Free agents: Caleb Douglas, Aaron Rodgers lead top options

• Eric KarabellNov 9, 2026, 09:16 AM ET

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  Eric Karabell is a senior writer covering fantasy football, baseball and basketball at ESPN. Eric is a charter member of the FSWA Hall of Fame, a BBWAA baseball Hall of Fame voter and author of "The Best Philadelphia Sports Arguments."

Each Monday, before the current NFL week ends, we will identify players worthy of your attention who are available in at least 50% of ESPN standard leagues. Things change quickly for player valuation and roles each week in the NFL, and free agency is a critical way to acquire players. We are here to help!

Top pickup options at every position

Looking for the top recommendation at each skill position? Look no further! Here are the players to target heading into Week 10, along with their current roster percentages and a recommendation of how much of your free agent budget (FAB) you should consider using for your bid.

Aaron Rodgers, QB, Steelers (33.0% rostered, bid 3% of your FAB)

The Steelers did not play in Week 9, but Rodgers returns from the bye week with an intriguing Week 10 matchup on Sunday night versus the Cincinnati Bengals. Rodgers scored only 4.88 points in a Week 8 win over the Cleveland Browns, but prior to that, he enjoyed a stretch of four games averaging better than 20 points. A bonus for securing Rodgers is that the Steelers face the beleaguered Philadelphia Eagles in Week 11.

Note: The Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be serving their bye weeks in Week 10. Fantasy managers will be missing top-10 QB Caleb Williams, among others. Planning ahead for Week 11 is also a wise move, considering six teams will not play: Atlanta Falcons, Browns, Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Rams, New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks.

Audric Estime, RB, Saints (8.8%, 2% FAB)

Estime, who began the season with the Saints before moving on to the Browns (where he earned nine touches in Week 6), returned to the Saints this week and suddenly became the team's lead ballcarrier against ... the Browns, naturally. The Saints surprisingly released former lead RB Kendre Miller. Estime rushed 15 times for 72 yards and a touchdown against Cleveland. He may not be more than a flex option moving forward, but even that designation makes him valuable for Week 10 versus the Carolina Panthers.

Caleb Douglas, WR, Dolphins (27.5%, 2% FAB)

Douglas dominated Miami's passing attention in Sunday's loss to the Detroit Lions. His eight targets and 70 receiving yards easily led the team. Miami's passing offense remains problematic with Malik Willis at the helm, but Douglas (selected in the third round of the NFL draft) is the one trending in a positive direction. The Dolphins face the similarly reeling Indianapolis Colts in Week 10.

Darren Waller, TE, Panthers (7.7%, 1% FAB)

Waller has been anything but consistent this season, but he did score 23 points in Sunday's loss to the Broncos, his fourth game of double-digit fantasy scoring. In his four other games, he barely produced. However, Waller saw 10 targets on Sunday, breaking a three-game streak in which he had only two in each contest. If QB Bryce Young targets Waller consistently, Waller would become quite valuable.

Other quarterbacks

Jacoby Brissett, Ravens (13.5%, 1% FAB): Brissett will become the team's fourth starting QB of the season when he faces the sputtering Los Angeles Chargers on Monday night. The former Arizona Cardinals starter -- acquired via trade last week -- is not having a strong season, having scored 20 fantasy points in only one game, but he figures to fare better than rookie Joe Fagnano, who cost his investors points (-0.3) in last Thursday's loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Brissett is at least a competent NFL quarterback.

Deep-league options/streamers

Drew Lock, Seahawks (8.0%): Lock, filling in for starter Sam Darnold, who is week-to-week due to a quad injury, sustained an oblique injury of his own during the outing, so you'll want to keep an eye on the injury report for the entire Seattle quarterback room. Lock scored only 12.6 points in Sunday's win over the Cardinals, but with Darnold questionable for Week 10 against the Las Vegas Raiders, a healthy Lock would earn another start. If he needs to sit as well, the Seahawks may turn to Jalen Milroe for his first significant playing time.

Other running backs

Seth McGowan, Colts (20.7%, 1% FAB): McGowan scored 11.2 points in Sunday's loss to the Dallas Cowboys. While conventional wisdom held that McGowan would become fantasy relevant only if starter Jonathan Taylor was traded (the deadline is Tuesday), perhaps that isn't the case. McGowan outscored Taylor versus Dallas, scoring on a short touchdown and ripping off a 36-yard play. We will know by tomorrow if Taylor remains a member of the Colts. Even if he does, McGowan intrigues.

Emmett Johnson, Chiefs (23.6%, 1% FAB): Johnson scored 9.4 points in Sunday's win over the New York Jets -- far less than his Week 8 performance against the Broncos (25.3 points), but still relevant even though Kenneth Walker III scored 36.3 points. As with McGowan, a young backup to a star has fantasy relevance. Johnson would become quite valuable should Walker get injured.

Deep-league options/streamers

Kaleb Johnson, Packers (1.0%, 1% FAB): Johnson relieved an injured Josh Jacobs (finger) and rushed 14 times for 68 yards and a touchdown in the team's big win over the Patriots. Jacobs left after only four touches and his broken finger may cause him to miss games, but it would be difficult to recommend either Johnson or MarShawn Lloyd (knee) for a Week 10 divisional matchup with the difficult Minnesota Vikings.

Kaelon Black, 49ers (37.0%, 1% FAB): Black turned 11 rushes into 70 yards in Sunday's easy win over the Raiders. Star Christian McCaffrey, meanwhile, scored more than 20 points for the fifth time this season. Black is insurance in case McCaffrey gets injured, which we know is certainly possible.

Devin Singletary, Giants (44.7%, 1% FAB): Singletary, one of the most-added players of the past week, scored only 5.9 points in Sunday's win over the Eagles, rushing 21 times for a meager 31 yards. With Cam Skattebo (hamstring) a possibility to miss more games, Singletary remains worth adding. He may see extensive volume again in Week 10 against the Washington Commanders.

Other wide receivers

Ryan Flournoy, WR, Cowboys (30.3%, 2% FAB): Flournoy became a popular Sunday morning pickup when the team announced starter George Pickens (hamstring) would miss his first game of the season. However, Flournoy disappointed, scoring just 7.3 points in the win over the Colts, breaking a streak of four consecutive games with double-digit points. Even if Pickens plays in Week 10 against the San Francisco 49ers, Flournoy probably warrants some interest.

Deep-league options/streamers

Tank Dell, Texans (23.3%, 1% FAB): Dell, in his second game since returning from a nearly two-year absence due to a knee injury, scored 20.5 points in Sunday's blowout win over the Chargers, with a 63-yard touchdown being the big highlight. The worry with trusting Dell in fantasy is that he may not see major volume, but he looked so strong on Sunday that some fantasy managers may consider him to be a reasonable flex option for Week 10 against the Browns.

Van Jefferson, Commanders (0.1%): Jefferson, recently signed to the active roster after Terry McLaurin (knee) was lost for the season, was Washington's top option in Sunday's loss to the Rams, catching five passes for 58 yards and a touchdown (16.8 points). It's certainly possible Jefferson plays only a minimal role in Week 10 against the New York Giants, deferring to Stefon Diggs and Antonio Williams, but Jefferson suddenly has value in deeper formats.

Other tight ends

Chig Okonkwo, Commanders (13.8%, 1% FAB): Okonkwo scored 11.7 points in Sunday's loss to the Rams, the third time in four games he reached double digits. He hasn't scored any touchdowns this season, but perhaps he will in the next few games facing the Giants, Bengals and Cardinals.

Juwan Johnson, Saints (44.2%, 1% FAB): Johnson scored double-digit fantasy points in each of the first four games of the season, then suddenly went cold the next two games, falling below 50% rostered. Johnson scored a touchdown in Sunday's loss to the Browns, though he saw only two targets overall. Perhaps he will see more against the Panthers this week.

Defense

Packers D/ST (19.1%): The Packers are among the top-10 D/STs for fantasy scoring this season, though fantasy managers continue to ignore it. They cannot ignore a Week 10 matchup with the struggling Vikings offense. The Packers are a top streamer for this one.

Ravens D/ST (47.4%): The Ravens haven't won a game in more than a month, but the team has a new QB and a Monday night home game this week against the even more feeble Chargers. The team's D/ST has disappointed this season for fantasy, but this is a solid matchup.