Week 10 Waiver Wire: Breakout Fantasy Football Pickups from Sunday's Box Scores

The midway point of the NFL season brings with it a sense of urgency for fantasy football managers hoping to make their league's playoffs and compete for a title.

Or, at the very least, avoid a probable embarrassing punishment for coming in last.

Regardless of the situation, the surest way to ensure one or evade the other is to be able to find hidden gems on the waiver wire, often by paying attention to the box scores of that week's games.

Week 9 is no different.

Following a full slate of Sunday's early and afternoon games, find out which three potential game-changers are worth your attention before your fantasy opponents catch on.

Ray Davis has finished in the top 15 among running backs in two of the last four weeks and has seen his opportunities increase over that span.

Against the Dolphins in Week 9, he only carried four times for 20 yards but he had two receptions for a staggering 70 yards and a touchdown.

Davis has averaged 4.3 yards per carry and has tallied three total touchdowns through nine weeks.

Even with James Cook entrenched (for now) as the Bills starter, Davis is a worthy play in deeper leagues, especially if he continues to be a force in both the rushing and receiving games.

Against a Dolphins team that is stout against opposing wide receivers, quarterback Josh Allen looked to him in the passing game and he paid off that trust with a huge scoring play that helped move the Bills to 7-2 on the season.

With Allen and Co. struggling to find consistency at the wide receiver position, do not be surprised if Davis takes on more responsibility in the passing game and becomes a back that is every bit as important to what the Bills will look to do moving into the second half of the season.

He might not be the most statistically impressive waiver wire add now but those looking for a back, or with Cook on their roster already, should grab him now before other fantasy managers start to take notice of what the former Kentucky Wildcat has done.

Week 10 brings a showdown with a Colts squad ranked 21 against opposing running backs and giving up 23.35 points to the position.

Fantasy managers who have not paid attention to the emergence of Drake Maye in New England have no choice but to sit up and take notice after the rookie quarterback tied the game up against the Tennessee Titans and sent the Week 9 match-up into overtime.

Maye finished the game with 207 yards, a passing touchdown through the air and eight carries for 96 yards.

Sure, he threw two interceptions and the Patriots ultimately lost the game but Maye has shown flashes of the star the team hoped he would become when they drafted him near the top of the 2024 class.

In his last four starts, he has thrown for six touchdowns and has demonstrated an ability to pull the ball down and take off running when the opportunity presents.

Is he a must-start? Not by any stretch of the imagination, but he is a dual-threat quarterback who has shown the ability to be a game-changer for a Patriots team that has seemingly been allergic to offense since Tom Brady departed in 2021.

Managers in deeper leagues should grab him and stash him because every start will bring more confidence and as a result, stronger play.

If what we have seen out of Maye to this point is just "scratching the surface," he will be a fun fantasy play when he starts finding consistency and building momentum.

The rookie has a rather difficult match-up against a Chicago Bears second against quarterbacks and allowing just 11.05 points. Considering he will be squaring off with the No. 1 overall pick, Caleb Williams, and looking to prove his value, he may still prove valuable if he can find running lanes.

Regardless, Maye is a long-term value pickup.

With Tee Higgins suffering from injuries and missing all but five games thus far in 2024, quarterback Joe Burrow has looked for a second option behind Ja'Marr Chase.

Tight end Mike Gesicki is that option.

The veteran enjoyed a 20.6 percent target share, a 21.9 percent air-yard share, and a 25.3 first-read share entering Sunday's game against Las Vegas.

All he did was catch five balls for 100 yards and two touchdowns.

The Bengals have not put Higgins on the injured reserve list, meaning they do not believe the quadriceps injury he is suffering from will keep him out four games. Even if/when he returns, Burrow and Gesicki have developed such trust and chemistry at this point that it would be reasonable to believe the quarterback continues to look for his tight end in key situations.

The Bengals have utilized Gesicki almost as a wide receiver and in Week 10, the team faces a Baltimore Ravens defense yielding the second-most points to opposing receivers with 44.66.

Gesicki has 12 receptions and 173 yards in two weeks and should improve upon that against the division leaders.

He is the real deal and worth grabbing off the waiver wire in 90 percent of ESPN and Yahoo leagues today.

All stats via FantasyPros unless otherwise noted.