Quarterbacks
Jimmy Garoppolo SF; FAAB Bid: 10-12% - Garoppolo finally had the breakout game in Kyle Shanahan’s offense that some had been praying for. It honestly didn’t seem like we’d reach that point since the 49ers love to run the ball with Tevin Coleman and Matt Breida . However, last Thursday Jimmy G turned up for 317 yards and four touchdowns against the Cardinals. He’ll face the Cardinals again in Week 11, but next week the 49ers will host the Seahawks on Monday Night Football. Seattle’s pass rush hasn’t been great and hopefully Joe Staley is back to improve the offensive line for San Francisco. The Seahawks surrender over 260 passing yards per game so while he may not rack up four touchdowns in this matchup, he’s still a solid streaming option if you’re missing Tom Brady , Carson Wentz , or Deshaun Watson this week. And if you look at his schedule the rest of the season, he could be a viable fantasy option in the playoffs.
Derek Carr OAK; FAAB Bid: 5-8% - Surprisingly Derek Carr has not been awful as of late. Carr actually leads the league in completion percentage among qualified quarterbacks and he has seven touchdown passes in his last three games with at least 285 passing yards in each outing over that span. He’s had some problems with fumbles as of late, but he’s thrown just four interceptions all season long and the Raiders remaining schedule isn’t terrible. They still play the Chargers (twice), Bengals, Jets, Chiefs, Titans, and Jaguars. The establishment of the Oakland running game has really helped Carr find a groove in the passing game and the Raiders are in the midst of three straight games at home. There’s also the narrative this is the Raiders’ last season in Oakland and they want to go out in style. He’s not quite a top 12 quarterback the rest of the season, but he’s worthy of being a streamer with some upside. This is the best he’s looked in a few years.
Brian Hoyer ; FAAB Bid: 1-2% - Hoyer is the ultimate streamer this week if you’re without Brady, Wentz, or Watson. You probably prefer the long-term values of Garoppolo and Carr more. But Hoyer’s a serviceable quarterback in deeper leagues. He threw three touchdowns this past Sunday and still has a great offensive line protecting him. It’s hard to believe the Colts have gone from Andrew Luck in the preseason to Brian Hoyer in Week 10, but they’re still in the playoff picture at least. The Colts are also without T.Y. Hilton for a couple more weeks so it’s not like Hoyer has the greatest weapons at his disposal. But at least he has a matchup against the Dolphins this week.
Running Backs
Jaylen Samuels PIT; FAAB Bid: 10-15% - It’s really difficult to gauge how much one should spend on Jaylen Samuels . If he’s catching 13 passes every week then throw all your money at him. But realistically when James Conner returns he likely gets relegated to backup duties. However, in back-to-back seasons Conner’s body hasn’t held up, and the Steelers have been forced to turn to a backup running back. Samuels has flashed brilliance in the passing game before. What he did on Sunday isn’t anything new. He’s not the most efficient runner. On 26 carries this season, he has just 60 yards on the ground. His value resides in PPR formats and at this point he’s at least worth rostering for depth and perhaps the Steelers will work him in more on passing downs even when Conner returns. For now, expect Samuels’ ownership to spike this week.
Ronald Jones II TB; FAAB Bid: 8-12% - It’s pretty clear he’s the lead back in Tampa Bay. However, a modest bid is largely in order for Jones who has been very inconsistent even with more work than Peyton Barber and Dare Ogunbowale . Jones rushed for 67 yards and a touchdown, but needed 18 carries to even accumulate that amount of yardage. The offensive line isn’t very good either, but at least the Bucs are out of the woods in terms of the brutal travel they’ve had to endure. Next week they draw the Cardinals at home and it’ll be Tampa’s first true home game since Week 3. You can’t trust Jones enough to start him, but he’s a Flex play in deeper leagues next week and he can be owned based on his workload in this backfield.
Kareem Hunt CLE; FAAB Bid: 6-8% - Hunt is now clear to return after serving his eight-game suspension and he’s ready to make his Browns debut. He barely qualifies as a waiver wire target since he’s just under 60% owned in ESPN and Yahoo leagues. But we’ll still give him some attention because he’s an immensely talented player with some off-field problems stemming from the video that came out last season and a few other public altercations as well. He’s kept a lower profile so far this season and is ready for a fresh start. How much work does he get? It’s tough to tell. The Browns have no reason to take the ball out of Nick Chubb ’s hands and it would take a serious injury to Chubb for Hunt to be an automatic start. The talent alone is enough to roster Hunt so if people are dropping him, and you have an obvious “drop” on your team like Frank Gore per se, then go for it.
Ty Montgomery NYJ; FAAB Bid: 6% - Le’Veon Bell had to get an MRI on his knee on Monday and while the severity of his knee injury is still a little unclear, you should probably look to handcuff him if he is out. And even if you do cuff him, can you really feel that great about a lesser running back in the Jets offense? Bell, as talented as he is, only has two touchdowns to go with 415 rushing yards through eight games. The volume of targets in the passing game with Sam Darnold embracing an easier schedule seemed like Bell could get better as we enter the second half of the season, but this news of an MRI should have Bell owners worried.
Kalen Ballage MIA; FAAB Bid: 5-6% - Even this much seems like a heavy bid for Ballage, but when Mark Walton gets suspended four games you almost feel obligated to give him a look. Walton has been leading the team in carries and touches the last couple weeks and the Dolphins just traded away Kenyan Drake . I hope they kept the receipt because the backfield is a mess right now. Ballage hasn’t been a very good runner, but the opportunities will be there for him if the Dolphins don’t bring in anybody else (although they should). And he is a goal line vulture so that’s just one more thing you can hang your hat on. But don’t be surprised if the Dolphins sign somebody.
Derrius Guice WSH; FAAB Bid: 3-5% - Guice is now in the 21-day window for the Redskins to activate him off IR and on to the 53-man roster. The most likely scenario for Guice is that he’ll make his return in two weeks against the Jets since the team is on Bye next week. Guice has been marred with injuries in his brief career, but he’s a great talent that showed a lot of promise in the preseason. When he does return he’ll have to contend with Adrian Peterson who has at least 75 rushing yards in four straight games. The workload may be hard to come by at first, but Guice is available if you’re in need of some depth at the running back position.
Ryquell Armstead JAC; FAAB Bid: 1-2% - This is more of a “food for thought” recommendation for Leonard Fournette owners. Because it isn’t an awful idea to handcuff Fournette if you can afford the bench spot. Fournette missed 11 games between 2017 and 2018 and while he’s healthy this year, and productive, we have to be wary of his injury history. Fournette is seeing about 20 carries and five-to-six targets per game. If anything happens to him and he goes down, most of that workload should go to Armstead who has looked pretty good at times. For this reason you should also look to handcuff Alexander Mattison in Minnesota considering Dalvin Cook ’s injury history, but Armstead is more widely available.
Honorable Mentions: There are a few guys here worth keeping an eye on. I’ve mentioned Ty Johnson in the past and I do like that he led the team in carries and touches on Sunday against the Raiders. He didn’t do too much with the rushing workload, but not many can in Detroit. J.D. McKissic could be worth looking at in PPR formats. He had four carries for 32 yards to go with three receptions for 40 receiving yards and a touchdown on Sunday. There is always a slight fear that Detroit could bring somebody in. Most recently, Jay Ajayi came in for a workout with Detroit last Friday. He hasn’t signed as of right now, but the Detroit backfield is clouded with mystery as always, and it’s more likely they sign someone this week. Lastly, Trey Edmunds is worth keeping an eye on as well, but his value is also dependent on James Conner . Edmunds saw a dozen carries and turned it into 73 rushing yards. You can’t bid too much for a guy like Edmunds because he would need a lot to go his way. If anything, he’s a deeper league addition.
Wide Receivers
Jamison Crowder NYJ; FAAB Bid: 12-15% - Crowder’s under 60% owned and is a PPR value the rest of the season. The schedule is easier for the Jets and while Darnold still had his struggles on Sunday against Miami, Crowder saw a solid amount of work. He caught eight-of-nine targets for 83 yards and a touchdown on and has 28 targets in his last four games. He looks to be the top option in the Jets passing game and while that may not excite too many people, Crowder can be a flex play in PPR formats.
Zach Pascal IND; FAAB Bid: 7-8% - Obviously the injury to Jacoby Brissett didn’t look good, but Brian Hoyer is an experienced quarterback who can step in and still help a team win. With T.Y. Hilton out the next couple weeks there’s an opportunity for Pascal to excel. He has three touchdowns in his last three games. Hoyer really seemed to favor Pascal once he came in so hopefully this is a connection that can continue to develop in the coming weeks with Brissett out in the short-term. Parris Campbell is another option worth looking at as well in deeper leagues, but make sure you prioritize Pascal first.
DeVante Parker /Preston Williams MIA; FAAB Bid: 7-8% - As of right now, Preston Williams has an MRI set for Monday, but it’s hard to not notice what both players are doing. Parker carries a little more upside because he has four touchdowns in his last five games. Williams found the end zone twice on Sunday, but we’re all holding our breath hoping the injury isn’t serious. Williams actually has 49 targets in his last six games and the Dolphins don’t necessarily have a terrible schedule coming up. Yes they’ll play the Bills once again, but they also draw the Colts, Browns, Eagles, Jets, Giants, and Bengals through Week 16. Update: Preston Williams no longer needs to be added as he is now done for the year. This definitely gives Parker more intrigue though.
Hunter Renfrow OAK; FAAB Bid: 5-6% - Here’s a guy that’s available in virtually every fantasy football league. Renfrow has gradually been getting more involvement in the Oakland offense over the past couple weeks including touchdowns in back-to-back games. You can’t expect the touchdowns to become a consistent pattern especially when there are larger targets in the offense like Tyrell Williams and Darren Waller . But there’s no reason Renfrow can’t be a solid PPR option for the Raiders. This is all speculation since this was his first game with at least six targets since Week 2. But keep in mind the next four games are against the Chargers, Bengals, Jets, and Chiefs. Those are some favorable matchups for the Oakland receivers.
Keelan Cole JAC; FAAB Bid: 2-5% - A lot of people are speculating that Nick Foles could return after Jacksonville’s Bye and take over the starting quarterback job from Gardner Minshew. Minshew had a really bad game in London this past week, there’s no point in arguing that. But the Jags at least have options. If they go with Foles, Dede Westbrook is a popular add off waivers if he’s available. Those two had great chemistry in the preseason, but Westbrook was inactive for Sunday’s game with a shoulder injury and Cole stepped up and had a nice game to the tune of five catches on six targets for 80 yards. Cole’s not the biggest add of the week especially since he’s off next week, but if Westbrook’s injury sidelines him for quite some time, then Cole is a solid deep-league addition.
Tight Ends
Ryan Griffin NYJ; FAAB Bid: 4-5% - I wasn’t wildly optimistic about Griffin after his two-touchdown performance last week. But I’m feeling better about him this week after he saw eight targets. Chris Herndon still hasn’t played, but when he does return his presence will impact Griffin’s numbers a bit. And yes, Herndon is still worthy of a waiver claim although it’s frustrating for those who have been sitting on him. For now, Griffin is a good add on a week-to-week basis. Griffin almost came down with another touchdown on Sunday, but it was overturned after review showed he didn’t have control of the ball. He still finished with six catches for 50 yards.
Darren Fells HOU; FAAB Bid: 3-5% - Fells made the article last week after a two-touchdown game and despite the fact he had just one catch for one yard on Sunday, it did come on a touchdown reception. So he now has five touchdowns in his last five games and six touchdowns in his last seven games. At this point with tight ends you’ll take any kind of production if you don’t own any of the studs at the position. The Texans are off next week and then they have some difficult matchups on the horizon. In the short-term you can turn to the other guys on this list, but don’t sleep on Fells after Houston’s week off.
Mike Gesicki MIA; FAAB Bid: 2-5% - With the way the Tight End position has gone this year it should come as no surprise that a tight end from the Dolphins cracked the Waiver Wire column. And fantasy football is a bit of a reactionary game, but Gesicki has a decent schedule the rest of the way and you just hope Ryan Fitzpatrick can keep the Fitzmagic alive a little longer. Gesicki caught all six of his targets on Sunday for 95 yards, but he still hasn’t found the end zone this season. This is what the Dolphins were hoping to get when they drafted Gesicki in the second round of the 2018 draft. Will the games always be this good? No, we’re still talking about the Dolphins here. But the schedule is a bit soft going forward and consistency has been hard to find at tight end. Even if he cools off you can drop him for another player.
Defense/Special Teams
Indianapolis Colts (vs. MIA) – This is the obvious D/ST to stream for Week 10, but it’s not as obvious as it once was. The Dolphins haven’t been pushovers lately and Ryan Fitzpatrick looked good last Sunday, albeit against the Jets. But the Fins will be without Preston Williams and Mark Walton next week. On ESPN standard scoring for D/ST’s, the Colts have at least eight fantasy points in their last four games. For a streamer, that’s all you’re really looking at and you can easily get that this week from Indy.
Baltimore Ravens (at CIN) – If the Ravens can put up 12 fantasy points against the Patriots, just imagine what they can do against the Cincinnati Bengals. They held the Patriots to 342 yards of offense and forced some crucial turnovers last Sunday night. This isn’t the same dominant defense we’re used to from Baltimore, but they’re getting better. After totaling -12 fantasy points in Weeks Three and Four, they’ve since scored 44 points in their last four games. They’re certainly playable this week against the Bengals, but you may consider dropping them with matchups against the Texans, Rams, and 49ers on deck.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (vs. ARI) – I don’t love the Bucs this week considering they’re hosting the Cardinals, who have been looking much better on offense lately. But Tampa is finally playing a true home game after their World Tour of Losses, save for their surprising road win over the Rams. Prior to all their travel the Bucs were averaging nine fantasy points per game across the first four weeks. They’ll give up points and yards as this game could be a shootout, but it’s not an awful streaming option if you can’t land one of the above teams.