Top Players to Add in Week 10
A great draft can make a great team, but leagues are won on the waiver wire. Injuries happen, top draft picks become busts, and no names become household names. Successfully navigating the waiver wire will lead to a winning season.
As a reminder, I’ll be covering Waivers every Tuesday morning right here on football.pitcherlist.com. You can also catch me and Brian Hartman (aka @TooMuch_Brian) on the Waiver podcast every Tuesday morning and the Start/Sit podcast every Thursday morning, wherever you listen to podcasts. If you like my work, give me a follow on Twitter @marioadamojr. With that out of the way, let’s dive into it.
Here are my top five targets, as well as some honorable mentions, to help you win through the wire this week.
An important thing to consider: this article focuses on players who are rostered in 50% or fewer of leagues. There could be players rostered in over 50% of leagues that are available in your league. Be vigilant; watch your league’s Free Agency pool and look for players who were given up on too early.
1. Parker Washington – When the news dropped Friday morning that Travis Hunter would hit IR, it gave me confidence that Brian Thomas Jr. had been given the opportunity to remind us of the player he was last year. Instead, it was our founding father, Parker “George” Washington, leading the way with 9 targets (team high), 8 catches (team high), and 90 yards (you guessed it, team high). In fact, Washington’s catch rate of 89% is higher than Thomas has had in any game this season! I see Washington as the wide receiver to roster, especially while Hunter misses time. Washington is my top wide receiver target.
2. Devin Singletary – I hate to commit a Jr. on Jr. crime, but Tyrone Tracy Jr. might not be the guy. At least that’s what the Giants’ front office seems to think. Devin Singletary out-snapped and outperformed Tracy. The snap count was close, 32 to 25, but when it came to running the ball, there was no contest. Singletary’s 43 yards on 8 carries far outshone Tracy’s 18 yards on 5 carries. Tracy was featured slightly more in the passing game, with double the targets (4 to 2) and more yards, 19 to 8, but not enough to make a meaningful impact. It seems like losing the job to Cam Skattebo affected Tracy more than I initially thought. It appears this backfield will be some form of committee with Singletary taking the lead role. Singletary is my top running back target.
3. Alec Pierce – While the Colts suffered their second loss of the season, Alec Pierce continued to shine. This week was the second time in three weeks that Pierce led the team in targets and yards. In his game where he didn’t lead the team in those categories, he still walked away with two catches and 69 yards, a serviceable day that wouldn’t have lost you the matchup. While Pierce started the season slowly, he’s starting to ramp up as your fantasy team aims for that playoff push. Speaking of playoff push, the Colts have one of the best matchups for fantasy wide receivers in Week 17.
4. Terrell Jennings – This one heavily relies on Rhamondre Stevenson. Stevenson missed practice every day last week and missed the game due to a toe injury. While it seemed TreVeyon Henderson was in line for a big day, the New England coaching staff couldn’t let that happen. Instead, the team elevated Terrell Jennings from the practice squad on Wednesday. Henderson outsnapped Jennnigs 51 to 17, but a majority of that difference came on passing downs, 28 to 4. For running plays, the snap count was much closer, with Henderon having 14 to Jennings’ 11. While Jennings’ run efficiency was worse than Henderson’s, that didn’t matter as Jennings was the one to find the end zone. The coaching staff may envision a deep playoff run in which a healthy Henderson is key as a reason to continue to operate a committee-style backfield. Either way, whoever is beside Henderson will continue to get opportunities.
5. Tory Horton – Let’s be clear, this isn’t a Troy Franklin situation where the WR2 might be the WR1. Jaxon Smith-Njigba is not going anywhere, but there might be a new WR2 in town. Tory Horton is getting the bump simply by being the last wide receiver standing. Cooper Kupp missed the game due to his hamstring and heel, as did Jake Bobo due to his Achilles. Horton saw the second-most targets on the team, including a red zone target. His two touchdowns won’t become a weekly staple, but the second-most targets on a team captained by the pass-happy Sam Darnold is something we can expect to repeat. Horton is my favorite target in deeper leagues.
Others Receiving Votes
Blake Corum, LAR (7% ESPN, 9% Yahoo) – We saw lots of Blake Corum after the Rams game got out of hand. His 13 carries are the most he’s had in a game, and his 4.5 yards per carry are something to take notice of. Corum’s role will continue to be the handcuff of Kyren Williams, but Corum has shown he can plug right in as the number one back of that offense if anything happens to Williams.
Tyjae Spears, TEN (44% ESPN, 45% Yahoo) – Tyjae Spears is someone who was in my top five last week. If it wasn’t for his upcoming bye week, he would crack it again this week. While his numbers aren’t blowing the doors off, he’s getting consistent opportunities, although this was the first time since Week 7 that Tony Pollard out-snapped him. There are rumors that Pollard could be moved at the deadline. If that happens, Spears and his value continue to climb.
Chris Rodriguez Jr., WAS (1% ESPN, 3% Yahoo) – Since I had to talk bad about a Jr., it’s only right I balance it out and hype up another. Admittedly, this one is more of a dart throw, but I like what I’ve been seeing out of Chris Rodriguez Jr. lately. He continues to play the role of pass catcher, and with Jayden Daniels out for an extended period of time, I expect the team to be playing from behind most of the time, which means airing it out. In addition to that, backfield mate Jacory Croskey-Merritt has been disappointing as of late, failing to surpass 41 all-purpose yards in any of his last three games. That gives Rodriguez a chance to get more time.
Sam Darnold, SEA (42% ESPN, 50% Yahoo) – While Sam Darnold started the season with four straight double-digit finishes, he has quickly made up for lost time. In his last four games, he has scored 20 or more points, with the only exception coming against a very tough Denver defense. I see Darnold as a great bye week option or a pivot play for Jayden Daniels managers going forward.
Defense Wins Championships
Unfortunately, the Titans are on bye this week, so we can’t stream the defense that faces them.
Luckily, we have some great options to pivot to.
The Carolina Panthers (3% rostered) are not a team I’d think we’d stream at any point this season, but they’re coming off a great game against the Green Bay Packers and face the New Orleans Saints and Tyler Shough in his second-ever NFL start. The Saints allow the third-most points to opposing defenses.
The New York Jets (9%) have not been impressive this season, but they take on the Cleveland Browns this week. The Browns allow the sixth-most points to opposing defenses.
Photos courtesy of Icon Sportswire
Adapted by Kurt Wasemiller (@kurt_player02 on Instagram & Threads @kuwasemiller.bksy.social on BlueSky)