Waiver Wire Targets For Week 10 – 2024 Waiver Wire Targets

Quarterback:  

1. Sam Darnold (43% available) Sam Darnold is back on the top of my QBs list.  He’s had a couple of tougher matchups in a row in my opinion, but things should smooth back out for him.  Hockenson is back and will only help things moving forward. 
2. Tua Tagovailoa (57%) – despite the loss, Tua had a solid game.  The Dolphins aren’t taking many deep shots which is odd, but they are also probably trying to keep Tua from being hit hard on deep drops.  I still like Tua moving forward as long as he’s healthy.
3. Bo Nix (42%) – he’s getting a little better every week and he uses his legs.  Nix is a player on the rise.
4. Jared Goff (46%) – the only drawback to Goff is that the Lions can score 40+ points without him having to throw the ball much.  Volume will be tough to come by with Goff most of the year.
5. Joe Flacco (93%) – I don’t care that he had a bad game against Minnesota’s strong defense.  I love Flacco moving forward.  The Colts have an excellent roster.
6. Drake Maye (90%) – he’s a bit too reliant on the TE position, but Maye can scramble well and looks like the real deal to me.  He should be a solid option for you late in the season, but I consider him a backup now.
7. Jameis Winston (91%) – he’ll be boom or bust every week.
8. Caleb Williams (46%) – I want to acknowledge him, but I wouldn’t pick him up while this offensive coaching staff remains in place.  They’re doing him a disservice.  How have they not figured out they need to consistently move the pocket yet?  Geez.

Running Back:

1. Tyrone Tracy (32% available) – available in close to 1/3 of the leagues out there, Tracy is the definite starter for the Giants moving forward in 2024.
2. Bucky Irving (32%) – White is still getting a ton of snaps for Tampa, so Irving’s ceiling is limited.
3. Jonathan Brooks (42%) – I think he has to be activated this week or he’ll miss the rest of the year.  I like Brooks, but Hubbard is playing very well for the Panthers.  Brooks seems to have more of a Irving-like trajectory between his injury recovery and entrenched starter (Hubbard) in Carolina.
4. Tank Bigsby (38%) – he still out-touched Etienne, though Bigsby did NOT start this week.
5. Alexander Mattison (37%) – maybe a new offensive coordinator will help him
6. Keaton Mitchell (96%) – I doubt he’ll play on Thursday this week, but he should be back for week 11.
7. Jaylen Wright (94%) – he’s not playing enough, but he is getting a higher percentage of snaps.  With the Dolphins season looking increasingly grim, I think we’ll see the Wright/Achane combo I’ve been hoping for within the next 4-6 weeks.
8. Zamir White (65%) – the new Raiders offensive coaches may think White should get more snaps.  If you’re desperate and the waiver wire is thin, White may make sense (though I’d rather have Mitchell).
9. Chris Rodriguez (100% available) – there aren’t many RBs available.  Brian Robinson Jr. will keep Rodriguez off the field, but I did like what I saw from the 2^nd year back in mop-up duty for Washington in week 9.

Wide Receiver:

1. Cedric Tillman (52%) – how many touchdowns does this dude have to catch to be rostered in more than half the leagues out there?  Tillman took over for Amari Cooper after the trade and has looked strong in every start.
2. Jauan Jennings (43%) – Jennings is back at practice and should be the 2^nd best WR on the 49ers moving forward.
3. Elijah Moore (92%) – like Tillman, Moore has seen a major uplift in targets since Winston took over the QB role, but he hasn’t really cashed in statistically.  At some point that will change.
4. Xavier Legette (68%) – his stats weren’t great vs the Saints, but I think Legette is your top Panther WR moving forward.  The Panthers look a bit better with Young under center again.  I think they are trending up (but still bad overall).
5. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (100%) – he’s caught touchdowns in 4 straight games.  His targets have also improved dramatically since Hopkins left town.   
6. Parker Washington (96%) – with Christian Kirk out of the lineup, Parker Washington’s role will expand in the offense.  In the two games since Kick went down, Washington has had 10 targets, 6 receptions and 87 yards.  He’s a buy-low candidate with flex-sub potential.
7. Quentin Johnston (80%) – he continues to make big plays for the Chargers, but he will never be a high-volume receiver in this system.
8. Jalen McMillan (64%) – he might not play on MNF, but McMillan is getting a lot of snaps and great looks from Baker.  They just haven’t connected on them yet. 
9. Noah Brown (98%) – his targets have been increasing in recent weeks.
10. Michael Wilson (87%) – he’s a bench filler in my opinion.  The guys above him on this list are the only potential difference makers to me. 
11. Ricky Pearsall (82%) – Jennings is my preferred 49er pickup, but rookies usually pop a bit after a bye week.  It’ll be interesting to see what Pearsall does in week 10. 

Tight End:

1. Hunter Henry (59% available) – Drake Maye loves throwing to Henry.  He’s probably going to be the best Patriot pass catcher moving forward and is arguably a matchup-proof start the rest of the season.
2. Taysom Hill (75%) – the guy is a red zone machine and is good for 5-10 touches per game.
3. Zach Ertz (40%) – The Giants focused on limiting production from Ertz in week 9, but that won’t always happen.  I have no problem plugging Ertz into my starting lineup if needed.
4. Jonnu Smith (87%) – I mentioned above, but I think the Dolphins are keeping passes short and fast to protect Tua in the pocket.  That bodes well for Smith moving forward.
5. Theo Johnson (99%) – Johnson is the only rookie tight end who won the starting job outright in training camp, but the Giants seldom used him in the passing game.  Things look to be changing as he looked like a player who was featured in week 9 rather than someone Jones would throw to as a last resort.  I think the rookie is trending well. 
6. Cole Kmet (43%) – Kmet is an exceptional tight end.  I don’t know how the Bears can’t manage to throw him a single pass in a game they threw it more than 40 times.  This offensive coaching staff is among the worst in the league.  If they make a change (and they will have to soon if the coaching staff wants to keep their jobs), Kmet will have strong value.

Defense:

1. Chicago (57% available) – I like the matchup vs the Patriots in week 10.  The offense is awful, but the Bears defense is good both on the field and in fantasy football.
2. LA Chargers (39%) – I think they are arguably a season-long, matchup-proof start. 
3. Philadelphia (47%) – with Dak’s injury, Philadelphia’s improving defense will be matchup up against Dallas and a struggling backup QB.
4. NY Giants (55%) – while the Panthers are improving, the European games tend to be sloppier and low scoring.  The Giants defense is underrated, but they do rush the QB well.  It’s a good matchup and situation for the Giants this weekend.
5. Cleveland (54%) – they’re on a bye in week 10, but they get to play the Saints in week 11.