Fantasy Football: 4 Deep Sleepers for Week 10

If you're in a deep league or are playing some large-field NFL DFS tournaments on FanDuel this week, you'll probably need some deep sleepers on your squad.

Here are some players who are on the majority of waiver wires but need to be on your radar this week.

We'll reference our fantasy football projections. All NFL odds come from FanDuel Sportsbook, and lines may change after this article is published.

Fantasy Football Deep Sleepers: Week 10

Ray-Ray McCloud, WR, Falcons

FanDuel Salary: $5,900 | Yahoo! Roster Percentage: 17%

Finding players who are rostered in 20% or fewer leagues on Yahoo and can provide fantasy production is easier said than done at this time of year, but we could get some value due to injuries in Week 10. During the Atlanta Falcons' Week 9 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, Drake London suffered a hip injury when he hauled in a touchdown catch from Kirk Cousins early in the contest.

London would be ruled out for the remainder of Sunday's game, and the belief is that he sustained a hip pointer, which puts his status for Week 10 in jeopardy. If London is limited or is unable to go for the Falcons this week, Ray-Ray McCloud could see an expanded role in the passing game alongside Darnell Mooney and Kyle Pitts.

According to PFF, McCloud leads Atlanta in slot snaps (150) and slot rate (46.2%) this season. This is worth mentioning as the New Orleans Saints -- who just traded Marshon Lattimore to the Washington Commanders -- are giving up the third-most fantasy points (17.1) to slot receivers, per RazzBall.

Just this past week with London exiting early, McCloud earned the third-highest target share (12.5%) on the Falcons while hauling in all 3 of his targets for 28 yards and a touchdown, via NextGenStats. If London is inactive for Atlanta in Week 10, McCloud becomes an interesting sleeper in deeper leagues and in DFS tournaments with the Falcons having the fifth-highest implied total (25.0) among the teams playing on Sunday.

Sterling Shepard, WR, Buccaneers

FanDuel Salary: $5,700 | Yahoo! Roster Percentage: 8%

Another veteran wideout who could benefit this week from injuries on his team is Sterling Shepard of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Mike Evans is expected to be sidelined for a couple more weeks, Chris Godwin is out for the rest of the year, and Jalen McMillan was unavailable in the team's Week 9 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Even though Cade Otton has emerged as the go-to target for Baker Mayfield amid Tampa Bay's notable injuries, Shepard flashed some juice in Week 9 despite finishing with an unexciting 4 catches for 48 yards on 5 targets. Besides leading the Bucs in air yards share (34.5%) on a 10.2-yard average depth of target, Shepard tallied the second-most yards per route run (2.29) on the team this past week.

At the moment, Tampa Bay is being given a modest 22.5-point implied total in Week 10, and their impending clash versus the San Francisco 49ers boasts the highest total of the games being played on Sunday. With the Buccaneers expected to be in a negative game script -- and the fact they are still ranked second in pass rate over expected (+3.3%) despite their injuries -- Shepard has a chance to have a notable outing.

Noah Brown, WR, Commanders

FanDuel Salary: $5,300 | Yahoo! Roster Percentage: 5%

Before Week 10 kicks off, I've already mentioned Noah Brown as one of my favorite players to stash in fantasy football right now. The Washington Commanders boast an extremely efficient aerial attack with rookie Jayden Daniels at the controls, and no one has stepped up as the clear No. 2 option to Terry McLaurin -- at least not yet.

But in recent weeks, Brown has shown enough to pique my interest as a player who is proving he should command an expanded role in Washington's offense moving forward. Aside from being a willing run blocker, Brown is posting the third-highest target share (18.9%), second-highest air yards share (27.3%), and second-most yards per route run (2.30) while averaging 3.3 downfield targets (targets of 10-plus yards) per game across the last four weeks.

A matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers isn't exactly inviting for Brown in Week 10, but they aren't a team we should completely avoid as they rank 14th in schedule-adjusted pass defense (compared to 2nd in schedule-adjusted run defense). Given Washington's implied total of 24.25 points this week, Brown is worth consideration if you're desperate at receiver or if you need to save a lot of salary in DFS at the position.

Juwan Johnson, TE, Saints

FanDuel Salary: $5,300 | Yahoo! Roster Percentage: 3%

Out of necessity, the New Orleans Saints are going to need their tight ends -- including Juwan Johnson -- to step up in the passing game this week. Rashid Shaheed is out for the season and Chris Olave is in the league's concussion protocol after he suffered a scary hit to the head in Week 9 that caused him to be stretchered off the field.

While it was a positive sign to see Olave discharged from the hospital -- and have movement in his extremities -- it seems unlikely that he'll suit up in Week 10 given the hurdles he'll need to clear to avoid missing a game. Alvin Kamara figures to be the primary receiver for the Saints with Derek Carr back under center, but Johnson finished with a 63.0% snap rate and 69.7% route rate last week after playing on only 51.4% of the first-half snaps.

Johnson caught both of his targets for 41 yards in Week 9, and a date with the Falcons isn't the worst thing for the athletic tight end. Along with Atlanta sitting at 20th in schedule-adjusted pass defense, they are permitting the 9th-most FanDuel points per game (10.8) to the tight end position this season.

There is some risk attached to playing Johnson with Taysom Hill expected to get manufactured touches while Foster Moreau is also getting snaps at tight end.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.