Fantasy Focus Football

Week 10 Waiver Wire Pickups to SAVE Your Season
Date: November 4, 2025
Hosts: Field Yates, Stephania Bell, Mike Clay, Daniel Dopp

Episode Overview

This episode dives deep into options and strategies for Week 10 fantasy football waiver wire pickups, recapping the key moments from Week 9, breaking down Monday Night Football, and walking through the running back "panic meter" for some of the league’s most volatile situations. The crew also provides the latest injury updates, debates top pickups, shares insights from their own leagues, and answers listener questions—arming fantasy managers with all the knowledge needed to navigate a challenging week loaded with byes and injuries.

Main Segments

Monday Night Football Recap: Cardinals vs. Cowboys

[03:08 — 13:39]

Key Takeaways:

• Jacoby Brissett Unlocks Cardinals Offense:

  • Brissett gets heavy praise for his impact: “Jacoby Brissett has unlocked this Cardinals offense not just in real life, but for us in fantasy football as well.” — Daniel Dopp [03:43]
  • Marvin Harrison Jr. had a breakout game, looking like the WR1 everyone expected. “It was the most, I think, obvious reminder of why the Cardinals took him fourth overall.” — Field Yates [03:49]
  • Stephania notes Brissett’s leadership: “...you felt this sense of elevation of all the talent around him … everybody’s playing up a notch.” [06:11]

• Kyler Murray Situation:

  • The table agrees Murray shouldn’t start when healthy, despite coach Gannon’s comments: “Kyler Murray should not be the starting quarterback of this franchise. It should be Jacoby Brissett, period.” — Daniel Dopp [07:02]
  • “This offense and this team is better with Jacoby Brissett as the starting quarterback. Period.” — Field Yates [07:10]

• Cardinals RB Room:

  • Discussion of Bam Knight and the unclear RB split. Trey Benson’s return is flagged as crucial (details in Waiver discussion).

• Cowboys Disappointment:

  • The expected Monday Night magic didn't materialize: “If you were hoping for some sort of Monday Night Football magic ... you didn’t get it last night” — Field Yates [08:42]
  • Only an obscure Ryan Flournoy touchdown prevented a total bust.

Memorable Moment:

• “You looked like Larry Fitzgerald out there … finally looked like the wide receiver that we were all waiting to see him look like.” — Daniel Dopp on Marvin Harrison Jr. [06:42]

Fantasy Focus Show League Recap

[12:02 — 13:28]

• Tyler (producer) beats Daniel, managed with patchwork via active waiver wire moves.
• Eric Moody hailed for building a “wagon” of a team; Moody is in the YouTube chat, adds live flavor.
• “I admire the use of the waiver wire to do, like, a patchwork quilt … come out with a victory.” — Stephania Bell [12:27]

Week 10 Waiver Wire Pickups

[15:46 — 33:16]

Teams on Bye:

• Bengals, Cowboys, Chiefs, Titans
  • Multiple top WRs unavailable—waiver wire more important this week.

Priority Pickups

(A player you’d add and likely start, or one who’s taking on a clear/expanded role)

Quarterback:

• Sam Darnold (Streamer of the week)
  • “27.2 fantasy points … Him and JSN and this offense have just been on fire with each other.” — Daniel Dopp [16:59]
  • Three 20+ point games out of four; high yardage.

Running Back:

• Trey Benson (Cardinals)
  • Rostered in 49.1% of leagues; could immediately reclaim the starting job if healthy. [19:12]
  • Team correction: Arizona not on bye—could return this week.
  • “When he does return, he’s going to be the lead back … he needs to be added this week.” — Daniel Dopp [19:38]

Wide Receiver:

• Troy Franklin
  • Blind resume: nearly identical stats to Courtland Sutton but two "boom" fantasy weeks over 20 pts.
  • Week 10 opponent (Raiders) is a plus matchup: “I have Troy Franklin as a top 30 wide receiver … a flex option.” — Daniel [23:11]

Tight End:

• Colston Loveland
  • Breakout potential if Cole Kmet stays out: “Six catches on seven targets for 118 yards and two touchdowns this last week.” — Daniel Dopp [24:24]
  • “I’m going to have him as a top 10 to 12 tight end here in week 10 only.” — Daniel [25:10]

Notable Quotes

• “Sometimes you got to get ahead of the waiver wire” — Daniel Dopp [24:24]

Deeper League/Bench Stash Suggestions:

• RB: Kenny Gainwell, all major 'insurance' backs (Algier, Bigsby, Spears)
• WR: Tori Horton (if Cooper Kupp is out), Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs
• TE: Harold Fannin (“...tight end 12 on the season and he is still available ... 11+ fantasy points in four straight games” — Daniel [32:13])

Important Injury Notes

• Jaden Daniels: “in redraft leagues, he is officially droppable.” — Stefania [18:59]
• CJ Stroud: Feeling better, still in concussion protocol.

Injury Updates & WR Corps Turmoil

[27:20 — 31:22]

• Aaron Jones (shoulder): "They're feeling pretty optimistic ... watch your practice reports." — Stefania [27:20]
• Other severely banged-up WR rooms: Commanders, Rams (Puka Nakua, “encouraged by the fact it didn’t seem too serious”), Packers (Christian Watson—next man up).
• Travis Hunter (knee): Placed on IR, likely out four games at least.
• (On Hunter) “When you couple that with the amount of time he saw on the field at Colorado ... you just look at overall fatigue.” — Stefania [31:02]

"Panic Meter" – Key Running Backs

[33:16 — 51:20]

Scale: 1 (No Panic) — 10 (Extreme Panic)

DeAndre Swift (Bears)

• Field: 5 (“...got a better chance of moving up than moving down”)
• Stephania: 7 (“combination of injury and playing through it ... does that make you a lesser version of the player?”)
• Daniel: 5 (“Still a starter but not what it used to be”)

Chuba Hubbard (Panthers)

• Unanimous 10: "The baton has been passed" to Rico Dowdle. “He’s just lost all starting value and is now just meant to be on benches.” — Daniel [38:28]
• Important: Keep as insurance due to RB injury risk (“Number one injured position is the running back.” — Stefania [36:34])

Kamani Vidal (Chargers)

• Field: 3 ("...there is upside here ... he was a waiver wire add.")
• Daniel: 4.5–6 (“...panic because inconsistency makes it difficult to make choices ... but a waiver add, so less risky”)
• Stephania: 5 (“I need to know if I can start him or not … it’s a bit of a dart throw”)

Alvin Kamara (Saints)

• Field: 10 ("Five straight games for Alvin Kamara with 11 or fewer carries, five with 31 or fewer rushing yards … he is outside my top 25 for rankings.")
• Daniel: 8 ("Unstartable by the time you get to playoffs.")
• Stephania: Less dire, wants to give Kamara "one more chance" with the new QB.

Lions RBs: Jameer Gibbs & David Montgomery

• Gibbs: Field “1” (no panic, just want more receiving)
• Montgomery: Field “6”; Daniel “3”; Stephania “7” (losing all RB2/automatic value, now just a flex)
• “This year, it’s Jameer Gibbs first and then they try to bring in David Montgomery.” — Daniel Dopp [48:40]
• O-line losses are impacting Montgomery more than Gibbs.

Jacory Croskey-Merritt (Commanders)

• Field: 8.5
• Daniel: ~6
• Stephania: 6
• “Opportunity is there, but usage and efficiency are telltale. Four straight games under six fantasy points — low-upside flex.” — consensus

Notable Quotes & Fun Moments

• “If women don’t find you handsome, they should at least find you handy … duct tape fixes everything.” — Daniel Dopp, quoting Red Green [57:32]
• On preseason hype: “We do this to ourselves because coming in that hype train, we just let it ... get out of control and it happens every year.” — Daniel [52:46]
• On waiver wire strategy: “Sometimes you got to get ahead of the waiver wire.” — Daniel [24:24]

Listener Mailbag (YouTube Q&A)

[57:54 — 66:44]

Sample Questions

• Is Chris Godwin worth rostering?
  Stefania: “If you have IR room and it doesn’t hurt you, wait one more week. If you need the spot, feel free to move on—don’t expect the Chris Godwin you hoped for.” [59:56]
• RJ Harvey vs. Woody Marks?
  Panel: “Harvey’s more likely for receptions/TD equity, go with him.” [62:19]
• Drop Brock Purdy for J.J. McCarthy?
  In one-QB leagues, keep Purdy if you can—higher upside. If you need a starter immediately, you could pivot, but the panel leans Purdy.
  (Fun moment: Panel helps Daniel with “bird in the hand vs. two in the bush” idiom.) [64:25]

Quotes:

• On Godwin: “If you’re thinking, but I’m going to get the Chris Godwin I was hoping for start of the season back, I don’t think that’s the case.” — Stefania Bell [60:30]

Summary Table: Key Waiver & Panic Meter Picks

| Position | Priority Add | Deep Add | Panic Meter Highlight | Score | |----------|----------------------|---------------------|-------------------------------------|------------| | QB | Sam Darnold | | | | | RB | Trey Benson | Kenny Gainwell | Swift (5-7), Chuba (10), Kamara (8-10), Montgomery (6), Vidal (3-5), Croskey-Merritt (6-8.5) | See above | | WR | Troy Franklin | Tori Horton | | | | TE | Colston Loveland | Harold Fannin | | |

Tone and Style

Friendly, insightful, and sometimes irreverent, the panel balances data-driven analysis with personal experience, relatable league stories, and humor. Stephania grounds injury discussions in medical insights; Field delivers rapid-fire data and context; Daniel and Mike provide league context and keep convo lively.

For any waiver claim, bench stash, or running back panic, this episode arms you for Week 10 and beyond—so don’t panic, get active on the wire, and keep an eye on developing depth chart/injury news.

Memorable Soundbite:
"Kyler Murray should not be the starting quarterback of this franchise. It should be Jacoby Brissett, period." — Daniel Dopp [07:02]