Fantasy Football 2014: Week 10 Waiver Wire Pickups

Sep 8, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; San Diego Chargers running back Ryan Mathews (24) makes a 20 yard touchdown during the second half against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Ryan Matthews, RB, Chargers: (66.6% on NFL)(51.4% on ESPN) – Chargers are on bye this week and he’s still owned in a bunch of leagues, but he’s out there enough of them that I felt it was worth mentioning him as a bit of a sneaky pick-up as Brandon Oliver hasn’t done enough in recent weeks to keep Matthews from returning to his starting job.

Charles Sims, RB, Buccaneers: (2.1% on NFL)(27.3% on ESPN) – Bobby Rainey (18.7% on NFL)(59.6% on ESPN) actually ran well against Cleveland last week, and he owes Atlanta a big game after week 3’s blowout, but Sims should see some snaps as the reinsertion

Bryce Brown, RB, Bills: (2.9% on NFL)(7.7% on ESPN) He had a less than impressive debut, playing only 14 snaps and recording only 15 yards on 7 carries. It was a more one sided split than expected with Anthony Dixon taking 74% of the snaps in week 8, but that was with Brown coming off 7 weeks of being inactive on Sunday and only one week taking any meaningful reps. It’s not a great match-up against the Chiefs this week, but following week 9’s bye with Fred Jackson’s status still up in the air they’d do well to get a better look at what they have in Brown before the season ends.

Stevie Johnson, WR, 49ers: (3.5% on NFL)(9.7% on ESPN) – At least 5 targets in the last 3 games with at least 40 yards, it doesn’t sound spectacular, but the 49ers will face off against a Saints defense that can be beat through the air. And with Keenan Lewis likely to spend his day covering Anquan Boldin or Michael Crabtree, Johnson could wind up having a nice game here.

Jarvis Landry, WR, Dolphins: (0.9% on NFL)(7.8% on ESPN) – With the Dolphins upcoming schedule Landry is going to have to remain a significant part of the Dolphins offense if they are to have continued success. This offense is really clicking right now and if they continue to do so Landry will see his value increase.

Taylor Gabriel, WR, Browns: (0.1% on NFL)(1.1% on ESPN) – 60 yards last week, 87 and a TD this week and Allen Hurns just had a big game against Cincinnati as the 3rd WR. It’s a bit of a shot in the dark, but Gabriel’s a talented young rookie and it seems like the Browns are looking to expand his role a little. Of course that could go out the window once Josh Gordon returns in a few weeks.

Davante Adams, WR, Packers: (4.9% on NFL)(8.8% on ESPN) I wanted to wait until after the bye week and well, here we are. Adams is the 3rd WR on the Packers and that carries value in fantasy football. Much like when James Jones filled the role in previous years Adams production will be pretty boom or bust, but he’s worthy of a roster spot, particularly for owners of Jordy Nelson or Randall Cobb as injury insurance as we’ve seen the 3rd WR gain instant fantasy starter status if he gets promoted due to injury.

Mychal Rivera, TE, Raiders: (1.6% on NFL)(16.7% on ESPN) I mentioned him last week, but he now has 15 receptions for 115 yard and 2 TDs the past two weeks with the Broncos up next on the schedule. Denver does a lot of things well, but stopping opposing TE’s from scoring fantasy points is not one of them. He’s a nice fill-in this week with upside for the rest of the year as Oakland continues to lack any semblance of a running game.

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