If we aren’t there, we’re rapidly approaching the “Wait, who???” part of the fantasy football season. You know, the time of year where you can look at the leaderboard and rhetorically ask yourself, “Wait, Nick Mullens threw for how many touchdowns this week?”
Yes, the diamonds in the rough are going to give you plenty of value down the stretch. You may not pick up more than one, but that one could be the difference between you making the playoffs, or keep you out of the dreaded last-place game.
With that in mind, here are four players to target on the waiver wire ahead of Week 10 who are owned in fewer than 45 percent of ESPN and Yahoo fantasy football leagues. We are, of course, starting with Mullens.
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SIGN UP HERE Nick Mullens, San Francisco 49ers QB (Owned in 0.8 percent of ESPN leagues, 3 percent of Yahoo leagues)
Yes, we’re going there. The former practice-squad quarterback torched the Oakland Raiders for 262 passing yards and three touchdowns. Yes, the Raiders are really bad, but so is the 49ers’ opponent next week.
Only Oakland has fewer sacks than the New York Giants. The G-Men are just outside of the top 10 in terms of passing yards allowed per game, but they’ve given up at least one passing touchdown and an average of 268 passing yards per game over the last four games. With Texans quarterback DeShaun Watson and Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins off next week, buy into Mullens Mania as a streaming option.
Ito Smith, Atlanta Falcons RB (Owned in 31.8 percent of ESPN leagues, 43 percent of Yahoo leagues)
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In DeVonta Freeman’s absence, Tevin Coleman has become the master and Ito Smith has become the learner. Smith rushed for 60 yards on 10 carries, and added a catch for four yards on two targets against Washington on Sunday.
Smith has now scored a touchdown in four of his last five games, and Sunday was easily the rookie’s most productive game on the ground. He’s still only averaging 3.6 yards per carry, but he’s a touchdown threat every week, and that alone makes him worth a pick up.
Adam Humphries, Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR (Owned in 2.7 percent of ESPN leagues, 1 percent of Yahoo leagues)
Other than DeSean Jackson, Humphries may be the happiest Buccaneer to see Ryan Fitzpatrick back at the reins. Humphries caught all eight of his targets for 82 yards and two touchdowns against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, a week after catching seven for 76.
Fitzpatrick only targeted Mike Evans more than Humphries on Sunday, as the Bucs played catch-up for the second consecutive week. Game flow shouldn’t preclude you from picking up Humphries, however, with Washington on the docket in Week 10.
Willie Snead IV, Baltimore Ravens WR (Owned in 22 percent of ESPN leagues, 34 percent of Yahoo leagues)
Snead hasn’t scored a touchdown since Week 1, but he still has plenty of fantasy value. In Week 9, Snead caught seven passes for 58 yards on eight targets, a team-high in each area.
He has at least five catches in all but three games this season, making Snead pretty valuable in PPR formats. That’s especially in full-point PPR leagues, where Snead has hit double digits in all but two weeks. He’s off in Week 10, but that high floor makes Snead worth a waiver claim nonetheless.