Week 10 Waiver-Wire Pickups: 5 Sleepers Who May Still Be Available

The clock has run out for fantasy owners when it comes to the NFL Week 10 waiver wire.

Well, for those who do not want to get their hands dirty.

See, the cat is out of the bag. All owners know about Ryan Tannehill, Tre Mason, Martavis Bryant and even Owen Daniels. Good luck getting to those guys before the rest of fantasy owners anywhere and everywhere.

But fret not, as similar—if not better—value can be found when owners take a deeper dive. Five deep sleepers who are certainly worth an investment are not as difficult to uncover as most may think.

Mark Sanchez, QB, Philadelphia Eagles (0.4 percent owned)

This is not some bizarro world in which a quarterback actually survived the quarterback wasteland that is New York.

No, Mark Sanchez is now in quarterback heaven with Chip Kelly as his leader, and as Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer points out, an injury to starter Nick Foles means the former USC star may be the starter for quite some time:

Sanchez was far from perfect last week and posted just 12 points, but it was not a horrific showing for a guy who was thrown to the fire without reps as a starter. Despite his pair of touchdowns and interceptions, his coaches were quite pleased.

"I said since day one that you better have two quarterbacks in this league," Kelly said, per Bob Ford of The Philadelphia Inquirer. "I don't think we missed a beat offensively."

Owners should jump at this stash opportunity. There is reason to believe that Kelly's system in general squeezes out solid production from any and all quarterbacks. Owners will certainly know the verdict after Sanchez's Week 10 encounter with Carolina, a defense that gives up the eighth-most points to signal-callers this season.

The proactive adds are the best in hindsight, folks.

Jonathan Stewart, RB, Carolina Panthers (21.0 percent owned)

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Owners mostly know Carolina Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart as an oft-injured player stuck in a value-draining committee with DeAngelo Williams.

Truthfully, that is a very fair assessment of the situation. But try not to skip ahead just yet.

Stewart is a great add for a number of reasons. One is that Williams tends to get hurt just as often, meaning the bulk of the load would then switch to Stewart. Unfortunate, but so it goes.

Another is that Stewart has looked great in recent weeks since his return, having scored six, eight and four points. Most telling of all was a Week 8 performance against an elite Seattle defense in which he scored that tally of eight, coincidentally when the staff gave him his highest usage rate of the season.

In other words, Stewart is money when given a chance. That may happen sooner or later, and the schedule is an added bonus with matchups against Philadelphia and Atlanta on the horizon—both are bad, but the latter gives up the absolute most points to backs per game this year.

Charles Sims, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (29.9 percent owned)

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Again, proactive adds are the best. 

The same reason owners are tripping over each other in a footrace to grab Tampa Bay's Bobby Rainey is the same reason savvy owners will invest in a rookie set to make his debut.

Tampa Bay is arguably a run-first team with a thirst for a true starter. With the season in hand, the staff surely wants to see what younger players have to offer rather than watch Doug Martin plod around aimlessly and Rainey fumble away opportunities.

Coincidentally, the Buccaneers next play that aforementioned Atlanta defense, so to say it is a nurturing environment for a rookie to make his debut would be an understatement of rather large proportions.

A top-70 pick in the 2014 draft, Sims was activated recently and, from the sounds of it, per NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah, will have a hefty workload when he debuts:

Sims is talented enough to take on an every-down role in the pros. His minimum of 37 receptions and 370 yards in each of his four collegiate seasons is proof enough that he can stay in the game on passing downs.

Even if Sims does not blow up against Atlanta, he is going to get a ton of work near the end of the season, perhaps right around fantasy playoff time.

Jarvis Landry, WR, Miami Dolphins (7.8 percent owned)

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Slowly but surely, Jarvis Landry continues to take over in Miami as the No. 2 across from Mike Wallace.

Despite his rookie status, Landry continues to etch out more real estate for himself in the snaps department, which last week resulted in five catches for 46 yards and a score, good for his second double-digit outburst of his debut season.

There are those, such as Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, who think it is time that Landry actually assumes the role as the team's No. 1 wideout:

It is hard to argue with the idea. Landry does not just get open via crisp routes—according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), he catches better than 76 percent of the passes thrown his way and already has 221 yards after the catch.

On his current trajectory, Landry might just be the top dog in Miami before long. The rookie is a safe WR3 for the time being, with plenty of room to grow and reward owners who make an early investment. 

Kenny Britt, WR, St. Louis Rams (8.6 percent owned)

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Just like that, veteran wideout Kenny Britt is dug up from the realm of fantasy irrelevancy and is a superb add for owners in need of wideout depth.

Thanks to a season-ending injury to Brian Quick, Britt is now a staple of the St. Louis Rams offense, as noted by Rotoworld.com's Adam Levitan:

Thanks to a new chance as a starter after a strange tenure in Tennessee, Britt caught two passes for 32 yards and a score, good for nine points. It seems only a matter of time before he further develops a strong rapport with quarterback Austin Davis, too.

Given the lack of depth in St. Louis, Britt's opportunities are not going anywhere. He is a smart play right away, too, thanks to a Week 10 encounter with Arizona, a defense that surrenders the fifth-most points to wide receivers this season.

The add through a long-term scope places Britt as an extremely high-upside WR3. At this point of the season, any potential breakout player in a good situation is worth an add.

All scoring info courtesy of ESPN standard leagues, as is points-against info and ownership stats. Statistics courtesy of ESPN.