Staying active on the waiver wire is an important way for season-long fantasy owners to improve their teams and get an edge on the competition. Shifts in opportunities for players due to injuries or performance cause value spikes that owners can take advantage of to fill in roster holes to build a championship lineup.
Each week, we will discuss waiver wire targets at each position to consider for both the week ahead and the rest of the fantasy season.
Week 10 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Adds
* Current roster % in home leagues is noted in parentheses (from Sleeper)
Aaron Rodgers, QB (New York Jets) (48%)
Things have not been pretty in New York for Aaron Rodgers in his first full healthy season at the helm for the Jets. That said, the 40-year-old has two strong fantasy matchups coming up and his weapon system got a boost with Davante Adams coming over to reunite with his former Green Bay teammate.
Rodgers had his best fantasy performance of the season last week in a much-needed 21-13 win over a good Texans team. He tossed three touchdowns for the first time in a Jets uniform but still managed just 211 passing yards on 32 attempts.
Both scoring passes went to Garrett Wilson, including the potential catch of the year in the back of the end zone. Giving Wilson a viable second passing option in Adams seemed to unlock his potential in the past two weeks for 203 yards. The Jets take on Arizona and Indianapolis in the next two weeks, both in the bottom 10 in fantasy points allowed to the quarterback. Rodgers is an interesting bye-week replacement option.
Looking for more fantasy football content? Make sure to check out Sean Koerner’s and Chris Raybon’s weekly fantasy football rankings by subscribing to FantasyLabs’ 2024 fantasy football kit to see how other waiver wire candidates look this week.
Jonathon Brooks, RB (Carolina Panthers) (71%)
The running back waiver wire is pretty barren this week, but if rookie Jonathon Brooks is available, he is an obvious pick-up. The second-round pick is slated to make his professional debut this week against the Giants in Germany.
Brooks may take a couple of weeks to work into game shape after the year-long injury, but he was drafted to be the premier tailback in the Carolina offense. He averaged 6.2 yards/parry in his three seasons at Texas with 18 total touchdowns in 19 games played. He was capable of popping explosive runs with multiple 60-yard-plus runs in college and even caught a 73-yard reception.
Chuba Hubbard has looked good this season with 5.0 yards/attempt on the season and a consistent 17-18 touches over the last three games, but with the Panthers not in the playoff race, they should want to see what they have in Brooks. Expect Miles Sanders to drift off into the background when Brooks enters the lineup.
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Quentin Johnston, WR (Los Angeles Chargers) (27%)
The former TCU Horned Frogs wideout is earning a consistent 4-6 targets from Justin Herbert in the Chargers offense. Quintin Johnston turned five targets into four catches for 118 yards and a score on Sunday to finish fifth in wide receiver fantasy points on the week.
Johnston will be a popular waiver wire pick-up after topping the 100-yard receiving mark for the first time in his young career. Expectations should remain tempered a bit as he has not hit a 20% target share since Week 3 and has just two red-zone targets on the season.
Herbert has been much better through the air lately, with a 303.3 average yards/per game over the last three weeks and a pair of touchdown passes in each of the last two games. Johnston remains a unique, big-bodied receiver who can win at the catch point. He certainly has the potential to post more big-time fantasy performances, but they will likely be sporadic with his current target share.
Mike Gesicki, TE (Cincinnati Bengals) (20%)
Chasing last week’s production is not always a winning fantasy football strategy, but there are not many better strategies out there for the current tight end landscape. Mike Gesicki topped the position in fantasy points last week with 100 yards and two touchdowns on five catches.
The Bengals pasted Las Vegas 41-24, and the increased offensive scoring output provided more chances for the veteran tight end. He caught seven balls for 73 yards in Week 8 but amassed just four targets and 24 total receiving yards in the previous four games.
Joe Burrow is willing the Bengals back into playoff contention after an 0-3 start. He has two five-touchdown games on the year and has thrown at least 37 passes each of the last two weeks. One of those explosive games came against the Ravens, who the Bengals see again this weekend. There should be plenty of opportunities for Gesicki to find the end zone again.
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New York Giants, D/ST (6%)
Fantasy players playing the weekly streaming defense strategy should consider New York as this week’s leading option. The Giants face the hapless Panthers offense across the pond in Munich for a Sunday morning game that is likely to have one of the lowest projected totals on the weekend.
The Giants defense has three top-10 fantasy finishes over the last five weeks. They failed to sack Jayden Daniels last Sunday, but Dexter Lawrence and company notched four-straight games previously with at least four sacks. If you believe that turnovers are partly luck, the luck has to change soon for New York as they only have one interception on the season, which came in the opening game against the Vikings.
