We are at Week 10, and the end of bye weeks is on the horizon. This week, however, we are dealing with a big mess of off teams, as the stars of the Colts, Patriots, Chargers, Vikings, Texans and Redskins will be on your bench.
Looking at these teams, I see a big hole in quality QBs, TEs and DEFs, and what do you know? The three most added players are at those precise positions.
The other two players, one RB and WR, seem to be the product of some big headlines around the NFL, and their additions may pay off big time for their owners. With that said, let’s get into the biggest waiver wire movers on Fleaflicker, and who is here to stay.
Top Fleaflicker Players Added For Week 10
Mark Sanchez (QB, PHI) - 4,368 Waiver Wire Adds
What? Mr. Butt Fumble is fantasy-relevant again? Well, an injury to Nick Foles, and byes for Luck, Brady, Rivers and RG3, has made this possible. Last week, Foles cracked his collarbone, and while he won't need surgery, he is going to be out at least six weeks. That left the door open for Philly backup Mark Sanchez to come in and throw for 202 yards on 15-for-22 passing, including two TDs and two picks. While that doesn’t exactly scream ‘add me,’ in most leagues where your starter is off and it’s hard to find quality on waivers, you should take what you can get.
This week, The Sanchize goes up against the overrated Panthers defense on Monday night, and he should be startworthy in leagues where you lost Foles or have your starter on bye. For those that need him the rest of the season, he is right around what you would expect from an average QB. He was perfect with Jeremy Maclin last week, so that should be a plus to his game.
Mychal Rivera (TE, OAK) - 3,307 Waiver Wire Adds
When you have a young QB, he's bound to develop trust with somebody. With Derek Carr, that safety blanket has been Mychal Rivera. The past two weeks, Rivera has earned 20 targets, catching 15 for 121 yards and two scores, both coming last week in Seattle. Like with Sanchez, Rivera might not be the best TE, but when Gronk, Allen, Fleener, Gates, Rudolph, Reed and Daniels are all out, you’ll take what’s available to you. At 27% owned in Fleaflicker leagues, Rivera is widely available.
Rivera has some tough matchups ahead, starting with Denver this week. He is definitely worth adding for this week, but I don’t see him putting up big numbers consistently enough for him to be a weekly starting TE in standard leagues.
Dallas Cowboys (DEF, DAL) - 2,939 Waiver Wire Adds
When you play Jacksonville, you are going to be added in fantasy football. That might as well be in the playbook. The Jags have given up the most points to opposing defenses this season, and that shouldn't change this week, considering how well Dallas has been playing this season.
Dallas goes on bye next week, then comes back against the Giants, Philly, San Diego and the Eagles again. I’m sure there are teams with better matchups, but I would think the Cowboys will be worth starting for that stretch of games.
Adrian Peterson (RB, MIN) - 2,797 Waiver Wire Adds
Well, well, well… look what we have here. I had to stick it to you, but I don’t see Peterson playing this season, By all means, add him, as it wouldn’t be smart to throw away the chance to potentially add the top RB in the game. All I’m saying is, based on what I know right now, I would assume there's a better chance he sits out the remainder of the year. Peterson pled down from his felony charges, so he won’t go to jail. Peterson has been getting paid while he has been out, and Ian Rappaport is saying a suspension is likely to come down when the dust settles. I tend to agree not only with him, but with the punishment, as well.
I would recommend adding Peterson, if for no other reason than you can just dump him if the suspension hits. Remember, you aren’t the Vikings-- adding him back to your team won’t make you a dick.
Mike Evans (WR, TB) - 2,506 Waiver Wire Adds
It’s kind of cool that all five options on this list were from five different positions. I really don’t know about Mike Evans though. I love his last four games, averaging almost nine targets, 85 yards and a TD per game, making him a top-10 WR in that span. Yet all of these stats came from the arm of Mike Glennon, and after a 1-5 start under Glennon, the ball will be given back to Josh McCown. This could mean a million things for Evans, V-Jax and the rest of the Buccaneers offense. One thing it means is that nothing is for sure.
If you can add Evans, I won’t stop you. Even with McCown, Evans has the TD ability and has improved to the point he is startworthy until proven otherwise.
I have developed a general rule from this column: a case can be made to add any and all of the players on this list. However, there is generally a reason these five were not drafted in most leagues. There is obviously a risk in starting every player, and these waiver wire adds might be risky for your teams until you know for sure what you are going to get out of them. Make sure to share your thoughts and comments below; leave any questions you have for me about these guys or anything related to fantasy football. Good luck in Week 10, RotoBallers.