Week 9 is almost in the books and the NFL trade deadline is upon us. With rosters about to be shaken up one last time, these are the best players you can get off the waiver wire ahead of Week 10.
Quarterback
Geno Smith, Jets
The Jets aren’t winning games, but Smith is playing exceptional football. He’s 13th in EPA per play and fourth in completion percentage over expected. The biggest problem as of late has been a lack of passing volume. Smith hasn’t attempted more than 32 passes in a game since Week 3. That should change on Sunday when he takes on the Bills, who are giving up the second-most pass attempts per game this year.
Aaron Rodgers, Steelers
The Steelers are eighth in the NFL in pass attempts per game and Rodgers is 16th in yards per game. He has multiple touchdowns in exactly half of his appearances this year. Now he gets a sneaky shootout spot with the Bengals. Rodgers is one of the better streaming options this week.
Michael Penix, Falcons
It’s a truly ugly week of waivers at the quarterback position, so we’re going back to the well with Penix. Even after the down week, he sits at a respectable 16th in EPA per play. He gets a Chiefs defense that’s been stingy to opposing quarterbacks this year but isn’t great efficiency-wise. The Chiefs are allowing the fifth-fewest fantasy points to opposing passers. They only rank 14th in EPA per dropback allowed. Penix is merely a QB2 going forward, but that’s all you are going to find off the waiver wire these days.
Running Back
Corey Kiner, Patriots
TreVeyon Henderson’s status is unknown as he deals with “unexplained neurological symptoms that required hospitalization for several days.” Rhamondre Stevenson is now hurt, having suffered a knee injury in the Pats’ blowout loss to the Packers. Both players’ statuses for Week 10 are up in the air. Kiner was already forcing a committee between the three when they were healthy. He now has the chance to consolidate work with both players potentially out for an exciting game against the Lions.
Seth McGowan, Colts
Jonathan Taylor could remain a Colt, which would ruin any fantasy potential for McGowan. If he’s traded, however, we will get at least an RB2 workload from Indy’s backup running back. The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday at 4 PM ET, so we should have a resolution to this situation before waivers run. McGowan would be a full-send for FAAB purposes if Taylor is traded.
Kaleb Johnson, Packers
Josh Jacobs suffered a fractured finger in the Packers’ win over the Patriots. The hope is reportedly that he can play through the issue, but that’s not a guarantee. If he can’t, Johnson could be the next man up. He was on Sunday with 14 carries for 68 yards and a touchdown. MarShawn Lloyd was notably out for Week 9 and Chris Brooks is practicing but not yet activated from IR. There are a lot of moving parts here, and any one of them could knock Johnson out of the RB3 mix.
Audric Estime, Saints
Travis Etienne is eligible to return from IR this week, so any Estime streaming potential could be put to bed with a single transaction. If Etienne doesn’t return, Estime is in line for another solid workload. He saw 15-of-22 running back carries for the Saints on Sunday, and that was after joining the team for the first time this year on Wednesday. His workload could increase with an additional week of practice.
Devin Singletary, Giants
Cam Skattebo was reportedly pushing to play in Week 9. The Giants ultimately ruled him out before kickoff. Singletary saw 21 carries and three targets. Backup Greg Desrosiers saw three carries and zero targets. Singletary, of course, turned his elite workload into 39 scoreless yards. He’s a volume-based RB3 even when he sees every touch, and that might have been a one-week experience.
Emmet Johnson, Chiefs
Johnson’s receiving role disappeared in Week 9. He was not targeted once and Kenneth Walker caught four balls for 41 yards and two scores. The good news is that Johnson ran the ball six times for 34 yards and a touchdown. Even more bad news: All six of his attempts came in the fourth quarter. Patrick Mahomes was still on the field, but Walker was just about done for the day once Johnson finally got on the field. He’s an intriguing bench stash but nothing more.
Wide Receiver
Caleb Douglas, Dolphins
The Douglas takeover looks complete after Week 9. The rookie saw 40 percent of Miami’s targets and a whopping 61 percent of the air yards. His 34 percent air yards share on the season comfortably leads the team. Douglas is averaging a stellar 2.3 yards per route run. Malik Washington is at a solid 1.6 YPRR while Chris Bell and Kevin Coleman Jr. are both below one. Douglas saw WR1 usage on Sunday and his play suggests that’s his role for the taking.
Tank Dell, Texans
Everyone in Houston ate on Sunday. Dell posted his first 100-yard game since Week 9 of the 2024 season. Kayshon Boutte erupted for 125 yards and two touchdowns. Xavier Hutchinson scored. Nico Collins also got in the end zone, though it happened with a declining role. Dell logged a team-high nine targets. He also led the way in air yards with 133. The downside is that he ran just 55 percent of the available routes. We should expect his role—as measured by routes—to grow as he gets back up to speed, but it could take some time. He is still one of the best waiver wire bets at receiver this week.
Jordan Watkins, 49ers
It sounds like Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel could both miss another week, meaning Brock Purdy’s WR1 is on waivers in almost every fantasy league. Watkins led the 49ers’ wideouts with an 87 percent route rate and an 18 percent target share. Demarcus Robinson matched him in targets, but Watkins’ 30 percent air yard share easily led the team’s receiver room. Both wideouts are in play as deep-cut FLEX options for Week 10.
Pat Bryant, Broncos
Jaylen Waddle suffered a concussion on Sunday. Both Bryant and Courtland Sutton—who is rostered in just over half of Yahoo leagues—found the end zone in his absence. Sutton saw nine targets to Bryant’s five. The Broncos get their bye in Week 10, meaning Waddle should not miss any time with the concussion. Though Sutton out-targeted Bryant in Week 9, that could flip coming out of the break. Bryant is averaging 1.6 yards per route run this year compared to 1.0 for Sutton. Bryant’s the second-best receiver on the team and is gaining steam headed into the team’s week off. Sean Payton might finally treat him like the WR2 in Week 11.
Van Jefferson, Commanders
Jefferson has to be mentioned after leading the Commanders in every receiving category via a 5-58-1 receiving line. His seven targets and 88 air yards also led the team. He might be the team’s WR1 with Terry McLaurin out. He might also turn back into a pumpkin next week. I would bet on the latter with my FAAB dollars and waiver priorities, but if you’re truly desperate for a WR5, he’s on the menu.
Tight End
Darren Waller, Panthers
Waller erupted for 90 yards and a touchdown on eight grabs in Week 9. It was his first game with more than one catch since Week 4. He did, however, hit a season-high route rate of 67 percent. His previous season-high came in Week 8 at 66 percent. Waller’s role, while not great, does appear to be on the rise. He’s functionally the team’s WR3, but fantasy managers get to play him at tight end.
Chig Okonkwo, Commanders
McLaurin went down with a season-ending injury a few snaps into Week 6. From that game onward, Okonkwo has an 83 percent route rate with 22 percent of the Commanders’ targets. He has also seen a quarter of the team’s end zone looks. It’s not flashy, but he’s looking like a high-end TE2.
A.J. Barner, Seahawks
Barner found the end zone twice on Sunday, once via a tush push and a second time through the air. He’ll be a popular name on waivers this week, but his role remained middling at best. He earned a 15 percent target share—one point above his season-long rate—and only ran 66 percent of the routes, which was actually a season-low mark for him. Barner is still nothing more than a touchdown-or-bust TE2.
