Halloween may be over, but the spookiest time of the year is just around the corner in the NFL: the dreaded byepocalypse. With six teams on bye in Week 9 — and a whopping 22 byes between now and the fantasy football playoffs — owners in season-long leagues will be scrambling to find enough depth to start consistently strong teams. Our Week 10 waiver wire watchlist will help you navigate this unfriendly territory and pinpoint widely available free agents, such as Deon Jackson, Josh Palmer, and Isaiah Likely, who could come become hot pickups.
Don’t wait until under-the-radar players go off this weekend and then get outbid by an owner with more FAAB or a higher waiver priority. Instead, anticipate the breakouts, recognize your Week 10 needs, and grab the best available streaming options for free right now. We featured Greg Dulcich and Justin Fields, among others, last week, and they both popped off and became popular pickups this week (though still not popular enough for Dulcich — see below).
Maybe you just freed up a spot because one of your players became IR-eligible; maybe you recently dropped a couple of disappointing sleepers. Use that open space to invest in a potential lotto ticket — a player who you expect to see a usage spike, breakout opportunity, or return from injury. It’s also important to monitor upcoming bye weeks and grab a guy you can stream in place of your bye-week studs. With four more byes coming up in Week 10, competition will again be fierce for useful fill-ins, so it’s best to grab them now when most owners aren’t thinking about it.
WEEK 9 FANTASY PICKS: Sleepers | Busts | Start ’em, sit ’em
Unfortunately, some shallower leagues don’t have enough roster spots for “planning ahead,” but for those in relatively deep leagues, our week-ahead watchlist will continue to be a helpful resource. Even though you won’t pick up most of these players, it’s worth watching their snap counts, target shares, and weekly production trends to file away for later.
Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Watchlist
Reminder: This list was put together in the lead-in to Week 9, looking forward to the players who could be popular waiver-wire targets ahead of Week 10. If you have a roster spot to play with, these are free-agent options you could grab early to beat the waiver buzz.
All these players are below 50-percent ownership on Yahoo unless otherwise specified.
Week 10 Waiver Wire Watchlist: QB
WEEK 10 BYES: Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, New England Patriots, New York Jets.
Jimmy Garoppolo, 49ers (vs. Chargers Week 10, 44 percent rostered)
Fantasy squads with Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow will be chomping at the bit to grab Jimmy G, who has a favorable post-bye schedule in Week 10 and beyond. Oh, and he also has one of the best pass-catching running backs in NFL history in Christian McCaffrey. The Chargers have allowed 13 passing TDs to QBs this season, tied for fifth-most in the NFL.
Marcus Mariota, Falcons (@ Panthers Week 10, 30%)
The NFC South-leading Falcons have been the surprise story of the 2022 NFL season, and Mariota has his fingerprints all over it. The veteran QB has posted two 28-point fantasy performances over the past three weeks, one of which took place against the Panthers in Week 8. Carolina hosts a quick rematch next week for Thursday Night Football, where Mariota will try to replicate the 250-yard, three-TD line. Carolina has allowed the 12th-most passing yards on the season.
MORE POTENTIAL WEEK 10 STREAMERS WITH FAVORABLE MATCHUPS: P.J. Walker, Panthers vs. Falcons (6%); Sam Ehlinger, Colts at Raiders (8%); Jacoby Brissett, Browns at Dolphins (8%); Kenny Pickett, Steelers vs. Saints (9%); Andy Dalton, Saints at Steelers (14%)
MORE WORTHWHILE QBs STASHES: Daniel Jones, Giants (vs. Lions Week 11, two meetings with Commanders coming up, 49%); Deshaun Watson, Browns (suspended through Week 12, returns to favorable schedule Week 13-17, 25%)
WEEK 9 PPR RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Week 10 Waiver Wire Watchlist: RB
WEEK 10 BYES: Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, New England Patriots, New York Jets.
Jeff Wilson Jr., Dolphins (46 percent rostered)
Wilson Jr. landed with Miami in what can only be described as Mike McDaniel “taking San Francisco’s backup talents to South Beach.” The veteran will more than likely play behind reunited teammate Raheem Mostert, but he’s a must-add handcuff. Mostert has blazing speed and elusiveness, but he’s only averaged a little over eight games per season throughout his career. JWJ filled in admirably for Elijah Mitchell before the Niners snagged Christian McCaffrey and no longer needed his services. If you’re in a pinch next week, both Mostert and Wilson are startable. The Dolphins draw the Browns, who have surrendered the seventh-most rushing yards and second-most ground TDs.
Latavius Murray, Broncos (36%)
Another strong veteran option on over 50 percent of wires, Murray has looked much more explosive out of the pocket than Melvin Gordon III. With a bye this week, don’t expect your leaguemates to clamor to him just yet, but he might be a popular pickup with Joe Mixon, Rhamondre Stevenson, and a handful of others entering byes next week. After this week’s bye, Murray and the Broncos travel to the young and beatable Titans in Week 10 and host a soft Raiders defense in Week 11. Scoop him up.
Isiah Pacheco, Chiefs (32%)
Pacheco is a weird case — he’s technically the “starter” in Kansas City right now, but in the same sense that the Tampa Bay Rays start “openers” and only roll them out for a few innings. Eight touches and some kick returns won’t win you many weeks, but he’s at least worth a stash considering his role seems to continue increasing, at least incrementally. An explosive athlete in a high-flying Patrick Mahomes offense is worth a stash, at minimum. If he blows up this weekend versus Tennessee, you’ll have beaten the rush and be ready to roll him out in Weeks 10 and 11 against the Jaguars and Chargers.
Deon Jackson, Colts (21%)
With Nyheim Hines now in Buffalo, Jackson will compete with Zack Moss for the primary backup role behind Jonathan Taylor. Taylor is currently nursing a sore ankle for the second time this season, so his handcuff is extremely valuable. Jackson proved capable of shouldering the load in Weeks 5 and 6 when he posted 212 total yards and a TD on 39 touches (14 receptions). He’d be especially valuable in PPR leagues, so grab him now.
MORE WORTHWHILE RB STASHES: Kyren Williams, Rams (46%); Alexander Mattison, Vikings (45%); Chuba Hubbard, Panthers (42%); Rachaad White, Buccaneers (30%); James Cook, Bills (21%); Caleb Huntley, Falcons (15%), Jaylen Warren, Steelers (6%); Zack Moss, Colts (3%); Ronnie Rivers, Rams (3%)
WEEK 9 STANDARD RANKINGS:
QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | D/STs | Kickers
Week 10 Waiver Wire Watchlist: WR
WEEK 10 BYES: Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, New England Patriots, New York Jets.
Joshua Palmer, Chargers (40 percent rostered)
It’s unfathomable that Palmer is still available in 60 percent of leagues — clearly, a ton of people have already decided to mail in the rest of the fantasy season. Both of the Chargers’ top pass-catching options are banged up: Keenan Allen with a lingering hammy, and Mike Williams with an ankle. That leaves tight end Gerald Everett over the middle, wideout DeAndre Carter for long bombs, and Palmer. Look, the kid’s good! He’s already proven that he has a decent floor as a reliable Justin Herbert target, with three PPR performances of at least 13 points this year. Before missing Week 7 with a concussion, we last saw Palmer against the Broncos, catching nine-of-12 targets for 57 yards. After he tees off against the ever-generous Falcons secondary this weekend, he’s gonna get gobbled up like Thanksgiving turkey. A Week 11 visit to the 49ers won’t be nearly as pretty, but Week 12 kicks off an alluring stretch that includes the Chiefs, Cardinals, Raiders, Dolphins, and Titans. Mmm mmm good.
Treylon Burks, Titans (17%)
Burks (toe) became eligible to return from his IR stint this week, so it might be in your best interest to grab him off the wire now if you need receiver depth. The Titans have desperately missed the rookie’s strong hands and after-the-catch playmaking. They went from averaging 208.3 passing yards with him to 97.3 passing yards without him. His usage should be high as soon as he gets back on the field, and Tennessee has some plus-matchups between Week 10 and the fantasy championships.
Terrace Marshall Jr., Panthers (4%)
Marshall saw 93 percent of the Panthers’ offensive snaps in Week 8 and is clearly their new No. 2 receiver opposite D.J. Moore. Even better, he drew nine targets from P.J. Walker and turned them into four catches for 87 yards! Carolina’s passing game has been breathing new air without Matt Rhule in town, and we like the results for Moore and Marshall. Stash this kid in case he keeps it up. At the very least, he’s a great stream against Atlanta’s 32nd-ranked pass defense in Week 10.
MORE SOLID WEEK 10 WR STREAMS: Isaiah McKenzie, Bills vs. Vikings (40%); Mecole Hardman (40%) and Marquez Valdes-Scantling (39%), Chiefs vs. Jaguars; Alec Pierce (37%) and Parris Campbell (33%), Colts at Raiders; Donovan Peoples-Jones, Browns at Dolphins (23%); Zay Jones (19%) and Marvin Jones (5%), Jaguars at Chiefs
MORE SAVVY WR STASHES: Michael Gallup, Cowboys (46%); Wan’Dale Robinson, Giants (33%); Jameson Williams, Lions (24%); Jahan Dotson, Commanders (21%); Odell Beckham Jr., Free agent (16%); Van Jefferson, Ram (15%); Demarcus Robinson, Ravens (5%); Tyquan Thornton, Patriots (4%)
WEEK 9 DFS LINEUPS: DraftKings | FanDuel
Week 10 Waiver Wire Watchlist: TE
WEEK 10 BYES: Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, New England Patriots, New York Jets.
Greg Dulcich, Broncos (38 percent rostered)
How are people sleeping on this man, his glorious head full of curls, and his positively 80s ‘stache!? Dulcich has posted 11-plus PPR points in each of the past three weeks, and he draws Tennessee, Vegas, Carolina, Baltimore, Kansas City twice, and Arizona after Denver’s Week 9 bye. He won’t be available much longer — stash him now and sell him to a TE-needy owners if he continues to produce and you don’t need him.
Isaiah Likely, Ravens (23%)
Baltimore has a Week 10 bye, but Likely still deserves to be mentioned here for his sheer upside. If Mark Andrews (shoulder, knee) aggravates any of his injuries, Likely has a top-10 ceiling. The Ravens’ offense is predicated mostly around its run game and passes to tight ends, and Lamar Jackson has already demonstrated he has a clear rapport with the rookie pass-catcher. His Week 9 performance in New Orleans (six catches, 77 yards, TD) was positively tantalizing. Grab him now, or you’ll Likely regret it.
POTENTIAL WEEK 10 STREAMERS WITH FAVORABLE MATCHUPS: Cole Kmet, Bears vs. Lions (23%); Will Dissly (12%) and Noah Fant (10%), Seahawks at Buccaneers; Cade Otton, Buccaneers vs. Seahawks (10%); Kylen Granson, Colts at Raiders (0%)
WEEK 9 DFS: Best stacks | Best values
Week 10 Defense Streamers and Sleepers
WEEK 10 BYES: Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, New England Patriots, New York Jets.
Tennessee Titans (vs. Broncos in Week 10, 33 percent rostered)
As we have learned, Russell Wilson and the Broncos are quite limited, and the Titans have performed pretty well in plus-matchups this season. Come for the sacks, and you’ll more than likely leave with some takeaways in Week 10.
New Orleans Saints (at Steelers, 32%)
The Saints still have plenty of playmakers on defense, and Kenny Pickett has flashed plenty of rookie mistakes this season. As Week 10 road matchups go, this one takes the cake.
Arizona Cardinals (at Rams, 15%)
Arizona may allow a ton of points, but it also makes some big plays here and there. The Cards have registered eight sacks, five takeaways, and three defensive TDs in Weeks 6-8, and the Rams are the second most-sacked team in the NFL. Overall, the Rams were allowing the most FPPG to D/STs entering Week 9.
Las Vegas Raiders (vs. Colts, 14%)
The Raiders haven’t been great on defense, but the Colts entered Week 9 allowing the second-most FPPG to D/STs. Sam Ehlinger is still very raw, and Jonathan Taylor hasn’t looked quite himself all season.
Pittsburgh Steelers (vs. Saints, 14%)
They’re not your grandfather’s Steel Curtain, but they certainly could pay off in Week 10 against a banged-up Saints offense quarterbacked by Andy Dalton. The Saints allowed the fourth-most FPPG to D/STs.
Atlanta Falcons (at Panthers, 12%)
They tend to allow a boatload of points, but they also have multiple defensive TDs over the past few weeks — including one against these same Panthers in Week 8. Thursday night games tend to be sloppy, so you could do worse, that’s all we’re saying.
