5 Starts & 5 Sits - Week 12

Streamers For The Desperate - Week 12

Week 12 Fantasy Football Waiver Adds

Streamers For The Desperate - Week 10

Leonard LaPadula

With Week 9 in the books, we are nearing the final stretch for the fantasy football regular season. Some teams are sitting pretty with a playoff berth all but assured, and some are pretty much out of the race. Most though, are still in-between, with each week seemingly more important than the last.

My Week 9 resulted in a 2-1 for my three teams. One of my keeper teams is solidly in 1st place and the other 5th place, each with a 6-3 record. My dynasty team is precariously in 6th, with a 5-4 record.

Despite this, all of my teams are suffering significant injuries among receivers. In my dynasty league, the Brian Thomas Jr (Jax) injury was the deciding factor that cost me my match, which I lost by 3.25 fantasy points. In my keeper leagues, I have Chris Godwin (TB), Nico Collins (Hou), Allen Lazard (NYJ) and Chris Olave (NO).

Last week I tried to trade Chris Godwin, who can be kept for a 4th next year, for CeeDee Lamb (Dal), who can't be kept, to a team I thought might be in rebuild mode. But my offer was declined, and that team won this week and is fighting its way into a playoff berth. There were no losing teams that I could trade with for a replacement receiver, only running backs. This week I have favorable match-ups, so I will hold off on trying to trade for the moment.

As long as my teams are on the path to a playoff berth, the longer I can hold off trading, the better. For example, a player I might trade for now could be injured this week. If I wait until next week to trade, then I eliminate that risk. The closer to the playoffs I make the trades, the more probable it is the player will be healthy and helpful for the final stretch. This is an important part of fantasy football strategy.

If your team is losing, then the flip side is true. If you have a healthy player who can help a team but is not a player that can be kept this year, you should try to trade him now for a good keeper for next year. The longer he stays on your roster, the more likely he is to get injured and lose his immediate value for a winning team in need of help.

On to the Week 10 streamers...

If you are familiar with my format of "Streamers for the Desperate" articles, then skip the following introduction.

This article is based on the principles I wrote about in How To Own Your League's Waiver Wire.

I name this article as such because it is generally for deeper roster leagues (18-to-24-man rosters) and as the season progresses, especially in the 24-man roster leagues, the pickings can get very thin. For example, you won't see QBs Tua Tagovailoa (Mia), Justin Herbert (LAC), or Aaron Rodgers (NJY) in this article because they aren't available in my leagues. However, you will see them in Alex Cuilla's article, Week 10 Fantasy Football Waiver Adds because they are less than 50% owned in Yahoo leagues.

I list the players that are available on waivers in my three leagues and generally that scored more than 10 fantasy points (PPR). The players with an asterisks are available in my 24-man roster league. As we get deeper into the season, no matter how slim the options are, I always list a couple of available players for each position from my 24-man league.

I have loosely ranked the players but you need to decide which players are right for your team. Your criteria for deciding will be different depending on your need and if you are in a redraft, keeper, or dynasty league.

The ranking in parenthesis after each player is the strength of this week's opponent against that position. So a "1st" indicates the most difficult opponent for that position, and a "32nd" indicates the weakest opponent against that position.

As much effort as it is, I make waiver requests every week for all of my teams. I don't just try to fill in obvious immediate needs, but look to make my team better to the last man on the roster. A deep roster creates resilience against injury. It also results in other teams having fewer good options, increasing the opportunity to trade to teams that truly are desperate and thereby building my draft pick arsenals.

Quarterbacks

  • Russell Wilson, Pit @ Wsh (14th) - Wilson comes off the Steelers bye week to take on an average Commanders D in Week 10. In the two weeks he started for the Steelers, he has four TDs, 3 passing, and 1 rushing. Wilson has a decent floor and a high ceiling and is a reliable streaming option.
  • Derek Carr, NO v Atl (28th) - Carr completed 18 of 31 passes for 236 yards and 1 TD. Carr is a reliable streaming option against a soft Falcons D in Week 10.
  • Drake Maye (R), NE @ Chi (1st) - Maye completed 29 of 41 passes for 206 yards, 1 TD, and 2 Ints, rushed for 95 yards, and had 1 lost fumble in overtime. Maye seems to get better each week, but temper Week 10 expectations against the Bears' top D against QBs.
  • *Mason Rudolph, Ten @ LAC (8th) - Rudolph completed 20 of 33 passes for 240 yards, 2 TDs, and 1 Int and rushed 4 times for 21 yards. Will Levis is on the mend and could be back for Week 10. However, as long as Levis remains out, Rudolph is an okay streaming option.
  • *Cooper Rush, Dal v Phi (9th) - Rush took over after Dak Prescott injured his hamstring in Week 9. Rush is now the Cowboys for the foreseeable near term.
  • Bryce Young, Car v NYG (23rd) - Young completed 16 of 26 passes for 171 yards, 1 TD, and 1 Int and rushed 4 times for 9 yards in Week 9. This sophomore seems to be improving and makes a marginal streaming option for Week 10.

Running Backs

  • Roschon Johnson, Chi v NE (27th) - Johnson rushed 3 times for 13 yards and caught 2 of 3 targets for 8 yards in Week 9. D'Andre Swift will continue to carry the bulk of the load going forward, but against a Patriots soft run D in Week 9, Johnson will likely continue to get moderate volume.
  • Jaleel McLaughlin, Den @ KC (1st) - McLaughlin rushed 5 times for 10 yards and caught all 3 of his targets for 10 yards. He's been getting consistently getting touches all season, from 4 to 9 touches per game for the last four weeks. That should continue going forward, but expectations should be tempered against the Chiefs league-best D against RBs.
  • Samaje Perine, KC v Den (20th) - Perine rushed once for 10 yards and caught 4 of his 5 targets for 25 yards and a TD. Perine's usage is sporadic but might get you some fantasy points as long as Isiah Pacheco remains out.
  • *Emari Demercado, Ari v NYJ (10th) - Playing behind James Conner and Trey Benson (R), Demercado rushed 4 times for 59 yards and a TD and caught both his targets for 21 yards in Week 9. Demercado's weekly volume is too inconsistent to start in your lineup unless you have no other options.
  • *D'Ernest Johnson, Jax v Min (6th) - Johnson rushed twice for 6 yards in Week 9. With Tank Bigsby and Travis Etienne both back to full health, Johnson returns to fantasy irrelevance, unless there are simply no fantasy-relevant RBs available and you are desperate.

Now more powerful than ever: The Machine - DFS Lineup Optimizer

Receivers

    • *Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Ten @ LAC (5th) - Westbrook-Ikhine now has 1 TD in each of his last four games. In Week 9 he doubled his total receptions on the year, catching 5 of 6 targets for 50 yards and a TD.  He should continue to get decent volume with the departure of DeAndre Hopkins to the Chiefs, having taken over the No. 3 receiver role with (so far) a 93 percent snap share.
    • *Noah Brown, Wsh v PIT (11th) - Brown caught 5 of his 6 targets for 60 yards in Week 9 and seems to be operating as the Commanders' No. 2 receiver, behind Terry McLaurin and ahead of Olamide Zaccheaus. He isn't the worst streaming option for deep roster leagues in Week 10.
    • *Cedrick Wilson, NO v ATL (25th) - Wilson sustained an injury in last week's game and caught 2 of 3 targets for 34 yards. He returned to the game and presumably will be healthy for Week 10. Chris Olave sustained a concussion, and if he remains out for Week 10, Wilson is in line for medium volume against a soft Falcons D.
    • Demarcus Robinson, LAR v Mia (3rd) - Robinson has 2 TDs for two weeks in a row now. He had more volume than usual in Week 9 due to Puka Nacua's early ejection in Week 9, catching 6 of his 9 targets for 94 yards and 2 TDs. With Nacua back in Week 10, Robinson will likely revert to the No. 3 WR.
    • Darius Slayton, NYG @ Car (13th) - Slayton caught all 3 of his targets for 49 yards and rushed once for 11 yards. However, he is on concussion protocol after sustaining a head injury in Week 9, and it's unclear if he will be ready to play for Week 10. If he does play, he is a viable streaming option.
    • Joshua Palmer, LAC v Ten (3rd) - Palmer caught 3 of his four targets for 63 yards and a TD in Week 9. Palmer is a low-volume, big-play receiver, so he has a low floor but also a high ceiling. Might not be the best option in Week 10 against a tough Titans D.
    • Calvin Austin III, Pit @ Wsh (16th) - Coming off a bye week, Austin has averaged 2 receptions per game since Week 6, and has 2 TDs on the season. Austin's volume is too low to be a viable starting option unless your WR corps has been decimated by the recent injuries and you have no other options.
    • *Kalif Raymond, Det @ Hou (26th) - Raymond caught his only target for 12 yards and offset that with his only rush for -12 yards in Week 9. With Jameson Williams set to return in Week 10, Raymond will get pushed back down the depth chart, but he might still see more volume than he did in Week 9.

    Tight Ends

    • *Jonnu Smith, Mia @ LAR (26th) - Smith caught 5 of his 6 targets for 46 yards and seems to have become a reliable option in the Dolphins passing game, regardless of who's the QB.
    • Mike Gesicki, Cin @ Bal (18th) - With Tee Higgins still sidelined, Gesicki caught 5 of his 6 targets for 100 yards and 2 TDs in Week 9, leading the Bengals in receiving yards for the second week in a row. If Higgins is out again in Week 10, look for Gesicki's bump-up in volume to continue.
    • Ja'Tavion Sanders (R), Car v NYG (3rd) - Sanders caught 4 of 5 targets for 87 yards in Week 9. With Tommy Tremble unable to stay healthy, Sanders seems to have become the Panthers' top TE.
    • Theo Johnson (R), NYG @ Car (29th) -Johnson caught 3 of his 5 targets for 51 yards and a TD in Week 9. He seems to have taken the No. 1 TE role for the Giants and should continue to see moderate volume going forward.
    • Grant Calcaterra, Phi @ Dal (12th) - Calcaterra caught all 5 of his targets for 30 yards in Week 9. If Dallas Goedert remains sidelined in Week 10, Calcaterra should continue to see moderate volume as the Eagles' starter.
    • *Josh Oliver, Min @ Jax (24th) - Oliver caught all 5 of his targets for 58 yards and a TD in Week 9. However, Week 9 was the first week Oliver had more than 2 targets, so dropping him into your lineup is risky.
    • *Will Dissly, LAC v Ten (7th) - With Quentin Johnston and Hayden Hurst back, Dissly's volume came back down, catching 2 of 3 targets for 9 yards in Week 9. Expect Dissly's volume to remain low going forward.

    QB/TE - Honorable Mention

    • Taysom Hill, NO v Atl (25th v WR, 28th v QB) - Hill picked up some of the slack after Chris Olave left the game with a concussion, catching 4 of 5 targets for 41 yards, rushing 5 times for 19 yards and a TD, and throwing one incomplete pass in Week 9. If Olave is out for Week 10, the versatile Hill could see higher than usual volume.

    Kickers

    • Anders Carlson, SF @ TB (21st)
    • Chris Boswell, Pit @ Wsh (3rd)
    • Jake Elliott, Phi @ Dal (26th)
    • Chad Ryland, Ari v NYJ (25th)
    • Matt Gay, Ind v Buf (7th)

    Defense / Special Teams

    • Los Angeles Rams v Mia (26th)
    • New York Giants @ Car (24th)
    • Philadephia Eagles @ Dal (18th)
    • Tampa Bay Buccaneers v SFO (7th)
    • Indianapolis Colts v Buf (4th)

    *Available in my league with 24-player rosters