Week 10 of the 2017 regular season is just about coming to a close with the Monday Night Football game remaining. Most fantasy football leagues will run their waiver wires late Tuesday or early Wednesday, but we are here to help you get a jump on the best options to consider.
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We will be ranking the top five players likely to be available in your league at each of the four major positions. Some weeks there might not be five good options available, but we’ll scour for the best we can find. Additionally, throughout the week, we will update each of these articles as ownership percentages change and news arrives. The following ownership percentages come via CBS Sportsline entering Week 10.
Rod Smith, Dallas Cowboys (32 percent owned)
As debuts go, it wasn’t super-spectacular (and it wasn’t even technically his debut), but Smith was very much a part of the post-Zeke mix in the Dallas backfield on Sunday, particularly as the Darren Sproles-type back, catching four of six targets. He also had three carries behind Alfred Morris, and he could see his role expand over the course of the next five weeks.
Samaje Perine, Washington (14)
If Rob Kelley is going to miss time (again), Perine is going to get a chance to be the regular early-down back. Perine had nine carries on Sunday and might have gotten more work if Washington hadn’t fallen so far behind. He had games with 21 and 19 carries earlier in the season, so the potential and upside is there.
Aaron Jones could be out for a while with an MCL injury and Ty Montgomery has a rib issue that still limits him. Into the breech comes Williams, who got 20 carries against the Bears for 67 yards. Anytime a back gets 20 carries, we take notice. And with the Packers certainly wanting to hide Brett Hundley as much as possible, Williams could be a big factor going forward.
Austin Ekeler, San Diego Chargers (5)
We’ve been talking up Ekeler for weeks, but now the backup to Melvin Gordon will be on everyone’s radar after his two-touchdown explosion on Sunday. Ekeler went full Woodhead in this one, with 10 carries for 42 yards and five receptions for 77. He looked far more explosive than Gordon and is all but assured a similar workload going forward.
Monitor the status of Devonta Freeman. If he is forced to miss games after sustaining a concussion on Sunday, then Ward figures to remain in the role of Tevin Coleman’s backup. Ward had nine carries for 23 yards on Sunday, and figures to see an expanded role with a week to gameplan him into the regular offense.
