Bye-nado is officially upon us with the Denver Broncos, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles, and Washington Redskins off this week. That should make it another active week for waivers.
Below are a handful of waiver wire candidates owned in fewer than 50% of fantasy football leagues who you should consider picking up:
Quarterbacks:
— Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders (46% owned): Carr had 20 completions on 31 attempts for 289 yards and two touchdowns in Sunday’s win against the Lions. He has looked good since the team’s Week 6 bye, with at least 285 yards and two touchdowns in each of the past three games. He is an attractive streamer with a high floor in Week 10, even against the Chargers on a short week.
— Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans (18%): Tannehill has been a formidable fantasy option since taking over for Marcus Mariota in Week 7. In Week 9 against the Panthers, he completed 27 of 39 passes for 331 yards and a touchdown. He will face the Chiefs in Week 10, making him a good fill-in for Deshaun Watson, Tom Brady or Carson Wentz.
Running backs:
— Ronald Jones, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (40% owned): Jones had a season-high 18 carries for 67 yards and a touchdown in Sunday’s shootout against the Seahawks. His efforts easily eclipsed Peyton Barber’s four touches for 15 yards, and Jones should be considered the lead back in this offense. The Buccaneers face the Cardinals in Week 10, which should be a nice matchup for Jones.
— Darrell Henderson Jr., Los Angeles Rams (25%): Coming off a Week 9 bye, Henderson may have been dropped in your league by a team who needed the roster space. He is a worthwhile waiver add, as he led the team in rushing in Week 8 and faces less competition in the backfield with Todd Gurley banged up and Malcolm Brown out. Henderson is an extremely valuable handcuff and has standalone flex value within this offense.
— J.D. McKissic, Detroit Lions (12%): Ty Johnson was expected to take over the majority of Kerryon Johnson’s workload after he was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury. Ty has done little with the uptick in carries: He had nine carries for 29 yards and three catches for seven yards in Sunday’s game. His counterpart, McKissic, picked up 32 yards on four carries and had three catches for 40 yards and a touchdown. It would not be surprising if McKissic becomes the workhorse back as the season progresses.
— Ty Montgomery, New York Jets (2%): It was revealed on Monday that Le’Veon Bell suffered a knee injury in Sunday’s loss to the Dolphins that required a MRI. The severity of the injury remains unclear. That said, given the number of touches up for grabs and Bell’s history of knee problems, Montgomery is a clear waiver wire target this week as a high-end handcuff.
Wide receivers:
— DeVante Parker, Miami Dolphins (36% owned): It was revealed on Monday that 2019 undrafted free agent Preston Williams had torn his ACL during a punt return in Sunday’s win over the Jets. Williams was a welcome surprise to a tanking Dolphins team. He will miss the remainder of the season, solidifying Parker’s position as the No. 1 receiver in Miami.
— Zach Pascal, Indianapolis Colts (21%): Targets were distributed evenly on Sunday between Pascal (6), Chester Rogers (5) and Parris Campbell (5) with receiver T.Y. Hilton sidelined with a calf injury. Hilton will be out for three-to-four weeks according to coach Frank Reich. Reich also announced on Monday that Campbell had suffered a hand fracture in Week 9 and will be out for multiple weeks. Pascal caught five of six targets for 76 yards and a touchdown last week and should see more targets now that there is less competition.
— Hunter Renfrow, Oakland Raiders (2%): Renfrow led the Oakland receivers last week with six catches on seven targets for 54 yards and a touchdown. He was targeted three more times than Tyrell Williams, who recently returned from a foot injury. This is the second game in a row with a touchdown for the former fifth-round rookie from Clemson, and it’s evident that he is starting to click within this offense. He has flex appeal in deeper leagues.
— Keelan Cole, Jacksonville Jaguars (< 1%): Very little went right for the Jaguars in their 26-3 loss to the Texans in Week 9. Dede Westbrook sat out the game with a head and neck injury. D.J. Chark caught four of nine targets for 32 yards and Chris Conley caught two of seven targets for 32 yards. It was Cole who led the team with five catches on six targets for 80 yards. It’s difficult to know which Jaguars receiver is going to perform week-to-week, but Cole should be worth an add in deep leagues as a flyer, even with the Jaguars on bye in Week 10.
Tight ends:
— Jonnu Smith, Tennessee Titans (42% owned): Smith had a quiet Week 9 with only three catches on five targets for 18 yards, but he will remain the starter in the Titans offense so long as Delanie Walker is sidelined with an ankle injury. Monitor the injury reports throughout the week, as it appears Walker is getting closer to a return, but not having practiced yet, it is unlikely he is at full strength in Week 10. The Titans have a favorable matchup against the Chiefs, and Smith should end up as a low-end TE1.
— Jacob Hollister, Seattle Seahawks (1%): Hollister snagged two touchdowns and had a season-high four catches on six targets for 37 yards in Sunday’s win against Tampa Bay. He saw more field time than Luke Willson, who is typically more of a blocking tight end. With Russell Wilson having an MVP-caliber season, Hollister could prove valuable down the stretch. His Week 10 matchup is in San Francisco against a tough defense, but he could be a good Zach Ertz substitute given how shallow the tight end position is.
Defenses:
— Indianapolis Colts D/ST (37% owned): The “start defenses against the Dolphins” strategy worked out for fantasy owners through eight weeks with opposing defenses scoring an average of 14.4 points. The Colts defense should take advantage of a good matchup in Week 10.
— New York Giants D/ST (4%): The Giants have streaming appeal this week against Jets quarterback Sam Darnold, who has nine interceptions and two fumbles since returning from mono in Week 6. Darnold was shaky in the Jets’ Week 9 loss and made a number of panicked throws behind the team’s awful offensive line. Unable to shake the ghosts from the New England game, the Giants defense should have good scoring potential in Week 10.




