Fantasy Football 2018: Waiver wire targets for Week 10
By Donnie Druin
Running Backs
Duke Johnson vs. Atlanta
2018 Stats: 23 attempts, 115 yards (5.0 YPC), 29 receptions, 281 yards, 2 TD
ESPN Ownership: 49.5 percent
Go get Duke Johnson right now. If you’re reading this, immediately go to your fantasy app and put a claim in for Johnson (but please come back after). It’s been a down year thus far for fantasy football running backs with the last name of Johnson, whether it be in Cleveland or Arizona. Yet Johnson’s Week 9 showing was the bat signal we needed in the fantasy city of Gotham. Johnson has been criminally underused thus far, yet week nine saw Johnson break out for a nine-reception, 78-yard, two-touchdown game against Kansas City.
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As mentioned in the previous slide, new days appear to be on the horizon for Browns players (at least in fantasy football) with Jackson/Haley out of the picture. Johnson looks to have a revived role in the Browns offense has a primary pass-catcher, a good sign for fantasy players moving forward.
We’ve known Johnson’s potential since his arrival in the league, yet now looks like the time to pull the trigger to add him to your squad if your league hasn’t already. With Johnson on the field, the Browns offense adds a whole new dynamic, and a week ten visit against a fantasy-friendly Falcons defense should set Johnson up for another great opportunity.
Jalen Richard vs. Los Angeles Chargers
2018 Stats: 15 attempts, 50 yards (3.3 YPC), 43 receptions, 348 yards
ESPN Ownership: 54.2 percent
After Marshawn Lynch was sent to IR, Jalen Richard was favored to receive more work out of the backfield with just him and Doug Martin manning the position. Two weeks after waving goodbye to Amari Cooper via trade, Richard led the Raiders in both receptions and receiving yards in what turned out to be a terrible outing for quarterback Derek Carr and company in a blowout loss to the 49ers.
The good news? Oakland is bound to find themselves in situations where they are playing catch-up, which plays right into Richard’s skill set as a pass-catch running back while limiting opportunities for Doug Martin. In hopes of Carr’s play even slightly improving, Richard’s numbers should continue to steadily hit double-digits, which dubs him worthy as a waiver pick up. Week 10 finds Richard facing a hot Chargers team, once again setting his offense up to air it out early and often.