Week 9 saw a bunch of players enter Sunday with legitimate question marks about their health status, and we only added to that list heading into Week 10. There's going to be a ton to keep track of this week, which makes it pretty surprising that Monday was a relatively quiet day for news.
I say relatively because it's not like we didn't get any news. We learned, for example, that Chase Edmonds is likely heading to the IR with an ankle injury, and that both Sam Darnold (shoulder) and Trevor Lawrence (ankle) could be in doubt for Week 10. We also learned that Russell Wilson will make his return from finger surgery this week, a welcome sign for Tyler Lockett and DK Metcalf's value.
And, of course, we saw David Montgomery make a somewhat surprising return from his knee injury on Monday night football, where he reclaimed his spot as the Bears' lead running back. He had 13 carries for 63 yards and two targets for 17 yards, so it wasn't a huge performance, but he played 84% of the snaps, so any concerns about Khalil Herbert cutting into his role can be safely put to bed. The Bears are on bye in Week 10, but Justin Fields' improved play over the past two weeks -- including Monday, when he had 291 yards on 29 attempts and rushed eight times for 45 yards -- is a very good sign for Montgomery and the Bears offense moving forward.
Of course, we also saw both Allen Robinson and Chase Claypool exit the game in the fourth quarter with injuries, so that's two more to keep track of this week. This going to be a busy week yet again, and we're here to help you keep track of it all. For more on what will be another busy week for Fantasy, make sure you tune in to Fantasy Football Today on CBS Sports HQ at noon ET, and for help locking in your waiver-wire claims join Heath Cummings and Adam Aizer on the FFT YouTube stream tonight at 8 p.m., where we'll be taking your questions live for an hour. If you've got any questions before then, as always, you can email me at Chris.Towers@ViacomCBS.com with the subject line "#AskFFT" to be included this week -- including in tomorrow's trade mailbag.
And here's what we've got on tap in today's newsletter:
- ➕Top Week 10 Waiver Wire Targets
- 📈Week 10 Rankings📉
➕Top Week 10 Waiver Wire Targets
Hopefully, this week's waiver options will be able to make an impact, and there are a few who certainly have the opportunity. You can find Jamey's entire breakdown here. We're gonna need the help:
Jamey Eisenberg's top targets
- Devonta Freeman, RB, BAL (64%) -- If you ask me, Freeman is a pretty boring Fantasy option to prioritize on waivers. He has topped out at 13 carries in a game and has averaged 58.3 yards from scrimmage over his past three games. If it wasn't for a touchdown in each, he'd be easy to ignore, especially with the fact that it's not altogether clear he is likely to remain the lead back with Latavius Murray eventually coming back from an ankle sprain. However, if you need a short-term starter, Freeman does get the Dolphins this week, which is a good enough reason to add him. He's RB27 for me this week.
- Jordan Howard, RB, PHI (38%) -- The case for Howard is very similar to the case for Freeman, except he has a more obvious deadline for his loss of Fantasy relevance and his matchup this week is not as good. Howard is what he is: A plodder who gets exactly what is blocked for him and can be an effective goal-line option, especially alongside a mobile quarterback. If he scores a touchdown, he'll be fine. If not, maybe he'll get you five points. How much you want to go after him depends on how badly you need a body this week.
- Rhamondre Stevenson, RB, NE (26%) -- If you're looking for upside on the wire, Stevenson is the best running back of the bunch, I think. Of course, he left Week 9's game with a head injury, just after starter Damien Harris did. Stevenson doesn't have a guaranteed Fantasy-relevant role, but he's the only Patriots running back they've really shown trust in as both a runner and a receiver, so if he did get the chance to play an extended role without Harris, I think, he would be even better than Harris. If you've got a roster spot to play with, I'd rather use it on Stevenson if I don't need something this week.
- Brandon Aiyuk, WR, SF (50%) -- Aiyuk was my "beat the waiver wire" recommendation for last weekend, and he came through for me. His role has been trending up as we've heard positive reports about his improvements behind the scenes, and they manifested in his biggest game of the season in Week 9, with six catches for 89 yards and a touchdown. Aiyuk was a first-round pick who showed superstar upside in 2020, and it's worth taking a chance on that kind of talent on waivers, even if San Francisco isn't exactly an ideal situation with Trey Lance potentially taking over as starter for Jimmy Garoppolo before long.
- Michael Gallup, WR, DAL (45%) -- Gallup is expected to make his return from IR in Week 10, after sitting out since suffering a calf injury in Week 1. He should be fully ready for his typical role after the Cowboys opted not to bring him back last week to give him an extra week of rest. In the short term, he's likely to be more like a boom-or-bust WR4, but you want a piece of an offense like the Cowboys, and Gallup is the cheapest way to get one. There's big upside here if anything happens to Amari Cooper or CeeDee Lamb, both of whom were banged up entering Week 9.
A few other options ...
- The top QB streamer: Taylor Heinicke, WAS (20%) -- It's not a great week for streamers, really, as Heinicke is my QB16 and he's the highest-ranked player rostered in fewer than 70% of leagues. If you've been frustrated by the play of guys like Patrick Mahomes or Ryan Tannehill, you're not likely to find better options on the wire. Heinicke does at least get the Buccaneers, who should give him plenty of opportunities for volume and garbage time points.
- A deeper-league RB: Eno Benjamin, ARI (0%) -- With Edmonds expected to miss at least three weeks, Benjamin could be in line for around 10 carries per week. Assuming Conner remains the primary option in the passing game like he was in Week 9, Benjamin has limited appeal, but could surprise.
- An upside WR target: Elijah Moore, NYJ (14%) -- Moore is coming off his best game in Week 9 and has 13 catches for 151 yards over his past two. The Jets still aren't a good offense and his recent success has come with Corey Davis out, which is worth noting. But Moore has plenty of potential and the Jets viewed him as their potential No. 1 WR of the future when they picked him. Maybe he'll justify their faith down the stretch.
- The top TE streamer: Logan Thomas, WAS (50%) -- Thomas isn't actually a streamer, necessarily. For one thing, we're not 100% sure he'll be back from IR this week, though we do expect that. For another thing, Thomas should be a lot better than just a streamer if he's healthy. He was off to a disappointing start to the season from a yardage standpoint but still averaged 11.2 PPR points per game in three before the injury. If you've had TE problems, he could solve them.
📈Week 10 Rankings📉
Here's where things stand for me in my first run through of the Week 10 rankings for PPR leagues. You can find Jamey, Dave, and Heath's rankings right here:
Quarterbacks
This is a pretty chalky week at QB. Joe Burrow is the only one of the top quarterbacks on a bye, and with Russell Wilson expected back from his finger injury, things more or less look how we expected them to be at the top of the position for Week 10.
The one exception is probably Patrick Mahomes, who ranks sixth for the week, in what feels like a generous ranking. This is probably the lowest Mahomes has ever been ranked since becoming the superstar we know him as, and it's still giving him a lot of credit -- his 17.2 points per game over the past five rank 22nd at the position. The Chiefs still have an implied total of 27.25 for the matchup against the Raiders, so Vegas still believes in them, and Mahomes has accounted for 84% of the team's offensive touchdowns, so if they're going to put up 27, Mahomes is probably going to be a big part of that.
The question is whether you actually believe they'll put up 27. It's hard to trust right now, that's for sure.
- Lamar Jackson @MIA
- Tom Brady @WAS
- Josh Allen @NYJ
- Dak Prescott vs. ATL
- Justin Herbert vs. MIN
- Patrick Mahomes @LV
- Jalen Hurts @DEN
- Kyler Murray vs. CAR
- Matthew Stafford @SF
- Russell Wilson @GB
- Derek Carr vs. KC
- Carson Wentz vs. JAX
- Ryan Tannehill vs. NO
- Kirk Cousins @LAC
- Aaron Roders vs. SEA
- Taylor Heinicke vs. TB
- Teddy Bridgewater vs. PHI
- Matt Ryan @DAL
- Ben Roethlisberger vs. DET
- Jacoby Brissett vs. BAL
- Jimmy Garoppolo vs. KC
- Trevor Lawrence @IND
- Jared Goff @PIT
- Baker Mayfield @NE
Running backs
We learned Monday that the Cardinals are likely to be without Chase Edmonds for at least three games and potentially twice as long as that as he suffered a high-ankle sprain. Which could be very good news for James Conner, and for those of you with Conner on your rosters.
Conner rushed for 96 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries in Week 9's win over the 49ers, which was a big deal, but the fact that he added another touchdown and 77 yards on five catches is what really stuck out. Conner, who hadn't played more than 55% of the snaps in any game prior, logged a 77% snap share in Edmonds' absence, and if that's indicative of the kind of work he might see moving forward, Conner might be a top-12 RB. I'm not saying he will be, but that's the upside if he's going to be a true three-down back.
And, as you can see in my rankings for Week 10, that's enough to land him just ahead of Nick Chubb in PPR scoring. Chubb has a tough matchup on the way against the Patriots and doesn't have the kind of passing game role Conner showed in Week 9. It might seem hard to believe, but the upside really is that high for Conner.
- Najee Harris vs. DET
- Christian McCaffrey @ARI
- Austin Ekeler vs. MIN
- D'Andre Swift @PIT
- Jonathan Taylor vs. JAX
- Dalvin Cook @LAC
- Alvin Kamara @TEN
- Ezekiel Elliott vs. ATL
- Cordarrelle Patterson @DAL
- Aaron Jones vs. SEA
- Leonard Fournette @WAS
- Darrell Henderson @SF
- James Robinson @IND
- James Conner vs. CAR
- Nick Chubb @NE
- Elijah Mitchell vs. KC
- Darrel Williams @LV
- Antonio Gibson vs. TB
- Devin Singletary @NYJ
- Myles Gaskin vs. BAL
- Michael Carter vs. BUF
- Josh Jacobs vs. KC
- Alex Collins @GB
- Damien Harris vs. CLE
- Melvin Gordon vs. PHI
- Javonte Williams vs. PHI
- Devonta Freeman @MIA
- Tony Pollard vs. ATL
- Kenyan Drake vs. KC
- Nyheim Hines vs. JAX
- Jordan Howard @DEN
- AJ Dillon vs. SEA
- Adrian Peterson vs. NO
- Mike Davis @DAL
- Ty Johnson vs. BUF
- J.D. McKissic vs. TB
- Rhamondre Stevenson vs. CLE
- Jeremy McNichols vs. NO
- Jamaal Williams @PIT
- Boston Scott @DEN
- Matt Breida @NYJ
- Alexander Mattison @LAC
- Kenneth Gainwell @DEN
- Mark Ingram @TEN
- Sony Michel @SF
- Brandon Bolden vs. CLE
- Jaret Patterson vs. TB
- Eno Benjamin vs. CAR
Wide receivers
Which wide receivers are going to make a big second-half contribution after being quiet in the first half? It's a trend we see every year, where either injuries derail players early on or young players -- rookies especially -- need some time to get acclimated to the NFL before they are ready to make an impact. Either way, catching a WR just before they take off is a good way to put yourself in position for a playoff run.
I think the rookies are a good place to look. Guys like DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle have been good, but they haven't been great yet. However, both showed flashes of that in Week 9, so this could be a good opportunity to buy before the breakout happens. Elijah Moore, Rashod Bateman, and Brandon Aiyuk have all shown promising signs over the past few weeks as well, and I'm betting all three will see bigger roles moving forward. And one veteran I'm willing to bet on? Julio Jones, who played 75% of the snaps in Week 9 and hopefully is getting past the hamstring injuries that have derailed his first year in Tennessee. His per-target numbers are still very good, so if Jones can stay healthy, I'm anticipating a big second half.
Those guys aren't all ranked in Week 10 as if the breakout will happen. But the whole point is to try to snag them before they actually hit.
- Cooper Kupp @SF
- Tyreek Hill @LV
- Davante Adams vs. SEA
- A.J. Brown vs. NO
- Stefon Diggs @NYJ
- Justin Jefferson @LAC
- Keenan Allen vs. MIN
- D.K. Metcalf @GB
- Chris Godwin @WAS
- Terry McLaurin vs. TB
- Marquise Brown @MIA
- Mike Evans @WAS
- Deebo Samuel vs. KC
- CeeDee Lamb vs. ATL
- Diontae Johnson vs. DET
- Michael Pittman vs. JAX
- Robert Woods @SF
- Amari Cooper vs. ATL
- D.J. Moore @ARI
- DeAndre Hopkins vs. CAR
- Tyler Lockett @GB
- Jaylen Waddle vs. BAL
- Adam Thielen @LAC
- Mike Williams vs. MIN
- Jerry Jeudy vs. PHI
- Emmanuel Sanders @NYJ
- Cole Beasley @NYJ
- Hunter Renfrow vs. KC
- Jarvis Landry @NE
- Jakobi Meyers vs. CLE
- Julio Jones vs. NO
- DeVonta Smith @DEN
- Chase Claypool vs. DET
- Courtland Sutton vs. PHI
- Marvin Jones @IND
- Brandon Aiyuk vs. KC
- Laviska Shenault @IND
- Rashod Bateman @MIA
- Jamison Crowder vs. BUF
- Tim Patrick vs. PHI
- Corey Davis vs. BUF
- Zach Pascal vs. JAX
- Rondale Moore vs. CAR
- Russell Gage @DAL
- Mecole Hardman @LV
- Christian Kirk vs. CAR
- A.J. Green vs. CAR
- Marquez Callaway @TEN
Tight ends
How many tight ends can you trust right now for Fantasy? I think there might be a dozen in Week 10, actually. That depends on whether Logan Thomas is able to be cleared from the IR and to a lesser extent on whether Trevor Lawrence's ankle injury keeps him out, but I think you can legitimately go a dozen names deep with guys I would feel pretty good about starting.
And the list might be even longer than that, really. Tyler Higbee is seeing a healthy target share and is in the top-10 in the entire NFL among all positions in targets inside of the 10-yard line. His luck could turn at any point. And Noah Fant still has worlds of potential as he (hopefully) returns from the reserve/COVID-19 list, while Dawson Knox proved to be a dangerous red zone target for Josh Allen and could be back from his broken hand this week as well.
We've been tricked before, but it's looking like tight end might not be such a disaster anymore.
- Travis Kelce @LV
- Darren Waller vs. KC
- George Kittle vs. KC
- Mark Andrews @MIA
- Kyle Pitts @DAL
- T.J. Hockenson @PIT
- Dalton Schultz vs. ATL
- Mike Gesicki vs. BAL
- Dallas Goedert @DEN
- Dan Arnold @IND
- Pat Freiermuth vs. DET
- Logan Thomas vs. TB
- Tyler Higbee @SF
- Noah Fant vs. PHI
- Dawson Knox @NYJ
- Zach Ertz vs. CAR
- Hunter Henry vs. CLE
- Tyler Conklin @LAC
- Jared Cook vs. MIN
- Adam Trautman @TEN
- David Njoku @NE
- Austin Hooper @NE
- O.J. Howard @WAS
- Cameron Brate @WAS
Top-150 Flex RankingsNajee Harris vs. DET
- Christian McCaffrey @ARI
- Austin Ekeler vs. MIN
- Cooper Kupp @SF
- Tyreek Hill @LV
- Davante Adams vs. SEA
- D'Andre Swift @PIT
- Jonathan Taylor vs. JAX
- Dalvin Cook @LAC
- Travis Kelce @LV
- Alvin Kamara @TEN
- A.J. Brown vs. NO
- Ezekiel Elliott vs. ATL
- Stefon Diggs @NYJ
- Cordarrelle Patterson @DAL
- Justin Jefferson @LAC
- Aaron Jones vs. SEA
- Keenan Allen vs. MIN
- Leonard Fournette @WAS
- Darren Waller vs. KC
- D.K. Metcalf @GB
- Chris Godwin @WAS
- Terry McLaurin vs. TB
- Marquise Brown @MIA
- Darrell Henderson @SF
- James Robinson @IND
- Mike Evans @WAS
- Deebo Samuel vs. KC
- CeeDee Lamb vs. ATL
- James Conner vs. CAR
- Diontae Johnson vs. DET
- George Kittle vs. KC
- Michael Pittman vs. JAX
- Nick Chubb @NE
- Elijah Mitchell vs. KC
- Robert Woods @SF
- Mark Andrews @MIA
- Amari Cooper vs. ATL
- D.J. Moore @ARI
- Kyle Pitts @DAL
- Darrel Williams @LV
- DeAndre Hopkins vs. CAR
- Antonio Gibson vs. TB
- Devin Singletary @NYJ
- Tyler Lockett @GB
- Jaylen Waddle vs. BAL
- Adam Thielen @LAC
- Myles Gaskin vs. BAL
- T.J. Hockenson @PIT
- Mike Williams vs. MIN
- Jerry Jeudy vs. PHI
- Emmanuel Sanders @NYJ
- Cole Beasley @NYJ
- Hunter Renfrow vs. KC
- Jarvis Landry @NE
- Michael Carter vs. BUF
- Dalton Schultz vs. ATL
- Jakobi Meyers vs. CLE
- Julio Jones vs. NO
- Josh Jacobs vs. KC
- Alex Collins @GB
- DeVonta Smith @DEN
- Chase Claypool vs. DET
- Courtland Sutton vs. PHI
- Mike Gesicki vs. BAL
- Damien Harris vs. CLE
- Marvin Jones @IND
- Brandon Aiyuk vs. KC
- Melvin Gordon vs. PHI
- Dallas Goedert @DEN
- Javonte Williams vs. PHI
- Devonta Freeman @MIA
- Laviska Shenault @IND
- Dan Arnold @IND
- Rashod Bateman @MIA
- Jamison Crowder vs. BUF
- Tony Pollard vs. ATL
- Kenyan Drake vs. KC
- Tim Patrick vs. PHI
- Corey Davis vs. BUF
- Zach Pascal vs. JAX
- Nyheim Hines vs. JAX
- Rondale Moore vs. CAR
- Russell Gage @DAL
- Mecole Hardman @LV
- Pat Freiermuth vs. DET
- Christian Kirk vs. CAR
- Jordan Howard @DEN
- A.J. Green vs. CAR
- AJ Dillon vs. SEA
- Adrian Peterson vs. NO
- Logan Thomas vs. TB
- Mike Davis @DAL
- Ty Johnson vs. BUF
- Tyler Higbee @SF
- J.D. McKissic vs. TB
- Marquez Callaway @TEN
- Rhamondre Stevenson vs. CLE
- Jeremy McNichols vs. NO
- Elijah Moore vs. BUF
- Noah Fant vs. PHI
- Van Jefferson @SF
- Jamal Agnew @IND
- Jamaal Williams @PIT
- Dawson Knox @NYJ
- Boston Scott @DEN
- K.J. Osborn @LAC
- Zach Ertz vs. CAR
- Matt Breida @NYJ
- Hunter Henry vs. CLE
- Amon-Ra St. Brown @PIT
- Nelson Agholor vs. CLE
- Tyler Conklin @LAC
- Alexander Mattison @LAC
- Kenneth Gainwell @DEN
- Jared Cook vs. MIN
- Adam Trautman @TEN
- Mark Ingram @TEN
- Bryan Edwards vs. KC
- Sony Michel @SF
- Kendrick Bourne vs. CLE
- Brandon Bolden vs. CLE
- Jaret Patterson vs. TB
- Allen Lazard vs. SEA
- Donovan Peoples-Jones @NE
- David Njoku @NE
- Eno Benjamin vs. CAR
- Austin Hooper @NE
- Deonte Harris @TEN
- Robby Anderson @ARI
- O.J. Howard @WAS
- Deejay Dallas @GB
- Cameron Brate @WAS
- Marquez Valdes-Scantling vs. SEA
- JaMycal Hasty vs. KC
- Sammy Watkins @MIA
- Tajae Sharpe @DAL
- Demarcus Robinson @LV
- Le'Veon Bell @MIA
- Mo Alie-Cox vs. JAX
- Preston Williams vs. BAL
- Anthony Firkser vs. NO
- Salvon Ahmed vs. BAL
- Olamide Zaccheaus @DAL
- D'Ernest Johnson @NE
- Quez Watkins @DEN
- Dyami Brown vs. TB
- Adam Humphries vs. TB
- Derrick Gore @LV
- Kenny Stills @TEN
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