Just in case you hadn't noticed, it's getting pretty late in your fantasy season. If you happen to have a 4-5 or 3-6 fantasy squad (or worse) at this stage, we would advise you to completely dismiss the FAB recommendations below and simply shove your chips to the middle of the table. You don't have the luxury of saving for December. For you, the playoffs have effectively begun. Another four teams are on bye this week (Jets, Patriots, Bengals, Ravens), so, unfortunately, things aren't getting any easier.
But the waiver wire always provides. Here's a collection of approved pickups, all available in a majority of Yahoo leagues...
Wide receivers and tight ends to target
Terrace Marshall Jr., Carolina Panthers (6% rostered)
One week after snagging four balls for 87 yards on nine targets, Marshall delivered the first score of his pro career:
Marshall led the Panthers in receiving yards (53) and targets (6) on a day in which very little went right for the team. He's clearly no worse than the No. 2 option in Carolina's passing game at this point, behind only D.J. Moore. As Matt Harmon has been telling you, the Panthers have smartly scrapped the slot experiment with Marshall; after playing 177 slot snaps last season, he entered this past week with only nine on the year.
Marshall isn't exactly attached to a dynamic, high-powered offense, but he won't lack opportunities in the season's second-half. Next week, he draws the league's most generous pass defense as Carolina hosts Atlanta.
Recommended waiver offer, assuming $100 budget: $11
Mecole Hardman, Kansas City Chiefs (48%)
It seems OK to go ahead and chase touchdowns in this case, because Hardman just keeps scoring. He's also tied to an offense that can put 35-plus points on any defense. Hardman has made five house calls over his last three games, four of which have been short-range scores from inside the 10-yard line, like this:
Everyone of course knows that Hardman is a burner with terrific after-the-catch ability. It's his pre-catch skills that have been an issue since he entered the league. He finished with six receptions on nine targets for 79 yards on Sunday night, easily his biggest receiving workload of the season. Hardman is a high-variance fantasy option, which means he's not for everyone. But he surely has a few additional monster weeks ahead.
Offer: $12
Greg Dulcich, Denver Broncos (37%)
It's understandable that Dulcich remains available in nearly two-thirds of Yahoo leagues, because his team was on a bye in Week 9. But surely someone in almost every league can use a tight end who's emerged as a serious receiving threat and who rarely comes off the field. Dulcich caught a 39-yard touchdown pass in his NFL debut, then hauled in six balls on nine targets the following week. When we last saw him in the London game in Week 8, he delivered four catches for 87 yards and played 80 percent of the offensive snaps for the Broncos. So, basically, he's gone 3-for-3 delivering useful fantasy performances.
Denver faces a pair of user-friendly pass defenses in their next two games (Titans, Raiders), so we can expect more fantasy goodness from Dulcich. Add him wherever you don't already have Travis Kelce on your squad.
Offer: $10
Various other receivers to add: Odell Beckham Jr. (given the timing of his knee injury, it still feels as if the team that signs him will be doing it for his potential playoff contributions; he's still expected to land with a contender and will likely see the field in December), DeAndre Carter (he hasn't found the end zone since opening week, but he's drawn 13 targets in his last two games and the Chargers are currently without Keenan Allen and Mike Williams), Wan'Dale Robinson (yeah, OK, he produced a dud at Seattle before New York's bye, but he's still an exciting young talent and he faces very little competition for targets in the Giants' receiving corps).
Roster-worthy tight ends: Cole Kmet (his breakout was delayed, but it appears to actually be underway now; Kmet has spiked three times in his last two games and his quarterback is scorching hot), Cade Otton (it's tough to imagine the Bucs shelving him for Cameron Brate after Sunday's excellent performance, which included a game-winning TD).
Running backs on the wire
Latavius Murray, Denver Broncos (31% rostered)
Melvin Gordon is still apparently the starting running back in Denver, but he was out-touched (15 to 12) and out-gained (59 to 52) by Murray when the team last took the field in Week 8. The expectation is that Gordon and Murray will continue to lead the team's backfield, with new arrival Chase Edmondsprimarily in a cameo receiving role. (Edmonds has been among the least efficient and least explosive backs in the NFL to this point, averaging 2.9 YPC and 1.7 yards after contact; he's not an obvious upgrade for his new team.) If you play in a league in which any back seeing double-digit touches is a viable flex, then Murray belongs on someone's roster. He's scored short-yardage touchdowns in each of his last two games, so he's clearly a trusted option at the goal-line.
Offer: $9
Jeff Wilson Jr., Miami Dolphins (52%)
OK, we're breaking protocol here and discussing a player who's actually rostered in (just) over 50 percent of the Yahoo universe, because, in Wilson's case, that percentage is propped up by thousands of deadbeat managers. Wilson's rest-of-season fantasy potential appeared to be wrecked a few weeks ago following the trade that sent Christian McCaffrey to the Niners. At that point, almost every engaged fantasy manager was ready to kick Wilson to the curb. He certainly wasn't gonna play ahead of CMC for San Francisco and Elijah Mitchell was due back from IR.
But when Wilson was flipped to Miami, his path to fantasy relevance became much cleaner. Raheem Mostert seemed well-established as the clear No. 1 RB for the Dolphins, with Wilson presumably in a rotational role. His familiarity with Mike McDaniel's run game was an obvious plus.
As it turns out, Wilson is in fact a major piece of Miami's retooled rushing offense. He and Mostert handled the same number of carries (9) on Sunday against Chicago, with Wilson out-rushing his new teammate, 51 yards to 29. He also caught all three of his targets for another 21 yards with a score included:
It appears we may have something close to a 50/50 split in this team's backfield moving forward, enough to put both Mostert and Wilson in the RB2/flex conversation. If Wilson had been dropped in your league, go get him.
Offer: $21
Rachaad White, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (34%)
It took nine weeks, but White finally reached double-digit touches in a professional game. Regrettably, he didn't make a huge fantasy splash against the Rams, but the usage was encouraging. He also played 35 percent of the offensive snaps for the Bucs, the fourth time he's done so in the past six weeks. White was an exceptional receiver at the college level — he caught 43 passes for 456 yards last year at Arizona State — so he has the skill set necessary to be a difference-maker in any sort of PPR format. If Leonard Fournette were to miss time due to injury at any point, White would be a must-start fantasy back.
Offer: $6
Additional RBs to consider:Chuba Hubbard (he got in some limited work in practice last week, so his return from the ankle issue isn't far away), Jaylen Warren (this is more an indictment of Najee Harris than an endorsement of Warren), Alexander Mattison (he remains an elite stash-and-hold backup who's one injury away from becoming a top-10 option at his position), Chase Edmonds (he certainly needed a change of scenery, because he was absolutely brutal in Miami), Kylin Hill (he could have a rotational role against Dallas, depending on the severity of Aaron Jones' ankle issue).
Quarterbacks who deserve a look
Jared Goff, Detroit Lions (49%)
Goff didn't have the cleanest day against Green Bay, completing only 14 of 26 attempts for two scores and one interception (and various other near-interceptions). But he's still the guy who gets to throw to Amon-Ra St. Brown and D'Andre Swift, plus he has a get-right matchup with Chicago on deck. The Bears recently traded away key defensive pieces and they've been carved up by Dak Prescott and Tua Tagovailoa in back-to-back weeks. Don't be surprised if Goff produces a top-12-ish positional finish in a game with clear shootout potential.
Offer: $4
Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers (40%)
If it sorta feels as if Garoppolo's weekly floor is 225-2 and his ceiling is 275-2, well ... yeah, that's basically right. He's thrown exactly two touchdown passes in each of his last four games yet hasn't thrown three in any week since October, 2020. But he's surrounded by elite weapons and he's headed into a Sunday night matchup with a not-so-intimidating Chargers defense. Garoppolo is definitely delivering his usual two-score performance in Week 10.
Offer: $4
Also on the approved list at QB: Daniel Jones (his receiving corps is kind of a rogues gallery, but he comes out of the bye with two far from intimidating matchups against the Texans and Lions), Taylor Heinicke (this week's matchup with Philly is rough, but, if he can hold the job into Weeks 11-12, Houston and Atlanta are on the horizon), Deshaun Watson (he's eligible to return in Week 13, which means he'll make his Browns debut in an appealing matchup against Houston, his former employer).
If you're streaming D/STs
New York Giants (9%)
The Giants are coming off a bye and preparing to face a Houston offense that is, at the moment, a little light on talent. Davis Mills threw a pair of interceptions on Thursday night, which gives him eight on the season and four in his last three games. New York has generated 10 takeaways this year and we can reasonably expect one or two (or three) more on Sunday.
Offer: $1
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