Fantasy Football Week 10 Waiver Wire: Keaton Mitchell Leads Top Free-Agent Pickups
The 2023 fantasy football playoffs will be here before you know it. Nine weeks of NFL action are now in the books, leaving just five more matchups on the schedule before the knockout rounds begin.
Whether you are sitting atop the standings, right in the middle of the pack or stuck in your league's basement, there is still roster work to be done. Adding players who can help weather some remaining byes or start in place of an injured player could help you go on a run. Neglecting to play the waiver wire may result in a string of losses to close out the campaign and may mean missing the playoffs entirely. Even those near the bottom of the table have a chance to sneak into the field by winning out after making a few shrewd pickups.
With that in mind, here are five players you should look out for when you make your waiver claims ahead of Week 10. All suggestions are rostered in 50 percent or less of Yahoo! leagues.
Fantasy points and rankings are based on FantasyPros.com PPR data.
Joshua Dobbs, QB, Minnesota Vikings (17 Percent Rostered)
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Despite joining the Minnesota Vikings at the trade deadline, Joshua Dobbs not only shockingly led his team to a come-from-behind victory over the Atlanta Falcons, but he also finished Week 9 as fantasy's No. 5 quarterback in the process.
Initially expected to back up rookie Jaren Hall—who was making his first career start following Kirk Cousins' season-ending Achilles injury—while learning the playbook, Dobbs was unexpectedly thrust into action when Hall was forced out with a concussion in the first quarter. ESPN's Kevin Seifert found that the former Arizona Cardinal hadn't seen a single practice rep leading up to the contest and went over the offense's primary cadences with his new offensive line just moments before entering the game.
Despite the circumstances, Dobbs thrived. He completed 20 of 30 passing attempts for 158 yards and a pair of touchdowns—including a game-winning strike with 22 seconds remaining on the clock—all while avoiding being intercepted. The dual-threat signal-caller used his legs to pick up 66 more yards and another score on seven totes but did lose a pair of fumbles that dinged his fantasy output slightly.
Although it happened in another uniform, the 24.9 points Dobbs put up mirrored his Week 8 output against the Baltimore Ravens. It was the fourth time he placed in the top 10 in points generated for his position this season—he ranked No. 7 in his final start for the Cardinals—and this could be an indication of what is to come over the remainder of the season.
Dobbs will get a chance to prove his Week 9 performance wasn't a fluke when the Vikings host the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. It's an intriguing matchup for the journeyman quarterback, as New Orleans' defense just allowed Chicago Bears passer Tyson Bagent to rack up 70 yards on eight carries and throw for 220 yards and a pair of scores. If Dobbs can continue to avoid interceptions—easier said than done after Bagent was picked three times—he should have another top-10 finish in this contest.
Keaton Mitchell, RB, Baltimore Ravens (4 Percent Rostered)
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DK DFS Value: $4,700
Keaton Mitchell has been on the fantasy radar for some time but finally had his breakout showing in Week 9. The Baltimore Ravens running back had spent the first five weeks of his rookie campaign sidelined with a shoulder injury and was sparingly used in the first two contests for which he was active. After missing another contest in Week 8 with a hamstring issue, the undrafted free agent put on a clinic against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday.
Mitchell was clearly the most effective back in Baltimore's platoon, evidenced by the 138 yards and a score he posted on a mere nine carries. He gashed Seattle's defense for several massive gains, including a 60-yard rush and a 40-yard scoring scamper, while playing a mere 14 offensive snaps.
Gus Edwards and Justice Hill—the two veterans who had been handling the lion's share of backfield work following J.K. Dobbins' season-ending injury in the opener—were also prominently involved in the contest, but neither popped the way that Mitchell did. Edwards drew the start and scored a pair of touchdowns while rushing five times for 52 yards on his 14 offensive plays, while Hill was on the field for 48 offensive snaps but had just 13 totes, turning them into 40 yards. Although his lone catch went for negative-four yards, Mitchell was the only Baltimore back to record a reception in the contest.
With Mitchell clearly healthy and capable, he should soon earn a significant increase in volume following this breakout performance. He logged a top-four finish at his position in fantasy, while Hill hasn't even finished in the top-18 this season. Edwards has started to fare better, including rating in the top 10 in each of the past three weeks, but he hadn't placed inside the top 20 over the first six contests.
Baltimore's backfield has needed a spark since losing Dobbins. While the team's decision to stand pat at the trade deadline may have been surprising, it seems the franchise's belief in Mitchell is paying off. The dynamic rookie should only become a bigger part of their offense down the stretch and should be rostered in nearly every fantasy format for this reason.
While he may not have another 20-plus point showing in Week 10 against a ferocious Cleveland Browns defensive front, he'll be an impactful RB3 with fantastic upside over the final weeks of the campaign.
Tank Dell, WR, Houston Texans (48 Percent Rostered)
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DK DFS Value: $5,500
It's hard to believe that Tank Dell is still available in over half of all fantasy leagues. That is a mistake that should be rectified once waivers process this week, so be sure to get a claim in for the rising Houston Texans star if he's still on your free-agent pile.
While Dell has had a quiet stretch since notching his first top-10 finish in Week 3—including missing a Week 6 matchup with injury—he roared back in Week 9 in a shootout against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The homegrown Houston product reeled in six of his 11 targets for 114 yards and a pair of scores, nearly reaching the 30-point mark and finishing as the top producing wideout in fantasy. It was clear the coaching staff wanted to get Dell more involved, as he also earned a pair of carries that he took for two yards.
Dell has been one of the primary beneficiaries from C.J. Stroud's emergence as a franchise quarterback. The Texans have a legitimate aerial offense for the first time since Deshaun Watson was playing at a Pro Bowl level for the club and currently ranks No. 4 in the league in passing yardage. While there are plenty of mouths to feed in this offense, Stroud showed he can spray it around just fine by finding four different targets on his five scoring throws this past Sunday.
Against the Bucs, Dell led the team in touchdowns while tying tight end Dalton Schultz for a team-high in targets and was third behind Schultz and fellow wideout Noah Brown in receiving yardage. He was far more involved than nominal No. 1 wideout Nico Collins, who still had a decent day by turning in three receptions for 54 yards and a touchdown on his five looks.
Expect Dell to continue dominating in Week 10 when he squares off against a beatable Cincinnati Bengals defense. The Bengals rank in the bottom-six for yards allowed this season and could struggle to contain all of Houston's offensive weapons. The rookie wideout should take advantage and have himself a WR2-like showing.
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Demario Douglas, WR, New England Patriots (35 Percent Rostered)
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DK DFS Value: N/A
The New England Patriots are a mess this season, but there could be at least one fantasy bright spot within the offense as the team slogs through what will likely go down as the worst campaign in the Bill Belichick era. Rookie Demario Douglas has been quietly emerging as a viable NFL receiver and just shouldered the heaviest workload in the passing game following Kendrick Bourne's season-ending injury.
According to CBS Sports' Chris Tower, Douglas led all New England receivers in offensive snaps and routes run—he ran one on 38 of the team's 46 passing plays—during Sunday's loss to the Washington Commanders. He turned his seven targets, which were tied with JuJu Smith-Schuster and Hunter Henry for the most in the contest, into five catches for a team-high 55 receiving yards.
Mac Jones has been spreading the ball around, and Douglas is steadily gaining his beleaguered quarterback's trust. It was the third consecutive week in which the Liberty product has seen at least six targets and caught at least four balls. While his No. 26 finish wasn't anything to write home about, it was Douglas' best since entering the league as a sixth-round pick back in April.
Douglas likely isn't going to be a week-winning pickup, but he could be a life raft for those in deeper formats or in desperate need of wide receiver help. While his ceiling is capped in this anemic New England offense, he seems to have a respectable floor and should only get more involved with Bourne out of the picture. Consider him a WR4 against the Indianapolis Colts this coming week with the upside to potentially become a WR3 in time for the fantasy playoffs.
Cade Otton, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5 Percent Rostered)
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DK DFS Value: $3,400
Cade Otton has re-emerged on the fantasy radar following a standout showing against the Houston Texans. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end had been making a little noise following back-to-back top-17 performances leading up to Week 9, and he finally broke out with a six-catch, 70-yard, two-touchdown outing on Sunday that saw him finish No. 3 at his position.
Otton led the Buccaneers in targets and catches while hauling in both of Baker Mayfield's touchdown passes against the Texans. It's an impressive feat given he plays in the same offense as top-tier pass-catchers such as Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, but Otton managed to capitalize on the increased defensive attention his star teammates were getting.
The 24-year-old has now seen at least six targets in each of the past three games after having just one game with that many looks prior to Week 7. It's a promising usage trend that could lead to Otton becoming a viable weekly starter at a position that is notoriously difficult to find consistency from outside of the top talents.
Managers will still want to exercise caution deploying Otton against the Tennessee Titans in Week 10. Tennessee has kept opposing tight ends in check in recent weeks and at least some of Otton's recent production can be attributed to the barn burner his side was involved in against Houston, but he's still a better streaming option than most. If you are lacking a decent tight end, you could do far worse than scooping Otton off the scrap heap and using him when the matchups are favorable.
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