Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: Steelers' Trey Edmunds, Giants' Darius Slayton Among Top Pickup Options
Matt Citak
(CBS Boston)- Ladies and gentlemen, we are in the home stretch.
With Week 10 upon us, we have entered the final month of the fantasy football regular season. There are only four weeks remaining until the start of most fantasy playoffs, which means you have just a few more weeks to solidify your spot in the postseason.
We are currently smack in the middle of the brutal stretch of bye weeks, as six teams have the week off in Week 10. The Patriots, Texans, Broncos, Eagles, Redskins and Jaguars won't be suiting up this weekend, which means many fantasy owners will be scrambling for replacements on waivers.
Whether you are looking for a one-week starter or a long-term stash, you have come to the right place. Here are the top waiver wire adds heading into Week 10.
QB Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans- It was another productive day for Ryan Tannehill as he completed 27-of-39 passes for 331 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions while adding four carries for 38 rushing yards and an additional score. Believe it or not, Tannehill has now finished with 19 or more fantasy points in each of his three starts this season. The veteran QB gets the Chiefs in Week 10 before the Titans' bye, and then finishes the season up against the Jaguars, at the Colts, at the Raiders, and home against the Texans and Saints. Other than New Orleans in Week 16, none of these defenses should worry you in the slightest. Tannehill could be the top streaming option at QB for the remainder of the season.
QB Sam Darnold, New York Jets- Talking about great rest of season schedules, hello Sam Darnold. The Jets are undoubtedly a mess right now. Losing to the Dolphins on Sunday was certainly the low point of the season, and Darnold scoring just 12.5 fantasy points against the putrid Miami defense isn't giving fantasy owners much confidence in the second-year QB. While his Week 9 performance was certainly worrisome, the upcoming stretch of Jets' opponents is impossible to ignore. The Jets will take on the Giants, Redskins, Raiders, Bengals and Dolphins over the next five weeks. Another poor performance against the Giants in Week 10 would change things, but for the time being, I'm not giving up on Darnold quite yet.
RB Ronald Jones, Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Will the real Ronald Jones please stand up? I repeat, will the real Ronald Jones please stand up? Bruce Arians has gone back and forth between the promising second-year back and veteran Peyton Barber for much of the 2019 season, but following the Bucs' overtime loss to Seattle in Week 9, it appears as if Jones might finally be given the keys to the backfield. Jones took 18 carries for 67 yards on Sunday, adding two receptions for 15 yards. While 3.7 yards per carry is hardly amazing, Jones showed significantly more burst than anything Tampa Bay has seen from Barber this season. The team used a second-round pick on Jones just last year, and while it may have taken slightly longer than many expected, I'm buying into Jones finally becoming the team's featured back.
RB Trey Edmunds, Pittsburgh Steelers- This one falls into the one-week replacement, but if you're in a bind at RB heading into Week 10, you might be wise to give Edmunds a look. With James Conner and Benny Snell tentatively expected to miss Pittsburgh's Week 10 matchup against the Rams, Edmunds and Jaylen Samuels should continue to operate as the top two running backs. Samuels has likely already been picked up in your league, but if not, he should be added before Edmunds. However in Week 9, Edmunds looked significantly better than Samuels running the ball. Samuels finished with 21 touches Sunday, but 13 came on receptions that resulted in 73 yards. The eight carries Samuels received went for just 10 yards. Meanwhile, Edmunds carried the ball 12 times for 73 yards against the Colts. While the two will continue to split touches during Conner's absence, Edmunds might have solidified himself as the preferred early-down back, which would give him some solid fantasy value in Week 10.
RB J.D. McKissic, Detroit Lions- If I were you, I would do my best to avoid the Lions backfield. Matt Patricia is using a full-blown running back by committee with Kerryon Johnson on IR, which makes it difficult for any of the backs to offer any real fantasy value. But going up against the Raiders in Week 9, McKissing was easily the most productive back of the bunch. The third-year back carried the ball only four times, but was able to gain 32 yards on the limited carries. In addition, he reeled in three passes for another 40 yards and a touchdown. With two matchups against the Bears, as well as a game against the Cowboys, coming up in the next four weeks, the Lions may have to lean on their best pass-catching back more than usual. Of all the Lions running backs, McKissic may be the best fantasy option for the rest of 2019.
WR DeVante Parker, Miami Dolphins- As I was writing this week's column, Brian Flores announced that Preston Williams will miss the remainder of the 2019 season. It's a big blow to the Dolphins, who had seen the rookie receiver progress tremendously throughout the season. While the news is highly disappointing for the rookie, it opens up the door for a veteran to explode in the second half. Parker has surprisingly put together five consecutive solid performances for the lowly Dolphins. The fifth-year receiver caught four of six targets for 57 yards and a touchdown against the Jets Sunday. Parker has either scored a touchdown or finished with at least 59 receiving yards in each of his last five games, totaling four touchdowns over that span. Miami will be playing from behind just about every week (other than when they play the Jets), and now that Parker will serve as Ryan Fitzpatrick's number one option in the passing game, he should continue to provide FLEX value. I know it's the Dolphins, but I have confidence that Parker could be in for a big second half run.
WR Zach Pascal, Indianapolis Colts- The Colts received some bad news last week. Star wide receiver T.Y. Hilton suffered an injury during practice Wednesday and is now expected to miss the next few games. The injury elevated Pascal to the team's number one receiver, and the young receiver took full advantage of the opportunity. Pascal caught five of the six passes thrown in his direction for 76 yards and a touchdown, and didn't seem to miss a beat when Brian Hoyer took over for the injured Jacoby Brissett. Pascal led the Colts in targets, receptions and yards in Week 9, a trend that will likely continue for as long as Hilton is sidelined. The Colts have a tasty matchup against the Dolphins in Week 10, followed by games against Jacksonville and Houston. Regardless of whether it's Hoyer or Brissett under center, Pascal is firmly on the fantasy radar for as long as Hilton is out. Fire him up in your lineup in Week 10.
WR Darius Slayton, New York Giants- The Giants made a surprising announcement Sunday afternoon, telling the football (and fantasy) world that Sterling Shepard was going back into concussion protocol after waking up with some symptoms over the weekend. Shepard had been cleared from the protocol earlier in the week, so the fact that he had to go back in is certainly alarming. The Giants could play it cautious with the 26-year-old receiver that they gave an extension to in the offseason and place Shepard on IR. As long as Shepard is out, Slayton will continue to play alongside Golden Tate as the team's top two receivers. The rookie receiver has developed a strong rapport with rookie QB Daniel Jones, and the connection between the two should continue to grow as the season goes on.
TE Jacob Hollister, Seattle Seahawks- Following the season-ending injury to Will Dissly, it appeared as if tight end would be somewhat of a lost position for the Seahawks for the rest of the season. They didn't receive much production at all from the position in the weeks following Dissly's placement on IR, that is until Week 9. In Sunday's overtime win over Tampa Bay, Hollister emerged as a big target for Russell Wilson, finishing with four receptions on six targets for 37 yards and two touchdowns. Hollister's targets, receptions and yards all finished third on the team, trailing Tyler Lockett and D.K. Metcalf. Of course, there is always the chance that this could have been just a one-week explosion from Hollister, but based on how much Wilson relied on Dissly prior to the injury, I have a feeling that Hollister could be here to stay. The tight end position has been incredibly shallow and unpredictable all season, and Hollister is the next name to enter this game of TE roulette. After his breakout performance, Hollister is worth the gamble.
TE Mike Gesicki, Miami Dolphins- I know what you're thinking… A second Miami Dolphin on this list? I'm surprised too, but Gesicki looked too good to ignore on Sunday. The Dolphins spent a second-round pick on the tight end out of Penn State last year, so clearly, Gesicki is part of the franchise's plans moving forward. He hadn't had much production in 2019 leading up to Week 9, but against the Jets this past weekend, Gesicki went off. Often lining up in the slot, the second-year tight end caught all six of his targets for 95 yards in what was easily the best performance of his professional career. It might be tough to insert Gesicki into your starting lineup after just one good outing, but considering the state of the tight end position this season, he's at least worth a speculative add. If Miami continues to line him up in the slot, Gesicki could end up being a big surprise for the remainder of the fantasy season. With the news that Preston Williams is done for the year, the Dolphins will need Gesicki to step up in the passing game.
Matt Citak is a contributing writer for CBS Local. Follow him on Twitter here for all things fantasy football, New York Giants and more.