There are usually one or two clear top pickups to prioritize, but that’s not the case entering Week 10. The most interesting running backs merely have a slice of a crowded workload. Also hurting matters, the streaming reservoir is relatively dry at quarterback and defense.

As a result, managers without a clear need should consider using this madness as the opportune time to swing for the fences with one of two rookie wide receivers. One will earn more attention after a breakout Week 9, but the other could keep falling under the radar until becoming the must-add player in a week or two. Let’s hurry and get to the picks before the NFL penalizes us for taunting.

Note: Rostered percentages provided via Yahoo leagues.

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Top 5 Waiver Targets of Week 10

Rashod Bateman (WR – BAL): 36%
Bateman remains on the precipice of a breakthrough during a solid start to his NFL career. Targeted 20 times in three games, the first-round pick has 12 catches for 161 yards. The 21-year-old is playing steady snaps as Baltimore’s No. 2 wide receiver behind Marquise Brown, and the Ravens are no longer a run-first and second offense. Lamar Jackson threw 41 passes in Sunday’s overtime win over Minnesota, upping his season average to 33.25 per game. Bateman’s 20.2% target share should thus translate into steady volume with big-play opportunities.

Elijah Moore (WR – NYJ): 26%
Moore began his NFL career with -3 yards in Week 1 and entered the Jets’ Week 6 bye with 66 receiving yards all season. Those who stood by his side — or made a buy-low gamble — finally had their patience rewarded when the rookie secured seven of eight targets for 84 yards and his first two career touchdowns on Thursday night.

It wasn’t a completely out-of-nowhere explosion, as Moore received six targets in each of his previous two contests. His talent was also never in question. Before getting selected with the second pick of the second round, Moore registered 149.1 receiving yards per game as a junior at Ole Miss. Per Player Profiler, the 21-year-old ran a 4.35 40-yard dash in his pro day and recorded a 98th-percentile agility score.

However, as noted by Pro Football Focus’ Jarad Evans, Moore wasn’t getting quality looks before Thursday night’s breakthrough:

Highest % of uncatchable targets this season

1. Elijah Moore – 47%
2. Robby Anderson – 44%
3. Odell Beckham Jr. – 41%

— Jarad Evans (@PFF_Jarad) November 1, 2021

That problem may persist if Zach Wilson returns from a sprained PCL to reclaim his starting job. While they have played better in the past two weeks, Mike White and Josh Johnson aren’t exactly reliable long-term solutions either. It’s still worth betting on Moore’s skills. Looking way ahead, he could be a difference-maker in the fantasy playoffs with the Jets facing the Florida triumvirate of Miami, Jacksonville, and Tampa Bay from Weeks 15 to 17. I’m only noting that now because Moore will likely be rostered in most leagues by next week.

Pat Freiermuth (TE – PIT): 40%
A handful of tight ends are knocking on the doorstep of TE1 territory, but Freiermuth is the first to walk through the door. The rookie has blossomed into a vital member of Pittsburgh’s passing offense ever since losing JuJu Smith-Schuster to a season-ending shoulder injury. After finding the end zone twice Monday night, Freiermuth has caught 16 of 20 targets for 145 yards and three touchdowns in the last three games without Smith-Schuster. He’s a quality starter when the Steelers host the Lions in Week 10 and possible top-10 tight end moving forward.

Jordan Howard (RB – PHI): 12%
OK, the Eagles are just messing with us now. When Miles Sanders left Week 7’s game early, Kenneth Gainwell headlined Philadelphia’s backfield with 61 total yards and a touchdown. Boston Scott and Jordan Howard each scored two touchdowns in Week 8, but Scott led the group in snaps and rushing yards. In this space, I labeled Howard’s breakthrough a game-script byproduct of a 44-6 blowout over the Lions.

In Week 9, Howard garnered the team’s most carries (17) and rushing yards (71) alongside another end-zone visit. Scott mustered 40 yards on 10 handoffs, and Gainwell only posted three yards on two touches alongside his touchdown. This distribution occurred in an evenly contested 27-24 loss to the Chargers.

Howard has played a significant role in two highly contrasting games, so we have to take him seriously as a must-add and palatable flex option in non-PPR leagues. Of course, that probably means Scott or Kenneth Gainwell will lead the way in Week 10. Note that Howard still only played 23 of 57 offensive snaps, two fewer than Scott.

Rhamondre Stevenson (RB – NE): 6%
Bill Belichick … running backs … you know the rest. Damien Harris scored a touchdown in his fifth straight game, but he also played his fewest snap (24) since starting that streak in Week 5. Even in a 24-6 victory, Brandon Bolden led the backfield in snaps (29), seeing the field more often (47%) than he has all season.

Stevenson, however, stole the show with 62 rushing yards and 44 receiving yards on 10 rushes and two receptions.

Rhamondre Stevenson running with authority 😤 #ForeverNE

📺: #NEvsCAR on CBS
📱: NFL app pic.twitter.com/9IN9fPbKP9

— NFL (@NFL) November 7, 2021

Since spending a month in the doghouse following a Week 1 fumble and missed blitz pick-ups, Stevenson has returned to accrue 222 yards on 40 touches in the last four games. While some could use Harris’s goal-line proficiency as a reason to ignore Stevenson, it may only amplify his appeal. Stevenson has received eight red-zone handoffs in the last four games. If Harris misses time, a blitz assignment, practice, or if Belichick just feels like it, he could cede a full plate of goal-line action to the neophyte. Stevenson is a high-upside handcuff with a chance of building standalone value or stealing the starting job outright.

Notable Players 36-50% Rostered

Denver Broncos (D/ST): 47%
Unless Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson isn’t ready for their Week 10 showdown at Green Bay, there are no standout D/ST streamers. Although Philadelphia isn’t a particularly favorable adversary, Denver has allowed 43 points over its last three games against Cleveland, Washington, and Dallas. More important for our purposes, the Broncos have eight sacks and four takeaways during that window. They’re a one-off option with the Chargers and Kansas City looming after a Week 11 bye.

Van Jefferson (WR – LAR): 43%
Jefferson is more than a third option who can occasionally break off one big play. OK, that’s mostly what he is, but he’s built a steadier role with seven, six, and seven targets over the last three games. He no longer needs to contend with DeSean Jackson for reps alongside Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods, so the second-year pro could elevate his floor during the second half.

Tyler Conklin (TE – MIN): 38%
Conklin has caught five of seven targets in consecutive contests after accruing 71 yards in his previous game. He’s played more than 70% of Minnesota’s offensive snaps in every game this season and is averaging 5.5 targets per bout. Although yet to hit paydirt since Week 3, Conklin is emerging as a solid option at a bleak position.

Notable Players 10-35% Rostered

Carlos Hyde (RB – JAC): 34%
The Jaguars pulled off the upset of the season without James Robinson, but Hyde mustered a humdrum 73 yards. Depending on your perspective, it’s even disheartening or highly encouraging to see him produce that line with 22 touches. While the 31-year-old was ineffective with his large workload, volume usually leads to good things for running backs. If Robinson misses any more time, Hyde looks positioned as the starter who could get plenty of more carries and any goal-line opportunities that arise.

Dan Arnold (TE- JAC): 27%
Arnold has caught 12 of 17 targets for 128 yards in two games since Jacksonville’s bye and is averaging 49.6 yards per game with his new team. Only nine tight ends have averaged more yards per bout this season. Arnold has been a solid TE2 without any touchdowns since getting traded to the Jaguars. He’s a few scores away from emerging as a borderline top-10 option.

Teddy Bridgewater (QB – DEN): 26%
This is a brutal week for QB streamers, so hopefully managers already have an alternative to Joe Burrow for his bye. With at least 12 fantasy points in all but one game this season, Bridgewater is steadier than the typical plug-in play. He’s completed 69.9% of his passes with a 100.6 quarterback rating this season, and the opposing Eagles have permitted an NFL-worst 75.5% completion rate and a 104.8 passer rating. Bridgewater should offer a steady baseline of around 15 fantasy points.

Tim Patrick (WR – DEN): 25%
Patrick remains relatively unnoticed if you want a solid wideout with a nose for the end zone. After providing 85 yards and a touchdown in Week 9’s upset over Dallas, the 27-year-old is the WR32 with 509 receiving yards and four touchdowns through nine games. His role hasn’t diminished since Jerry Jeudy‘s return, with Courtland Sutton instead seeing his targets dwindle. Like his quarterback, Patrick is a respectable replacement option for managers in a bind.

Jamison Crowder (WR – NYJ): 24%
Moore is the flashier add among the Jets’ wide receivers, but Crowder has caught 28 of 37 targets for 241 yards in five games. Averaging 12.2 PPR points per game with a single-game low of 7.4, the 28-year-old is a steady floor option for teams hit by injuries and the bye-week blues. Crowder has already played with three quarterbacks this season, so his value isn’t contingent on who plays under center for Gang Green.

Devonta Freeman (RB – BAL): 20%
Latavius Murray missed Sunday’s game with an ankle injury. Rather than insert Ty’Son Williams into his spot, Baltimore utilized Freeman and Le’Veon Bell in a two-person backfield. While Bell boasted the team’s only rushing touchdown, Freeman submitted a receiving score with 83 yards on 15 touches.

Freeman has looked like the sharpest of Baltimore’s three veteran acquisitions, averaging 5.7 yards per carry this season while finding the end zone in three straight games. He’s set a new season-high in snap rate in each of those three games, elevating to 58% on Sunday. With Murray only averaging 3.6 yards per run with four total receptions, Freeman is the group’s most relevant fantasy option when everyone is healthy. Yet it might be an uphill climb to consistent results for any one of them when sharing the field.

Russell Gage (WR – ATL): 16%
Gage returned from a four-week layover to tally 67 yards and a touchdown in Week 7, only to see no targets in 36 snaps the next game. Matt Ryan remembered Gage in Week 9, as he led the Falcons in targets (eight) and receptions (seven) during a 27-25 win over the Saints. Though Cordarrelle Patterson and Kyle Pitts are wide receivers labeled at other positioned, Gage now tops Atlanta’s wideout depth chart without Calvin Ridley. Sunday should be closer to his norm than Week 8’s goose egg.

Deonte Harris (WR – NO): 15%
Harris has at least seven targets in three of the last four games. In the other one, he converted his only target into a 72-yard touchdown. Since he’s averaging 15.4 yards per catch, it’s intriguing to see what the 23-year-old could accomplish if the Saints play him more. That’s still a major hurdle to clear, as Harris hasn’t seen the field for half of their offensive snaps all season.

Donovan Peoples-Jones (WR – CLE): 13%
The Peoples-Jones pick-up is back. When last on the field, he compiled 101 receiving yards and two touchdowns in Week 6. After missing two weeks due to a groin injury, he returned to a Browns squad that just cut Odell Beckham Jr. Although Peoples-Jones only saw three targets in a 41-16 rout over the Bengals, he parlayed one into a 60-yard score. The 22-year-old now has catches of 42, 57, and 67 yards in his last three games. With Beckham out of the picture, Peoples-Jones could see soon more opportunities to supplement that big-play upside. He’s an interesting lottery target who cut hit big over the season’s second half.

Notable Players <10% Rostered

Tennessee Titans (D/ST): 9%
Tennessee’s defense has mustered at least a dozen fantasy points in each of its last three games and four of the last five. That’s after posting eight total fantasy points through Week 4. The same team that faltered as a streamer against the Jets finished among the top-five defenses against Kanas City in Week 7 and the Rams in Week 9. Even if they give up points, the Titans can fall back on their 23 sacks and 13 takeaways. Despite the lower rostered rate, they’re a better add than the Broncos with two toasty upcoming matchups against the Saints and Texans.

Taylor Heinicke (QB – WAS): 9%
If you’re desperate for a deep-league streamer, turn to the nation’s capital. Heinicke is 18th in fantasy points per game (17.4) among starting quarterbacks, and he returns from a bye to face a pass-funnel Buccaneers defense that’s allowed 20.4 fantasy points per game to opposing signal-callers. Washington probably wouldn’t have much success against their stout rushing defense under normal circumstances, but they’re considerable home underdogs with Antonio Gibson still hampered by a shin injury. Heinicke is also expected to get Logan Thomas (rostered in 53% of Yahoo leagues, so check if he’s available) back from the IR.

Le’Veon Bell (RB – BAL): 5%
Bell has scored two touchdowns in four games with the Ravens, but not much else. While he’s currently just a goal-line vulture for deep leagues, he’d see more carries if Murray misses more time.

D’Onta Foreman (RB – TEN): 1%
In Tennessee’s first game without Derrick Henry, Adrian Peterson led the team in carries (10) and reached the end zone. Jeremy McNichols only turned his 10 touches into 35 yards, but he saw the field more (26) than any other Titans running back. However, these weren’t the only two rushers of note. Foreman garnered a team-high 29 rushing yards on just five carries and 12 snaps. A three-man timeshare would make it difficult for anyone to stand out as a weekly fantasy option, but Foreman has the best chance — albeit still a low one — of the trio to claim a featured role.

Olamide Zaccheaus (WR – ATL): 1%
Gage may have received more looks Sunday, but Zaccheaus made his scarce chances count. After receiving one target in each of his last two games, the 24-year-old reeled in all three targets for 58 yards and two touchdowns. He’ll need to see more opportunities to earn our trust, but Zaccheaus merits a look in deep leagues.

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