Trade deadline week is always the toughest one when it comes to waiver wire articles. We want to get the info out to folks, but there could be some moving parts along the way today. The good news is that the deadline does hit today at 4 PM ET, while the vast majority of leagues have waivers run overnight. So we’ll simply pop back in to update this article as the news drops - so make sure you check back in before setting your final moves.
And we certainly do hope that the trade deadline shakes some things up today. Because this is shaping up to be one of the worst waiver wire weeks of the year as it stands. There are still some gems out there we have suggested over the last few weeks. But, for the most part, it doesn’t feel like that one “league-winner” is jumping out at us. Regardless, let’s dive in and see what is out there while we wait on trade news.
2026 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Week 10 Top Targets And Strategy
As we mentioned above, the key to navigating waivers is understanding your league and understanding what you need. We’ll give our guidance on whether to use your waiver claim or your FAAB, but every league is unique, so go with your gut for the final numbers.
You also need to know what kind of player you want to target. My rule of thumb is that, if the player goes DIRECTLY into my lineup at QB, WR, RB, or TE, I’m willing to use that top claim or a minimum 25% of your budget. This is a weekly game at its
We will do our best to differentiate whether this is a guy we can start right away or whether we like to have them on the bench to see if they break out. As always, if you play in deeper leagues like FFPC, check out our Streamers & Stashes article that gets down to the much lower-rostered players for those deep sleepers!
NFL Week 10 Waiver Wire Quarterbacks
Geno Smith - New York Jets, Yahoo: 23% | ESPN: 33% | Sleeper: 24%
As we mentioned in the intro, it’s a tough week on the waiver wire. And that’s true of the quarterback position as well. The “better” players available have pretty tough matchups. And the guys with good matchups are a little rough around the edges. With Geno Smith, he’s actually been pretty consistently bad in tough matchups but also pretty good with his good matchups, which included 20+ point games vs. Miami and Las Vegas. He was bad this week against the Chiefs but is on the streaming radar this week against a Bills defense that has struggled.
- Waiver Priority: Low Priority
- FAAB: 0-5%
Deshaun Watson - Cleveland Browns, Yahoo: 20% | ESPN: 11% | Sleeper: 13%
Deshaun Watson has hit on every separate component of a high-end fantasy asset at some point during the season. Even after missing this week’s game, he still has the second-most rushing attempts of any quarterback behind Josh Allen. He finally ran for a touchdown in recent weeks. He has thrown for multiple TDs in a game. And he’s thrown for 300+ yards in back-to-back starts. He just can’t seem to put it all together for one game. Maybe the revenge game against his former Houston Texans will be that game?
- Waiver Priority: Low priority
- FAAB: 0-5%
Honorable Mention or Deep League Options: Michael Penix, Sam Darnold
NFL Week 10 Waiver Wire Running Backs
Seth McGowan - Indianapolis Colts, Yahoo: 32% | ESPN: 21% | Sleeper: 47%
As always, this article is published on Tuesday morning. This week is pretty unique in that the NFL trade deadline happens to be today at 4 PM ET. So we are going to go in and edit this post depending on what happens with Jonathan Taylor by that deadline. If Taylor gets traded, McGowan is the top add. If he does not get traded, there are much better handcuffs out there than McGowan.
- Waiver Priority: TBD
- FAAB: TBD
Corey Kiner - New England Patriots, Yahoo: 4% | ESPN: 5% | Sleeper: 7%
This could obviously be affected by the trade deadline as well. But TreVeyon Henderson has no timeline with his neurological issues, and Rhamondre Stevenson’s latest with the knee tendon is “weeks”. If Taylor is traded, the McGowan situation is more permanent, but Corey Kiner, Lan Larison, and Terrell Jennings could take over this New England backfield for a bit, and Kiner has been the most involved.
- Waiver Priority: Low Priority
- FAAB: 5-10%
Audric Estime - New Orleans Saints, Yahoo: 4% | ESPN: 9% | Sleeper: 10%
Part of why this week is so tough on the waiver wire is all the uncertainty. If Travis Etienne remains out, Estime is in line to carry the bulk of the workload against the Panthers this week. If Etienne is back, Estime loses virtually all value. We likely aren’t going to know before waivers run, so Estime might be your best bet at a streamer this week if you are desperate. We really don’t like spending up on plays that are likely short-term at best, however.
- Waiver Priority: Low Priority
- FAAB: 0-5%
Kaelon Black - San Francisco 49ers, Yahoo: 39% | ESPN: 31% | Sleeper: 43%
If Jonathan Taylor does not get hurt, the best handcuff right now is Kaelon Black. He checks a number of the handcuff boxes we like to see. First off, it’s a good rushing attack in San Francisco. Second, Christian McCaffrey has dealt with multiple injuries already this season. Third, we know that Black is the “next man up” as we’ve already seen him step in. And fourth is that he has that unknown rookie upside that you might not get from a veteran. That combination makes him the priority stash if you are playing that game.
- Waiver Priority: Low Priority
- FAAB: 0-5%
Kaleb Johnson - Green Bay Packers, Yahoo: 1% | ESPN: 1% | Sleeper: 3%
We don’t really want to play this game with the Packers backfield if we can avoid it. This offensive line has been pretty bad in the run game. When Josh Jacobs was out, no one really ran with the gig. We expect Marshawn Lloyd and Chris Brooks to be involved as well moving forward. But Kaleb Johnson has been the best one running the ball when given a chance, so he would be the target.
- Waiver Priority: Low Priority
- FAAB: 0-5%
Honorable Mention or Deep League Options: Tyler Goodson, Kaelon Black, Jacory Croskey-Merritt
NFL Week 10 Waiver Wire Wide Receivers
Caleb Douglas - Miami Dolphins, Yahoo: 29% | ESPN: 21% | Sleeper: 47%
If you have been following these articles this year, then you almost certainly have Caleb Douglas on at least ONE of your fantasy teams by now, no? I know there are a lot of different rookie stash options, but Douglas is one of the few who has consistently been a top option on his team. He earned a full-time job this offseason and, despite suffering an injury in Week One, returned and reclaimed that role.
In all three games since coming back, it’s been Malik Washington and Caleb Douglas as the full-time wide receivers for Miami. In those games, Douglas scored two touchdowns against the Jets, he got six targets against New England, and now got eight against Detroit. His eight targets were actually twice as many as the next closest Dolphin (Greg Dulcich). I know the team isn’t great, but they still have to play the games. The lack of other high-end pass-catchers gives the rookie some decent upside, and he could continue to develop as the season proceeds.
- Waiver Priority: Medium Priority
- FAAB: 10-15%
Antonio Williams - Washington Commanders, Yahoo: 31% | ESPN: 21% | Sleeper: 43%
Following the Terry McLauin injury, Dan Quinn said the role for Stefon Diggs would not change. And that has largely been true, as Diggs has remained more of a part-time slot guy. That left room for opportunity, which has seen Williams lead the team in routes run in both of those games since McLaurin went down.
Unfortunately, he has not quickly broken out yet despite getting six and seven targets in those two games. The Rams are a pretty tough assignment, though the Giants this week have been pretty solid against the pass as well. Still, if Williams is going to continue to sit in the “WR1 chair” for Jayden Daniels, that is a guy that is worth stashing to see if the production can catch up to the deployment. Sometimes rookies start slow, then catch their stride late. Look at the numbers for rookie Amon-Ra St. Brown - he didn’t take off until Week 13.
- Waiver Priority: Medium Priority
- FAAB: 10-15%
Pat Bryant - Denver Broncos, Yahoo: 3% | ESPN: 1% | Sleeper: 8%
There are a few wide receivers that we like in dynasty that don’t have great roles just yet for redraft. Pat Bryant, Tre Harris, Ryan Flournoy, etc. They have looked good in their limited roles and, when another wide receiver is hurt, they have looked even better in expanded roles. Even superstars like CeeDee Lamb and Jaxon Smith-Njigba were part-time guys early in their careers, so we are holding on.
But Pat Bryant has quietly looked BETTER than Courtland Sutton and even Jaylen Waddle at times. This week, with Jaylen Waddle leaving with an injury, he looked solid again, catching four passes for 56. The Broncos go on bye here, so Waddle will have time to get over his injuries. But we have watched Sean Payton pass over the veterans at RB for rookie Jonah Coleman. Maybe he’ll be willing to do something similar to get Pat Bryant more work coming out of the bye?
Honorable Mention or Deep League Options: Ryan Flournoy, Konata Mumpfield, Van Jefferson
NFL Week 10 Waiver and Yin & Yang Tight End
Chig Okonkwo - Washington Commanders, Yahoo: 22% | ESPN: 27% | Sleeper: 19%
Chig Okonkwo has been our top add for the last few weeks here - and that hasn’t changed. We’ve always liked his profile for fantasy as he has 96th percentile speed and operates best when used as a “big slot”. The Tennessee Titans never quite made him a full-time guy, which was frustrating. But that has changed following his return from injury in Washington, especially with Terry McLaurin done for the year.
For the second straight week, Antonio Williams has led the Commanders in routes run and Chig Okonkwo has been second. Last week Williams led the team in targets; this week Chig led. Stefon Diggs is always going to be involved but, at this stage in his career, he is deployed as a part-time guy which caps his ceiling to some degree and opens up work for the other options. Treylon Burks and Dyami Brown were both out this past week, and we are unsure when they will be back. The Rams have been one of the toughest matchups for tight ends, and Chig still had a solid game. The Giants aren’t the best matchup, but after that, he gets the Bengals, Cardinals, and Titans.
- Waiver Priority: Medium Priority
- FAAB: 10-15%
Darren Waller - Carolina Panthers, Yahoo: 7% | ESPN: 8% | Sleeper: 15%
After three straight games with two targets in each, Darren Waller came out this week and hit us with 8 catches on 10 targets for 90 yards and a touchdown. It may seem out of the blue, but teams like the Eagles and Packers have been tough matchups for tight ends. Against teams that are weak against the tight end, like the Lions (6 targets for Waller), Browns (8 targets), and now the Broncos (10 targets), Waller has been more involved.
It wasn’t perfect for Waller as he still ran less than 50% of the routes. That said, if the idea is that Waller gets more work in matchups that are friendly to tight ends, next week against the Saints could be worth the spot start, as they allow the 6th most points to the position (Denver, who they played this week, is 7th). We’ll want to avoid Waller for the Vikings matchup in Week 13, but he gets the Saints again during fantasy playoffs as well as the Bengals.
- Waiver Priority: Low Priority
- FAAB: 0-5%
AJ Barner - Seattle Seahawks, Yahoo: 10% | ESPN: 7% | Sleeper: 17%
There’s an ocean of tight ends out there that give you 4-5 targets a week without much production on those targets. But, on top of random receiving TDs which everyone also gets, AJ Barner also has the benefit of being the Seahawks Tush Push tight end. He’s now scored twice on those, on top of getting 7 carries in other short-yardage situations, so that does separate Barner from the pack a little bit. We just wish he was more involved in the passing game, as this is a bit of a Taysom Hill-lite situation, fishing for rushing TDs. Anyone familiar with my work knows that I really don’t like doing that.
- Waiver Priority: Low Priority
- FAAB: 0-5%
Honorable Mention or Deep League Options: Mike Gesicki, Terrance Ferguson, Michael Mayer
NFL Week 10 Waiver DST
Green Bay Packers DST, Yahoo: 25% | ESPN: 19% | Sleeper: 20%
The Packers have some solid pieces on defense, especially with their safety duo. This week they were able to turn New England over four times with four sacks. The previous week they generated six sacks and two turnovers. Regardless of who starts for the Vikings next week at QB, Green Bay should be on the streaming radar.
Baltimore Ravens DST Yahoo: 37% | ESPN: 47% | Sleeper: 38%
The Ravens have their own problems. But the Los Angeles Chargers, sitting at 0-8, have even bigger ones. So we’re basically targeting whoever goes up against that train wreck each week. Hopefully Jacoby Brissett can keep the offense on the field and give this Ravens defense a little more time to rest, as that’s been their biggest issue lately.
Honorable Mention or Deep League Options: Colts DST vs. MIA, Bills DST vs. NYJ, Commanders DST vs. NYG
NFL Week 10 Waiver K
Chris Boswell - Pittsburgh Steelers, Yahoo: 22% | ESPN: 43% | Sleeper: 32%
Some teams treat their kicker like an ugly stepchild that they’d like to keep off the field at all costs. Others consider them a weapon and will proudly wheel them out for long tries. Boswell hasn’t been as sure this year, but this matchup with the Bengals does have a high over/under, which could see some decent opportunities for Boswell.
Ryan Fitzgerald - Carolina Panthers, Yahoo: 4% | ESPN: 8% | Sleeper: 2%
The Carolina Panthers have not been putting up a ton of points in recent weeks. But they’ve also had a gauntlet of pretty tough defenses here with the Eagles, Buccaneers, Packers, and Broncos. This matchup with the Saints should provide a nice oasis here for Bryce Young and company, and Fitzgerald is available in a lot of leagues if you need him.
Honorable Mention or Deep League Options: Brandon McManus, Dominic Zvada
Yin & Yang Tight End Chart
As always, this section below will be updated with Yin & Yang tight end rankings for the rest of the season each week. The way Yin & Yang tight end works is: if you have someone from the standalone section, you only need to roster one player. Beyond that, we are likely rostering two - someone to start and someone to stash.
- Standalone - Guys we currently trust that also have big upside.
- Yin - A “safe” player that we can start while trying to hit on a breakout with a bench spot.
- Yang - A higher-risk, higher-reward option ideally stashed on your bench for upside.
- Handcuff - Guys with minimal usage now who could have upside if the starting TE gets hurt.
[Check back for Week 10 Yin & Yang tight end update soon!]