Playoff races are heating up and trade deadlines are approaching in fantasy leagues, which means your waiver-wire decisions become increasingly important.
Popular Week 9 waiver claims like Tim Hightower, DuJuan Harris, Colin Kaepernick and Cameron Brate came through for fantasy owners over the weekend, so with that in mind here’s a quick look at some options to consider prior to Week 10.
QB
Notable players on bye: Andrew Luck, Derek Carr, Matt Stafford, Tyrod Taylor
Alex Smith (24% owned)
Smith is set to return from injury and he has a promising matchup against Carolina. The Panthers allowed Case Keenum to score nearly 15 fantasy points (standard scoring) on them last week and Smith should be able to do better than that.
RB
Notable players on bye: LeSean McCoy, Latavius Murray, Frank Gore, Theo Riddick
DuJuan Harris (33% owned)
Harris was one of the top fantasy running backs in Week 9 and if Carlos Hyde misses another week he will see a hefty workload. It’s a tough matchup against the Cardinals, who give up the third-fewest fantasy points to opposing RBs. Still, it’s tough to come across starting backs this late into the season. Warning: This pickup will be a waste of time if Hyde returns.
WR
Notable players on bye: T.Y. Hilton, Donte Moncrief, Amari Cooper, Michael Crabtree, Golden Tate, Marvin Jones
Rishard Matthews (31% owned)
The Titans’ passing attack leaves much to be desired but it’s clear Marcus Mariota’s favourite red zone target is Matthews, who now has five touchdowns in the last five weeks. He’s sure-handed near the goal line and a Week 10 matchup against a banged-up Packers secondary is juicy.
Robert Woods (11% owned)
Woods has his bye with the Bills this week but if you’re struggling at receiver he could (and should) see plenty of targets down the stretch. He set career highs with 10 catches and a league-high 162 receiving yards against the impressive Seahawks defence in Week 9.
Marqise Lee (4% owned)
With Allen Hurns dealing with a concussion, Lee gets a boost in value. He’s capable of big yardage—91 yards in Week 9 and 107 in Week 7—and the Jags usually rack up plenty of garbage yards. Going up against a stiff Texans defence will be a tough task.
Eli Rogers (2% owned)
Rogers went silent after a strong Week 1 outing but is back on the map after putting up 103 yards this past week. Sammie Coates hasn’t been effective since injuring his hand and Darrius Heyward-Bey went down with a leg injury. Rogers was a popular deep-sleeper pick heading into the season but has been a disappointment. He’ll see his target share increase in the weeks ahead.
TE
Notable players on bye: Jack Doyle, Eric Ebron, Charles Clay
Austin Hooper (12% owned)
Jacob Tamme is still dealing with a shoulder injury and Hooper did great in a starting role. With Matt Ryan being able to spread the ball around so efficiently, Hooper will be a respectable option at a weak position.
Lance Kendricks (15% owned)
He has had at least eight targets in each of his last three games and put up 90 yards on seven catches against the Panthers. Keenum can’t do many things well (relative to other starting QBs) but he is proficient at completing easy passes to Kendricks.
The percentages shown above represent how much each player is owned in Yahoo! fantasy football leagues at the time this article was published
