As week 10 approaches, it is time for fantasy owners to find under the radar options that can ultimately lead their team to a championship. I will provide a list of options to target via trade, or even through the waiver wire. I highly recommend these players to anyone that is looking to improve their roster as the playoffs are quickly approaching.

WAIVER WIRE STASH OPTIONS

Sammy Watkins, WR, BUF: Watkins dealt with an ailing foot injury that ultimately landed him on Injured Reserve September 30^th. Many of his fantasy owners decided to part ways with Watkins, as his early season nagging injury did not make him such a viable fantasy option. Reports have recently came out stating that he could begin to partake in practice as early as this Friday, November 11^th. When healthy, Watkins is clearly atop of the Buffalo receiving depth chart, and proved to be quarterback Tyrod Taylor’s favorite passing option last season. If all goes well, Watkins will be available to get back into game action on November 27^th, against Jacksonville. Those owners with an available bench spot, looking for wide receiver help, should definitely target Watkins on the waiver wire.

James Starks, RB, GB: Starks is another player that went down with injury, causing him to be overlooked in plenty of leagues. With Eddie Lacy being placed on IR, Starks’ return should result in him claiming the lead-back role in Green Bay. Although Ty Montgomery has taken over the role due to the plethora of injuries, he seems to be a temporary replacement for the time being. Montgomery, a natural receiver, has yet to be given over 10 carries since taking over the running back role, as the team has been using him more as a receiving back. These stats lead me to assume that Starks should see plenty of work upon his return. Running back needy owners should stash James Starks, and follow his progress as he returns from injury soon.

 

TRADE TARGETS

 

Donte Moncrief, WR, IND: Heading into the season, Moncrief was designated as a top breakout wide receiver candidate. Unfortunately, and injury slowed that process down, causing him to be another overlooked player in many leagues. In each full game that Moncrief has played in, he has posted double-digit fantasy points. With Andrew Luck as his quarterback, Moncrief should continue see valuable passing targets, especially in the red zone.

Michael Thomas WR, NOLA: Thomas has became one of the best draft bargains of the season, posting 573 receiving yards and 5 touchdowns through his first 8 games as a rookie. Thomas has a beautiful fantasy playoff schedule, and whenever a player has Drew Brees as their QB, you know there will be plenty of passes to go around. Any fantasy owners looking to add some receiving help should pursue a deal to acquire Michael Thomas, as he can be a big help come playoff time.

Zach Miller, TE, CHI: The Tight End position has been a complete mess all season. Outside of guys like Rob Gronkowski and Greg Olsen, there has not been much consistent play out of the position this season. Injuries and inconsistent involvement in offensive game planning/game flow has played a big factor in the Tight End position being so up and down this year. As I say that, Zach Miller is a guy that has been overlooked all season long. Miller seems to always have involvement in the Bears offense, and it continued with the return of quarterback Jay Cutler last week. Miller hauled in 7-out-of-10 targets last week vs the Vikings for 88 yards. Those numbers put him into the TE1 category, and should continue to keep up as long as Cutler is behind center. Anyone that has been dealing with the Tight End headache this season should look to acquire Miller via trade.

Jamison Crowder, WR, WSH: PPR owners should especially look Crowder’s way if they are in need of WR help. As the season has been progressing, Crowder has been getting more and more work. Over his past 2 games, Crowder has caught 16 passes for 215 yards. This is a guy who may even still be floating around the waiver wire in some leagues. If that is the case, Crowder should be picked up immediately, as it is evident that him and quarterback Kirk Cousins have built great chemistry and have been producing at the same time. On top of that, reports came out that DeSean Jackson has received the “Doubtful” tag for Sunday. This makes Crowder that much more of safe option this week.

Kansas City Chiefs, DST: I have written about them in the past, and have been on the Chiefs DST bandwagon since the end of last year. This season, I had them ranked as my #1 defense for the year. Although injuries have slowed that projection down a bit, health has them now trending upwards for the rest of the season. The Chiefs are my #1 defense for the ROS (rest of season). With Justin Houston set to return soon, and this groups ability to create turnovers and score points, I would highly recommend pursuing them via trade now, before they take off.

Marcus Mariota, QB, TEN: Mariota has came into his own this season, becoming an under-the-radar top 10 fantasy QB so far. Since week 5, Mariota has posted a 13-3 TD-INT ratio, including 2 rushing touchdowns and 163 rushing yards during that span. His remaining schedule is very fantasy friendly, with only 2 difficult matchups remaining. His ability to create rushing yards will still make him a “safe floor” play regardless of matchup. Instead of taking the risk of streaming quarterbacks for the remainder of the season, look to find a trade opportunity to acquire Mariota down the stretch.

Tyrod Taylor, QB, BUF: Tyrod is another guy that I wrote about in the preseason, who has been playing extremely well as of late. T-mobile, like Mariota, has the ability to gain a large percentage of fantasy points on the ground. Taylor has not only thrown the ball well (10-3 TD-INT ratio this year), but he has also rushed for 3 touchdowns over his past 3 weeks. Tyrod also has a beautiful remaining schedule, and should continue to produce fantasy points at a nice rate for the rest of the season. Look to acquire Tyrod at a cheap price via trade, or quickly add him off the waiver wire.

-Joe Lapi (@JoeSheen_)