Pigskin Papers: 2023 Waiver Wire Week 10
Is Keaton Mitchell De’Von Achane Light?
(Published November 7, 2023)
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Welcome to the Waiver Wire, Week 10. We’re into the second half of the fantasy regular season, so now’s the time to shift into high gear, injuries and Bye weeks be damned. I hope your team is still in the thick of it.
********WEEK 10 FANTASY PREVIEW: Fantasy-preview-week-10 ********
There are weeks where the Waiver Wire is defined by injuries that open the door for backups, and there are weeks where it’s more about emerging players who can make a difference in fantasy. Week 10 is mostly the second variety. Yes, injuries at the QB position have been a huge factor over the past few weeks, but we’re also seeing a number of predominantly younger players getting increased opportunities to produce for fantasy. That said, this isn’t a particularly good week for waiver pickups.
This is also a significant Bye week. The Dolphins, Eagles, Chiefs, and Rams are off this week. That’s a strong group from a fantasy perspective. Miami and Philadelphia are the 2 highest scoring teams in the NFL, and the Chiefs and Rams have a few prominent, every-week fantasy starters. So lots of fantasy managers will look to patch together a winning lineup while missing some of the biggest names in fantasy—Mahomes, Hurts, Tyreek Hill, A.J. Brown, Kupp, and Kelce. I’m here to help.
The big Waiver Wire name to know this week is Ravens’ rookie RB Keaton Mitchell, an undrafted free agent who saw his first action of the season this past Sunday. I’ll talk about him more in the RB section, but what’s so intriguing about Mitchell is that he appears to offer the unusual upside you get when talent, opportunity, and high-powered offense come together, which you don’t often see on the Wire. If you’ve got a lot of FAAB left, this might be the opportunity you’ve been waiting for as he’s widely available. But again, read below before you pull the trigger. OK, let’s dive in to the Waiver Wire for Week 10!
The Process: Each week, I try to identify the top Waiver Wire targets and evaluate the short and long term prospects of those players. I also do my best to reveal which players who are coming off a big week are fool’s gold. Finally, I endeavor to find streamers who might help you in a pinch. Note that this advice is primarily intended for Season-Long leagues, and NOT Dynasty leagues.
Some of the players I’ll talk about won’t be available in your league. This week, a lot of them won’t be, as the wire is thin and I’m giving you plenty of names that are rostered in most bigger leagues. As a general rule, I list players who are available in more than 50% of leagues. But what does that even mean? A 10 team league with 6 bench spots will have a much larger free agent pool than a 14 team league with 8 bench spots. Most leagues fall somewhere in between. This isn’t “one size fits all.”
Dobbs: The Nomad QB Strikes Again!
Week 10 Waiver Wire:
QB: Between all of those injuries and the Byes, the QB position continues to be a bit of a mess, and especially for those in 2-QB leagues. I’m going to assume that Kyler Murray has been stashed in almost every league by now (he’s expected to make his season debut this week), and that Sam Howell is also now widely rostered. Grab them if that’s not the case.
If any of these QBs are available, they’re good adds.
Russell Wilson. No, I don’t expect he’s available in 50% of leagues, but strange things happen during Bye weeks. Wilson figures to be a top 15 QB all season, and Denver is an improving team on both sides of the ball.
Josh Dobbs. He’s also probably not available in hardly any 1-QB leagues, but you might be able to add him in a Superflex. What he did this past week was nothing short of astounding, and it’s not the first time he’s picked up a new offense in no time. The man is starting games for his third team this calendar year. His excellent rushing skills create a very solid floor, and he’s got much better receiving weapons in Minnesota than he had in Arizona.
Will Levis got scooped up in lots of leagues last week, but if he’s still out there, I like stashing him. He’s played well each of his first 2 games, and has some upside for sure.
The boring section: Baker Mayfield and Derek Carr are both safe options who’ve been performing better of late. They’ve both got enough weaponry, and both have generally favorable schedules.
If you’re in need, Taylor Heinicke and Gardner Minshew are both low floor, higher ceiling types who won’t give you the safety and consistency of the two QBs I just mentioned, but can give you a spike week if you stream them at the right tme.
RB:
Keaton Mitchell. I mentioned Mitchell as a stash 2 weeks ago, and I wish I had taken my own advice! Anyway, he’s a priority add for the reasons I mentioned above, and after his explosive debut (9-138-1), you’re going to need to spend to get him. You’re going to hear some comparisons to Dolphins’ rookie Devon Achane. Mitchell won’t score 6 more TDs over his next 2 games to match the 7 TDs that Achane put up in Weeks 3-5, but the comparisons aren’t totally silly. Mitchell is an undersized back with home run (sub-4.4) speed and good vision, like Achane. And he’s on a good offense with multiple weapons that defenses need to account for. The question is how much work he’ll get and what his role will be, with Gus Edwards and Justice Hill both in the mix. After his debut I can’t see how the Ravens won’t give him at least 8-10 touches per game, and in that system and with his ability to make explosive plays, that might be enough for him to have real value. Plus, it could be more than that. Warning: It could also be less and Mitchell might not get enough usage to be someone you can confidently plug in from week to week. Bottom line: The upside is tantalizing, as I noted above, and playable RBs are MUCH harder to find on the Wire than the other fantasy positions. He’s also rostered in very, very few leagues, so he’s widely available. You may not see a better RB opportunity on the Wire again this season.
I’ll repeat two of my favorite depth/stash players who’ve appeared in this column multiple times: Zach Charbonnet and Tyjae Spears. Fun fact—these two out-snapped Ken Walker and Derrick Henry, respectively, this week. They’re among the top backups to roster right now. While we’re here, Zeke Elliott is another backup who continues to have value (but isn’t someone you’d start if you can help it), and is definitely worth a bench spot.
Tyler Allgeier. I don’t know what Arthur Smith is up to, but Allgeier has gotten double-digit carries in 4 of the last 5 games. He hasn’t done a ton with those touches, but with Arizona’s generous defense on tap, he’s a potential streamer if you need him this week.
Jerick McKinnon. He hasn’t had more than 5 touches in a game this season, and he hasn’t been featured like he was down the stretch last season. He’s a speculative add at best, after he found the end zone this week for the first time since week 3.
Tank Torches the Bucs
WR: Once again, there are quite a few names to consider adding:
Tank Dell. Three straight down weeks plus the Bye probably led to Dell being dropped in some leagues. Pick him up if he’s available. While he won’t ever see really big volume and is clearly a boom-or-bust option, he’s got big-play potential, and a QB who can get him the ball.
Demario Douglas was a strong recommendation in last week’s column, and I’ll run it back. The Pats are a bad team, and they figure to be playing a lot of catch-up. Douglas is a short-area target who can make things happen with the ball in his hands. I expect him to lead NE in targets for the rest of the season.
Josh Dotson. Also a repeat mention, he has at least 8 targets in each of his last 3 games, and a TD in 2 straight. This is what we were all expecting from him in Year 2, and the Commanders figure to get into plenty of shootouts. He’s worth an add.
Cedrick Wilson. The good news? TDs in 2 straight games. The bad news? Those were his only two catches over the last 2 games. If a third viable option ever emerges in the Miami passing game, it’s likely to be him. But that’s seeming less likely with each passing week. He’s a stash at best.
Noah Brown. You’ll see his name in a lot of waiver columns this week, after he exploded for 6-153-1. I think he’s fine as a depth pickup, but I wouldn’t expect this to sustain and there are other receivers I like better as pickups. He’s at best the 4th option in the Houston passing game, and the Texans don’t figure to get into too many crazy shootouts like that Bucs game.
Cowboys WRs. Will a consistent second fantasy WR ever emerge for this team? It’s not looking that way, so if you’ve been rostering one, now might be the time to trade him in for someone with more upside. I still like Brandin Cooks the most, but you can’t confidently start any Cowboys’ WR not named Lamb.
A few depth adds that I think are worth stashing on your bench for the stretch run (and I like them in this order): Donovan Peoples-Jones, Q. Johnston, D.J. Chark, M. Wilson, JuJu, and Brandon Powell.
Cade Otton is Coming On
TE: Taysom Hill can’t possibly still be a free agent in any fantasy leagues. Not after I’ve listed him in this column as a priority add for what, 6 weeks in a row? If Hill is somehow on your wire, grab him now. Others to target if you need help at the position:
Jonnu Smith. Maybe Arthur Smith thinks he’s his cousin. Whatever the reason, Smith’s usage and production aren’t going away. He also happens to be very athletic (as he showed by taking a screen pass 60 yards to the house), and figures to continue to see increased touches if Drake London misses more time. Bonus: He gets used around the goal line.
Cade Otton. OK, he just set season highs across the board and probably won’t get you another 6 catch, 2-TD game like he just put up this past Sunday. But he’s trending up as he’s put together 3 straight games with at least 4 catches and at a weak position, that gives him value as a streamer/emergency starter, if not just solid depth if you want to carry 2 TEs.
Luke Musgrave. The Packers haven’t broken 20 points in 6 straight games, so I’m not all that interested in their low-octane offense. Still, the rookie figures to get more work down the stretch, not less. His first TD of the season is an encouraging sign. He’s a stash play.
Mike Gesicki. This is really just a deep stash if you have the room. Gesicki led all Patriots in routes run this past week, but garnered just one target. I’m curious to see if that portends more targets, as he might be the team’s best downfield threat at this point.
PK Streamers, Week 10: Y. Koo (@Ari), M. Gay (@NE, in Germany), J. Myers (vs. WAS), M. Prater (vs. ATL)
D/ST Streamers, Week 10: PIT (vs. GB), LV (vs. NYJ), SEA (vs. WAS), CHI (vs. CAR).
Good luck with your Week 10 Waiver claims!
DH
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