With the fantasy football season entering its second half, the waiver wire remains arguably the most important tool to make that push for the playoffs.
There are four teams on a bye in Week 10, including the Las Vegas Raiders, Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers and Cleveland Browns.
We’ll be taking a look at the top available players rostered in Yahoo, using the 75% rostered mark (at least 25% availability) as the threshold. If you have any questions about prioritizing a certain player over another, don’t be afraid to hit me up on X, formerly Twitter, (@KevinHickey11). Your questions and comments are always welcome!
We also will be taking a look at some deeper players to stash and the top streaming options for the upcoming week.
Fantasy football waiver wire recommendations refer to 12-team league formats, unless specifically stated.
Check back for any updates throughout Monday and Tuesday as more injury news becomes available.
Priority Free Agents
1. RB Tyrone Tracy Jr., New York Giants
For owners in small or casual leagues: This is likely the final time to scoop Tracy off waivers if he’s still available. He’s completely taken over the backfield and proven to be a far more electric player in both phases of the game than Devin Singletary.
Availability: 31%
FAAB: 20%
2. WR Rome Odunze, Chicago Bears
While Keenan Allen led the way with 10 targets last week, Odunze had a big game with five receptions for 104 yards on seven targets. As long as all three receivers in Chicago are healthy, the ceiling for all three will be capped, but Odunze is a prime candidate to break out in the second half.
Availability: 36%
FAAB: 15%
3. RB Bucky Irving, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Irving and the Bucs play Monday night, so we’ll see how that goes, but the rookie should be rostered in far more leagues. He’s a starting asset every week, even if his ceiling is limited as he splits snaps with Rachaad White.
Availability: 69%
FAAB: 15%
4. RB Jonathon Brooks, Carolina Panthers
The rookie running back is expected to make his highly anticipated debut in Week 10 against the Giants in Germany. Given the fact that it’s his debut and with a bye the following week, Brooks is likely on the bench in fantasy for at least the next two weeks, but he’s a breakout candidate for the final month of the season even with Chuba Hubbard thriving.
Availability: 64%
FAAB: 15%
5. WR Jalen Tolbert, Dallas Cowboys
It remains to be seen what will happen with the injury to CeeDee Lamb (shoulder), but Tolbert would be the main beneficiary if the star wideout missed any time. It also should be noted that Dak Prescott (hamstring) could be on the shelf as well, but Tolbert becomes the de facto WR1 on the depth chart if Lamb needs time to heal.
Availability: 23%
FAAB: 10%
6. WR Xavier Legette, Carolina Panthers
With Diontae Johnson shipped off to Baltimore and Adam Thielen (hamstring) still on the Reserve/Injured list, the passing game has belonged to the rookie. With double-digit PPR points and at least an 18% target share in four of his last six games, Legette is slowly becoming a flex option every week. He has a bye in Week 11, so that’s something to keep in mind, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if Legette is the leading receiver in Carolina for the remainder of the season.
Availability: 73%
FAAB: 10%
7. RB Rico Dowdle, Dallas Cowboys
The disciplinary issues surounding Ezekiel Elliott led to Dowdle’s best game of the season last week. Posting 21.7 PPR points, Dowdle took 12 carries for 75 rushing yards while adding five receptions for 32 receiving yards, and a touchdown. Since Week 3, Dowdle has averaged a 64% running back rush share and 10% target share. Barring Dallas adding a running back at the trade deadline, Dowdle is a back-end RB2 for the remainder of the season.
Availability: 32%
FAAB: 10%
8. WR Quentin Johnston, Los Angeles Chargers
After missing the last two games due to an ankle injury, Johnston made an emphatic return against the Browns. On a 19% target share, Johnston posted a 4-118-1 receiving line while running the second-most routes on the offense. Johnston’s four touchdowns on 18 receptions probably isn’t sustainable, but he’s at least showing a type of upside we didn’t think was there after his dreadful rookie season.
Availability: 84%
FAAB: 5%
9. RB Tank Bigsby, Jacksonville Jaguars
As Travis Etienne (hamstring) returned to the mix, it was again a frustrating split in the Jacksonville backfield. Bigsby isn’t getting enough (or any at all) receiving work to have weekly upside, and it’s likely that he and Etienne simply eat into each other’s value. Still, Bigsby should be rostered in the event he takes over the 1a role.
Availability: 32%
FAAB: 5%
10. WR Jauan Jennings, San Francisco 49ers
Jennings and the 49ers are coming out of the bye week, and he’s missed the last two games with a hip injury. That should be monitored but if he’s healthy, he could have some enticing upside as the Brandon Aiyuk replacement. He’s likely behind Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey (if he returns) in the pecking order for targets, but he’s a worthwhile addition considering his upside.
Availability: 50%
FAAB: 5%
Grab-n-Stash
Suggested FAAB usage for potential stash players shouldn’t exceed more than 5%. It’s best to try to get these players without spending any FAAB at all, if possible.
RB Braelon Allen, New York Jets: The backup to Breece Hall is a strong stash as he becomes an instant RB2 if Hall goes down.
Availability: 67%
RB Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh Steelers: Coming out of the bye week, Warren has double-digit opportunities in each of his last two games.
Availability: 68%
RB Tyler Allgeier, Atlanta Falcons: Bijan Robinson looks great, but Allgeier is still a high-end handcuff.
Availability: 61%
RB Kimani Vidal, Los Angeles Chargers: The rookie has had a modest role behind J.K. Dobbins but is a top handcuff in case of injury.
Availability: 92%
RB Ray Davis, Buffalo Bills: James Cook is having a strong season, but Davis has shown flashes. There’s major upside if Cook gets hurt.
Availability: 79%
RB Keaton Mitchell, Baltimore Ravens: The second-year back could be back soon from last year’s knee injury. If anything monitor his status and potential to take over the receiving role from Justice Hill.
Availability: 90%
Streamers of the Week
QB Daniel Jones at Carolina Panthers (Germany): Jones is coming off his best game of the season with three total touchdowns. He’s averaging 6.7 rushing attempts per game, and Carolina is a top-five matchup for quarterbacks.
Availability: 90%
QB Aaron Rodgers at Arizona Cardinals: With multiple touchdown passes in six of his last eight games, Rodgers is a viable streamer against a Cardinals defense that has allowed the fourth-most passing yards to quarterbacks this season.
Availability: 57%
TE Taysom Hill at Atlanta Falcons: There’s a good chance Chris Olave (concussion) misses this game, leading to a bigger role for Hill, who was the TE1 in Week 4 when facing Atlanta.
Availability: 63%
TE Jonnu Smith at Los Angeles Rams: With at least six targets in each of his last four games, Smith has become a bigger part of the Miami offense. The matchup against Los Angeles is strong enough to warrant another week as a streaming option.
Availability: 91%
New York Giants D/ST at Carolina Panthers (Germany): Overseas games are always risky and while the Giants are spiraling, the defense is good enough to be a solid streaming option against a Panthers offense that has surpassed 20 points just once since Week 5.
Availability: 94%
Chicago Bears D/ST vs. New England Patriots: While rookie Drake Maye has looked solid in a limited sample, New England is still one of the best offenses to target each week given the unit’s limited scoring upside.
Availability: 41%
PK Joshua Karty vs. Miami Dolphins: The rookie kicker is in play for the matchup against Miami in what could be a high-scoring affair.
Availability: 98%
PK Jake Bates at Houston Texans: Back inside for what should be a fun game all around, Bates has been a solid option for managers to consider this season, and he could be utilized more than usual in this matchup.
Availability: 64%
