A big thanks to Dan for filling in while I visited the most magical place on Earth this past week! With my wallet a little lighter and my sanity in question, I am hopping back on the waiver wire horse and sifting through the rubble for you this week. Surprisingly, there are still some good options available in most leagues at every position. Here are my favorites this week.
NOTE: All ‘Percent Rostered’ stats are based off ESPN.com fantasy leagues
Quarterbacks:
The list of quarterbacks on the waiver wire continues to be pretty solid – which is a good thing if you are looking for someone to fill in on a bye week.
Kirk Cousins, QB, Min:
Percent Rostered: 60.2%
Stats thru Week 10: 2,437 yds, 18 TD, 3 INT
How is Cousins still available in nearly four out of every ten leagues? I understand he had a terribly slow start to the season, but over the last six weeks, he has 15 touchdowns to one interception and has established himself as a legit MVP candidate. Only two players in the NFL have more touchdown passes than Cousins…Russell Wilson and Matthew Stafford. If you are in one of the 40% of leagues where Cousins is available, pick him up and put him in your lineup.
Daniel Jones, QB, NYG:
Percent Rostered: 42.3%
Stats thru Week 10: 1,984 yds, 15 TD, 8 INT; Rushing: 208 yds, 2 TD
Don’t look now, but Jones is tied for 10th in the NFL in terms of touchdown passes and has two rushing touchdowns to add to it. His inconsistency and turnovers still make him difficult to start every week, but he should be rostered in every league.
Kyle Allen, QB, Car:
Percent Rostered: 4.9%
Stats thru Week 10: 1,598 yds, 10 TD, 5 INT
Allen is not a every week fantasy starter, but he is a worthy backup and gets to operate with the best running back in the league at his disposal. Somehow, despite his success, Ben Roethlisberger – despite being on the IR now for the last eight weeks – is rostered in more leagues (5.6%) than Kyle Allen.
Derek Carr, QB, Oak:
Percent Rostered: 36.7%
Stats thru Week 10: 1,598 yds, 10 TD, 5 INT
Ever since Week 2, Carr has 12 touchdowns and just two interceptions. He is second in the league in terms of completion percentage (70.8%), 6th in terms of quarterback rating (104.4), 9th in terms of QBR (61.4) and tied for 14th in terms of touchdowns (14). Carr is a borderline starter in 12 team leagues and is available in nearly 65% of leagues.
Nick Foles, QB, Jax:
Percent Rostered: 9.6%
Stats thru Week 10: 75 yds, 1 TD, 0 INT
Foles has a total of just eight passes in his Jacksonville career and has been out since Week 1, but Gardner Minshew has kept the ship afloat and in the meantime, found Foles some pretty good receivers.
Running Backs:
This late in the season, the only value you find on the running back waiver wire is the result of injuries, suspensions or handcuffs….we have a little bit of each this week.
Derrius Guice, RB, Was:
Percent Rostered: 38.4%
Stats thru Week 10: 10 carries, 18 yds, 0 TD; 3 rec, 20 yds, 0 TD
If you are in need of running backs, Guice needs to be your top target. Out since Week 1, Guice has been activated and should immediately regain the starters role in Washington.
J.D. McKissic, RB, Det:
Percent Rostered: 16.0%
Stats thru Week 10: 30 carries, 176 yds, 0 TD; 19 rec, 134 yds, 1 TD
With Kerryon Johnson on IR and Ty Johnson knocked out of the game last week, McKissic saw the most touches in the Lions backfield and may be the Lions running back to own going forward. If/when Matthew Stafford returns, his value should bump up.
Kalen Ballage, RB, Mia:
Percent Rostered: 27.7%
Stats thru Week 10: 55 carries, 113 yds, 2 TD, 8 rec, 42 yds, 0 TD
With Mark Walton suspended, Ballage saw the bulk of the touches in the Dolphins backfield (24). While he didn’t do much with the touches, in PPR leagues he put up 8+ points, thanks to his four receptions.
Alexander Mattison, RB, Min:
Percent Rostered: 20.1%
Stats thru Week 10: 79 carries, 389 yds, 1 TD; 4 rec, 13 yds, 0 TD
If you are a Dalvin Cook owner, you should have Mattison on your bench as a handcuff. Mattison has little value on his own, but would be a worthy RB2 should Cook miss any time.
Darrell Henderson, Jr., RB, LAR:
Percent Rostered: 20.0%
Stats thru Week 10: 33 carries, 123 yds, 0 TD; 4 rec, 37 yds, 0 TD
Like Mattison, Henderson doesn’t have much stand alone value from week-to-week, but with the Gurley’s knees, any Gurley owner should own Henderson (or Malcolm Brown).
Wide Receivers:
The waiver wire is pretty picked over at this point for wide receivers, but there are still a few options out there which I like.
Josh Gordon, WR, Sea:
Percent Rostered: 56.4%
Stats thru Week 10: 20 rec, 287 yds, 1 TD (36 targets)
With Will Dissly on IR and an underwhelming receiving corps, a top talent like Gordon could excel in Seattle if he can click with Wilson (and of course keep himself on the field). At this point in the season, he is worth a flyer.
Darius Slatyon, WR, NYG:
Percent Rostered: 12.9%
Stats thru Week 10: 27 rec, 394 yds, 5 TD (45 targets)
The Giants are on bye this week, but if you have a spot on your bench, Slayton is worth picking up. Over the last three weeks, Slayton has 13 receptions on 23 targets for 177 yards and four touchdowns. Consistency is an issue, but fresh off a game where he was targeted 14 times, pulling in 10 for 121 yard and two touchdowns, Slayton may become a late season Flex option.
Zach Pascal, WR, Ind:
Percent Rostered: 43.9%
Stats thru Week 10: 21 rec, 347 yds, 4 TD (34 targets)
Pascal’s inconsistency makes him a risky start, but he seems to always have a role in the game plan. Over the past four weeks, Pascal has 22 targets and has pulled in 14 of those for 214 yards and three touchdowns.
Hunter Renfrow, WR, Oak:
Percent Rostered: 7.9%
Stats thru Week 10: 28 rec, 299 yds, 2 TD (42 targets)
He was here two weeks ago and he is here again. Over the last three weeks, Renfrow has been targeted 16 times and has pulled in 14 of those 16 targets for 184 yards and two touchdowns. He is worthy of a spot on your roster and is a borderline Flex play in PPR leagues.
DeVante Parker, WR, Mia:
Percent Rostered: 44.6%
Stats thru Week 10: 33 rec, 469 yds, 4 TD (55 targets)
I have been on Parker all year and all he needs is a reliable quarterback and he has that now in Ryan Fitzpatrick. Parker has scored in four of the Dolphins last six games and over the last four games, he has been targeted 34 times, pulling in 20 of those for 240 yards and two touchdowns.
Tight Ends:
The tight end position actually has a few options I like this week! In fact, you may even be able to use a few of these guys as your every week starter in deeper leagues.
Jacob Hollister, TE, Sea:
Percent Rostered: 3.7%
Stats thru Week 10: 17 rec, 137 yds, 3 TD (24 targets)
For a few weeks, I was plugging Luke Willson as the guy to pick up in Will Dissly’s absence….I was wrong! Looks like Hollister is the one to grab. Over the last two weeks, he has 16 targets and has pulled in 12 of those for 99 yards and two touchdowns. Hollister is a borderline starting fantasy tight end at this point.
Darren Fells, TE, Hou:
Percent Rostered: 12.5%
Stats thru Week 10: 23 rec, 244 yds, 5 TD (27 targets)
As I said two weeks ago, Fells productivity is extremely inconsistent and his value is very touchdown dependent, so he isn’t ideal as an every week starter, but he is a solid fill in because he has six touchdowns in the Texans last seven games.
Noah Fant, TE, Den:
Percent Rostered: 8.8%
Stats thru Week 10: 23 rec, 300 yds, 2 TD (37 targets)
With Emmanuel Sanders being traded, I was high on Fant two weeks ago and I still am. Over the Broncos last three games, Fant has seen 18 targets and pull in nine of those for 148 yards and a touchdown, including his breakout game against the Browns two weeks ago.
O.J. Howard, TE, TB:
Percent Rostered: 6.2%
Stats thru Week 10: 17 rec, 223 yds, 1 TD (25 targets)
One of the biggest fantasy disappointments this year, Howard may finally be finding his place in the Bucs offense. This past week, Howard saw a season high seven targets, pulling in four of those for 47 yards and a touchdown.
