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Week 10 Fantasy Football Projections: Streaming Options Likely on Waiver Wire
November 6, 2018
Week 10 is shaping up as yet another obstacle course for fantasy football owners to navigate.
The Minnesota Vikings, Houston Texans, Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens all have a bye. A.J. Green (toe) won't be ready for at least two weeks, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. Raheem Mostert (forearm) won't return this season, and both Chris Carson (hip) and Chris Ivory (shoulder) must be monitored as the week progresses.
In other words, expect a busy week on the waiver wire.
This guide will help make sense of it all by identifying the best streaming options—available in more than 50 percent of leagues on Yahoo—at the priority positions.
Quarterbacks
Alex Smith, Washington Redskins (43 Percent Owned)
It isn't often that Alex Smith warrants roster consideration. With an average weekly output of only 233.4 yards per game, he's typically a borderline streamer at best in a shallow league.
But twice this year he's locked horns with a defense among the 10 most generous to fantasy quarterbacks. And in those contests, he's tossed 290.5 yards per game.
This recommendation stems entirely from his matchup. After putting 306 yards and a score on an Atlanta defense allowing the second-most fantasy points to quarterbacks, Smith now gets a Tampa Bay defense that's even easier to exploit.
Streamers shouldn't expect wild numbers—Smith has yet to throw more than two touchdowns in a game this season and only hit that mark three times—but six of the eight passers to face this defense have thrown for at least 280 yards.
Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns (38 Percent Owned)
This summer's No. 1 pick has made a bunch of streaming lists lately and with good reason—this is the fourth straight week in which he draws a defense allowing at least the sixth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks.
While Baker Mayfield hasn't torched them all, he's had a good enough run to serve as a substitute. Two weeks after throwing for 215 yards and two scores, plus rushing for 43 yards against Tampa, he went for 297 passing yards and another two touchdowns against Kansas City on Sunday—his first under interim coach Gregg Williams and new offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens.
"Offensively, I think there was a lot more good in this game than we had in the past," Mayfield told reporters.
Atlanta's defense could coax an even bigger effort out of him. The average day for fantasy quarterbacks against the Falcons so far features 318.4 passing yards and 2.4 touchdowns. In the span of two weeks, Atlanta ate a 395-yard, four-touchdown day by Jameis Winston, followed immediately by Eli Manning's season-high 399 yards and a touchdown.
Running Backs
Duke Johnson, Cleveland Browns (48 Percent Owned)
Mayfield wasn't the only one who seemingly benefitted from the coaching change. Duke Johnson suddenly transformed from an afterthought back into an electric playmaker, setting season highs in receptions (nine), receiving yards (78) and touchdowns (two).
As Austin Gayle wrote for Pro Football Focus, good things tend to happen when Johnson is involved:
"Johnson now ranks first among all NFL running backs with 50-plus touches in percentage of touches resulting in a first down or touchdown (42.3%) and second in yards per touch (7.62). In terms of creating yards on his own, he ranks fourth among the same group of backs in yards after contact per touch (3.56) and T-12th in forced missed tackles per touch (0.23) – two impressive figures for a 5-foot-9, 210-pound back with limited touches."
Johnson paced last season's Browns in targets (93), receptions (74) and receiving yards (693). He didn't get the early-season volume needed to match those marks, but he could take another big step forward with the Falcons coming to town.
Mike Davis, Seattle Seahawks (24 Percent Owned)
Depending on Carson's status, Davis will either by mildly intriguing or a must-add.
Assuming Carson can't go, Davis could easily become this week's priority add. A hip injury pulled Carson from the action at halftime Sunday, and Davis pounced on the opportunity with 15 carries for 62 yards and seven receptions (on eight targets) for another 45 yards.
"His usage was encouraging in almost every way (attempts, snaps, passing game involvement, etc.)," ESPN.com's Field Yates wrote. "He's a must-add in the event that Carson is forced to miss time."
Davis has been Seattle's featured back once this season. That was in Week 4, when he ripped the Arizona Cardinals for 124 scrimmage yards and two scores. While he'll get a stiffer test this time around in the Los Angeles Rams, just know that Davis and Carson combined for 31 carries and 184 rushing yards when these clubs linked up in Week 5.
Wide Receivers
Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Green Bay Packers (39 Percent Owned)
The Marquez Valdes-Scantling hype train is about to leave the station.
For starters, the rookie speedster is red hot. He's either had at least 100 receiving yards or 45-plus receiving yards with a touchdown each of the last four weeks. And that's been with more seasoned receivers like Randall Cobb and Geronimo Allison returning to action.
Now that Allison is staring down a lengthy absence (groin), Valdes-Scantling should keep climbing the fantasy ladder. He looks like he's earned the trust of Aaron Rodgers, and that alone can be worth fantasy gold.
With a good enough matchup on deck (Miami, 17th-most fantasy points to wide receivers), there's every reason to believe Valdes-Scantling can keep his hot streak going.
Tre'Quan Smith, New Orleans Saints (28 Percent Owned)
Rookie wideout Tre'Quan Smith is having a quietly encouraging season.
Granted, no one is blown away by 12 catches or 214 receiving yards at the eight-game mark. Tighten the lens to the past four weeks, though, and Smith is averaging 2.8 catches for 49 yards and 0.8 scores per game.
He's the No. 2 wide receiver in an offense guided by Drew Brees and Sean Payton. And while New Orleans' other weapons may often steal the spotlight, they also pull attention away from Smith, who takes advantage with a 17.8-yards-per-catch average.
Smith might be a tad touchdown-dependent, but this is as good a week as any to wager he'll find the end zone. Only three teams have allowed more touchdown passes than the 18 surrendered by the Bengals.
Statistics used courtesy of NFL.com and ESPN.com. Fantasy ownership and scoring information obtained via Yahoo Sports.