The true horror show of bye weeks is now behind us, though four teams are still taking next week off (Ravens, Chiefs, Raiders, Eagles), so we're not completely out of the woods yet. As has been the case the last few weeks I've tried to focus this list on plug-and-play options for the upcoming slate of games in Week 10. There are a few stash options below, but for the most part I'll probably be starting these players where I have them next week. If these players are unavailable in your league, be sure to read the Deep Dive and Streaming articles written by Matt Harmon and Matt Franciscovich when they come out on Monday for some more under-the-radar adds. Both will be linked at the top of this piece sometime Monday afternoon.
BYE WEEKS:Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles
The narrative was building for Eddie Lacy to get a shot at becoming the Seahawks featured back. He looked good to start against the Redskins ... but then left with a groin injury. That put Thomas Rawls back in the spotlight and he answered the call, taking his nine rushes for 39 yards and two receptions for 31. Rawls' 4.3 yards per carry marked the first time a Seattle back averaged four-plus yards a carry since Week 4. With the Seahawks on a short week playing on the road against Arizona on Thursday, Lacy's timetable to heal and play is dicey. That could put Rawls into a semi-featured role by default. The Cardinals run defense is strong, but fantasy managers are desperate for volume these days and Rawls should at worst provide that. (Percent owned: 37.1, FAAB suggestion: 20-25 percent)
Dion Lewis was on his bye in Week 9, so it's easy to forget that he leads the
Patriots backs in playing time over the last three weeks. More importantly, he leads the team in rushing yards (172), carries (39) and rushing touchdowns (one) in that span as well. The
Patriots will not give fantasy fans a true featured back, but Lewis is a player we can trust in fantasy. He has a tough matchup this week on the road against Denver, but Lewis should be added as an upside back for the rest of the season. (Percent owned: 19.4, FAAB suggestion: 15-20 percent percent)
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There may be no better indication of how strange the 2017 NFL season is than the fact that Orleans Darkwa is not only a borderline featured back for the Giants, but a near weekly start in fantasy. He continues to have a commanding lead in playing time and carries (64 percent in the last three weeks). With so many committees across the NFL (and byes), Darkwa's 71 rushing yards against the Rams were the seventh-most on the week heading into Sunday Night Football. Next up for Darkwa and the Giants is a 49ers team that has allowed 495 yards to running backs over the last three weeks. (Percent owned: 18.7, FAAB suggestion: 15-20 percent)
The Broncos running game has stalled, and it's entirely possible the team could look for a spark from second-year pro Devontae Booker. He's seen six carries in back-to-back games and is seeing the field more after missing much of the early season with a wrist injury. The Broncos offense isn't exactly an exciting unit to target in fantasy, but with so many stars injured this year and four teams on byes in Week 10, it's also difficult to be too picky. Booker is a bit more of a stash than the rest of the backs listed here, but he's certainly worth an add. (Percent owned: 1.8, FAAB suggestion: 5-10 percent)
I've hit on Robert Woods' underrated fantasy consistency a bunch lately, but after his outburst this week perhaps more people will take notice. Woods tied for the team lead in targets with five, and caught four of those for 70 yards and two touchdowns. He's now posted four-plus catches and 59-plus yards in five of his last six games, offering a real tangible floor (especially in PPR). Up next for Woods and the electric Rams offense is a date with the Texans, whose defense has allowed three top-12 fantasy wide receiver outings in the last two weeks alone. The Rams offense is spreading the ball all over the field, but Woods' run of consistency is encouraging enough to give him another shot this week. (Percent owned: 7.5, FAAB suggestion: 10-15 percent)
It should come as no surprise that Sterling Shepard was one target off the team lead (nine vs. 10) and tied for the team lead in receiving yards (70) in his first game back from injury. The Giants wide receivers had struggled mightily after losing their top four starters, and three of their top four to season ending injuries. Shepard posted five catches for 70 yards in a blowout loss to the Rams, and should be in line for another sizable workload this weekend against the 49ers. The 49ers have struggled to cover slot receivers this year, and Shepard still played 59 percent of his snaps in the slot this past week despite all of the Giants wide receiver injuries/issues. (Percent owned: 22.3, FAAB suggestion: 10-15 percent)
Believe it or not, Robby Anderson is turning into a true No. 1 wide receiver (at least statistically) for the Jets. He leads the team in targets (57), receiving yards (483) and is tied for the team lead with four touchdowns. He's now caught a touchdown in three straight games and has posted 59-plus receiving yards and/or a touchdown in six of his last seven games. Next up for the Jets is a matchup with a Buccaneers defense struggling to stop anyone right now. Anderson is pretty much a weekly flex play at this point and should be added without a doubt this week. (Percent owned: 14.4, FAAB suggestion: 10-15 percent)
In case you haven't noticed, the waiver wire is getting outrageously thin. That's why Curtis Samuel makes an appearance as an upside stash this week. Kelvin Benjamin's trade to the Bills left a big void in the Carolina passing attack. After one week, no one really stepped up to fill it, but Samuel seems to be getting the best chance. He actually led all Panthers in offensive playing time (48 plays vs. 47 for Funchess), but finished third in targets with five as the team found a running game. The Panthers host the beatable Miami secondary on Monday night next week, and Samuel could be a deeper league play. (Percent owned: 1.3, FAAB suggestion: 0-5 percent)
Vernon Davis saw over 29 percent of the team targets last week in a win over Seattle, and should be a target on the waiver-wire this week as there's no indication yet that
Jordan Reed will return. Davis' next opponent, the
Vikings, boast one of the league's top safeties (Harrison Smith) and athletic coverage linebacker like
Eric Kendricks, but if Davis is seeing that level of volume the matchup isn't much of a concern. He'll be a TE1 and weekly start until Reed returns to the lineup. (Percent owned: 21.3, FAAB suggestion: 0-5 percent)
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Much like with how I included Teddy Bridgewater in here last week, those hurting at for a fantasy quarterback should look to add Jimmy Garoppolo. In his two relief appearances for the Patriots last year he threw for 496 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions, and he has some favorable Garoppolo has some favorable matchups on the horizon including the Giants, Texans and Titans. If he does get the start this week against the Giants, he could be a streaming option for those in a pinch. (Percent owned: 3.8, FAAB suggestion: 0-5 percent)
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