Week 10 Waiver-Wire Pickups: Sleepers Who May Still Be Available
A word of caution to the Week 10 waiver-wire shoppers: It might be tough sledding on your sleeper searches.
While previous weeks offered up fortune-changing fantasy options, such as Kenneth Walker III and Justin Fields, there are no obvious difference-makers up for grabs.
Still, most fantasy football managers can't simply ignore the waiver wire. Not if they're covering for injuries or one of the four NFL teams on bye: the Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, New England Patriots or New York Jets.
With expectations hopefully tempered now, let's examine our favorite waiver-wire target—rostered in fewer than 50 percent of Yahoo leagues, per FantasyPros—at the three marquee positions.
Quarterback: Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers (47 Percent Rostered)
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While Jimmy Garoppolo's numbers rarely approach ridiculous status, he has made them more efficient as the campaign has progressed.
In his first three appearances, the 31-year-old completed just 61 percent of his passes and had three touchdown passes with one interception. He has completed 69.9 percent of his attempts and tossed eight touchdowns against three picks.
His last time out was his most efficient yet. He went 21-of-25 for 235 yards and two scores. That was just his second game alongside Christian McCaffrey, and Deebo Samuel missed the contest with a hamstring injury.
With McCaffrey growing increasingly familiar with the playbook and Samuel on the mend, the arsenal around Garoppolo looks incredible.
Even if he just operates in game-management mode, San Francisco's playmakers could pad his stats by turning short passes into huge scoring plays.
Running Back: Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh Steelers (19 Percent Rostered)
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To be clear, this a leap-of-faith style recommendation.
It's certainly possible rookie Jaylen Warren swipes enough snaps and touches away from Najee Harris to be fantasy-relevant, but the baton hasn't been passed yet.
Last time out, Warren was more productive than ever (8.3 yards per touch), and Pittsburgh still gave him just nine touches to 14 for Harris.
Again, the tide could turn because Harris just hasn't done much with his opportunities (3.3 yards per carry, one touchdown on 108 rushes). Just bear in mind that Warren's workload has been pretty light this season. Before his mini-breakout in Week 8, he received just six touches the previous two weeks combined. He's also still awaiting his first career score.
You'd think, though, the Steelers would leave no stone unturned in their search for offensive juice while ranking 31st in scoring (15 points per game). Reworking the running back rotation seems like a simple and potentially significant switch to make.
Wide Receiver: Darius Slayton, New York Giants (6 Percent Rostered)
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Entering the campaign, the Giants receiving group appeared crowded. Clearly, that wasn't actually the case.
Their most productive pass-catcher has been...running back Saquon Barkley, who leads them in receptions (28) and targets (35). Their only player with multiple touchdown receptions is tight end Daniel Bellinger, who has...two. Their entire group of receivers has three touchdown catches, or one more than...fullback Chris Myarick.
So, any pass-catcher showing signs of life could zip atop this aerial attack. That's exactly how Darius Slayton has it going. He has at least six targets in three of his last four games. During this stretch, he has 15 receptions (on 22 targets) for 221 yards and a touchdown.
The 25-year-old will face an atrocious Houston Texans defense next, and if New York needs to throw at all, he could monopolize the opportunities and post his best numbers of the campaign.
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