Welcome to our tenth Waiver Wire article at Fantasy In Frames for the 2023 fantasy football season!
Mirror mirror on the wall, who has the Tightest End of them all?
Week 9 saw some of the trendiest boy names of 2015 finish in the Top 5 of Tight End finishers. Watch out Travis’s, Mark’s, Darren’s, and George’s rear end, and make way for Cade’s, Jake’s, Dalton’s, Cole’s, and Taysom’s. What a time to be alive, and if you started any of the latter five, you most likely won your week. Congrats. But Week 10 is here, and like they say on our IDP Fantasy Football show Shoot The Gap (found on The Fantasy In Frames Podcast), were those hipster Tight Ends “Money or a Mirage“? Time will tell, but in the meantime, let me help you get set up for Week 10 with a Baker, a Keaton, a Quentin, and a Jonnu.
Quarterback: DISCLAIMER – If Coleridge Bernard Stroud IV is on your waivers. He is a must-add.
Russell Wilson
#RUSStorationSZN is in full effect.
QB5 in passing TDS (16) with a game less than the QBs ahead of him, the #RUSSurgence is here and Wilson has turned into a viable fantasy asset.
This week he gets the Buffalo Bills who have been pretty solid against opposing QBS, allowing the 4th fewest points to the position. But you’re not claiming Russ for this week.
#RUSSofSeasonSchedule, His last 4 weeks have to some of the most lucrative for Quarterbacks. The Charger twice in weeks 14 and 17, the Lions week 15 and the Patriots week 16. LA is the best possible matchup, the Lions allow the 13th most and the Patriots allow 17th most to the position on the year. Over the last 3 weeks the Patriots have allowed the 5th most passing yards against on average (292.7).
That’s enough Russ puns for now.
Joshua Dobbs
I mean, learning cadence on the sidelines, being described the play in the huddle as the play calls come in, leading the Vikings to a win after being traded for on Tuesday?!?! Cool stories aside, Dobbs should be added because on this Vikings offense he has the potential to finish as QB1 on a weekly basis.
This is strictly due to his rushing upside being tied to a well put together offense like the Vikings. 7 carries, 66 yards and the touchdown vs the Falcons, insert Justin Jefferson and Joshua Dobbs is everything we want Justin Fields to be. HeHe.
Averages: 6 carries, 36 yards, 0.5 touchdowns a game.
Baker Mayfield
Baker has been pretty consistent this season, 6 of the 8 games he has played he hit 16 points, 50% of his games he finished as a QB1 and has had 2 games where finished with 20 or more points.
This week he draws the Tennessee Titans which have been good against QB’s over the last 3 weeks, but let’s be honest, outside of Lamar Jackson, they have faced Ridder, Heinicke and Pickett.
The painted pig that the Titans pass defense is will come back down to Earth vs. Baker Mayfield. Oo, that fields kinda dirty typing out.
Leonard Fournette
Buffalo doesn’t trust the small-framed James Cook or the journeyman Latavius Murray inside the red zone or in short-yardage situations inside the five or on the goal line.
On the season, they have a combined 45 touches in the redzone and only 4 touchdowns to show for it. Over the last three weeks, they have only been able to find pay dirt once.
This is where “Short Yardage” Lenny comes in. Not only is he going to be taking away all the work inside the 5, or short yardage situations he’s still got hands and could start cutting into James Cook’s receiving work.
Elijah Mitchell/Tank Bigsby
It’s cuffin’ season and now we’ve got a reason, to get a big boy! This goes for any available handcuff still on your waivers. Roster them, cut bait on the pretenders, and hold on to these potential league winners. If anything, hold them over your opps heads that lose their starting running back.
We have already seen McCaffrey and Etienne deal with some kind of in-game ailments. Don’t get caught with your pants down having to start Elijah Dotson Week 17.
Keaton Mitchell
Look, the situation in Baltimore’s backfield is still murky. Gus Edwards should be the started RB on a weekly basis but it doesn’t hurt to roster a guy like Mitchell who can break one off at any time. Gus also hasn’t been the model of health only playing 18 games over the last 3 seasons.
Only playing 14 of Baltimores’ 76 snaps we need to temper expectations for Keaton Mitchell moving forward. Don’t fall for the same ole’ “RB goes off one week and completely ghosts you the next” situation that happens week in and week out.
Speed with a college production profile, Mitchell should be considered but not heavily invested in.
Demario Douglas – Sleeper roster 44% (must be below 50%)
DEMAAARIO, DE-DE-DE-DE-DEMARRRRIO, he is, he is, DE-DE-DE-DE-DEMARRRRIO. The new #1 WR for the Patriots, Demario Douglas, needs to be on your roster. Yes, it isn’t a prolific passing attack, but there are only a limited amount of WRs on the waivers that have seen team highs in routes run, targets, yards, and endzone targets over the last three games (he’s probably the only one) Douglas is a must add!
No Kendrick Bourne, banged-up Davante Parker, the preseason piece of coal is slowly turning into a late-season diamond.
Should be setup to be a consistent WR3/4 the rest of the way with volume upside.
Jameson Williams
There’s an old saying in my house; it was passed down from generations of Battistel men, and I will continue the tradition: “Get up, kid, there’s f$%^&*@ work to do.” If the Lions want to continue to be this force in the NFC, they are going to need Alabama product to get up and get work done.
Going against the Chargers this week, who allow the 6th most deep passing yards, the Lions will look to utilize the 15.1 ADOT and abilities to stretch the field of Jamo.
Boom/Bust type of week is incoming for Williams, who is coming off his bye, but if you are chasing wins or points, he may be the guy for you.
Quentin Johnston
The stars have aligned for the rookie WR and if he doesn’t take advantage of his current situation, Johnston will be a bust.
With Palmer landing on the IR, Johnston vs. the Bears had five catches 50-yards in his best game yet. If only he got the Bears every week.
Justin Herbert.
Luke Musgrave
Dealt with a bit of an injury earlier in the season, Luke Musgrave made the most of his opportunities this past Sunday leading the team in receiving yards and securing a touchdown.
Draws the Pittsburgh Steelers this week, who have been stout against the TE, but has great matchups in the weeks that follow vs the Chargers and the Lions.
A possible situation where you let your league mates claim him this week, he has a bad game vs. you, you win, they drop him, you scoop him up for the next two matchups, and you just galaxy-brained three wins. You’re welcome.
Jonnu Smith
Nothing but a streamer. With a 60-yard catch and run for a touchdown this past weekend, Kyle Pitts is holding Jonnu Smith’s beer.
Only five tight ends have a 100-yard game to their name this season, and Jonnu Smith is one of them.
This week he actually draws a pretty bad matchup against the Cardinals, but his team target share and the fact that he has turned into the Falcons’ TE1, Jonnu Smith can be streamed.
Draws the Bears and Colts in 2 of his 3 playoff matchups, which are two teams that are in the Top 10 for Tight End scoring.
Cade Otton
I’d be remiss if I didn’t bring up a player I had high expectations for before the season started, and he just came off his best game of the year. I don’t like his remaining schedule, but his usage has been plug-and-play over the last three weeks.
Averaging five receptions, 47 yards, and 0.6 touchdowns per game over that span, Otton is the TE7 in .5PPR scoring, averaging 11.1 FPPG between Weeks 7-9.
Green Bay Packers
Green Bay draws the Steelers this week, who are scoring the third-fewest points per game. (16.6)
The Packers are only allowing 19.9 points per game; Setup to be a low-scoring tilt, with the O/U the lowest of the week at 37.
Chicago Bears
Thursday Night game vs the Carolina Panthers, who have given up four turnovers and 15 sacks over the last four games.
The Bears’ defense feasts against bad teams, averaging 11.6 points between Weeks 5 to 7, where their opponents were Washington, a Cousinsless Vikings, and the Raiders.
Panthers gave up three interceptions, 2 for touchdowns, four sacks, and one fumble vs the Colts this past week. Woof.
Seattle Seahawks
Averaging 10.1 fantasy points per game, the Seattle Seahawks defense draws a Commander team that has allowed opposing team DSTs to put up the fifth most fantasy points on the year.
Howell sacked a staggering league-leading 44 times on the year, a league-leading nine interceptions; the Seattle Seahawks will be looking to eat.
Seahawks are 7th in the league in team total sacks, and with six interceptions on the year; I’m looking for the birds to make Howell question his life decisions.
