Dynasty Waiver Wire: Week Ten

Shane Manila

Addison Hayes needs one more week of respite, so I apologize to you, the dear DLF reader, but you are stuck with me two weeks in a row. Last week’s suggestions had some hits and a few misses. Hopefully, I can find a couple more players who can be of use to your teams.

If you weren’t aware, DLF has a stellar tool in place to help you find the best players available to add to your roster. The Rostership App is a great weekly resource with data drawn from the 974 active dynasty leagues hosted via SafeLeagues. Below is just a sample of the players rostered on fewer than 60% of SafeLeagues. You can also filter by position or year to date fantasy points.

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Alex Smith, QB WAS

Smith steps into the starting quarterback role for Washington after Kyle Allen suffered a dislocated and broken ankle. Washington Football Team head coach Ron Rivera has already named Smith the starter with Dwayne Haskins being the backup.

I can’t pretend that I would be excited to start Smith, but if you play in 2QB or superflex leagues, it’s hard to ignore a starting quarterback. Smith had an okay day on Sunday, even if he did turn the ball over three times (maybe don’t start him in SFBX) but did throw for 325 yards and a touchdown.

Garrett Gilbert, QB DAL

After last week’s horror show with Ben DiNucci, and the poor performances prior to that from Andy Dalton, Gilbert looks like a godsend for the Dallas Cowboys. Though he only completed 55% of his pass attempts, and it did take him 38 attempts to reach 243 passing yards, he still gave the Cowboys the best QB play they’ve had since losing Dak Prescott for the season.

Does that mean Gilbert will get another shot to start? I can’t guarantee that, but considering how close Dallas came to knocking off Pittsburgh, he deserves another start. He missed a few open receivers, but for the most part, looked competent. Gilbert also added 28 yards on three rushing attempts, and fantasy points from your QB running is always a good thing.

Kalen Ballage, RB LAC

If for no other reason than 2020 being 2020, Ballage has yet another chance to be a thing. For those of us who started Justin Jackson in multiple leagues, Sunday was rough since Jackson injured his knee on the first drive and was never seen again. Instead of handing most of the rushing work to Joshua Kelley as you might expect, the Chargers instead turned to the recently signed Ballage.

For one of the few times in his career, Ballage did not disappoint, rushing for 69 yards and a touchdown on 15 attempts. Ballage saw three targets as well, turning that into two receptions and 15 yards. The Chargers love to share their running back opportunities, and if Jackson misses any real time, Ballage should step into a role with 11-15 touches per week.

Richie James, WR SF

When a guy drops 184 yards on nine receptions, including a touchdown, you’re obligated to at least mention him when writing a waiver wire article. The 49ers were without Deebo Samuel, Kenrick Bourne, Brandon Aiyuk, and George Kittle, leaving Nick Mullens with few capable pass catchers. But even noting that, James more than stepped up in everyone’s absence and looked like the player many touted as a rookie sleeper way back in 2018. The likelihood is that James is a one-week wonder, but he’s worth a speculative add if you have deep rosters.

Jakeem Grant, WR MIA

The Dolphins already-thin wide receiver corps thinned out even further Sunday with the loss of Preston Williams to a foot injury. As of right now, it’s believed to be a sprain, so it’s not clear how much time Williams will miss. With almost no one else to turn to, Jakeem Grant saw five targets Sunday. Though five is a modest number, it was still good enough for second-most on the team. If Williams misses any time then Grant becomes the third receiving option for the Dolphins behind DeVante Parker and Mike Gesicki.

Chris Conley, WR JAC

DJ Chark wasn’t the only Jaguars receiver to benefit from the insertion of Jake Luton into the starting quarterback role. Conley set a season-high with seven receptions and tied a season-high with eight targets. While Chark is clearly the alpha on the Jacksonville roster, no one has really taken the role of the WR2 on the team.

If Sunday is an indication of what’s to come, then Conley may be able to secure the role as the second option in the passing attack. Conley is usually a deep threat which should mesh well with the strong-armed Luton, even if this week he was used mostly as an underneath option.

DeAndre Washington, RB MIA

The loss of Myles Gaskin for at least two more weeks leaves a hole to be filled in the Miami rushing attack. Jordan Howard has the “score a touchdown and rush for about 1.9 yards per carry” role all locked up, but he doesn’t really do much else.

Washington was ineligible to play this week after being traded to the Dolphins on November 3 due to COVID protocols but will be good to go in week ten. Washington is a capable receiver and a good enough runner to be able to give you a couple of weeks of production while Gaskins is out.

Other players to keep an eye on:

Deep stashes:

shane manila