Week 10 brought a return to the awful offensive start we saw at the beginning of the year. Multiple teams, most notably the Cowboys and Jaguars, were forced to make significant offensive changes. New players emerged, and values shifted. 

This article will discuss deep league waiver additions, focusing on Dynasty league formats. 

Players will fall into four primary categories: 

• Short-term Starters - Players capable of providing immediate production in deep leagues. 
• Proactive Pickups - Players who need the depth chart to be clear before them but are more available than other players in a similar role. 
• Deep Darts - Speculative players who have a chance at value.
• Dynasty Buys - Players whose values have changed, and the market may not have caught up.

Quarterback

Short Term Starters

Trey Lance, Dallas (32% Sleeper rostered) 

Lance closed out Sunday’s lopsided loss to Philadelphia after Cooper Rush was ineffective. Progress. But Mike McCarthy announced Rush would start again on Sunday. 

There is very little here with Rush, especially in terms of fantasy. The Cowboys could not push the ball downfield against the Eagles, leading to Rush’s benching. Lance at least brings his legs to the table. Ideally, his rushing could open up the offense and allow some big plays from CeeDee Lamb while showing some fantasy relevance. 

Mac Jones, Jacksonville (32% Sleeper rostered) 

Jones has a higher pedigree than Rush, and no athletic, former Top 5 pick is banging down the door. 

Unfortunately, Jones’s first start experience was not dramatically different from the Cowboys game. The Jaguars have a difficult matchup against Detroit looming before their bye week. The Week 12 bye is particularly troubling for a player like Jones, who holds some value in Superflex formats, as six teams are off that week. Week 14 offers a similar bye-apocalypse; the Jaguars play the Titans there, and we will have some runway of performance.

We operate under a “roster any quarterback in Superflex” rule, so Jones should be added in those deep formats. But until something changes, he will be ranked outside of the top 24 weekly. 

Proactive Pickups

Drew Lock, NY Giants (32% Sleeper rostered) 

It has not happened yet. But it is coming. 

Tyson Bagent, Chicago (32% Sleeper rostered) 

Shane Waldron was fired as Bears offensive coordinator following Week 10. There is no real news to suggest the team will bench Caleb Williams. I am not suggesting they should bench Williams. But this stash is worth putting on the radar in very deep Superflex leagues. 

Running Back

Short Term Starters

Audric Estime, Denver (75% Sleeper rostered) 

Estime was in this space last week and remains here to close the loop. The Broncos fed him, essentially benching both Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin. 

Interestingly, they utilized Marvin Mims Jr. out of the backfield instead of the other two backs. Mims has the speed to stretch defenses horizontally and can remain on the field as a wide receiver instead of subbing. That allows Estime to stay in the game as the primary running back. Bo Nix adds to the rushing attack with his athleticism, combining with Mims to create spaces inside for Estime to hammer. 

We have seen teams flip the script on personnel for just one game and then flip back. But the Broncos' complete dump of everything they used in the previous nine weeks is rare. 

Proactive Pickups

Cam Akers, Minnesota (75% Sleeper rostered) 

Akers has been dropped, added, and dropped again on waivers more than any other player. We are back to the add cycle. Akers has moved ahead of Ty Chandler in the Minnesota pecking order, posting 53 and 47 scrimmage yards in the last two weeks. Aaron Jones missed time against the Jaguars after suffering a rib injury. He is expected to be fine, but Akers is the add here if he does miss time. 

Cordarrelle Patterson, Pittsburgh (75% Sleeper rostered) 

Najee Harris left late against the Commanders with an ankle injury. Initial reports expect him to be back for Week 11. Jaylen Warren is healthy and would be the primary beneficiary if Harris is out, but Patterson would also be involved, including seeing work at the goal line. 

Wide Receiver

Short Term Starters

John Metchie III, Houston (59% Sleeper rostered) 

Metchie passed Robert Woods on the depth chart in Week 9 but had a minimal impact. In Week 10, he had a much more significant impact. He has consistently trailed Xavier Hutchinson in snaps. Still, he is a prototype “sacrificial X” filling in for Nico Collins, providing most of his value via blocking—Metchie profiles to fill the role opened by Stefon Diggs’ season-ending injury.  After holding second-round draft capital, he is a high-pedigree player and shined in his second game of meaningful time. Metchie could fill this role moving forward and should be targeted aggressively where available. 

Marquez Valdes-Scantling, New Orleans (59% Sleeper rostered) 

We have all added Valdes-Scantling at one point. After playing with Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes II, and Josh Allen, perhaps Derek Carr is what he needed to stick. The Saints are desperate at wide receiver after Chris Olave was placed on IR. Valdes-Scantling was the first to step up. Looking at the roster, he may be the only bonafide NFL player. 

The big-play nature of his Week 10 breakout invites skepticism. But in deep leagues that start ten or eleven players weekly and with byes coming up, finishing WR2 on the week forces a player onto our rosters. 

Proactive Pickups

Marvin Mims Jr., Denver (59% Sleeper rostered) 

It is hard to believe Mims is just a second-year player. He has garnered attention for a stop/start career, or at least coaching comments that suggested there might be a start but without any action to follow. 

As mentioned under Estime, his usage is attractive. His yardage total was low, but moving from hardly involved to seven touches, especially in heavily schemed usage, suggests the team is exploring answers in a very unsettled receiver room. Mims is an explosive player who can score from anywhere on just one play. The creativity makes him worth a stash. 

Deep Darts

Tylan Wallace, Baltimore (59% Sleeper rostered)

The acquisition of Diontae Johnson suggests the Ravens were not thrilled with their receiver depth. With Johnson in the fold, Wallace’s mini-breakout is even more surprising. His fantasy point total was driven primarily off an 84-yard touchdown, and there is little in his overall usage to suggest he will be hitting managed lineups. But anyone on the Ravens can score in any week, and he is playing around 30% of the snaps. Wallace generated positive buzz for his improvement in the summer. Breaking this type of play in this high-profile game forces a team to look deeper at what they have. 

Tight End

Proactive Pickups

Dawson Knox, Buffalo (30% Sleeper rostered) 

Dalton Kincaid landed hard on his knee and missed the second half of Week 10. His status will be watched throughout the week. Amari Cooper and Keon Coleman's absences have laid bare the Bills' receiver options. Knox could become a near-every-snap player if Coleman (already announced out), Cooper, and Kincaid all scratch in Week 11. He would be touchdown-dependent but had Josh Allen’s trust in the past. 

Josh Oliver, Minnesota (30% Sleeper rostered) 

Oliver has come off the radar as TE10 over the last three weeks. Given the nature of tight end scoring, two touchdowns will do that, but Oliver is leading in snaps despite the return of T.J. Hockenson. He has seen 11 targets over those three weeks, with five and six, respectively, in the two games Hockenson returned. That has worked out to 46.67 yards per game, a full season pace of 800 yards. He looks good, too, making multiple difficult catches. Oliver has established himself as one of the best blocking tight ends in the NFL, but at age 27, the prime age for tight ends, he could be blossoming into more.