Ladies and gentlemen, we’re entering Week 10 with four teams getting a much needed break. Those team include the Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, Las Vegas Raiders, and Seattle Seahawks.
We set off to find the best waiver wire options of the week so you don’t have to, because we know how important having a ton of information will be now that we’re inching closer to the fantasy playoffs. We’ll get you set up for success heading into Week 10’s action.
Note: All rostership percentages use Sleeper for this Fantasy Football Week 9 Waiver Wire (2024) article.
Quarterback:
Daniel Jones – Sleeper Roster – 17%
- Against the Commanders, Daniel Jones put up his best fantasy output of the season with 174 passing yards and two touchdowns, plus 54 yards and a rushing touchdown. With his Week 9 performance, Jones is currently standing at QB4 this week before Monday Night Football.
- As long as you’re not expecting the world from him, Jones is a pretty nice stopgap or one-week Band-Aid for fantasy managers looking to grab a quarterback for bye weeks or for an injured player. Jones gets the Carolina Panthers in Week 10, so the matchup is as soft as it gets for Jones.
Bo Nix – Sleeper Roster – 44%
- Most quarterbacks wouldn’t be seen within a 50-mile radius from a waiver wire column after their team takes a 41-10 drubbing from the Baltimore Ravens, but Bo Nix is apparently not most quarterbacks. He threw for 223 yards, rushed for 36 yards, and even CAUGHT a touchdown pass from Courtland Sutton.
- Nix has scored at least 18.7 fantasy points in four of the last five weeks, so the fantasy floor is there despite tougher matchups with his rushing and if he’s going to be used THIS creatively? Icing on the cake. Nix could be more readily available this week since the Broncos head to Arrowhead Stadium to play the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 10. The matchup doesn’t look great, but I trust the fantasy floor going forward for Nix.
Drake Maye – Sleeper Roster – 22%
- Drake Maye has put up at least 17.7 fantasy points in three of his last four outings, scratching the game against the Jets where he left early. He tossed two interceptions to a tough Tennessee Titans defense but still threw the ball 41 times for 206 yards, threw a touchdown pass, and led the Patriots in rushing with 95 yards.
- Despite not having the strongest pass-catching group in the league, Maye has added some optimism and feistiness to the Patriots with his playmaking ability, as evidenced by his touchdown pass to send the Patriots/Titans game to overtime. Knowing what Maye can do for fantasy managers on the ground and gaining more confidence through the air, he’s straddling the line of top-end streamer and starter, so I want him on every roster. Even if I have a starting quarterback.
Running Back:
Ray Davis – Sleeper Roster – 25%
- While the on-field for Ray Davis has diminished over the last three weeks to just nine snaps and three routes in Week 9, Davis made the absolute most out of the work he did get with 90 total yards. 20 came on the ground at 5.0 yards per carry, and a whopping 70 came in the receiving game with a touchdown on two targets.
- While it’s harder to bank on Davis for any standalone role right now with how little he’s been on the field, we’ve seen the bull case for Davis play out when he got his lone start against the Jets in Week 6 with 97 rushing yards plus 55 yards receiving. He holds some of the best contingent value of any running back in the NFL and should be rostered in more than ¼ of leagues.
Braelon Allen – Sleeper Roster – 45%
- As we’re getting deeper into the season, Braelon Allen carries some of the best contingent value of any running back out there. If Breece Hall gets hurt, you can expect the Jets to learn heavily on Allen, just as much as they have with Hall. With the chance in head coach to Jeff Ulbrich and play-caller Todd Downing, Allen’s role has been a bit smaller, but the contingent role has never changed.
- Allen’s schedule is pretty awesome going forward for running backs, with matchups against the Cardinals, Colts, a Week 12 bye, then the Seahawks, Dolphins, Jaguars, Rams, and Bills. That’s a murderer’s row of very favorable matchups, so that only emphasizes the need for stashing Allen as a contingency in case something happens to Hall.
Cam Akers – Sleeper Roster – 9%
- With the trade after Week 6 that sent Cam Akers from the Houston Texans back to Minnesota for his second go-around with the Vikings in as many seasons, he looked to be insurance for Aaron Jones following a hip injury he suffered in London. Turns out it’s much more than that as Akers played his first offensive snaps for the team and Ty Chandler played… none.
- It looks as though Akers is now the contingent play for the Vikings as Chandler has been more or less phased out. If you’re about rostering contingent plays or handcuffing Jones, Akers is the back to target going forward. If Jones gets hurt, Akers should provide solid RB2-level output for fantasy managers.
Wide Receiver:
Ray-Ray McCloud – Sleeper Roster – 21%
- Ray-Ray McCloud’s fantasy production has waned in the last couple of weeks, but his time on the field has been consistently strong with 88% routes per dropback or better in every game but Week 1. McCloud scored a touchdown to save his fantasy day, but that’s not the main reason why we’re recommending McCloud.
- Fellow wide receiver Drake London (hip pointer) left the game in Week 9 and while McCloud is on the field anyway, it changes up the pecking order with Darnell Mooney and then McCloud as the second wide receiver option. KhaDarel Hodge was a literal one-for-one replacement down to the route for London, but Hodge has been more of a deep threat rather than a target-earning player. McCloud has at least shown that this season, so I’m willing to add McCloud wherever I can get him with routes-based upside plus the increased opportunities if London remains out.
Quentin Johnston – Sleeper Roster – 28%
- After missing the last two weeks of action with an ankle injury, Quentin Johnston returned with vengeance. Johnston notched his first 100-yard game this season AND of his career, and also added 29% of the team’s air yards, a 19% target share, and a robust 4.92 yards per route run on 71% of Justin Herbert’s dropbacks.
- The Chargers’ passing game has seen a renaissance the last few weeks, so with Ladd McConkey also being solid, perhaps this passing game and offense can support more than one pass-catcher? At worst, Johnston deserves to be added. At best, he’s a flex option that can potentially grow into being a WR3 option.
Demarcus Robinson – Sleeper Roster – 21%
- While Demarcus Robinson is not the most exciting name here for sure, he’s caught two touchdowns in his last two games and earned the most volume in Week 9 than he has in any game this season with a 6-94-2 line. While Robinson stands to benefit from Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua’s presence on the field, Robinson also has routes-based upside too, like McCloud.
- Robinson seems to be the third wide receiver in this current Rams’ wide receiver pecking order, with 80% routes or better in every game this season. That routes-based upside is important because as is the case, you need to be on the field earn a target, receiving yards, and catch a touchdown. He’s a perfect flex in fantasy lineups during the bye weeks that still has some upside in games where the Rams will be throwing for their lives, like they did against the Seahawks in Week 9.
Tight End:
Mike Gesicki – Sleeper Roster – 21%
- Since Tee Higgins has been injured, Mike Gesicki has been the direct beneficiary of Higgins’ absence, where Gesicki put up a solid 12.3 fantasy points in PPR in Week 8 against Philadelphia, but exploded for 27 fantasy points against the Raiders with a 5-100-2 line.
- With the wide receivers outside of Ja’Marr Chase in a state of extreme flux with the wavering availability of Jermaine Burton, the hit-or-miss nature of Andrei Iosivas, and a host of special teamers masquerading as wide receiver options, Gesicki has been awesome. Ride that wave for Thursday Night Football against the Ravens as a solid TE1.
Taysom Hill – Sleeper Roster – 31%
- The Taysom Slappies™ get there yet again with Taysom Hill grabbing a rushing touchdown, plus four receptions, and 60 total yards. Hill is a jack-of-all-trades tight end-eligible player who should get increases opportunities with most of the running backs aside from Alvin Kamara banged up and the wide receiver room in shambles.
- If Hill is eligible at tight end in your league, he should be universally added. If he’s only available at quarterback, you can leave him on waivers. He gets the Falcons in Week 10, where he finished as TE1 thanks to two touchdowns against those same Falcons in Week 4.
Jonnu Smith – Sleeper Roster – 16%
- After the Dolphins’ bye week in Week 6, Jonnu Smith has been running at least 73% in the last three weeks, including a season-high 83% in Week 9. He’s also earned no less than six targets in each week since the bye. With the Dolphins regaining their stride with the return of Tua Tagovailoa, Smith has been a solid pickup at the tight end position.
- The next two matchups should be fantastic for Smith and the Dolphins with the Rams and Raiders back-to-back, so Smith falls into being a high-priority streaming option with bye weeks sapping the position of a host of TE1 options like Brock Bowers, David Njoku, and Tucker Kraft. If you’re looking for an option in an offense that’s hitting their stride, grab Smith and slot him right in for the next couple of weeks.
D/ST:
Detroit Lions – Sleeper Roster – 49%
- The Lions snuck in here right before the 50% cutoff, and while they really didn’t do too much as a fantasy defense against the Packers in Week 9 outside of an interception return for a touchdown by Kerby Joseph.
- On the other hand, they will take a tour of the AFC South with a trip to Houston to play the Texans, the Jaguars at home, and then the Colts in Week 12. These are some cake matchups where the Lions could be THE top defense in fantasy football for those three weeks.
New York Giants – Sleeper Roster – 6%
- The Giants are usually good for one thing and that’s piling up sacks. As I say that, the Commanders didn’t allow a sack while the Giants gave up 28 points and didn’t force an interception or fumble. Previous to Week 9, the Giants averaged five sacks in their last four games.
- Enter the Carolina Panthers, where the Giants could easily be a top five fantasy defense against the Panthers, who are the gift that keeps on giving for opposing fantasy defenses. If you’re streaming at the position and following the “add whoever plays the Panthers” philosophy, the Giants are an excellent add for this week before they hit their Week 11 bye.
Atlanta Falcons – Sleeper Roster – 9%
- The Falcons’ defense for fantasy is not really that good. They’ve scored more than six points just once this season and that was thanks to two touchdowns against the New Orleans Saints. Well, I’ll give you a wild guess who the Falcons have in Week 10…
- …That’s right, it’s the Saints, who are even more a shell of even their Week 4 team in their prior meeting, with multiple wide receivers out and the human turnover machine Derek Carr back in the saddle. It’s likely the only time you can use the Falcons during the fantasy season as their other Panthers matchup is in Week 18.