We are now five weeks away from the fantasy football playoffs. If your team is still in contention of winning your division or making the playoffs, how you use the waiver wire is going to be the difference of either making it in the postseason or not. For week 10, I have three players that you can plug into your flex spot with more injuries and bye weeks piling up.
Let’s start with Philadelphia Eagles running back Jordan Howard. A few weeks ago, I had Kenneth Gainwell as one of my waiver wire pickups, but since then, he hasn’t really done much. Boston Scott and Howard have drastically out-carried him — he only had two carries last week for three yards, but he did get into the end zone. He still only had 6.3 points, which isn’t even bench-worthy.
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Scott and Howard seem like the lead backs moving forward for the Eagles, but I really like Howard for multiple reasons. In his last two games, he had 29 carries for 128 yards and three scores. Against the Detroit Lions in week eight, he had 17.7 fantasy points, and against the Los Angeles Chargers, he had 13.1. The fantasy volume is there, with 10+ carries a game and consistent scoring.
Right now, he is only owned in 8% of leagues, but with his last two performances, his ownership should skyrocket. I have him as a borderline RB2 against the Denver Broncos because their defense is so inconsistent. Just last week, they shut down Ezekiel Elliott, but they could easily let Howard and Scott rush for 100 yards. You never know what you’re going to get with the Broncos’ defense. I would start Howard with caution, but he is a good addition to anyone’s bench.
The Ravens are known to be a run-heavy team, which gives Freeman starting fantasy volume moving forward.
Moving on to the passing game, the New York Jets wide receiver Elijah Moore has been putting up consistent numbers the last few weeks. Even with catching passes from Mike White and Josh Johnson, he is still ballin’. Last week he shined against the Indianapolis Colts. He had seven catches on eight targets with 84 yards and two touchdowns, which led to an impressive 27.4-point fantasy performance.
Against the New England Patriots in week seven, he had 10.2 fantasy points, and against the Cincinnati Bengals in week eight, he had 13.1 fantasy points. I don’t believe he will put up 25+ point performances every week, but he can be a consistent flex starter moving forward, especially in deeper leagues. His next matchup against the Buffalo Bills will be a scary one as they are first in the league when it comes to fantasy points allowed to wide receivers. I would make a claim for him now because in weeks 11 and 12 he has WR1 potential against the Miami Dolphins and Houston Texans.
My final waiver wire addition is a veteran running back getting another chance on a different team. Baltimore Ravens running back Devonta Freeman has been filling in perfectly for an injured Latavius Murray. In his last three games, he had 11.3, 12.9 and 16.3 fantasy points. In those three games, he had 26 carries, 175 total yards and two touchdowns.
The Ravens are known to be a run-heavy team, which gives Freeman starting fantasy volume moving forward. With a short week coming up, Murray is likely not to play against the Dolphins Thursday night, which means even more touches for Freeman. Even with the Dolphins having a good sneak-run defense, I have Freeman as an RB2 with a scoring upside. I’d make your claim for him as soon as possible because people are still looking for running back depth after the Derrick Henry injury.
If you need a tight end to pick up on waivers, check out my weekly show “The Waiver Wire” @CTV11 on YouTube. All of these players are great depth for your bench, but Freeman is a starter this Thursday against the Dolphins. Good luck in week 10, and I will see you next week with more players to help you win your league.
Reach Brendon Fairbairn at sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @Fairbairn_7.