Welcome to Week 10

I cannot believe how close to the end of the regular fantasy season we are, it makes me sad. Last week and this upcoming week are brutal on the bye week front and teams looking to make the post season need to fill out starting lineups to not fall behind. On top of that I want to collect as many high upside injury contingent stashes and young players who could still break out as possible on teams. I am also looking for teams that have favorable playoff schedules and dome games that aren’t as likely to be impacted by weather…did you know its an El Nino year?! Continue to look for those small edges, out maneuver and strategize your opponents and keep on grinding til the end, you got this!

First a look at week 9

Week 9 Waiver Wins

When I say “wins” it is in reference to player(s) won on the waiver wire, not a performance evaluation. Because I am releasing this article after the conclusion of week 9 many things in hindsight may not be a win after all. I include this section not for bragging rights or victory laps, but rather to keep myself accountable and demonstrate that I am in fact bidding on many of the players I am writing about (for better and worse).

Several of the top options were not available or ones I was willing to pay for given the teams’ individual roster. I included the prices I saw these players go for in leagues I am in.

Derek Carr (no shares)

Other leagues won range $19-$110

Leonard Fournette (no shares)

Other leagues won range $117-$401

Will Levis (4 shares)

Winning bids $22, $22, $25, $122, other leagues won range $77-$289

Samaje Perine (2 shares)

Winning bids $2, $32

Rashod Bateman (3 shares)

Winning bids $22, $53, $56, other leagues won range $1

Khalil Shakir (2 shares)

Winning bids $101, $56, other leagues won range $3-$158

Clyde Edwards-Helaire

Winning bid $1, other leagues won range $3

Trayveon Williams

Winning bid $1

Keaton Mitchell

Winning bid $1, other leagues won range $1-$2

Daniel Bellinger

Winning bid $1, other leagues won range $2-$17

Donald Parham

Winning bid $1, other leagues won range $1-$63

Van Jefferson

Winning bid $1, other league won $14

Trey Palmer

Winning bid $1

Keaontay Ingram

Winning bid $22, other leagues won range $1-$89

Las Vegas Defense (5 shares)

Winning bids $1, $1, $1, $3, $7, other leagues won range $2-$6

New England Defense (2 shares)

Winning bid $1, $11, other leagues won range $1-$35

Cincinnati Kicker (2 shares)

Winning bids $1, $1, other leagues won range $17

New Orleans Kicker

Winning bid $2, other leagues won range $1-$8

Week 9 Standings

NFFC Prime Time

Buckeye Boomers (5-4) 3rd Place 1320.60 pts

The Boomers lost a close matchup this week after some big studs posted big duds. At least the team has Kyler Murray coming back at QB, and all the QBs, Im a bit confused over this hoarding situation.

Ship Taeking (5-4) 5th Place 1202.95 pts

Now this team had a close win with only about a point separation. They also played Kyle Pitts and sat Dalton Schultz. The Breece Hall rushing yards called back for penalties and Michael Carter garbage time bonanza made for a big sweat here.

Ship Chasing (3-6) 8th Place 1316.70 pts

This team is doing better than league standing reflect and is still second in points, setting up for a strong shot at playoffs. The team lost by a few points after disappointing running back performances from D’Andre Swift and Breece Hall

Waiver Chasing (6-3) 2nd Place 1173.70 pts

In the same breath as team before my team has strong win/loss record and less total points, which makes this league standing inflated. This week was brutal not to mince words and I cannot fathom how the Jets continue to roll out Zach Wilson.

NFFC Super 12 Team

Shark Jumping (5-4) 3rd Place 1290.80 pts

This team lost this week as predicted by being forced to start a very weak RB, but it was Ken Walker who was the true disappointment. This team still is first in points and is positioned well for a post season run.

NFFC Silver Bullet

Ship Chasing Single Bullet (5-4) 5th Place 1213.95 pts

The single bullet did enough to come out on top even after picking the wrong side in a couple start/sit decisions; Chris Godwin v Devonta Smith and Kyle Pitts v Luke Musgrave.

FFPC Main Event

Chasin’ Go Bills (5-4) 2nd Place 1317.80 pts

This team had a loss this week when most of the studs put up duds. Cooper Kupp especially has had 3 disappointing weeks in a row. This team will have another challenging week ahead as it has Miami, Philly, and Rams players all on week 10 bye. At least they got Keaton Mitchell last week for $1?!

SC (Mini Episodes) (6-3) 1st Place 1325.65 pts

This team is on a heater putting up another big win this week. The trio of Dionte Johnson, AJB, and Ceedee Lamb with Raiders defense was easily enough to come out victorious on a low scoring week. The week 10 bye will be a challenge here as well with a Miami and Eagles core, hopefully all the 49ers got healthy.

Stat Chasing (5-4) 6th Place 1138.10 pts

The Stat Chasers fell on the wrong side of these ambiguous backfields and suffered a big loss this week (RIP Justice Hill). At least Chris Olave caught a TD and Dirty Bois lost 4 in a row… another brutal bye week is on the horizon here for the Mahomes/Kelce core.

April/Cranking Purple (4-5) 9th Place 1174.50 pts

CrakRok pulled out a big win on a tough week hitting on Ferg daddy while Devonta Smith, Tee Higgins, and Jahan Dotson finally are showing some up in the box scores. I am excited to see the return of Kyler Murray next week as this team has a Murray and Trey McBride stack purple stack.

Slo Bros (4-5) 7th Place 1229.25 pts

The Slo Bros caught a tough break going up against CJ Stroud and Ceedee Lamb this week. Duds from Tony Pollard, Chris Godwin, and George Pickens did not help the cause. This team has Kyler/McBride next week as well.

Chasing Stolen Bananas (7-2) 1st Place 1338.75 pts

I am trying to figure out how a team that scored less than 100 pts on the week and started Pierre Strong, Salvon Ahmed and George Pickens still won?!! Sometimes, the variance luck falls your way and you have Brown defense (thats all I got).

StephWuGee (4-5) 8th Place 1182.05 pts

My main event team had a very close loss which makes it that much harder. Ken Walker and Chuba Hubbard had disappointing finishes while Jaylen Warren sat on the bench and would have been enough to pull out the win.

FFPC FantasyPros Championship

Ball Knower (3-6) 10th Place 1141.90 pts

This team lost a close one with Jahan Dotson and Wan’Dale Robinson sitting on the bench watching Ja’Marr Chase and Jaylen Waddle both have health issues that limited their performances.

Super Shorty (2-7) 12th Place 1075.60 pts

I don’t want to write up this horrific team. Mahomes/Kelce was not good, and they are on bye for week 10 which probably isn’t good either.

Scott Fish Bowl 13

Stephmiller40 (16-2) 1st Place 2180.66 pts

Week 10 Waiver Priorities NFFC/FPPC

Below are all the players I like for Week 10 for FFPC and NFFC leagues. I break down all players into tiers with FAAB suggestions, followed by analysis, and a list of players to consider dropping. This article is also viable for those of you who play in deeper league formats and dynasty leagues, as I try and go deep into the player pool. All stats and data for this article are pulled from Fantasy Life, PFF, Ben Gretch of Stealing Signals, and ETR defense v position FPOE chart and PROE.

Tier 1

Keaton Mitchell

Suggested FAAB 25-55%

Keaton Mitchell returned from injury (again) and saw his biggest game time action in the Ravens offense week 9. Gus Edwards was limited with a toe injury most of the week and saw his playtime get cut back in the second quarter, which is where the rookie, Mitchell had an opportunity and boy did he seize it… 9 attempts for 138yds and 1 TD, earning the highest PFF run grade (93.0) on the week. Anyone familiar with Mitchell’s collegiate profile should not be that surprised as the kid ran a 4.37 40-yd dash at the combine and was tied for first in career explosive rush rate amongst RBs in the 2023 draft class (23%). Mitchell saw less work than Justice Hill who played deep in the 4th quarter, which was mostly garbage time. The reality of this situation is this is most likely a 3 man backfield going forward, but it is hard to put a rookie that flashed that much talent and explosiveness back in the bottle, kinda reminds me of another explosive rookie named Devon Achane… I am willing to take a shot that the rookie could earn a bigger role after Justice Hill has been unspectacular thus far, and am willing to make a sizable bid, especially since we are nearing the end of the season where we see these types of opportunities dwindling.

Tier 2

Joshua Dobbs, Cade Otton, Mike Gesicki, Ty Chandler, Tank Bigsby

Suggested FAAB 10-20%

Joshua Dobbs was the feel good story of week 9 because a victory over Arthur Smith is a victory for all of us. Dobbs led a come from behind win after unexpectedly being thrown into action when rookie Jaren Hall suffered a concussion. Dobbs had not even learned his teammates’ names and was teaching them his cadence on the sideline, but none of that mattered as a 3 TD performance was enough to ensure a Falcon defeat. We could see Justin Jefferson return soon, and now that the Vikings have lost Cam Akers to another achilles injury (my deepest condolences) the Vikings will be forced to lean on the passing attack that much more. Dobbs has shown he can be a duel threat with solid rushing floor combined with an improved pass catching corps could easily finish as a low end QB1 this season.

Cade Otton was the highlight of the Buccaneer offense week 9. Otton has had a sizable role all year with a seasonal average 86% of routes, but finally flashed an ability to earn targets leading the team with 0.68 wTPPR and was used more downfield with an 8.67 aDOT. It remains to be seen if Otton can continue to earn targets consistently going forward as the Texans rate as the 5th best matchup for TEs this season giving up an average 14.2 PPR fantasy points to the position.

Mike Gesicki ran 87% of routes as the Patriots went heavier 12 personnel without Kendrick Bourne in week 9, but only saw 1 target. I would expect them to continue using a lot of 2TE sets going forward. Any TE with this type of role is a potentially viable add, especially in TEP formats.

Ty Chandler is a handcuff worth rostering after the Vikings lost RB Cam Akers to another torn achilles (I really feel absolutely terrible for the guy). Chandler had this role early in the season, and there is a chance he could earn more work given how poorly Alexander Mattison continues to play.

Tank Bigsby disappointed many fantasy owners this season when he didn’t have a stand alone or goal line role that many expected. There is a slight chance for a role increase coming off the bye week, but Bigsby remains an elite injury contingent stash and should not be left on waivers as we get closer to playoffs.

Tier 3

Darnell Mooney, Jamison Crowder, Cedrick Wilson, Odell Beckham Jr., Jalen Guyton, Noah Brown

Suggested FAAB 1-5%

Darnell Mooney has seen a big role running 92% of routes and saw more targets than DJ Moore in this game. While I still don’t love this Bears offense you could do worse than picking up Mooney as an emergency flex option if hurting with injuries or bye week depth.

Jamison Crowder ran 44% of routes and saw a 14% team target share benefitting from Curtis Samuel absence. There was a heavy rotation of receivers but Crowder continues to stand out as a target earner.

Cedrick Wilson appears to be Jaylen Waddle’s direct backup playing on more than 50% of snaps the last 2 of 3 games while Waddle has gotten banged up on injuries. Wilson caught a deep TD that presumably would have been a Waddle route, and made a beautiful play. Wilson also played over Braxton Berrios in 11 personnel and could have some stand alone value as the third wide receiver in this offense if Tua spreads the ball more on top of injury contingent upside if Waddle misses time or is limited.

Odell Beckham Jr. had his best day this season day with 5 catches for 77yds and a TD pass from QB Tyler Huntley. OBJ now ties Mark Andrews for red zone targets in the offense. OBJ might be the highest upside option of the wide receivers down the stretch and is worth an add going into playoff weeks.

Jalen Guyton ran 73% of routes with 8% target share, making him a big beneficiary of the Josh Palmer injury. Guyton is an interesting stash while this offense looks searches for playmakers, especially with all the questions still surrounding rookie Quentin Johnston.

Noah Brown saw a huge game in week 9, catching a 75yd TD tends to do that. Noah Brown ended up with a 35% WOPR larger than Nico Collins 26% WOPR on a day where CJ Stroud threw for 475yds and 5TDs. I love collecting any and all pieces on this Texans offense the way CJ Stroud is playing at QB, but I don’t expect that Brown is the top fantasy option in this group often.

Tier 4

Trayveon Williams, Michael Carter, Rashaad Penny

Suggested FAAB <1%

Trayveon Williams continues to run as the Bengals number 2 RB behind Joe Mixon. Same story every week, looking to stash injury contingent guys on high powered offenses to get out ahead of the market.

Michael Carter saw 6 HVT to Breece Hall 4 HVT and caught 5 garbage time catches while Breece was not even on the field, as someone who started Breece in high stakes, this made me sick.

Rashaad Penny lives as he saw two touches the second half of the game against the Cowboys. This is another reason to be optimistic about Penny as an injury contingent stash with upside.

Tier 5

Trenton Irwin, Julio Jones, Trey Palmer, Cedric Tillman, Isaiah McKenzie, Kyle Phillips

Suggested FAAB <1%

Trenton Irwin becomes a name of interest if Ja’Marr Chase misses the game with a back injury. Irwin was the main beneficiary when Tee Higgins missed time seeing a sizable role and could be used as a spot start.

Julio Jones only ran 38% of routes in this game and saw no targets. It is possible he sees more work after the Dallas Goedert injury. He is fine as a contingent stash, but I don’t feel confident on this one.

Trey Palmer ran 85% of routes and saw 4 targets in week 9. I don’t think Palmer will see enough of a role without an injury to be a usable starting option.

Cedric Tillman saw an increase in playtime running 71% of routes after the Donovan Peoples-Jones trade as the number 3 WR in the offense. The rookie could make for an opportunistic stash going forward if you believe this Browns offense can improve with Watson.

Isaiah McKenzie saw some of Josh Down’s routes since he was limited with knee injury. McKenzie could be a beneficiary if Down’s misses time as he saw more 14% target share than Pierce who only saw 9% despite running 100% of routes.

Kyle Phillips saw a career high 68 yards week 9 running 47% of routes with 14% target share and could benefit if Treylon Burks misses time.

Tier 6

Daniel Bellinger, Jack Stoll, Albert Okuegbunam, Connor Heyward

Suggested FAAB <1%

Daniel Bellinger continues playing a full time role with Darren Waller on IR and ran 74% of routes in this game.

Jack Stoll will most likely lead the TE group after Dallas Goedert broke his forearm against Dallas and will go on IR

Albert Okwuegbunam is a cult favorite and worth a pickup in TEP leagues as a possible beneficiary after TE Dallas Goedert will be placed on IR following a broken forearm injury.

Connor Heyward ran 67% of routes but with a 1.3 aDOT, he is a desperation add only that I am only writing up because these league are deep.

Tier 7

Alec Pierce, Darius Slayton, Jalen Tolbert, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Trishton Jackson, Brandon Powell, Dontayvion Wicks, Justin Watson

Recommended FAAB <1%

Alec Pierce continues to run a ton of routes, 100% last week, but see little targets. He could see a target bump if Josh Downs misses time with knee injury.

Darius Slayton saw 7 targets for 59 yards and led the Giants with 50% WOPR during a week where QB Tommy DeVito took over after Daniel Jones tore his ACL and will be out for the season. This usage for Slayton leaves room for some optimism as a target in the Giants offense.

Jalen Tolbert was a hot name early his rookie year and has now seen a post bye week bump in usage over the past two week on offense at the expense of Michael Gallup. Week 9 against the Eagles Tolbert ran 43% of routes and saw a 12% target share while Michael Gallup only ran 49% of routes and with 7% of team targets. I like stashing Jalen Tolbert as a sneaky add for very cheap.

Donovan Peoples-Jones was traded to the Lions. It will be interesting to see if how they use him coming off the bye week and if he can earn time over any of the ancillary receiving weapons.

Trishton Jackson saw an increase in routes following KJ Osborn injury and ran more routes than Brandon Powell (74% to 72%), while both receivers saw a 9% team target share. Jackson is worth a stash while Osborn is out as the team is limited on receiver until Justin Jefferson returns.

Brandon Powell ran 72% of routes and saw a 9% target share in a game KJ Osborn left early with injury. He is worth a stash in an offense in need of receiver firepower.

Dontayvion Wicks ran more routes at 50% and saw more targets (4) than Jayden Reed who ran 47% of routes with 3 targets week 9 on Packers offense. This entire offense remains a mess, but if Christian Watson continues to underperform or miss time there could be more opportunity. Wicks is a very deep stash that most likely won’t turn into anything you want to start with Love at QB.

Justin Watson saw a season high 74% of routes on his return in conjunction with Skyy Moore losing work. The Chiefs continue to search for offensive playmakers and could be worth a deep stash to see if he can be more efficient with volume.

Drops

Kirk Cousins, Daniel Jones, Desmond Ridder, Cam Akers, Jeff Wilson, Dalvin Cook, Michael Gallup, Curtis Samuel, Treylon Burks, Kadarius Toney, Skyy Moore, Darren Waller