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

An unfamiliar trio of names reached the top of the tight end list in fantasy points for Week 9. Noah Fant, Jacob Hollister and Mike Gesicki all ranked top-five in scoring at the position for standard and point-per-reception leagues, but managers should keep their eyes on trends developing as we go into the second half of the year.

Over the last couple of weeks, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has been on fire. He's seen a boost in fantasy value since the team added wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders.

The Buffalo Bills have an emerging rookie who had a career performance Sunday. Fantasy owners should jump on his bandwagon before he becomes a scarcity in free-agent pools.

Lastly, the New York Jets fell to 1-7, but we shouldn't fade their offense in fantasy leagues. Even if you're skeptical about quarterback Sam Darnold, roll the dice on one of his wide receivers.

The eight recommended pickups below are owned in fewer than 75 percent of Yahoo leagues as of Sunday 7:45 p.m. ET.

Week 10 Top Breakout Candidates and Pickups

QB Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers (66 percent owned)

QB Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders (46 percent owned)

RB Devin Singletary, Buffalo Bills (72 percent owned)

RB Mark Walton, Miami Dolphins (55 percent owned)

RB Ty Johnson, Detroit Lions (40 percent owned)

WR Jamison Crowder, New York Jets (54 percent owned)

WR Josh Gordon, Seattle Seahawks (59 percent owned)

WR Cole Beasley, Buffalo Bills (29 percent owned)

QB Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers (66 percent owned)

Ross D. Franklin/Associated Press

Coming off arguably his best game as a pro, Garoppolo has performed at optimal levels since the team acquired Sanders before the trade deadline. He's thrown for 492 yards, six touchdowns and just one interception over the last two games.

Garoppolo tossed four touchdown passes against the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday, and he'll see them again at home in two weeks. First, the 49ers will match up with the Seattle Seahawks' 27th-ranked pass defense next week.

At home, the Seahawks allowed two touchdown passes to Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston, who struggled to throw the ball going into Sunday's game. Since Week 5, he's logged five touchdowns through the air and seven interceptions, completing fewer than 56 percent of his attempts in each outing.

If Winston managed to hop back on the right track against Seattle, Garoppolo should have some success against the same defense with a hot hand. For at least a two-week stretch, the 49ers signal-caller has starter appeal.

RB Devin Singletary, Buffalo Bills (72 percent owned)

John Munson/Associated Press

Devin Singletary recorded career highs in carries (20) and yards (95) with a score against the Washington Redskins. He also added three receptions for 45 yards to his Sunday performance.

On the flip side, Frank Gore registered 11 carries for 15 yards. We could see a change in the pecking order between the 15th-year veteran and rookie tailback. Singletary's breakout game may indicate a bigger workload going forward.

The Bills selected Singletary in the third round of this year's draft, so the first-year running back would eventually see more touches. Over the last few weeks, Gore's production has tapered off, and the Florida Atlantic product seems like he's over his hamstring injury that sidelined him three games.

The Bills will face the Cleveland Browns and Miami Dolphins in the next two games. Those clubs ranked 29th and 31st, respectively, against the run going into Week 9.

WR Josh Gordon, Seattle Seahawks (59 percent owned)

Ron Schwane/Associated Press

Managers who strive to stay one step ahead of the rest already made the move to pick up Josh Gordon after the Seahawks claimed him off waivers Friday. If he's still available in your league, go ahead and add him to the roster.

Gordon didn't suit up against the Buccaneers on Sunday, but head coach Pete Carroll expects him to play in the next outing, per ESPN's Brady Henderson.

"I've said it a million times to you guys: We're always looking for guys that have something special about him," Carroll said. "We need to find out, so we'll take a look next week and see what that means."

Listening to Carroll's comment, managers shouldn't have much concern for Gordon's knee injury, which landed him on injured reserve before the New England Patriots released him.

With tight end Will Dissly (torn Achilles) on injured reserve, the Seahawks need a consistent No. 2 pass-catcher behind Tyler Lockett. Rookie second-rounder DK Metcalf has put together solid performances, but he has a 51.1 percent catch rate and some drops to go along with his inexperience.

At 6'3", 225 pounds, Gordon stands close to Metcalf (6'4", 229 lbs) in stature, but he also has the field awareness and the big-game experience to earn quarterback Russell Wilson's trust in the passing game.

In 11 contests with the Patriots last year, Gordon caught 40 passes for 720 yards and three touchdowns. We could see similar production from him in the second half of this season with a wide receiver-needy Seahawks squad.

WR Jamison Crowder, New York Jets

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The Jets put together an embarrassing performance in a 26-18 loss to the Dolphins, but it's become clear that Darnold and wideout Jamison Crowder have a solid rapport in the passing game.

In the season opener, before Darnold missed three games with mononucleosis, Crowder saw 17 targets and converted those opportunities into 14 catches for 99 yards. In Week 6, when the Jets signal-caller returned to action, he hooked up with the 26-year-old wideout six times for 98 yards, though, Robby Anderson hauled in a highlight 92-yard touchdown reception.

Against the Dolphins, Darnold and Crowder put their chemistry on display again, connecting on eight passes for 83 yards and a score—all in the first half.

The Jets won't win many games this season, but Crowder's link with Darnold gives him a good matchup against the New York Giants' 25th-ranked pass defense in Week 10. The fifth-year wideout leads Gang Green in targets (59), receptions (43) and receiving yards (405) this season.