Waiver-wire news changes throughout the week as injuries and depth-chart shenanigans overtake us. So be sure to follow me on Twitter by clicking on the link next to my headshot at the bottom of the column, and I'll keep you updated as news warrants.
Special Week 10 author's note: When it comes to player ownership numbers, you may have noticed a refreshing change within ESPN's fantasy football game. Specifically, we've gotten way more accurate by better omitting numbers from many inactive leagues. The threshold for inclusion in my weekly waiver column has always been that a player must be owned in less than half of leagues, and now you can feel great about the fact that this threshold is more precise than ever.
Let's get to the best fantasy roster additions heading into Week 10:
Standard ESPN league finds
Mark Sanchez, QB, Philadelphia Eagles (owned in 0.4 percent of ESPN leagues): Do I feel good telling you to hitch your wagon to Monsieur Buttfumble? Of course I don't. But for more than a calendar year now, my point about Nick Foles has been that he's not a particularly great player, but he finds himself in a system that gives him plentiful chances to be fantasy-relevant. And now that Foles is out with a broken collarbone, that position now goes to Sanchez. Don't be fooled: Like Foles, Sanchez can have moments of glory, but he'll usually follow them up with something awful. He doesn't have a great arm, and he'll misread a defense with the best of them. But in fantasy, you just need the dude to pile up completions. Sanchez will do that. Initially, at least, I'm going to rank him right around where I was ranking Foles.
Ryan Mathews, RB, San Diego Chargers (49.3 percent): The Chargers are off this week, but I'm shocked how many folks in ESPN leagues dropped Mathews after his Week 2 knee injury. Thus, he qualifies for this column, though I'm assuming in most competitive leagues, Mathews was long since stashed. It sounds as though he'll return in Week 11 and immediately reassume San Diego's starting gig. But I include him here as a PSA. If for whatever reason he's available in your league, he should be your top priority.
Terrance West, RB, Cleveland Browns (31.0 percent): Some folks may tell you that West passed Ben Tate on the Browns' depth chart Sunday. I'm not so sure. Yes, West out-snapped Tate in the second half 25-13, and he caught a touchdown pass. But Tate was out there on two drives where Cleveland was in clock-killing mode. Now, I'll be the first one to admit, the best Tate can hope for at the moment appears to be a platoon. But I think that's where we are. If you're desperate for RB help, West is addable in all leagues in advance of Thursday night's tilt against the Cincinnati Bengals. But this could still be a hot-hand situation, and frankly, unless that Browns O-line starts blocking better, hot hands may be hard to find.
Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (31.8 percent): Sunday, Evans scored his third and fourth TDs of what should be a productive NFL career. It was the first game in which he totaled double-digit targets, caught more than five passes and eclipsed 100 yards receiving. Despite the stats, don't get carried away: Vincent Jackson is still a higher-upside weekly threat, and he saw a bunch of Joe Haden, while Evans primarily ran against Buster Skrine and Justin Gilbert. But we'll take it, and it's fair to wonder whether the rankings of Jackson and Evans need to get a bit closer on a weekly basis. Of course, everyone in Tampa's offense is subject to peaks and valleys because the quarterbacks aren't great, and the O-line is kind of a disaster.
Dallas Cowboys defense (21.2 percent): Someday, picking the defense facing the Jacksonville Jaguars will be a bad call. But that day hasn't yet arrived. Despite Denard Robinson's strong play, this offense just doesn't move the ball like most other NFL offenses do, and Blake Bortles is a turnover waiting to happen. If you're looking for another option, try a Pittsburgh Steelers (20.9 percent) unit that will face the New York Jets. I think the "resurgence" of older veterans on that Steelers D is overstated, but Michael Vick is prone to big-turnover days himself.
Other solid waiver adds, about whom I've written in previous weeks: Tre Mason, RB, Rams (49.0 percent); Bobby Rainey, RB, Buccaneers (42.8 percent); Bryce Brown, RB, Bills (8.9 percent); Lorenzo Taliaferro, RB, Ravens (43.3 percent); Jonas Gray, RB, Patriots (17.6 percent); Knile Davis, RB, Chiefs (47.6 percent); Rueben Randle, WR, Giants (45.7 percent); Martavis Bryant, WR, Steelers (22.1 percent); Owen Daniels, TE, Ravens (28.3 percent).
Speculative standard-league finds
Alfred Blue, RB, Houston Texans (7.0 percent): The Texans are off in Week 10, but given Arian Foster's noncontact groin injury Sunday, savvy owners should snatch up Blue. Did the rookie play great in Week 3 during a different Foster injury absence? Well, he totaled 88 yards from scrimmage, but 46 of those came on a single carry against a blown defense. On tape he was pretty meh. But while Foster could be OK in time for a game against the Browns, his reaction to getting hurt was pretty intense. At the very least, he's going to be questionable in a couple of weeks.
Greg Jennings, WR, Minnesota Vikings (45.5 percent): Teddy Bridgewater is mature beyond his years. He reads progressions smoothly and throws accurately. If I have one concern for him, though, it's that he hasn't shown an ability to zing the ball when he needs to. He subscribes to the "I'll Get It There Eventually" school that latter-day Peyton Manning uses so well, but no rookie can be half as effective as Peyton. All this is by way of saying: The possession game is important to the Vikings, and Jennings is the most trustable route runner in Minnesota. In a PPR league, I'd be willing to take a look.
Charles Clay, TE, Miami Dolphins (20.2 percent): Want to know one of my favorite things? Tweets that ask me, "Should I drop Vernon Davis?" (They're right up there with midgame panic tweets like: "WHERE IS CLAY HARBOR???") What you need to understand is: Drop Vernon Davis for whom? Outside of a select few, all tight ends are like this. They all go crazy up and down, and just when you decide you're fed up with a Davis or a Jordan Reed, they post a couple of great games, and Charles Clay goes for one catch and one yard. (And no, this is not necessarily an argument for taking an elite TE super early, because there's an opportunity cost to such a strategy.) So anyway, none of this is to trash Clay, who produced 65 yards and a touchdown Sunday, and has found the end zone in two of his past three games. He's a good player, and he's as good an option as any in the vast TE middle class. I'm fine adding him if you want to shake things up, but he, like most other TEs, will eventually break your heart. (And he did, in fact, go for one catch and one yard in Week 8.) By the way, if you have Week 11 in mind, you might also take a look at Kyle Rudolph (9.7 percent) and Tyler Eifert (1.2 percent), who figure to return from long-term injuries to torment you.
Other speculative standard-league waiver adds, about whom I've written in previous weeks: Carson Palmer, QB, Cardinals (42.8 percent); Ryan Tannehill, QB, Dolphins (40.4 percent); Charles Sims, RB, Buccaneers (29.9 percent); Anthony Dixon, RB, Bills (21.4 percent); DeAngelo Williams, RB, Panthers (47.3 percent); Jonathan Stewart, RB, Panthers (21.0 percent); Benny Cunningham, RB, Rams (8.3 percent); Theo Riddick, RB, Lions (2.1 percent); Davante Adams, WR, Packers (9.1 percent); Andre Holmes, WR, Raiders (27.8 percent); Markus Wheaton, WR, Steelers (13.9 percent); Allen Robinson, WR, Jaguars (48.6 percent); Cecil Shorts III, WR, Jaguars (36.8 percent); Kenny Britt, WR, Rams (8.6 percent); Donte Moncrief, WR, Colts (8.5 percent); Jordan Matthews, WR, Eagles (10.9 percent); Jarvis Landry, WR, Dolphins (7.8 percent); Heath Miller, TE, Steelers (45.6 percent).
Deeper-league finds
Matt Asiata, RB, Vikings (26.8 percent): It would be inaccurate to say that Asiata only vultured three scores and a two-point conversion from Jerick McKinnon on Sunday. Asiata had 14 touches including four receptions, got one entire series to his lonesome and was part of a hurry-up attack. Asiata's 35 snaps (compared with 36 for McKinnon) were his most since Week 5, when he was a starter. But it would also be a mistake to say this is some kind of platoon. Game flow (and the luck of having the ball wind up inside the 5-yard line again and again) dictated Asiata's usage, and it will continue to do so.
Jonathan Grimes, RB, Texans (0.3 percent): Just in case you're not a believer in Alfred Blue, it's fine to stash Grimes in deep leagues. I don't suspect that Arian Foster's injury will cost him tons of time, but you never know, and if Blue flops longer term, Grimes figures to be next in line.
Mychal Rivera, TE, Oakland Raiders (2.2 percent): Just because, y'know, exactly what you need is yet another TE to torture you on a weekly basis. It's worth noting that Rivera has 15 catches combined in his past two games. However, it's also worth noting that he somehow had eight grabs for only 38 yards Sunday.
Other solid waiver adds for deep-leaguers, about whom I've written in previous weeks: Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Vikings (9.0 percent); Austin Davis, QB, Rams (12.5 percent); Chris Polk, RB, Eagles (0.4 percent); Joseph Randle, RB, Cowboys (6.6 percent); Lance Dunbar, RB, Cowboys (1.9 percent); Antone Smith, RB Falcons (19.8 percent); Juwan Thompson, RB, Broncos (12.1 percent); Isaiah Crowell, RB, Browns (34.4 percent); Malcom Floyd, WR, Chargers (42.5 percent); Allen Hurns, WR, Jaguars (10.9 percent); John Brown, WR, Cardinals (10.0 percent); Paul Richardson, WR, Seahawks (0.5 percent); Jermaine Kearse, WR, Seahawks (9.6 percent); Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE, Buccaneers (1.5 percent); Tim Wright, TE, Patriots (11.0 percent).