Fantasy Football Week 10 Quarterback and Tight End FAAB Bids: Colston Loveland, Sam Darnold, and More

At the midway point of the NFL season, several teams stand out as the clear Super Bowl contenders, but many of those teams lost in Week 9, including the Colts, Chiefs, and Lions. There's still a long way to go, so even though we think we know what's going to happen, the landscape will look much different by January.

In fantasy football, we're still having to deal with injuries to stars on a near-weekly basis, most recently seeing Jayden Daniels go down on Sunday Night Football (more about that below). When those injuries occur, they open up new fantasy opportunities for those ready to fill in.

Let's look at some of the hottest QB and TE names on the waiver wire and reasonable FAAB bid ranges for each. Your numbers might vary a little depending on your remaining budget and roster needs, but this is a good baseline to start from. All bids are based on a $100 budget.

Use FantasySP's waiver wire tool to find the players who are being added to fantasy teams most often each week!

Quarterback

Joe Flacco, Cincinnati Bengals

Flacco threw for 470 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions against the Bears on Sunday. He was second in QB fantasy points for the week, behind just his opponent in this one, Caleb Williams (who caught a touchdown pass).

We're likely still at least a month away from Joe Burrow returning (though that's a very unclear timeline), so Flacco will be in position to keep making a fantasy impact. He is a player who needs to be considered with the matchup, though, as there will be slower games against tougher opponents.

Cincinnati also has their bye this week, so picking up Flacco means burning a bench spot if you grab him right away; you can probably wait until next week or at the end of this week after the waiver period. There are good upcoming matchups against the Steelers and Patriots, so Flacco will have streaming value, but it's important not to expect huge performances every week; Flacco is a fine player to consider.

Conservative Bid: $0

Need Bid: $1-2

Desperation Bid: $3

Marcus Mariota, Washington Commanders

The extent of Daniels' elbow injury isn't known yet, but it is assumed that he will be out for a long stretch, if not the rest of the season. Mariota moves onto the fantasy radar as a possible long-term option, though he doesn't rise above the streaming level.

Like Flacco, you'll likely be using Mariota only as a streamer, and a rare one at that. He has a little rushing prowess, which helps his fantasy score, but Mariota is a backup-level player for a reason, and that leaves him with a lower floor and ceiling than a fantasy guy you want to count on often.

Upcoming games against the Lions and Dolphins will offer some streaming value, but that is followed by tougher defenses in Denver and Minnesota; Mariota's potential value will fluctuate weekly. He's a guy to look at as a free pickup when you're in need, not someone to spend FAAB money on.

Conservative Bid: $0

Need Bid: $1

Desperation Bid: $2

J.J. McCarthy, Minnesota Vikings

McCarthy returned from a six-week layoff to lead the Vikings to an upset win over the Lions on Sunday. The young quarterback's stats weren't great: 143 passing yards on just 5.7 per attempt and 17 rushing yards on five attempts (not counting kneel-downs). He helped his team and his fantasy score by throwing two touchdowns and running in another.

McCarthy sits at QB12 prior to Monday's game. His continued low volume and efficiency when throwing the ball isn't going to make him a consistent contributor, though, unless he uses his legs at a high level.

More likely, we are going to see inconsistent real-life and fantasy performances that will make McCarthy hard to trust. He's worth considering in the right matchups because he will run a little and has a superstar receiver in Justin Jefferson, but he's not worth a big FAAB bid (or even a small one).

We don't have much for big fantasy QBs this week; that tends to happen at the point in the season. It's more about playing matchups for now unless you luck into something big.

Conservative Bid: $0

Need Bid: $1

Desperation Bid: $2

Sam Darnold, Seattle Seahawks

I'm just going to finish the QBs quickly with Darnold, who threw for 330 yards on 13.8 per attempt with four touchdowns and an interception on Sunday night. It was a dominating performance for a guy who is a legit MVP candidate.

Darnold is owned in just 50% of leagues, and that is likely to keep rising (even though it has been a slow climb). That was a fantastic matchup against Washington, and there are tougher games coming against the Rams, Vikings, and Falcons. Darnold just keeps producing, though, and it's worth grabbing him if you're tired of streaming or just lost Daniels.

Conservative Bid: $3-4

Need Bid: $6

Desperation Bid: $11

Tight End

Theo Johnson, New York Giants

Johnson has now scored five touchdowns in the last six games. His other numbers are modest, averaging 3.3 catches and 31.7 yards per game, but TDs are a huge part of fantasy, and Johnson keeps finding the end zone. He is averaging a score every 5.2 catches.

That is a completely unsustainable rate and sure to regress back to a normal number, and when he's not getting those touchdowns, Johnson is going to be a lower-level fantasy player. He's worth considering in the right matchups, especially as Jaxson Dart keeps finding him, but Johnson isn't a guy to rely on often.

Conservative Bid: $0

Need Bid: $1

Desperation Bid: $2

Colston Loveland, Chicago Bears

Now, this is what we were looking for! Cole Kmet left this game early with an injury after missing Week 8, and Loveland more than made up the slack, catching six passes for 118 yards and a touchdown. He scored on a 58-yard catch-and-run with 17 seconds left to give Chicago the victory.

Loveland was a top-10 pick, and with rookie tight ends making a major impact over the past few years, there was thought that he could become involved in the offense early. That didn't happen, as before Sunday, Loveland had just 11 receptions for 116 yards with no scores.

That was the best tight end matchup around, as the Bengals have given up more fantasy points per game to TEs than any other team, and it's not particularly close. Things won't always be this easy.

Chicago tight ends also haven't been involved much, as Kmet has just 10 catches for 142 yards and a touchdown. The wide receivers have led the way in the passing game. It's tough to expect big performances from Loveland right now.

Kmet suffered a concussion, so his status for Week 10 is questionable. If he's out, Loveland will have more value. I'm not going to be looking to count on Loveland even if he is the top guy, though, as we've only seen one game with any real production.

Conservative Bid: $1-2

Need Bid: $3-4

Desperation Bid: $6

Luke Musgrave, Green Bay Packers

Tucker Kraft was doing really good work in Green Bay this season, even operating as something close to the team's WR1 at times. The starting tight end suffered a torn ACL in Week 9, though, and will miss the rest of the season.

Musgrave is the next guy on the depth chart, so it's tempting to think that he could pick up some of that slack. He's likely to get more looks, but will it be enough to make him a fantasy-relevant player?

Musgrave hasn't done much of note as a pro, combining for 50 receptions, 485 yards, and one touchdown in 26 games. He hasn't had more than three catches or 34 yards in any game over the past two seasons (but reached six and 64 as a rookie).

I'm just not expecting a lot from Musgrave. He was drafted in the second round while Kraft was a third-round pick the same year, but Kraft has thoroughly outplayed Musgrave, so I don't see him taking a sudden jump. Let's see Musgrave put up numbers before spending big to add him as a Kraft replacement (throwing down a dollar or two is fine if you have plenty of money remaining).

Conservative Bid: $0

Need Bid: $1

Desperation Bid: $2