Week 10 was another head-scratching week of football.
On the transaction front, 2011 No. 1 overall pick Cam Newton was signed last-minute by his former team, the Carolina Panthers, to replace an injured — and struggling — Sam Darnold. Odell Beckham Jr. found a new home in Los Angeles one day before Rams' receiver Robert Woods tore his ACL.
Both the Panthers and Football Team entered the week as double-digit underdogs and upset two of the best teams in the NFC — the Cardinals and Buccaneers. Backup signal-callers Colt McCoy, Jacoby Brissett, Mike White, Trevor Siemian, Mason Rudolph and P.J. Walker started for their respective teams. And rookies dominated the week for fantasy with strong showings from Mac Jones, DeVonta Smith, Elijah Moore, Rashod Bateman, Rhamondre Stevenson, Michael Carter, Najee Harris and Jermar Jefferson.
We have just two teams on bye in Week 11, meaning managers will need to find replacements for the following players:
Rams: Cooper Kupp, Tyler Higbee, Van Jefferson, Odell Beckham Jr., Darrell Henderson Jr., Sony Michel, Matthew Stafford and the Rams D/ST.
Broncos: Jerry Jeudy, Melvin Gordon II, Javonte Williams, Courtland Sutton, Tim Patrick, Teddy Bridgewater and Noah Fant.
Managers will also need a replacement for Aaron Jones, who suffered an MCL sprain and may miss a couple of weeks, as well as Woods, who is out for the year.
Whether you need bye-week fill-ins for Los Angeles or Denver players, or a Week 11 streamer, make sure to check out The Action Network's top targets at each position — all of which are available in at least 50% of Yahoo! leagues — that you should prioritize come Tuesday night.
Note: Yahoo! roster percentages are reflected in parenthesis and as of Monday.
Fantasy Waiver Wire Pickups
Fantasy Waiver QBs to Target
Cam Newton, Panthers (16% rostered)
He was surprisingly active this week and made his season debut for the Panthers. Although P.J. Walker got the start — a determination made before Newton was signed to the team — the 2015 NFL MVP made the most of his usage and scored twice on his first two snaps. He completed three of four attempts for eight yards and a touchdown and saw three carries for 14 yards and a touchdown. Given the salary he was paid, it's unlikely Newton rides the bench for even one more week. The Panthers face the Football Team in Week 11, whose defense has allowed the third-most passing yards per game this year. Newton could be a league-winner in superflex/two-quarterback leagues or for those streaming the position.
Priority: High.
Mac Jones, Patriots (28%)
Jones was the recipient of ridicule at the beginning of the year after posting just two touchdowns to three interceptions over his first three games. He hasn't had a multi-interception game since then and is coming off of — by far– his best game to date. He completed 19 of 23 attempts for 198 yards, three touchdowns and zero interceptions against the Browns. He could have streaming potential in Weeks 11 and 12 against Atlanta's and Tennessee's leaky pass defenses.
Priority: Medium.
Justin Fields, Bears (25%)
Fields posted two of his best games to date in Weeks 8 and 9. He tossed multiple touchdowns in Week 8 against the 49ers for the first time this year and broke 100 rushing yards. In Week 9, he posted a career-high 291 passing yards against the Steelers. He will be well-rested coming off of the Bears' Week 10 bye to face the Ravens defense, which has allowed an NFL-high 283.3 passing yards per game. He will offer streaming potential this week and next against Detroit.
Priority: Medium.
Trevor Siemian, Saints (4%)
Siemian got his second start of the season with Jameis Winston out for the year and performed well against a hot Titans team. He completed 19 of 34 attempts for 298 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions and will finish well inside the top 10 in a weak week for signal-callers. He has a couple of difficult matchups on deck against the Eagles and Bills, but he remains a streaming option in deeper leagues.
Priority: Low.
Fantasy Waiver RBs to Target
Rhamondre Stevenson, Patriots (32% rostered)
Stevenson truthers can rejoice after his long-awaited breakout in Week 10. With Damien Harris sidelined in the concussion protocol, the rookie saw 20 carries for 100 yards and a pair of touchdowns and caught four of five targets for 14 yards in the Patriots' blowout 45-7 victory over the Browns. I certainly do not want to detract from his fantastic performance, but his role, and subsequent fantasy outlook, is somewhat contingent on game script and Harris being out. That said, Bill Belichick is notoriously unpredictable when it comes to running back usage which could actually work in Stevenson's favor in this case. His talent and upside in this offense makes him a viable flex play when Harris is healthy and an RB2 with upside when Harris is out.
Priority: Medium to high; highest in dynasty/keeper formats.
D'Onta Foreman, Titans (3%)
Foreman led the Tennessee backfield in Week 10 ahead of both Adrian Peterson and Jeremy McNichols and saw 11 carries for 30 yards. He also reeled in two of two targets for 48 yards, tallying nearly three times the scrimmage yards of Peterson and McNichols combined. This is the second week in a row in which Foreman outperformed his counterparts out of the backfield. He is worth rostering in deeper leagues.
Priority: Medium to low.
Ty Johnson, Jets (19%)
Michael Carter remains the alpha in this backfield after tallying 16 carries for 39 yards and a touchdown and reeling in four of six targets for 43 yards in a negative Week 10 game script. Johnson was also a factor in the game: He saw fewer carries than Tevin Coleman, but was highly involved in the passing game and actually saw a team-high eight targets in the contest. He finished with seven touches for 36 scrimmage yards and will likely continue to play a role, especially in negative game script situations.
Priority: Low; higher in PPR formats.
Jermar Jefferson, Lions (<1%)
You know it's a lean week for waivers when Jermar Jefferson — a rookie who had not seen the playing field just a few weeks ago — is on this list. Jefferson had a nice game in the Lions' tie against the Steelers and rushed three times for 41 yards. He also found the end zone for the second game in a row. He should continue to play a role in this offense backing up D'Andre Swift so long as Jamaal Williams is sidelined.
Priority: Low.
Boston Scott and Jordan Howard, Eagles (32%, 48%)
Howard led the Eagles' backfield in carries in Week 10 and saw 12 carries for 83 yards, though it was Scott who posted the better day for fantasy. He saw 11 carries for 81 yards and caught two of two targets for 24 yards. This backfield has been unpredictable and messy without Miles Sanders, who could return from injured reserve as soon as next week. This puts both Scott and Howard lower on the priority list in terms of waivers, but they may be worth rostering if Sanders misses more time.
Priority: Low.
Ryquell Armstead, Packers (<1%)
Armstead missed the entire 2020 season due to COVID-19 as a member of the Jaguars. He bounced around different practice squads this year and was signed by the Packers in early November. He makes an appearance on this list in light of Aaron Jones, who suffered a mild MCL sprain in Week 10 and will miss at least one to two weeks. Armstead would be next on the depth chart to back up AJ Dillon, who had a phenomenal week and is currently RB1 with only the Monday night game left to play. Armstead has deep-league appeal as an insurance policy to Dillon while Jones is out.
Priority: Low.
Fantasy Waiver WRs to Target
Jamal Agnew, Jaguars (9% rostered)
It was a strange week for Agnew, who caught zero passes on five targets against the Colts' exploitable secondary, but tallied three carries for 79 yards and a touchdown on the ground. He's everything we hoped Laviska Shenault would be in Urban Meyer's offense and should have fringe-WR3/flex appeal rest-of-season.
Priority: Medium.
Bryan Edwards, Raiders (18%)
Edwards certainly showed up after laying a goose egg in Week 9 against the Giants. He caught three of four passes for 88 yards and a touchdown, slightly edging out Hunter Renfrow in terms of fantasy production. Renfrow, however, has seen at least eight targets in five of the last six games and has exactly seven catches in each of the last three. He remains the alpha, though Edwards should have a role in this offense as a dart-throw flex play.
Priority: Medium.
Kendrick Bourne, Patriots (7%)
Bourne caught all four of his targets for a season-high 98 yards and a touchdown against the Browns. He also tacked on three carries for 43 yards and will finish well inside the top 12 at the position this week. It was Bourne's fourth touchdown this season. He should have ample scoring opportunities against the Falcons and Titans over the next two weeks.
Priority: Medium.
Kadarius Toney and Sterling Shepard, Giants (46%, 34%)
Toney has been dealing with a plethora of injuries and is coming off of one of his worst fantasy performances to date. He caught just one pass for nine yards and recorded a rushing attempt for -2 yards during a game in which Jason Garrett apparently forgot he had wide receivers. Shepard, meanwhile, missed Week 9 after suffering a quad injury in Week 8. I believe Shepard is the alpha when healthy, which is a huge caveat. One of them should be worth starting off the Giants' Week 10 bye. Tampa Bay's secondary has been highly exploitable this year and hopefully the bye came at a good time for both to recover from their respective injuries.
Priority: Low to medium.
Marquez Callaway, Tre'Quan Smith and Deonte Harris, Saints (34%, 3%, 19%)
All three of New Orleans' receivers had solid fantasy showings in Week 10. Harris caught three of four targets for a team-high 84 yards. Smith was the most-targeted receiver of the trio and caught four of seven targets for 44 yards and a touchdown. Callaway also found the end zone (for the second week in a row) and caught two of four targets for 37 yards. Their increased usage is partly due to the absence of Alvin Kamara, who is a target monster when healthy. It's also unlikely Trevor Siemian can sustain three fantasy-relevant receivers in perpetuity. Of the three, I think I would rather have Callaway for upside purposes, though no one is truly a standout of this group.
Priority: Low.
Robby Anderson, Panthers (39%)
Anderson reeled in the Panthers' lone receiving touchdown of the day via Cam Newton and caught four of six targets for 37 yards. Perhaps Newton's presence could be beneficial to Anderson and the Carolina pass catchers (though D.J. Moore had a very quiet afternoon). His inconsistency makes him a deeper league add only.
Priority: Low.
DeAndre Carter, Washington (1%)
Carter saw six targets and scored for the second game in a row against the Buccaneers. The 2015 undrafted free agent was the team's second-most targeted receiver behind Terry McLaurin and could be emerging as a viable fantasy play in deeper leagues or DFS formats — especially as Logan Thomas remains sidelined.
Priority: Low.
Fantasy Waiver TEs to Target
Dan Arnold, Jaguars (26% rostered)
Arnold has been extremely solid for fantasy since the Jaguars' Week 7 bye. He has at least seven targets and at least 60 yards in each of the last three weeks and will finish well inside the top 10 this week. What's perhaps even more impressive is he has produced without being dependent on touchdowns, as he has yet to find the end zone this year. Arnold has streaming and rest-of-season value based on volume and could easily finish top 12 at the position for the second half.
Priority: Medium to high.
Tyler Conklin, Vikings (30%)
Conklin popped off in Week 10 with a pair of touchdowns on just three catches and 11 yards. The volume isn't impressive though he has seen at least five targets in six of the last seven games, which is respectable for a tight end. Conklin will have streaming potential as the Vikings face the Packers next week.
Priority: Medium.
Evan Engram, Giants (32%)
Engram scored in back-to-back games in Weeks 8 and 9 and may have been dropped in a lot of leagues in light of the Giants' Week 10 bye. He isn't seeing a high volume of targets, though with Kadarius Toney's and Sterling Shepard's health seemingly always up in the air, he remains a streaming candidate in the right matchups. The G-Men face the Buccaneers in Week 11, who are very susceptible against the pass.
Priority: Low to medium.
