Week 10 WR Waiver Pickups & Adds: Richie James is an Unlikely Fantasy Winner

Your waiver wire should look very different on Wednesday morning after plenty of lesser named players broke out this week. More striking is that many of these options are less than 2% rostered, they’re up for grabs everywhere. So read through these names, and have a look for yourself about adding them.

But beyond those breakout games, we also saw plenty of the same. Davante Adams had another fantastic game, Dallas receivers were all held under 40 receiving yards, and the 49ers continue to be remarkably unlucky.

Richie James

San Francisco 49ers | 0.1% Rostered
In my Packers vs 49ers preview, I noted that someone inside the 49ers front office must have opened an umbrella or shattered a mirror because of their unluck. Well it must have been a lot of umbrellas or a lot of mirrors. After Kendrick Bourne tested positive for Covid, fellow wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk had to also miss Thursday’s game through being in close-contact with him. It was a devastating blow for a team already suffering many key injuries. It was ultimately a setback they couldn’t overcome in a tough loss against the Packers.

But, as it turns out, the sacrifice was entirely unnecessary. It was revealed earlier this week that Bourne received a false positive test. He never had Covid. Him and his teammates never needed to sit out for the game. It was an unluckiness to the degree that only the 49ers would experience. Regardless, the benching of those receivers made it possible for Richie James to step up and have a career game. He recorded 9 receptions for 184 yards and a touchdown. While James has been fantasy irrelevant all season, he may now become part of the 49ers offensive gameplans with his dominant performance on Thursday. Look for him on the waiver wire.

Christian Kirk

Arizona Cardinals | 52.7% Rostered
I know I’m breaking my own rules for suggesting a fantasy player already rostered in over 50% of leagues, but I don’t care. This pick is too good to be this under-rostered this late into the season. For the 47% of you that don’t have Kirk on a team in your league, pick him up immediately. The young receiver has now tallied 5 touchdowns in his past consecutive games. He’s gone for over 20 fantasy points in each of them. These numbers shouldn’t be coming out of a player sitting rosterless in half of leagues.

Not only should you pick Kirk up from the waiver wire, but also seriously consider starting him. He is playing against a Buffalo defense this weekend that just let DK Metcalf record over 100 receiving yards and a touchdown. They have some strong defensive backs in Tre’Davious White and and Micah Hyde, but I wouldn’t put it past Christian Kirk to make some big plays anyway.

David Moore

Seattle Seahawks | 1.8% Rostered
When a receiver’s quarterback is the frontrunner for MVP, it is fair to say to assume he is a solid fantasy player. David Moore is starting to make a name for himself with back-to-back good outings. In consecutive weeks Moore has brought in a receiving touchdown and surpassed 10 fantasy points.

David Moore might not turn around your fantasy season, but he is a good option in deeper leagues if your receiving core is thin. If you do look to add him, it’s probably a smart idea to keep him benched week 10 as the Seahawks have an uphill battle against a strong LA Rams defense.

KJ Hamler

Denver Broncos | 1.9% Rostered
I know this Broncos offense is not a powerhouse, but KJ Hamler is getting enough targets to make me believe he is a waiver wire option for when you really need a wide receiver. Drew Lock threw 48 passes last game against the Falcons, 10 of them were to KJ Hamler. The Broncos are a pass heavy offense (11th in passing attempts per game), so look for KJ Hamler to continue racking up points.

I do not see Hamler becoming a WR2 this year, but he can substitute in the flex when needed. Look for him this weekend against a good matchup in Las Vegas. The Raiders rank 26th in passing yards allowed, so I can see Drew Lock throwing even more than usual. I expect Hamler to get plenty of receptions and many yards. He is a fair start this weekend.

Tim Patrick

Denver Broncos | 14.6% Rostered
There is another very viable option at receiver in the Broncos. Tim Patrick scored slightly less fantasy points than KJ hamler on Sunday (12.9 to 15 points respectively), but saw 4 more targets. Between Hamler and Patrick, exactly half of all of Drew Lock’s throws on Sunday. They are both the go-to-options for the young quarterback, and one is bound to score double-digit fantasy points every week.

Patrick is the slightly better option, in my view, than Hamler, but he is rostered in seven-times more leagues. If you can’t find him in your waiver wire, look to the much less owned KJ Hamler, if you can, place an order. Tim Patrick has recorded 10+ fantasy points in 4 games this year, plenty of targets to go with it. He is a very easy flex start when your team is riddled with bye weeks and injuries.

Nelson Agholor

Las Vegas Raiders | 14.7% Rostered
Nelson Agholor has a love/hate relationship with his fantasy owners. One week he will score over 20 fantasy points, the next week he will score 0. The week after he goes back to 13 points. There is seemingly little rhyme or reason to his fantasy outings. He is meeting up with a Tinder date in person or booking a hotel online, you never really know what you’re gonna get until you’re there.

But it might be worth the risk. If you’re struggling this year in fantasy and need someone that can have homerun games, he is your guy. What do you have to lose? Throw up the hail mary and start Nelson Agholor.