• Audric Estime leads the Denver Broncos‘ runners: Estime ran 14 times compared to three by Denver's other running backs. Estime is the first lead runner available on the waiver wire in weeks.
• Will Dissly keeps earning targets: Dissly is one of the most targeted tight ends this season and has the best schedule for the position over the next month.
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Estimated Reading Time: 25 minutes
With Week 10 of the 2024 NFL season nearly complete, here are the key players to target on the fantasy football waiver wire. Here, we'll cover options for smaller and deeper leagues and also highlight the players to avoid.
Jump to a position group:
QB | RB | WR | TE
Quarterback
Russell Wilson, Pittsburgh Steelers (Rostered in 39.9% of leagues on ESPN)
Wilson helped the Steelers win by passing for three touchdowns against a strong Washington Commanders defense in Week 10. He has averaged 19.3 fantasy points per game this season. Every other quarterback in the top 16 in fantasy points per game is taken in most leagues, outside of his backup, Justin Fields. He is the clear top option available in most leagues without accounting for schedules.
Three of Wilson’s next six games are against either the Baltimore Ravens or Cincinnati Bengals, who were among the four worst teams at preventing fantasy points to quarterbacks before Thursday Night Football, when both defenses allowed four passing touchdowns. Wilson is the best quarterback for a team that needs someone specifically this week and will likely be the best waiver option for two more weeks over the next month.
Will Levis, Tennessee Titans (2.4%)
Levis had a very rough start to the season, facing the Chicago Bears, New York Jets, Green Bay Packers and Miami Dolphins — four of the top seven teams at preventing fantasy points to quarterbacks. He started Week 6 despite not being 100%, before missing the following three games.
He returned this week against the Los Angeles Chargers, making it his fifth game against a top-seven team. Levis put up decent numbers, completing 18 of his 23 passes for 175 yards and two touchdowns, with one of those touchdowns coming in garbage time.
Levis has both the second-best schedule for quarterbacks over the rest of the season and during the fantasy playoffs. He faces the Jacksonville Jaguars twice, the Cincinnati Bengals and the Indianapolis Colts from Weeks 14-17, and quarterbacks who face those teams very consistently finish among the top-12 fantasy quarterbacks each week. Levis should be given an opportunity to show what he can do while healthy and facing a defense that isn’t among the best in the league.
Trey Lance, Dallas Cowboys (0.2%)
Dak Prescott is likely to have season-ending surgery on his partially torn hamstring, per ESPN's Adam Schefter, and Cooper Rush is now the Cowboys' current starting quarterback. However, Rush lasted only three quarters in Week 10 before Lance was given a shot. While they haven’t announced a quarterback for next week, the Cowboys spent a fourth-round pick on him and should see what they have. Rush averaged 11.2 fantasy points per game in his five starts in 2022, so at least from a fantasy perspective, he’s not the most intriguing option. This week made that even more clear.
Over the past four years, Lance has scrambled on 12.9% of his dropbacks, which is the third-highest rate among quarterbacks — behind Jayden Daniels and Malik Willis and ahead of Drake Maye, Justin Fields, Tyler Huntley, Tyrod Taylor, Taysom Hill when he was a full-time quarterback, Lamar Jackson and Bo Nix. Some of those quarterbacks have been fantasy starters despite some subpar passing, thanks to their rushing ability. Fields and Hill were great fantasy options when they started, while Nix and Willis have shown sparks this season in their respective opportunities. Lance clearly still loves running the ball, taking three carries for 17 yards in his very limited playing time in Week 10.
The Cowboys have an elite schedule from Weeks 13-16, with matchups against the New York Giants, Cincinnati Bengals, Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Those are four of the worst eight teams at preventing fantasy points to quarterbacks. If Lance can win the starting job by then, he could score a lot of fantasy points.
Daniel Jones, New York Giants (22.5%)
Jones’ game in Germany wasn’t pretty. He went 22-of-37 passing for 190 yards and two interceptions, but his rushing ability saved his fantasy value again. He ran seven times for 26 yards and a touchdown. While this week wasn’t great, he has two games of 20-plus fantasy points in the past six weeks, which is as good as any quarterback readily available off the waiver wire.
The Giants have their bye in Week 11 and then have the best schedule for quarterbacks the rest of the season. They face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints, Baltimore Ravens, Atlanta Falcons and Indianapolis Colts.
Bryce Young, Carolina Panthers (3.3%)
Young hasn’t scored many fantasy points in the past two weeks, but the Panthers have been getting victories and have stuck with the run game. He has 25 and 26 passing attempts in the past two games, but on the bright side, he showed his rushing ability this past week with two carries for 30 yards.
The Panthers have their bye in Week 11. In the rest of their games, they face teams against whom they will fall behind quickly or who rank among the bottom-seven squads at preventing fantasy points. This includes the Dallas Cowboys, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the fantasy playoffs, which gives Young the best schedule for quarterbacks over those three weeks.
Running Back
Audric Estime, Denver Broncos (1.1%)
The Broncos rookie landed on injured reserve after a brief appearance in Week 1, and while he played only a few snaps in the past four weeks, he averaged 6.3 yards per carry. Despite the limited work, Estime had four explosive runs compared to eight by Javonte Williams and six by Jaleel McLaughlin, and the two veterans had many more opportunities.
This week, McLaughlin started the game and Javonte Williams came in for third down. The team stuck with Williams on the second drive and continued to pass the ball. On the third drive, Estime joined the rotation and ran on back-to-back plays for eight and six yards, respectively, which was enough for Denver to stick with him as the early-down back for the rest of the game.
Over the last three quarters, Estime played 24 of a possible 41 snaps, while Williams played nine exclusively in passing situations and McLaughlin played three. Estime ran 14 times for 53 yards. While his 3.8 yards per carry wasn’t great, the Chiefs had allowed 3.7 yards per carry this season.
There is still a small chance the Broncos will take a hot-hand approach and say Estime had the hot hand this week, so maybe someone else has it next week. But Estime could continue to earn more opportunities going forward.
This might be the last time a running back earns a starting job this season without an injury impacting things. Most teams have been largely set at running back all season outside of injuries, and the Broncos are one of the very few exceptions.
Gus Edwards, Los Angeles Chargers (20.6%)
Edwards was activated off injured reserve from his ankle injury for Week 10.
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