Week 10 Waiver Wire: Fantasy Football's Top Breakout Candidates and Pickups

If you're still in the running for your fantasy postseason, congratulations. Now is the time to make your push and secure your playoff spot.

Week 9 might not yet be at an end, but it's never too early to begin looking ahead. We're here to do exactly that with our early picks for waiver-wire targets and potential breakout players. These players could well come into play with four teams—the Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts and Oakland Raiders—on bye.

We'll be basing our choices on factors such as Week 9 performances, past showings, projected roles and matchups.

Since we're focusing on potential adds and players worth pulling off the bench, we'll be concentrating on players who are owned in under 50 percent of fantasy leagues on ESPN.com.

Week 10 Fantasy Targets

Pos.	Player	Opponent	Percent Owned
QB	Joe Flacco, BAL	CLE	26.0
QB	Jay Cutler, CHI	@ TB	3.6
RB	Tim Hightower, NO	DEN	37.5
RB	Ronnie Hillman, MIN	@ WAS	3.9
WR	Dontrelle Inman, SD	MIA	5.0
WR	Adam Humphries, TB	CHI	5.6
TE	Cameron Brate, TB	CHI	38.7
TE	Austin Hooper, ATL	@ Eagles	13.1

Players to Watch

Joe Flacco, QB, Baltimore Ravens

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Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco isn't coming off the best game of his career—just 241 yards passing and a touchdown with an interception—but he should still be a top pickup in Week 10.

Flacco has weapons such as Mike Wallace, Breshad Perriman and a healthy Steve Smith to throw to. All three of these players averaged more than 10 yards per reception against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday, which tells us the big-play potential for Flacco is there.

That big-play ability should be on full display on Thursday night against the beleaguered Cleveland Brown. The Browns defense is not good—it has allowed at least 25 points in every single game this season—and has been prone to the big play.

On Sunday, against the Browns, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott completed seven passes of at least 15 yards. He finished the game 27-of-27 for 247 yards and three touchdowns. This, despite the fact the Cowboys were ahead for almost the entirety of the game.

Even if the Ravens jump out to an early lead, Flacco should have a quality fantasy outing. As of Sunday afternoon, Pro Football Focus rated the Browns just 23rd in pass coverage.

If you're a fan of streaming your quarterbacks—or you own one of the four on bye in Week 10—consider adding Flacco to your lineup.

Tim Hightower, RB, New Orleans Saints

Tony Avelar/Associated Press

Running back Tim Hightower became a bit of a hero late last season for the New Orleans Saints. Hightower, who hadn't played since 2011, started three of the Saints' final four games and rushed for 327 yards and four touchdowns in that span.

Hightower again received a significant role in Week 8y, after starting back Mark Ingram was benched for fumbling. He ended up with 102 yards rushing against the vaunted Seattle Seahawks defense.

Though Ingram did get back into the action on Sunday, against the San Francisco 49ers—he racked up 158 yards and a touchdown on the ground—the Saints showed they are committed to maintaining a large workload for Hightower. 

The 30-year-old finished the game with 83 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries. He also caught one pass for 15 yards.

Ingram may have reclaimed the starting job with his strong performance, but it feels like the Saints are moving closer toward a split backfield involving him and Hightower. This makes the latter worth scooping up for the remainder of the season.

Hightower and the Saints will face a tough challenge in Week 10—the Denver Broncos are coming to town. As of Sunday afternoon, the Broncos are rated seventh in run defense by Pro Football Focus. However, his workload should be large enough to make him a viable option Sunday and moving forward.

Adam Humphries, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Phelan Ebenhack/Associated Press

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston made it clear in October that he had confidence in second-year receiver Adam Humphries.

"He has a huge role on this team," Winston said, per Eric Boynton of the Spartanburg Herald-Journal. "A third-down guy, a quality guy and a guy I can trust and can always go to and count on."

With wide receiver Vincent Jackson on injured reserve with an ACL injury, Humphries has essentially become the team's No. 2 receiver. Over the past two gameweeks, he has produced eight receptions, 104 yards receiving and a touchdown.

In Week 10, the Buccaneers will host the Chicago Bears, who have an underrated but often inconsistent pass-coverage unit. Chicago is allowing an average of just 238.1 yards per game through the air (11th in the NFL), but Pro Football Focus rated the team 17th in pass coverage through Sunday afternoon.

We probably shouldn't expect a massive fantasy outing from Humphries, but he should have starting-caliber numbers. Players who have established themselves as No. 2 options are generally worth picking up and at least starting in the flex.

If you need a bye-week flex fill-in, Humphries might just be your guy. He should be good for 10-plus fantasy points in most formats and have room for upside.

Austin Hooper, TE, Atlanta Falcons

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Atlanta Falcons tight end Austin Hooper is more than just a bye-week option. He should be a player you can depend on moving forward.

The athletic pass-catcher has started to find his way in the Falcons offense, and he's seeing an increased workload because of it. According to Pro Football Focus, 116 of Hooper's 207 offensive snaps this season have come over the past three weeks.

It is worth noting that starting tight end Jacob Tamme missed the Week 9 game against Tampa Bay, which helped to lead to more opportunities for Hooper. As Jayson Braddock of SiriusXM Fantasy noted, though, Hooper has taken his opportunities and run with them.

Over the past two gameweeks, Hooper has produced eight receptions, 87 yards and a touchdown.

In Week 10, Hooper and the Falcons will visit the Philadelphia Eagles, who are rated 18th in pass coverage by Pro Football Focus through Sunday afternoon. Hooper is a guy worth adding for that game and in the future.