Fantasy Football 2025 Week 10 Waiver Wire Pickup Advice
Is your fantasy team in need of new blood? Each week I’ll bring to you the best pickups to make ahead of the waiver deadline. All the players I list will be rostered in fewer than 50 percent of leagues, with the roster percentages coming from Yahoo.com.
Immediately Useful
Trevor Lawrence, QB, Jaguars (48% Rostered): Lawrence insists on doing it the ugly way, but he’s been a very useful QB option in each of the last three weeks. He posted 258 yards and two scores against a tough Seattle defense, then racked up 296 yards against the Rams, another stout D. On Sunday, he only managed 220 yards vs. the Raiders’ porous unit, but he rushed for 24 yards and two scores. Some teams are hurting badly at QB, and while Lawrence isn’t a fun watch, the numbers thus far have been there.
Troy Franklin, WR, Broncos (48% Rostered): Franklin didn’t have much stat sheet success Sunday in a low-scoring win over the Texans, but the case for him is unchanged. He’s in an offense that, while up-and-down, is explosive and he’s receiving a very healthy target share. This past week he drew 10 targets; even though they became just four catches and 27 yards, it’s the second time in three weeks he’s drawn double-digit looks, and in the previous two games he’d scored three times. Franklin continues to be a very playable WR, and especially helpful to managers dealing with lots of injuries and/or byes. He’s not a league winner, but he can help.
Justin Fields, QB, Jets (45% Rostered): Fields requires a very, very high tolerance for risk and variance. If not for an injury, Fields likely would’ve watched Week 8 from the sideline due to being benched, and instead he threw for 244 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 31 yards in a 39-38 thriller. Fields is not, and never will be a guy who can reliably score fantasy points with his arm. He can have big games though through chunk plays and is one of the most prolific rushing QBs we’ve seen. It’s possible if you start Fields that your guy is being replaced at halftime by Tyrod Taylor, but you can also be playing a 30-point guy. Fields has scored 25+ three times, and surpassed the 20-point mark in four of seven games. He’s as high risk as you’ll find, but the reward is massive.
Tyjae Spears, RB, Titans (45% Rostered): Spears has forced a 50/50 split with Tony Pollard in the Titans backfield, and, on the stat sheet, has been the more efficient and explosive player. With the snap count being equal, it’s arguable that Spears is the preferred Titans RB if such a thing exists due to their preference for him in the passing game. The issue is that Pollard is still the guy when they’re in short yardage situations, and Pollard still retains explosive play ability himself, so Spears doesn’t rate as much more than a midlevel FLEX. That is a valuable thing these days though, as teams are definitely hurting at RB.
Harold Fannin Jr., TE, Browns (42% Rostered): Fannin Jr. was likely forgotten by most after his bye week, and the continued presence of David Njoku does throw a bit of cold water on his upside as a locked-in season-long TE play, but Fannin is still a comfortable start. He’s had four or more catches in each of Cleveland’s last four games, and both TEs figure to be prominently featured in the Dillon Gabriel iteration of this offense, as he’s a weaker-armed QB with one of the NFL’s most dire receiving groups. The waiver wire is littered with playable TEs this week, some with higher ceilings than Fannin, but few with as secure a role.
Tre Tucker, WR, Raiders (38% Rostered): Tucker’s target share is clearly about to dip with the return of TE Brock Bowers, but his snap share certainly didn’t. It’s understandable to not be pumped for pieces of the Geno Smith passing game, but Tucker is just on the field at all times for the Raiders, and could see an increase in his target share if Jakobi Meyers is ever shipped out. Tucker’s shown explosive play capability, which is nice even if that’s not the reason to roster him. He’s just high-end bye week/injury filler, which every team needs at some point.
Cade Otton, TE, Buccaneers (37% Rostered): Otton is going to be used in a high-powered Bucs offense, so he’s for sure playable. The thing is, even with all Tampa Bay’s injury woes to the pass-catchers, he’s just not the kind of player you can run a passing game through. Don’t get carried away with expectations thinking all the missing targets for Mike Evans and Chris Godwin need to be funneled through Otton now. He’s simply a Jake Ferguson-esque player, catching passes from a very good QB who can definitely find the end zone. Otton is helpful if you’re struggling at TE, but he’s not going to save you.
Juwan Johnson, TE, Saints (35% Rostered): Johnson rewarded my faith in his presence on the field, even in a putrid offense, with a touchdown on Sunday. Johnson is an athletic guy and monstrous cover in the red zone, and while this touchdown was just his second on the season, that’s an indictment of the Saints’ terrible QB situation. Whether it’s Tyler Shough under center or Spencer Rattler, they’re going to be checking down often, and that’ll be to Johnson. He’s probably not quite a season-long set and forget type, but he’s basically matchup proof in that he’s reliably drawing targets and most weeks is not going to goose.
Theo Johnson, TE, Giants (33% Rostered): Johnson continues to be a player who is very important to the Giants’ passing game, even though the volume hasn’t caught up. He’s only caught three passes in each of the last three games, but he has scored twice in that span. His target share is slightly ticking upward, which should continue since this receiving corps is totally depleted and help is very much not on the way. Realistically, his productions will probably be in the Otton/Juwan Johnson range, but I do believe the ceiling for him is higher when factoring in his athleticism and Jaxson Dart being a rising star.
Speculative/Deep Cuts
J.J. McCarthy, QB, Vikings (29% Rostered): I’ll be the first to admit I’m not the biggest McCarthy guy, especially since guts don’t count for anything in fantasy football. With that said, he’s made three starts this season and thrown for two touchdowns in both of them, while also rushing for touchdowns in those same games. He has elite weapons in Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson to throw to that surely aid in his efficiency and he has one of the best schedules imaginable rest of season. His yardage is scary, because the floor is low without the TD passes, but if you’re a manager who just lost Jayden Daniels you may need to take a big swing.
Christian Watson, WR, Packers (29% Rostered): We all want the Packers to have a real-deal WR1 emerge, and Watson looks the part. But we’ve seen this player for a while now, and while he’s great for the splash plays and he can win you weeks for sure, he’s never been and never will be consistent. Feel free to fire him up when in need; he’s a big play maven, and his superior athleticism makes him matchup proof in that sense. But Watson’s just not a separator, and he’s not open enough to draw consistent looks, meaning when the big play doesn’t come he’s a week-wrecker. This archetype isn’t my cup of tea, but I do understand how tantalizing the ceiling is.
Alec Pierce, WR, Colts (26% Rostered): Pierce is in the same boat as Watson, except the Colts offense has been firing on all cylinders – minus Sunday – the entire season and led to him getting more consistent production than is usual for this style of downfield receiver. Pierce has put up 65+ yards in five of seven games, and he hasn’t found the end zone yet, which means there may actually be some positive regression on the way. His 20.9 yards per catch and 20.5 yard average depth of target marks are absurd, and can turn poisonous with the quickness if Daniel Jones falls apart. But for now, the offense is mostly humming and he’s feeling zero pressure from second-year man Adonai Mitchell or even Josh Downs. I’d be going with Pierce over Watson.
Colston Loveland, TE, Bears (24% Rostered): Has Loveland arrived? This is a player who was drafted ahead of Tyler Warren, and his production up until Sunday was shockingly meager. Then, he went off for six receptions, 118 yards and two touchdowns and we all collectively said “Ohhhh.” There are caveats and red flags! This game was against a Bengals defense that is impossibly bad, and prior to this breakout, Loveland hadn’t even reached 40 yards or four receptions in any game. Tread lightly, and do not trust him as a season-long option just based on this game. But if your TE situation is unsettled, I wouldn’t be opposed to spending a few FAAB bucks to get him, because yes, there is potential here that is way more than a normal waiver TE pickup. He’s riskier than all the TEs I’ve already touched on for this week, but he’s also got more upside than all of them.
Mason Taylor, TE, Jets (20% Rostered): Taylor, like Theo Johnson, is an athletic dude whose role is central to a less-than-stellar offense. After two duds vs. Denver and Carolina, Taylor finally had some production when facing a bad defense (Bengals) and went for five receptions, 34 yard and a score. With the Jets’ offensive environment, expectations need to be tempered, and his floor is very low even with the dearth of pass-catching options around him, but he’s a guy who has to be involved by default and can be used for that reason.
Parker Washington, WR, Jaguars (18% Rostered): Washington has been surprisingly involved all year for the Jaguars, and took advantage of an increased role this week with Travis Hunter out to catch nine balls for 80 yards. Hunter is on IR, so Washington is going to be a key part of the passing game at least for the next three games. Now Brian Thomas Jr. may also be injured, potentially shifting Washington up to a leading role in this aerial attack. That might just be a bad thing overall for Jacksonville, but he’s been earning targets all year with two much more heralded players in front of him and now he has a pathway to breaking out. This feels like Jauan Jennings a year ago, who snuck up on everyone. The addition of Jakobi Meyers to this receiving corps is something to consider, but it also could be a signal that Brian Thomas Jr. is set to miss a little time as well. Regardless, Washington should be involved in this offense moving forward.
Pat Freiermuth, TE, Steelers (10% Rostered): Freiermuth has been coming up clutch lately for Aaron Rodgers, who is making lemonade out of lemons at WR behind DK Metcalf. Without reliable receivers, Rodgers has made good use of his underrated TE the last few games, with Freiermuth finding the end zone three times in the last three games including a 111-yard, two-touchdown effort two weeks ago vs. the Bengals (see the trend?). Freiermuth is still a player that’s behind the other TEs mentioned this week, especially since his snap rate is below 50% the past two games, but he’s a very capable pass-catcher in an offense devoid of them. There’s potential for him to be a diet version of early season Dalton Kincaid.
Tory Horton, WR, Seahawks (5% Rostered): Horton’s back here, not because I believe he’s breaking out, but because he’s very talented and his role could be expanded with Cooper Kupp hurt. Horton’s two touchdowns might be fluky from Sunday night, but Sam Darnold is balling right now, and when Kupp is missing, Horton is his clear WR2. Keep tabs on Kupp’s status, because while Horton’s floor is a doughnut, he’s also got four touchdowns on the season despite limited opportunity.
Chris Rodriguez Jr., RB, Commanders (3% Rostered): Rodriguez’s stat line, 12 carries, 65 yards and a touchdown, was nice but that’s potentially misleading as Washington had gotten boatraced before halftime. Rodriguez is here because, if you watched the game, he simply looks like the Commanders’ best RB. That’s going to matter now, since Jayden Daniels suffered a disgusting arm injury that’s definitely keeping him out of action for quite a while. It’s entirely possible Washington remains committed to Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Rodriguez reverts to barely being used, especially since he clearly lacks breakaway speed and therefore struggles to generate chunk plays. But he’s a truly difficult man to tackle in short yardage, and he’s elusive with power. I believe he’s worth a stash if your injury/bye week situation allows.
IR Stashes
Jayden Reed, WR, Packers (34% Rostered)
Handcuffs
Tyler Allgeier, RB, Falcons (37% Rostered)
Kenneth Gainwell, RB, Steelers (35% Rostered)
Bhayshul Tuten, RB, Jaguars (31% Rostered)
Tank Bigsby, RB, Eagles (26% Rostered)
Brian Robinson Jr., RB, 49ers (24% Rostered)
Brashard Smith, RB, Chiefs (22% Rostered)
Isaiah Davis, RB, Jets (13% Rostered)
Ollie Gordon II, RB, Dolphins (13% Rostered)
Emanuel Wilson, RB, Packers (10% Rostered)
Justice Hill, RB, Ravens (10% Rostered)
Blake Corum, RB, Rams (9% Rostered)
Jaydon Blue, RB, Cowboys (9% Rostered)
Ray Davis, RB, Bills (8% Rostered)
Devin Singletary, RB, Giants (5% Rostered)
Devin Neal, RB, Saints (3% Rostered)