliable pickup in the absence of Marques Colston. He hauled in 70 yards last week and was targeted 10 times.
Riley Cooper, Eagles WR (11% owned): No one is going to be proud to own Cooper but it’s good production not good people we should care about in fantasy. For potential Cooper owners, you’d be getting a guy with two 100-plus yard games in the last four weeks. Expect about 6-10 targets per game for Cooper at this point.
Jerricho Cotchery, Steelers WR (9% owned): Cotchery’s three touchdown game of Sunday may be an anomaly or it may be indicative of a Steelers offense that is ready to wake up for good. Cotchery also had a monster game Week 5 with 102 yards a touchdown so he is clearly able to produce.
Aaron Dobson, Patriots WR (28% owned): Dobson heads to his bye week a legitimate part of the Patriots aerial attack. He has three scores in the last two games and is always a candidate for the big play.
Michael Crabtree, 49ers WR (23% owned): Great news for the 49ers as Crabtree was cleared to practice this week. That doesn’t mean he’ll play Sunday; in fact, Jim Harbaugh projects a “mid-to-late November return at the earliest.” But man, oh man, if you can stash Crabtree as a playoff weapon, you are in fabulous shape.
TIGHT END
Tim Wright, Bucs TE (11% owned): If you need a tight end, Wright is your best option. He comes off back-to-back games with a score and only has one game since Week 4 with less than four catches.
Need more advice? Ask in the comments section below or via Twitter.
