8 Fantasy Football Stash Candidates Ahead of Week 10

At this point of the season, bench stashes are tougher to come by but are certainly advantageous if you can make them happen. With bye weeks in full swing and injuries plaguing rosters across the league, grabbing the right players can be a difference-maker in the weeks to come.

Clear out those benches (check out my Dead Weight Report on who to drop) and make room for this week’s crop of emerging fantasy assets.

Ben Roethlisberger, QB – Steelers

Your collective groans are probably audible from here, but we’ve come to the point where grabbing Ben Roethlisberger makes sense. There are still 16 QBs left with bye weeks and the Steelers’ schedule is highly favorable for the fantasy playoffs. In Weeks 15-17, Pittsburgh faces the Titans, Chiefs and Browns, who sit 17th, 27th and 26th, respectively, in QB schedule-adjusted fantasy points per contest (aFPA). Those three teams are allowing an average of 19.7 fantasy points per tilt to opposing QBs this season.

Roethlisberger is certainly not the QB he was at one point, but he has thrown at least one TD in every game so far this season and sits 13th in passing yards per game with 254.4. Don’t look now but Big Ben could help you win a title in 2021 if your regular starting QB has suffered an injury or boasts a tough rest-of-season schedule.

Michael Gallup, WR – Cowboys

He’s been in this article before but Michael Gallup merits a repeat inclusion ahead of Week 10. The Dallas WR was not elevated from I.R. status last week but has a solid chance to play against the Falcons on Sunday. The Cowboys are coming off an embarrassing loss to Denver, and are also not 100% healthy in the WR department.

Amari Cooper has been dealing with a hamstring issue while CeeDee Lamb played through an ankle injury in Week 9. Both hit the field, but neither put up good fantasy numbers (half-PPR scoring) on the week—4.7 for Cooper and 3.3 for Lamb. Cedrick Wilson has filled in as the Cowboys’ No. 3 WR and he has only eclipsed 42 yards once in Gallup’s absence. This offense should bounce back and Gallup returning could be advantageous for real-life football, which should translate to your fantasy roster.

DeSean Jackson, WR – Raiders

Chasing DeSean Jackson’s numbers is not something I normally recommend, but this season is pretty wonky. Now a member of the Raiders after being waived from the Rams following Week 7, the 34-year-old gets yet another fresh start with his fifth NFL franchise. Las Vegas gains the deep-speedster they lost in Henry Ruggs, and Jackson should benefit from Derek Carr’s long-ball prowess.

Carr leads all QBs this season in pass attempts over 20 yards with 46 and is tied with Dak Prescott for seventh in PFF passing grade for the deep ball (92.6). Jackson is worth a speculative add in the event he becomes more heavily involved in the Vegas passing game moving forward.

Adam Trautman, TE – Saints

This one is truly a stash-and-wait situation, but with TE as shallow as it is, grabbing one potentially on the rise may help out long term. Adam Trautman has seen 13 targets in the past two weeks, which is equal to the balls he saw in the first six contests. This Jameis Winston-less offense may end up on the more gadgety side of things than expected, so Trautman’s usage could improve even more as the weeks go on. It also doesn’t hurt that New Orleans has a decent remaining schedule according to aFPA, as six of the eight remaining defenses sit in the bottom third of the league in aFPA to opposing TEs.

Ronald Jones, RB – Buccaneers

Maybe you already dropped Jones once or have passed him on the waiver wire a few times thinking he has no value for the rest of the season. Or perhaps someone just dropped him for the bye week and he’s there staring at you in the face. With the way the RB position has gone so far in 2021, every rusher with a pulse should be in consideration at some point, and here’s my pitch for RoJo:

He’s the No. 2 RB behind Leonard Fournette in one of the highest-scoring offenses in the NFL, a team that is getting ready for a real-life playoff run. Last year after Tampa Bay’s bye, they turned on the afterburners and the same could be the case after a Week 9 reset. Not only could the Bucs get Jones more involved to save Fournette’s legs for the postseason, but his next four opponents are allowing an average of 21.9 half-PPR points to opposing backfields this season. Grab Jones now and stash him for use down the stretch when you may be in need of some bench love.

Taysom Hill, QB – Saints

Sure, Trevor Siemian is technically the starting QB for the Saints right now but we all know he’s on a short leash. Taysom Hill is recovering from a concussion but as Sean Payton’s favorite gimmick guy, it’s only a matter of time before Hill is under center the majority of the time. Last year in place of Drew Brees from Weeks 11-14, Hill averaged 21.1 fantasy points per tilt as the QB8, and was QB6 in total fantasy points in that time frame. The Saints have a few tough games in the near future, but it’s smooth sailing from Week 13 on when you’ll need Hill the most.

Alexander Mattison, RB – Vikings

Alexander Mattison’s rostership dropped to 47% with the return of Dalvin Cook, as teams need to maximize points at this point in the season. Their loss could be your gain if you have the bench room to stash the Vikings' No. 2 RB. Mattison is one of the top-tier backups in the NFL and could be a league-winner if anything were to happen to Cook again this season. If you can swing it, snag the 23-year-old now and hold him for insurance purposes.

Randy Bullock, K – Titans

The Tennesee kicker is K9 on the season with five contests in double-digit fantasy points so far in 2021. He has some really nice matchups in the coming weeks, as he gets Houston and New England in Weeks 11 and 12, who sit 23rd and 21st, respectively, in kicker aFPA this season.

The Titans have a late bye in Week 13, but return to play the Jaguars and Steelers, who allow even more fantasy points to opposing kickers as the 29th- and 28th-ranked defenses in kicker aFPA in 2021. You could pick up Randy Bullock now and ride him out for a while so that you can concentrate on other areas of your roster if you’re so inclined.