Even when you think you've got this fantasy football thing figured out, it turns out you don't. Last week, for example, I originally put Corey Clement on this list--I liked how he'd been looking and his usage was trending upwards. But then the Eagles traded for Jay Ajayi and I went back into the article about fifteen minutes before it went up and crossed out by Clement thoughts because, well...why would you want to own someone who would be, at best, the Eagles third option at running back?
Well, we all know what happened there--Clement scored three touchdowns. Again, sometimes these things don't make sense. Sometimes teams play much better (the Jets in their Thursday win against Buffalo) or much worse (Tampa against the Saints on Sunday) than you expect and it really impacts how the fantasy outcomes go.
But we must look forward. Week 10 is on the horizon. By now, many players have settled into their roles, which makes this list so much harder to figure out. Is there still someone sitting out there who can help you win your league? Maybe! But we can't confidently say that anymore like we could earlier in the season. Let's look at deeper waiver wire targets and sleepers for Week 10, players whose ownership is currently under 20% and are likely available in many of your leagues. Note: All ownership percentages are for Yahoo leagues.
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Deeper Waiver Wire Targets for Week 10
QUARTERBACKS
Jay Cutler, Miami Dolphins - 14% owned
Don't laugh, but Cutler has thrown multiple touchdown passes in his past three games and has the following matchups still to come this season: New England (twice), Tampa Bay, Denver (whose defense seems to have forgotten how to play defense), and Kansas City (whose defense has also forgotten a lot of the basics of defense). Last week, Matt Moore played in place of an injured Cutler and looked terrible, which means any pressure on Cutler's starting job has been erased. He's a good streaming option.
RUNNING BACKS
Thomas Rawls, Seattle Seahawks - 12% owned
Trusting the Seattle backfield at this point feels like trusting your family's future to some old Enron stocks you found in the bottom of your desk. (Quick aside: my father almost invested in Enron AFTER the scandal, when the stock prices got so low that we could actually afford to buy a bunch of shares. I'm talking about when the shares reached under a dollar. His idea was that for a few hundred bucks we could be set up nicely for when the company recovered. I'm very glad he was talked out of this).
Where was I? Oh, yeah--Rawls is such a boring option that I just told a story to distract myself from writing about him, but he should be the main back if Eddie Lacy's groin injury ends up being serious. If nothing else, he's a good dart for Week 11 and Week 12, when the Seahawks play Atlanta and then San Francisco.
Corey Clement, Philadelphia Eagles - 1% owned
Here is what I wrote last week before I crossed it out: "Trusting the Eagles backfield is a very bad decision, but hear me out: Clement has supplanted Wendell Smallwood as the team's primary backup to LeGarrette Blount. He had ten touches against the 49ers. Blount has been pretty inefficient. Clement could be in for an increase in his workload."
Here is my current update: Clement has looked good enough that I'd expect his role to continue despite the addition of Jay Ajayi. He can be valuable in the passing game and can turn his limited touches into big plays.
Peyton Barber, Tampa Bay Buccaneers - 0% owned
With Doug Martin finishing Sunday's loss to the Saints with less than 10 rushing yards and the entire Buccaneers offense struggling, one could do worse than to grab Barber and hope he develops a role as the team tries to fix whatever's wrong. 11 carries for 34 yards and two catches for 20 isn't eye popping stuff, but Barber seems to have grabbed the number two spot in Tampa and could do something with it if Doug Martin continues to look ineffective.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Terrance Williams, Dallas Cowboys - 10% owned
Williams comes with two important caveats. 1) He might be hurt, since he left the game late and never returned. This would obviously keep you from picking him up. 2) Dez Bryant might be hurt, which then makes Williams a very, very good add. But if we presume neither is true--that Williams and Bryant play next week--then Williams still holds upside. The Falcons aren't great against the passing game.
Deonte Thompson, Buffalo Bills - 4% owned
I would advise looking at Thompson only in the deepest leagues despite the fact that two of his past three games have been huge in terms of fantasy numbers. The main reason? Kelvin Benjamin is going to push Thompson down the depth chart. The Bills just don't throw the ball enough to make multiple receivers fantasy relevant, and Benjamin is too good not to see the ball. Thompson will likely be the player who sees the biggest drop in targets. Still, he's shown an ability to make plays downfield, so there are worse options.
TIGHT ENDS
Benjamin Watson, Baltimore Ravens - 17% owned
You don't get much of a ceiling, but Watson has been targeted five or more times in five of his nine games, including ten targets this week. He's on a bye next week, but he could be a solid play for owners who are desperate at tight end.
Julius Thomas, Miami Dolphins - 15% owned
Thomas finally found the end zone this week and he seems to be getting more involved in the offense as time goes by, especially if we disregard Week 8's poor performance, which came with Matt Moore at quarterback. If Cutler and Thomas continue to gain some trust, we could see more games where he performs closer to how he did this week--six catches, 84 yards, and that aforementioned touchdown.
C.J. Fiedorowicz, Houston Texans - 10% owned
Fiedorowicz is set to return from the IR this week and could bring some much needed consistency to Houston's tight end position. He had four catches for 46 yards in the only action he's seen this season. Fiedorowicz is a good streaming option in deeper leagues.
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