10 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Targets Heading Into Week 10

Week 10 has only a few teams on bye -- the Chicago Bears, the Cincinnati Bengals, the Houston Texans, and the New York Giants -- so the need for streaming quarterbacks and tight ends are probably low.

And while we have some running backs worth targeting, there are minimal slam-dunk options on the wire this week.

How does that affect the process, and which players stand out above the rest?

(I'll stick to players rostered on 50% of Yahoo teams or fewer and also list some other viable pickups who may be available in shallower leagues or relevant only in deeper leagues.)

Quarterbacks
Teddy Bridgewater, Denver Broncos

Roster Percentage: 26%

Teddy Bridgewater torched the Dallas Cowboys in Week 9 and will now host a torchable Philadelphia Eagles secondary in Week 10.

Bridgewater put up a hyper-efficient line of 249 yards and a touchdown on 19-of-28 passing against the Cowboys. That led to 0.28 Passing Net Expected Points (NEP) per drop back, more than twice the NFL average of 0.13.

Ultimately, Bridgewater has a full-season rate of 0.23 Passing NEP per drop back, ranking him 6th among all passers with at least 100 attempts in 2021.

With a plethora of pass-catchers and a beatable matchup, Bridgewater is actually rating out as one of the best streaming options in Week 10 with minimal fantasy-relevant quarterbacks on bye.

Others to Consider:
Carson Wentz (60%, vs. Jacksonville Jaguars), Baker Mayfield (37%, at New England Patriots), Matt Ryan (55%, at Dallas Cowboys), Tua Tagovailoa (34%, vs. Baltimore Ravens), Trevor Lawrence (38%, at Indianapolis Colts)

Running Backs
Brandon Bolden, New England Patriots

Roster Percentage: 10%

The backfield in New England could be a bit open for Week 10. Both Damien Harris and Rhamondre Stevenson left early in Week 9 due to head injuries.

That ultimately opened the door for Brandon Bolden to record 8 carries (54 yards) and 2 targets (27 yards) on 26 snaps (44.1%, via NextGenStats).

He's still involved in special teams plays, and no other running back logged an offensive snap aside from these three this past week.

The Pats host the Cleveland Browns in Week 10, a team that ranked 30th in player-adjusted fantasy points per target allowed to running backs entering Week 9. They're 2.0-point home favorites, according to NFL odds.

Devonta Freeman, Baltimore Ravens

Roster Percentage: 19%

Though the Ravens just flat out haven't featured any running backs this season, Devonta Freeman played on 58.4% of the team's snaps in overtime in Week 9.

That's easily his season-best with the team and on par with the cap that any Ravens back has seen this year. Virtually nobody gets past a 65.0% snap rate here.

Freeman ultimately generated 83 yards on 13 carries and 3 targets with that role, including 2 red zone carries and 1 red zone target (which led to a score).

He's in a position to be the 1A in this three-man committee.

That's still targetable with the Ravens sitting as a 7.5-point road favorite against the Miami Dolphins next week.

Jordan Howard, Philadelphia Eagles

Roster Percentage: 12%

In two games with Jordan Howard active, he has played on 31.9% of the Eagles' snaps with per-game averages of 14.5 carries for 64.0 yards and 1.5 touchdowns -- plus no targets.

He's still got a bit role with his snap rate (though it's worth noting it jumped up to 40.4% in Week 9), yet he does have a path to red zone work (6.0 carries per game, 54.5% of the team's red zone rushes the past two weeks).

The bottom can fall out if he doesn't find the end zone, so don't go overboard to get Howard rostered.

Boston Scott (62%) has out-snapped him (43.7%) across these past two games and should probably be the priority if he's out there in your league.

Carlos Hyde, Jacksonville Jaguars

Roster Percentage: 34%

While the results for Carlos Hyde in Week 9 were rather tepid (73 total yards on 21 carries and 2 targets), he played on 77.2% of the Jacksonville Jaguars' snaps and faced an elite Buffalo Bills defense.

He also saw three of five red zone carries within the offense.

You won't find three-quarters of the snaps and a red zone role available on the waiver wire often, and better matchups are ahead.

Of course, his startable status is dependent solely on the health of James Robinson, who missed Week 9 with a heel injury.

Don't go overboard, but monitor Hyde if you're desperate at running back.

Others to Consider:
Devin Singletary (63%), Adrian Peterson (64%), Nyheim Hines (53%), J.D. McKissic (53%), Jamaal Williams (47%), Boston Scott (62%), Mark Ingram (38%),

Wide Receivers
Van Jefferson, Los Angeles Rams

Roster Percentage: 43%

With DeSean Jackson now a Las Vegas Raider, Van Jefferson is freed up for a healthy downfield role for the NFL's top adjusted passing offense.

In Week 9, Jefferson put up only 3 catches and 41 yards but had 7 targets and ran a route on 51 of 53 drop backs within the Los Angeles Rams' offense.

Over the past three games with virtually no Jackson at all, Jefferson has run 93.8% of the team's routes and has been targeted on 16.4% of Matthew Stafford's passes.

That includes team-bests in air yards share (32.0%), average depth of target (13.5 yards), and end zone target share (36.4%).

Jefferson is a full-time player within an elite offense.

Elijah Moore, New York Jets

Roster Percentage: 26%

We're not just point chasing with Elijah Moore after a big game in Week 9 (7 catches, 8 targets, 84 yards, and 2 touchdowns).

We're tracking a better role and opportunity for the rookie.

Moore ran 34 routes in Week 9 and tied for a team lead with those 8 targets. He's now seen at least 6 targets in each of the past three games, resulting in a 14.1% target share and a team-best 21.1% air yards share in that span.

With a good red zone role and the occasional carry already in tow, it's hard to envision Moore taking a massive step back after breaking out in Week 9.

Rashod Bateman, Baltimore Ravens

Roster Percentage: 36%

Let's stick with another rookie receiver with Rashod Bateman.

Bateman put up a viable 5-catch, 52-yard line in Week 9. Better yet, he drew 8 targets and ran 36 routes, second only to Marquise Brown's 40 routes.

Bateman's involvement has been good with this offense in recent weeks since his debut back in Week 6.

Looking only at passes thrown by Lamar Jackson in that four-game sample, Bateman has a 20.4% target share and a 23.0% air yards share. Only he, Brown (29.6%), and Mark Andrews (23.5%) have better than a 6.1% target share in this sample. It's a three-man offense.

Though he's the third option, he's got better market shares than some number-one options, given the offense.

He's worth a pickup to see if he maintains the role when Sammy Watkins returns.

Tim Patrick, Denver Broncos

Roster Percentage: 25%

The Broncos' passing offense has been pretty hard to predict from a receiver standpoint this season, and that'll only be worse with more options healthy.

That said, they were without Noah Fant in Week 9 and lost Albert Okwuegbunam in that game to injury.

Even before that, Tim Patrick had a great role and ultimately ended the game with 85 yards and a touchdown on his 5 targets.

In three games with Jerry Jeudy, Courtland Sutton, and Patrick playing together this season (Weeks 1, 8, and 9), Patrick has carved out a 14.1% target share and a 21.6% air yard share with an 11.6-yard average depth of target.

Others to Consider:
T.Y. Hilton (28%), Michael Gallup (48%), Mecole Hardman (47%), Rondale Moore (31%), Donovan Peoples-Jones (12%), Russell Gage (16%), DeSean Jackson (4%)

Tight Ends
Tyler Conklin, Minnesota Vikings

Roster Percentage: 38%

Tyler Conklin is slotting into a plush tight end matchup next week against the Los Angeles Chargers, who entered Week 9 ranked 31st in player-level-adjusted fantasy points per target allowed to tight ends.

Conklin is fresh off of a 7-target, 5-catch, 45-yard day, and that came on just 19 pass routes during a low-volume effort by the Minnesota Vikings' offense.

That does, though, mean Conklin saw a target on 36.8% of his pass routes -- an elite rate for any player.

The over/under for that game is set at 52.0 at NFL odds to start the week, so touchdown expectations are higher for this offense than for some other streaming options.

Others to Consider:
Logan Thomas (53%), Dan Arnold (27%), Pat Freiermuth (39%)