The hellish six-team bye weeks are thankfully over but fantasy owners will still find themselves without players from the Patriots, Chiefs, Browns, and Jets. Luckily, this week features more startable waiver wire pickups than most with plenty of players still available in even the deepest leagues. Let’s take a look at the top running backs and wide receivers you can plug into you lineup in Week 10.
Rashad Jennings (12 percent): Darren McFadden re-injured his hamstring in Sunday’s loss to the Eagles which means Jennings is the likely starter in his absence. Jennings ran 15 times for 102 yards and a touchdown against the Eagles, adding another seven receptions for 74 yards through the air. The last time Jennings started, he only ran 10 times for 41 yards but he did put up 45 rushing yards and 71 receiving yards in Week 4 after McFadden went down against the Skins.
That said, Jennings doesn’t have the best matchup in Week 10 against the Giants who have held Matt Forte, Adrian Peterson, and LeSean McCoy to a combined 23 fantasy points over their last three games so he’s more a flex option at best. He’ll face Houston the week after (assuming DMC is still out) which is a considerably more favorable matchup.
Shonn Greene (17 percent): Head coach Mike Munchak told reporters that Greene would get 15 touches on Sunday but that was before CJ2K put up by far the best game of his season. Greene still walked away with nine rushes for 38 yards and a touchdown as well as a 28-yard reception and is still in line for double-digit touches weekly. Greene is a consistent back who has eclipsed 1,000 yards in each of the last two seasons while averaging 4.0 yards per carry. He won’t help much in terms of receptions but he is likely to get a lot of red zone and goal line snaps.
Andre Brown (37 percent): Brown is finally returning on Sunday to face the Raiders and is expected to start immediately over Brandon Jacobs and Peyton Hillis. Originally expected to split time with David Wilson, Brown figures to be the featured back moving forward after rushing for 5.3 yards per carry and eight touchdowns for the G-Men last season. Despite a lack of running back depth, the Giants have run the ball at least 26 times in three of their last four games so Brown should be viable on volume alone.
Riley Cooper (13 percent): Cooper caught three of Nick Foles’ seven touchdowns on Sunday and appears to be the new quarterback’s favorite target. It’s unclear if Foles will be the quarterback moving forward but, with Vick likely out at least another week and a seven touchdown effort in the bag, Foles’ value is certainly rising. Foles was the main quarterback against Tampa Bay, Dallas, and Oakland and Cooper put up 120 yards and a touchdown, 88 yards, and 139 yards and three touchdowns over those three games. Clearly, if Foles is playing, Cooper’s value is much higher than if Vick is playing.
Tim Wright (13 percent): He’s technically a tight end but with wide receiver eligibility, you can do a lot worse on the waiver wire this week. With Mike Williams out for the season, Wright has become one of Mike Glennon’s top targets and has scored a touchdown in each of his last two games. After not getting any looks from Josh Freeman, Wright has caught 18 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns over his last four games and should continue to be the number two target behind Vincent Jackson.
Marlon Brown (10 percent): Brown only caught for 54 yards on Sunday but his nine targets and two touchdowns were extremely promising. Despite the return of Jacoby Jones, Brown has 28 targets and three touchdowns over his last four games and has now scored five touchdowns on the season. Brown has also been targeted in the red zone seven times, more than Torrey Smith, Anquan Boldin, and James Jones. The other receivers will continue to limit him to a WR 3/Flex option but he certainly has the highest chance of scoring of anyone on that team.
Aaron Dobson (37 percent): Dobson has clearly come a long way from his season debut against the Jets which earned him the nickname Dropson. He has caught nine passes on 14 targets over his last two games, putting up 190 yards and three touchdowns despite Danny Amendola and Rob Gronkowski back in the lineup. He’s also been targeted 7-10 times in three of his last four games and has been targeted in the red zone nine times.
