Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Targets: Week 10
Teams on BYE: Cincinnati Bengals, Kansas City Chiefs, Tennessee Titans, Dallas Cowboys
QB: J.J. McCarthy (MIN)
25.3% Rostered
JJ McCarthy made his first start back after dealing with a high ankle sprain for 5 weeks. It seems like the time off did him well. In his return he looked much more comfortable instead of the frantic, young QB we saw in early on in the season. Against the Detroit Lions (formidable defense might I add), he score 18.92 fantasy points! His stat line was 14/25 for 143 yards and 2 TDs along with 1 INT. He also added 9 carries for 12 yards and a TD. Remember how I mentioned how he had a high ankle sprain? Well, thats completely healed as he looked mobile in the pocket and did not hesitate when he made his TD run. His throwing stat line leaves a lot to be desired with the inaccuracy but let’s all remember this is basically his rookie season and he has been out for 5 weeks. There is going to be rust there. I’ll leave you with one more point - he has Justin Jefferson. He could literally just throw it up in the air and think “…Jefferson is over there somewhere” and BAM now he has points. Up next, the Vikings take on the Baltimore Ravens. This last week the Ravens let Tua throw for 260 yards. I mean the guy can barely see straight and he threw 260!
RB: Emanuel Wilson (GB)
9.1% Rostered
A couple weeks ago I compared the running back waiver wire to trying to find water in the desert. This week, its like trying to hit the bullseye with a sewing needle from 1500 yards away. That being said, here is my dart throw of the week. Emanuel Wilson is the RB2 behind bellcow, Josh Jacobs. Wilson scored 2.7 points (yikes) against the Carolina Panthers. He had 6 carries for 16 yards and he also added 1 reception for 1 yard. Because Wilson is the RB2, he is best known for his “change of pace” role aka he’s pretty much a 3rd down back. Luckily for Wilson, the Packers offense looked dreadful against the lowly Panthers. That means more 3rd downs which means more Wilson! Am I reaching here? Yeah, I definitely am. BUT he is only one week removed from a 14 touch game so there is some potential there! Up next Wilson takes on the Philadelphia Eagles. That is a decent defense which means more Packers’ 3rd downs.
WR: DeMario “Pops” Douglas (NE)
5.2% Rostered
Last week I picked a different Patriots’ WR to be my waiver wire pick. He unfortunately got injured but gave way to the emergence of Pops Douglas. He went off for 20 points against the Atlanta Falcons with 4 receptions on 6 targets for 100 yards and a TD. A quick little fun fact that Douglas did all this against what is the #1 pass defense in the NFL. The Patriots’ offense is explosive (in the best way) and Drake Maye is so good that he can get the ball to his WRs with the best possible situation to succeed. Douglas has top line speed that can break defenses but it doesn’t matter where he is on the field, Maye will get him the ball. On the depth chart, Douglas was the WR3 but with the injury to Kayshon Boutte, he moves up to WR2 behind Stefon Diggs. In the upcoming matchup, the Patriots play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs have had a suspect defense all season long.
TE: Colston Loveland (CHI)
23.6% Rostered
Ladies and Gentlemen, a new TE door has appeared. Behind door #5, we have Colston Loveland! He had a massive day against the Cincinnati Bengals scoring 29.8 points with 6 receptions on 7 targets for 118 yards and 2 TDs. In a way, this was Loveland’s “Welcome to the NFL” party. A lot of people forget that he is just a rookie and that he was a top 10 pick. In college, he was an incredible receiving threat from the TE position. It may have taken a couple weeks, but it now seems that he is fully integrated in the offense. Loveland has seen his target share increase in recent weeks. This week he had 7 targets, last week was 5 and the week before that was 4. The Bears are relatively thin in the pass catching department with DJ Moore and Luther Burden experiencing injuries. Loveland is assumed to be a primary target for Caleb Williams on a couple of plays. Think of an early version of the Lions’ Sam LaPorta. Up next, Loveland takes on the New York Giants. They don’t have the best defense in the world and they just let the 49ers have their “Get Right” game.