Some solid early-season fantasy performers returned to action this past week, making huge impacts for their respective teams.
From a quarterback in Buffalo back under center to a wide receiver in Green Bay coming off a season-best performance, here are a few players you should target when you place waiver bids in your fantasy football leagues heading into Week 10.
Based on allocated blind-bid funds of $100, here are those free agents you should target heading into Week 10. Keep in mind, this is looking at the situation through the lens of an owner that has yet to dip into his/her funds this year.
Based on your specific situation, go ahead and do the necessary math to figure out where you should be at when it comes to bidding.
Tyrod Taylor, Quarterback, Buffalo Bills ($13)
Coming off a 11-of-12 performance in his first game back after missing the Bills' past two outings with a sprained MCL, Taylor made his name known as a decent fantasy option once again. This came on the heels of the first-year starter compiling QB1 numbers in the five games prior to suffering said injury.
If you are considering a quarterback in a blind bid scenario, it means that either the guy you are relying on has struggled, forcing you to seek help, or you are preparing for one of the couple bye weeks remaining on the NFL schedule. Adding someone of Taylor's production at this price might even enable you to play matchups down the stretch. The fact is that he's going to be a top-12 quarterback multiple times throughout the remainder of the season.
Marcus Mariota, Quarterback, Tennessee Titans ($10)
There has to be a bit of concern over consistency, especially considering the Titans lack proven talent at the running back and wide receiver positions to help Mariota out. Coming off a four-touchdown performance against a bad New Orleans Saints defense, there are going to be some that overvalue what Mariota is going to bring to the table.
He's likely going to find himself as a QB1 multiple times in the Titans' final eight games, but it's incredibly hard to rely on a rookie to put up consistent numbers.
No harm, no foul. Place a decent bid on Mariota, but expect someone else to exhaust too much of his/her funds to bring him on. After all, recency bias plays a huge role in fantasy football.
Sam Bradford, Quarterback, Philadelphia Eagles ($5)
Here's an idea. Why not place a minimal bid on Bradford in hopes that he can catch lightning in a bottle? Not many people are going to be considering him as a viable fantasy option after what we saw in the first half of the year, but any quarterback in a Chip Kelly offense stands a chance to put up some numbers.
We saw this last week when Bradford completed 25-of-36 passes for 295 yards with one touchdown and zero picks. The idea here would be to stash him as a low-end QB2 or even roster three players at that position. See how Bradford performs over the next two weeks or so, and potentially play matchups here. The bid allocation wouldn't make you poor, and the worst outcome would be him riding the pine.
Antonio Andrews, Running Back, Tennessee Titans ($20)
It's pretty clear that Andrews is going to get a vast majority of the touches under interim head coach Mike Mularkey. That much was obvious this past week when the second-year running back went for 111 yards on 20 touches. With a threat in Mariota at quarterback, the thing here is that opposing defenses won't be able to stack the box against Andrews. With consistent touches, he becomes a low-end RB2 or decent FLEX option moving forward.
James Starks, Running Back, Green Bay Packers ($17)
It's rather evident that Eddie Lacy just isn't going to do much this season. If it's not him struggling with injuries, it's all about him actually struggling on the field. In reality, Starks has just been the better running back this season. That was magnified this past weekend against the Carolina Panthers when the running back went for 122 yards and a touchdown on 16 touches. The only real thing keeping us from recommending a higher bid on Starks is the fact that he actually has a potential handcuff in Lacy — something we can't say for Andrews.
Karlos Williams, Running Back, Buffalo Bills ($14)
Even with LeSean McCoy back in the fold in Buffalo, Williams will see ample opportunities to continue proving his worth. After missing three games with a concussion, this rookie returned to early-season form Sunday against the Miami Dolphins. He went for 110 yards and two touchdowns on nine rush attempts. As long as McCoy is healthy, Williams' touches will be limited. But as we have seen this year, McCoy simply hasn't been able to stay 100 percent. That's only magnified by the shoulder injury he suffered in Week 9.
Brandon Bolden, Running Back, New England Patriots ($12)
With Dion Lewis out for the season due to a torn ACL, Bolden will end up becoming LeGarrette Blount's primary backup for the remainder of the year. Based on the Patriots' high-scoring offense and Tom Brady's ability to get the most out of his running backs, the expectation here has to be that Bolden will play a major role moving forward. Though, maybe take a game or two to see how he's utilized before considering starting him like many of you did with Lewis prior to his injury.
Brandon LaFell, Wide Receiver, New England Patriots ($13)
With nine receptions for 149 yards over the past two games, LaFell has taken over as the Patriots' top outside receiving threat just three games into what has been an injury-shortened season. This is pretty big news for an offense that has been missing that threat with both Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski dominating the hashes. It's also important to note that LaFell put up 953 yards and seven scores for the Pats last season, meaning that he has the trust of Mr. Brady.
Marvin Jones, Wide Receiver, Cincinnati Bengals ($10)
Jones is one of those players that simply makes an impact when given an opportunity. That's exactly what he's done this season after missing all of last year with a foot injury. In eight games, Jones has recorded 31 receptions for 411 yards and three touchdowns. Remember, the former fifth-round pick put up 712 yards and 10 scores the last time he suited up for a full season. Playing an average of 56 snaps this season, and 115 total snaps over the past two weeks, the opportunity has been provided for Jones to continue making an impact. Look for that to continue as the season progresses.
Davante Adams, Wide Receiver, Green Bay Packers ($10)
After dealing with an ankle injury that saw him miss three games earlier this year, Adams was slow to get going. He recorded just one reception for eight yards in his first game since returning back in Week 8. However, with Ty Montgomery sidelined against an elite-level Carolina Panthers defense, Adams put up seven receptions for 93 yards on a whopping 11 targets. He also played the most snaps of any Packers' receiver with 77. These are all signs that Adams is prepared to make a fantasy impact as the season progresses.