Thomason: Top Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups For Week 10
By Jack Thomason--
(CBS) I can't help but notice the number of leagues that have Derek Carr, Tyrod Taylor and Blake Bortles available on the waiver wire. All three guys have been top-10 quarterbacks in points per game average on the season (if excluding Carr's injury game in Week 1). That means while you can't get the bad history of the Jaguars, Raiders and Bills out of your head, you're missing on opportunities to roster quarterbacks who have been consistent top-10 performers.
Speaking of quarterbacks, if Tony Romo is available, he should be returning the week after next and is definitely worth grabbing if you have an extra roster spot or are hurting at quarterback.
As for the running backs, I hope you had an opportunity to grab DeAngelo Williams if he was available. He will be a season-changer. Heck, Jeremy Langford looked great for the Bears on Monday night as well, but Matt Forte will return at some point. Maybe we can get lucky here with 60 percent of Williams' worth with either James Starks or Karlos Williams. I know many of us are dying for running backs at this point as we lost another top-10 back in Dion Lewis.
The playoff race is closing in on us, so the time to act is now. Here are my top 10 waiver adds for 10- and 12-team leagues.
1. James Starks (RB, Green Bay Packers) -- I'm not sure if people dropped Starks or just never picked him up leading into the Packers' bye week, but he's available in too many leagues. Eddie Lacy pulled his groin Sunday and may not miss any time, but Starks has clearly been the better back this year. With all the massive injuries that have taken place at the running back position, coupled with the instability, Starks is a late-season potential team-changer. He racked up another 122 yards on 16 touches and added a nifty touchdown reception on Sunday.
2. Karlos Williams (RB, Buffalo Bills) -- All Williams does is score touchdowns and average and absurd 6.6 yards per carry. While LeSean McCoy looked great this past week, he left the game late with a shoulder injury that will require an MRI. He may be fine to play Thursday, but Williams is doing enough work even when McCoy is playing. He has six touchdowns in five games and continues to make a case for more playing time. Williams scored his first touchdown with McCoy active, so he's still worth a flex play on this run-first team. And if anything happens to McCoy, Williams is in RB1 conversations.
3. Marvin Jones (WR, Cincinnati Bengals) -- I know, it's frustrating to deal with receivers who are hot and cold, but Jones is heavily involved in this Bengals offense. He has played 82 percent of snaps on the season and averaging 6.1 targets per game, third only to Tyler Eifert and A.J. Green. In half of his games, he has had five receptions or more or more than 60 yards. He also has three touchdowns on the season. There's more than enough upside here to lock him in as a WR3.
4. Dorial Green-Beckham (WR, Tennessee Titans) -- This is a monster of a man, and the new coaching regime seems intent on using him plenty. Green-Beckham played 68 percent of the snaps and saw 10 targets last week, both a season-high. He hauled in five receptions for 77 yards and should continue to be a large part of this offense moving forward. This is the Titans' future WR1, and they might as well be playing him a lot with Marcus Mariota now for development purposes. Over the second half of the fantasy season, that combination could pay dividends. His sheer size, speed and raw talent make him more than intriguing. Oh, and Kendall Wright should be out another couple of games with a sprained MCL.
5. Kamar Aiken (WR, Baltimore Ravens) -- Who else is Joe Flacco going to throw to? This is a sub-.500 team that has a porous defense and is constantly trailing. The opportunities for pass catchers will be there, and Aiken will get the first crack at it. He had a season-high six receptions before the bye week and has played on 79 percent of the snaps on the season. In the one game Steve Smith missed (Week 5), Aiken led the team with nine targets, four receptions and 78 yards. He's unlikely to be the most efficient receiver, but the volume will be there.
6. Rueben Randle (WR, New York Giants) -- Randle has been hampered by a tight hamstring now for a few weeks, but he's still the No. 2 receiver on an offense with little to no run game. Randle caught all five of his targets Sunday for40 yards and broke a four-game touchdown drought by getting into the end zone. Eli Manning ranks fourth in pass attempts, so the volume will be there for Randle to make plays. The Giants' bye comes in Week 11, so full health should be close.
7. Nate Washington (WR, Houston Texans) -- Cecil Shorts seems to be getting healthy, but Washington has likely secured that No. 2 receiver spot in Houston. You might say, "big deal," but it is. He hasn't had fewer than six targets in any game he's played in and has a whopping 22 targets in his last two games, tallying 13 receptions, 201 yards and three touchdowns. Brian Hoyer's good enough to distribute the ball to DeAndre Hopkins and Washington to allow for WR2/WR3 numbers and upside going forward for Washington.
8. James White/Brandon Bolden (RBs, New England Patriots) -- No one's going to replace Dion Lewis and what he was able to do as the Patriots' pass-receiving back, but White's the guy who will likely take his place. I know Bolden saw all the touches Sunday, but that's because he's the better special teams player and White was inactive. That being said, it was White who was the go-to receiving back when Lewis was a planned inactive back in Week 7. In that game, White played 64 percent of the snaps and saw two carries plus five targets. Bolden's worth adding too, because one never knows what coach Bill Belichick has up his sleeve. Bolden tallied 39 yards on four touches and scored after Lewis left the game Sunday.
9. Shaun Draughn (RB, San Francisco 49ers) -- If you're in desperate need of a running back (many of us are), Draughn is a nice addition. He played 67 percent of the snaps, racked up 20 touches and totaled 96 yards against the Falcons on Sunday -- and the workload will continue while Carlos Hyde is sidelined with a fractured foot. The 49ers have a bye in Week 10, so be on the lookout for news of Hyde's availability. With three tough matchups after the bye and a lost season, it's possible the 49ers shut Hyde down or limit his work. Either way, the 49ers have two great playoff matchups in Weeks 14 and 16 against bottom-five rush defenses.
10. Charles Sims (RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers) -- Sims continues to see touches, as he totaled nine again this past week for 82 total yards. His yardage total was highlighted by a gorgeous 59-yard run in which he broke several tackles. Sims is seeing 3.5 targets per game and played 51 percent of the snaps to Doug Martin's 49 percent in Week 9. On the season, Sims is playing 44 percent to Martin's 53 percent of snaps. Sims is worth adding in the event Martin goes down with injury and is a worthy flex play in PPR leagues.
Just missed: Tony Romo, Marcus Mariota, Joique Bell, David Cobb, Devin Funchess, Dontrelle Inman, Austin Seferian-Jenkins and Crockett Gillmore.
Jack Thomason is 670 The Score's fantasy football expert and co-host of "Chicago's Fantasy Football Today," which can be heard every Sunday during football season from 8-9 a.m. CT on WSCR-670 and 670thescore.com/listen. Follow him on Twitter@jthomason77and feel free to ask fantasy questions.
