Week 10 Waiver Wire Pickups to Trash

You actually picked up Rex Burkhead and played him? Kendrick Bourne, too? Oof. I hope you pay attention to the Week 10 Waiver Wire Trash. Players are returning from injury; opportunities could be split or taken away all together.

You're on a pace to make it to the playoffs and avoid the dreaded Toilet Bowl. So let’s dive in and make sure you know which waiver wire targets people are touting for Week 10 will be straight garbage.

It's like Shopping for Waiver Wire Trash on the Wish App

Starting this piece out with what seemed like a joke. Aside from the Rams and Vikings - two top-five receiving duos - the Seahawks haven’t given up double-digit points to two wide receivers on the same team in 2021. Yet, people are shouting about Allen Lazard and Randal Cobb?

 

Even if Aaron Rodgers and the Packers don’t get punished for breaking the rules, then Rodgers passes Covid protocol, the fantasy outcome still doesn’t look good. Davante Adams should have no problem torching the Seahawks. However, Lazard has produced in three straight games against a fifth-string slot corner and two safeties who have struggled in coverage. Touchdowns have saved his fantasy production - or lack thereof - so don’t chase a 12-percent target share on routes run for potential touchdowns, which are inconsistent.

As for Cobb, he is reminiscent of Larry Fitzgerald over the final few seasons. He’s showing great hands but minimal separation. The veteran savvy is showing through, but similar to Lazard, three catches a game will lose you more weeks than win.

The fact people are blowing FAAB on these two players is mind-numbing. Chase the upside of a Donovan Peoples-Jones. Hell, go win a Championship Trophy with Jamal Agnew. 

There are plenty of other options better than Lazard and Cobb on waivers. I know the lack of scoring for receivers against the Seahawks over the previous three weeks has to do with game script. Regardless, the Packers volatile secondary and tertiary receivers are not the answer. 

Misleading Free Squares

“He’ll get the volume” is like nails on a chalkboard. I thought there was nothing worse in DFS than hearing someone say, “It’s a free square because he’s cheap, and he’ll get the volume!” Well, I was wrong. With the number of injuries to running backs in 2021, I have come to realize redraft is even worse. 

This is your future! Hasn't life already taught you? Free squares are bullshit more often than not, which is why your walls are likely covered with Participation Ribbons.

In Week 9, Carlos Hyde was typically the third running back on everyone’s waiver wire list because he would get the volume. Congratulations! You got 6.3 points. His outcome doesn't get much better, making him the epitome of Week 10 waiver wire scum. 

Get a knife and scrape that shit off the bottom of your shoe. 

Week 9 was a different story from Week 8, as the Jaguars kept the game competitive. The script had Hyde only running 13 routes compared to 36 the previous week—after the injury to James Robinson. However, on those 36 routes, Hyde only commanded six targets and took them for a whopping 40 yards. Pretty obvious why he wasn’t scripted into the receiving game immediately the following week.

However, Hyde was in on passing plays. 

The Jaguars realized Hyde offers far more upside as an additional blocker as he protected Trevor Lawrence on 38.1-percent of the offensive snaps in Week 9, compared to just 0.8-percent the previous week. He's not likely to revert to a pure receiving back in Week 10, but even if Hyde does run more routes, his target share will suffer. The Colts can get beat in the receiving game but not through volume. The Colts have allowed the sixth least targets to the position. Meanwhile, they have only allowed two 100-yard rushers and two touchdowns on the ground. 

Hyde is garbage, and although I opted to leave him off the list in Week 9 despite my better judgment, he’s getting left outback for Week 10. I don't want to hear volume from a dust running back with a bad offensive line. Takes like that make me sick.

Don't Chase Points for Week 10 Waiver Trash

Speaking of the Colts, you want to play hyper-athletic backs who have a chance to break off big plays in the receiving game. The DOCE Score indicates Colts hadn’t played a single pass-catching back with a positive grade this entire season before Week 9. Yet, they are giving up 9.74 yards per reception to the position. Those yards would be great if there were volume to accompany or big-play ability, which is why Hyde is a fade. However, Michael Carter and Ty Johnson fit the mold. 

Carter and Johnson both ripped three receptions for over 15 yards apiece while Johnson saw paydirt. Now, people are all about picking up Johnson, who has the Bills in Week 10. Aside from a 73-yard screen to Antonio Gibson in a blowout against Washington, the Bills haven’t allowed a single running back to eclipse 27 yards receiving. Meanwhile, if you take out the three-touchdown game against Derrick Henry, the aforementioned pass to Gibson is the only touchdown allowed to running backs on the season.

Week 10 waiver wire is not the week to chase points with a Johnson plug-and-play. Get your head on straight and stop listening to the echo chamber. Throw division rivalries and game script out. Hell, even throw out the Mike White storyline. Johnson should not be added during waivers. If your league mates see he is Week 10 waiver wire trash, and you can pick him up for free to play him after Week 10 following the waiver process, go right on ahead.

Don't even think about playing Elijah Moore this week. the Bills get the most pressure on quarterbacks while allowing only 15 big plays in the air—about 50-percent less than the average team in 2021

— Chase Vernon (@ff_intervention) November 9, 2021

Side Note: Don’t even think about playing Elijah Moore.  

Do You Actually Believe That?

Jordan Howard, on the top of people's waivers, is absolutely disgusting and sad. You remember “That 70’s Show” with Red Foreman. Come on, let’s say it together: Dumb ass. 

The Eagles face two scorching hot defenses you can’t run against—the Broncos (when healthy) and the Saints. Even without the certainty of Miles Sanders' injury timetable, Howard is a terrible acquisition. Don't clog up your roster for two weeks with a player who will likely be available on waivers in two weeks anyway. Most situations have Sanders returning by Week 12, which would render Howard useless, or worse: a roster bomb. Instead, let one of your league mates enjoy the fun as they start him and get sub-five-point finishes while you hoist the Title Belt.

Sure, Howard has given you 30.8 points over the past two weeks, but open your eyes knucklehead. They were against the Lions and Chargers—two of the bottom three teams against the position.

In addition, everyone views him as the lead back, but he didn’t even see the most snaps on his team for the position. It's a full committee approach, and although they have been running the ball more often over the past two weeks, the next two might revert to their pass-heavy style earlier in the year. Howard is a complete waste of FAAB moving forward and should not be rostered in anything other than leagues where you have to start five-plus running backs. He caps the Week 10 waiver wire trash.  

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