Fantasy football waiver wire: Keaton Mitchell, Noah Brown break out
Quarterbacks were the story of Week 9 around the NFL. Giants QB Daniel Jones suffered a torn ACL on Sunday against the Raiders and it couldn’t have come at a worse time. New York’s backup QB, Tyrod Taylor is already on injured reserve and the Giants once again had to turn to undrafted rookie Tommy DeVito.
But the QB injuries don’t end there.
Minnesota Vikings backup QB Jaren Hall suffered a concussion in the first quarter of his NFL debut, forcing the newly-acquired Joshua Dobbs into action. Dobbs continues his spectacular 2023 season, leading the Vikings to a come-from-behind victory over the Atlanta Falcons without even knowing the playbook or even some of this new teammate’s names. Dobbs finished the game with 158 passing yards, two touchdowns and 86.9 QB rating, good for 26.9 fantasy points. Dobbs also rushed for 66 yards. He should be considered as a QB2 for Week 10 but the Vikings signal caller isn’t the only intriguing option that might still be available on your fantasy league’s waiver wire.
Here are some other options to consider.
Quarterback
Will Levis
,
Tennessee Titans
(rostered in 38.9% of ESPN leagues)
Levis scored 26.6 fantasy points in his first career start back in Week 8 and followed that up with just 8.6 fantasy points in Week 9. Context is key, as Levis faced relentless pressure from the Pittsburgh Steelers defensive. Despite the challenging conditions, he made some big plays and highlighted his arm strength, awareness and toughness during the game. He is better positioned for success in Week 10 against a Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense that has allowed the second most fantasy points to quarterbacks.
Derek Carr
,
New Orleans Saints
(34.6%)
Carr has wealth of playmakers, but his performances often fall short of expectations. He has provided fantasy managers with a consistent floor, scoring between 16 and 18 fantasy points in his past five games. Carr is a reliable bye week fill-in for Week 10 facing a Minnesota Vikings defense that has given up the 11th most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks.
Quick hit
It was reported on Monday afternoon that
Kyler Murray
(35.6%)
will be the Cardinals starter for Week 10 against the Atlanta Falcons. The news shouldn’t come as a surprise after
Clayton Tune
struggled mightily in his first career start Sunday. Murray has averaged 21.1 fantasy points per game during his career and will be eager to prove he is still someone franchises can build around.
Running backs
Keaton Mitchell
,
Baltimore Ravens
(1.0%)
Mitchell is someone that fantasy managers in need of running back must add this week. He had an epic performance against the Seahawks on Sunday scoring 20.4 fantasy points on 10 touches. The Ravens average the second-most rushing attempts per game in the NFL (33.8) and should play an active role in the Ravens’ backfield. Managers may be worried about his height and weight (5-foot-8, 192 pounds) but don’t be. Mitchell’s build is eerily similar to Warrick Dunn, who averaged 13.3 fantasy points per game during his 12-year career.
D’Onta Foreman
,
Chicago Bears
(46.5%)
Foreman continues to be heavily involved in the Bears rushing game. He has seen 15 or more rushing attempts in three of the past four games while rushing for 65 or more yards on three occasions. Foreman can be viewed as a flex option for Week 10.
Quick hits
Zach Charbonnet
(30.4%)
has played more offensive snaps than
Kenneth Walker III
in consecutive games and has three down potential after leading the nation with 168.0 all-purpose yards per game at UCLA last season.
Jamaal Williams
(28.2%) and
Kendre Miller
(3.6%)
As
Alvin Kamara
‘s offensive snaps continue to decline, you might want to have Williams or Miller on your bench as the Saints have a very favorable schedule moving forward.
Tyjae Spears
(33.1%)
might be
Derrick Henry
‘s backup right now, but he possesses the potential to become a fantasy league winner if Henry is ever sidelined due to an injury. Spears leads the Titan’s backfield in routes run, targets and receptions.
Wide Receivers
Quentin Johnston
,
Los Angeles Chargers
(33.8%)
The Chargers will continue to rely on Johnston after placing Joshua Palmer on injured reserve. Palmer had career highs in receptions (five) and yards (50) in Week 8 and even though Los Angeles has challenging matchup against the Jets on Monday, Johnston is likely to receive his highest number of snaps and targets this season. Chargers’ offensive coordinator Kellen Moore will look for ways to build the rookie’s confidence through production as he continues to get playing time.
Demario Douglas
,
New England Patriots
(21.9%)
Douglas led the Patriots in receiving yards (55) and tied Hunter Henry and JuJu Smith-Schuster for the team lead in targets (7) in Week 9. Douglas has emerged as New England’s No. 1 receiver with Kendrick Bourne out for the season. There are few receivers on the Patriots that consistently separate from defenders, but Douglas is one of them. He faces a Colts defense in Week 10 that has allowed the 10th most passing yards per game.
Noah Brown
,
Houston Texans
(0.95%)
Brown led the way in Sunday’s win over the Buccaneers with six receptions for 153 yards and a touchdown. Brown is starting to shine now that he’s healthy and has only averaged 5.3 targets over the past three games. Brown is part of a receiver rotation that also includes Tank Dell, Nico Collins and Robert Woods, who is still dealing with a foot injury. As long as Woods is out, Brown is firmly on the flex radar for Week 10 against the Cincinnati Bengals. C.J. Stroud has a passer rating of 152.1 when targeting Brown over the past two weeks.
Quick hits
Christian Watson
left Sunday’s game with multiple injuries. If Watson misses time,
Romeo Doubs
(45.2%)
could see additional targets. Doubs has scored 12 or more fantasy points and garnered nine or more targets in three games this season.
Even though adding a Giants player to your fantasy roster might seem risky, don’t overlook
Wan’Dale Robinson
(6.2%)
. Robinson caught four of five targets in Week 10 including a touchdown.
Tight ends
Luke Musgrave
,
Green Bay Packers
(17.2%)
Musgrave caught his first career touchdown and set a new career high with 51 receiving yards against the Rams. He ran the same number of routes as Watson and Doubs and should be one of the top priorities for managers with Dallas Goedert on their team.
Cade Otton
, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7.8%)
Otton set season highs in targets (9), receiving yards (70) and fantasy points (23.0) in Week 10. He continues to play a high percentage of offensive snaps and while Tampa Bay won’t play in shootouts every week, they do have a very favorable schedule for the remainder of the season.
Quick hit
Now is a great time to pick up
Pat Freiermuth
(40.0%)
, who can return from injured reserve in Week 11. He has averaged 9.0 fantasy points per game over his three-year career.
Taysom Hill
(39.7%)
has had eight or more touches and scored 12 or more fantasy points in four consecutive games.
Jonnu Smith
(27.1%)
has only averaged 4.6 targets per game this season. In four of his last six games, he has scored at least 11 fantasy points, including a season-high 21.0 fantasy points on Sunday.
Hunter Henry
(20.3%)
has performed well when given targets. He has averaged 15.9 fantasy points per game in games which he saw six or more targets this season. Henry faces a Colts defense in Week 10 that has given up the fifth most fantasy points per game to tight ends.—