Week 11 has arrived, bye weeks continue to cycle through, and we are now only four weeks away from the start of the Fantasy Football Playoffs. In other words, it’s extremely important to comb through the fantasy football waiver wire pickups for the best options. If you have roster spots to spare, start stuffing your bench with high-upside players. After all, what may seem like an inconsequential addition now could pay massive dividends down the road with a championship on the line!
As always, managers are advised to prioritize situations, snap counts, workload and target shares over a one-week scoring output when deciding on which players to claim. These are the stats and trends that will better predict sustainable success. Here are our top fantasy football waiver wire pickups for Week 11.
Note: Players must be owned in less than 50% of ESPN leagues to be included in the best fantasy football waiver wire pickups column. Ownership percentages will reflect their status on Tuesday mornings ahead of standard waiver processing.
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Best Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 11
QB Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers (47.8%)
We kick off this week’s fantasy football waiver wire pickups column in familiar fashion, with Justin Herbert as a QB selection. The Los Angeles Chargers’ passing attack has found its mojo over the last few weeks, and Herbert’s fantasy production has risen as a result. Even in a lighter effort through the air this past Sunday, Herbert had another game with 19+ fantasy points thanks to a rushing score. The Chargers have a healthy schedule in terms of opposing defenses the rest of the way, and Herbert continues to be a preferred bye-week fill-in option as well.
Russell Wilson, Pittsburgh Steelers (40.1%)
In a way, it’s wild to even consider Russell Wilson as a fantasy football option. After all, he was terrible in Denver, and the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offense has also been really poor over the last few seasons. We now have a three-game sample size of Wilson being a viable asset as a Steeler. George Pickens is finally being fed the ball, and even Mike Williams got in on the fun late in the team’s Week 10 win. In Week 11, we can anticipate that Pittsburgh will have to throw the ball to be successful against Baltimore’s defense, so Wilson can be a short-term bye-week solution as well.
MORE: NFL Power Rankings Week 11 – How Many Teams Are Good?
Ten weeks into the season, it feels like the number of “good” NFL teams can be counted on a single hand! Does yours make that list? Click through the latest update of our NFL Power Rankings to see where your team stands heading into Week 11!
RB Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
Tyjae Spears, Tennessee Titans (45.1%)
After missing three games due to injury, Tyjae Spears returned to the Tennessee Titans’ backfield in Week 10 and promptly played a season-high 46% of the offensive snaps. He had seven carries and caught all three of his targets through the air as well. Now, Tony Pollard isn’t going anywhere, but neither are the Titans. Given that the only thing Tennessee is contending for is the top draft pick, it would make sense for them to not overload either RB. Spears will continue to be a weekly FLEX option, especially during byes, and is a top-tier RB to own as far as handcuffs are concerned.
Trey Benson, Arizona Cardinals (15.9%)
Another running back who has both handcuff appeal and perhaps some additional weekly upside at this juncture is rookie Trey Benson. James Conner has been awesome for the Arizona Cardinals all season long. However, his history of injuries over the years coupled with regular heavy usage could be a reason why the Cards are cutting back his volume a bit. In the last two weeks, Conner has played only 48% and 54% of the team’s offensive snaps, respectively. While these were both blowouts, Benson made the most of his expanded opportunity in both contests. If he keeps it up, he may earn a more regular role in competitive contests moving forward.
WR Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
Ricky Pearsall, San Francisco 49ers (25.0%)
The San Francisco 49ers clearly had a plan to get Ricky Pearsall involved in the offense given the draft capital they spent on him. That usage has been fast-tracked with Brandon Aiyuk out for the remainder of the season. Since making his season debut in Week 7, Pearsall has played 60% of the snaps or more in all three of the Niners games. He has also seen five, four and six targets, respectively. He is difficult to trust for anything more than WR3/FLEX production, but he still carries further upside and is well worth a roster spot.
John Metchie III, Houston Texans (0.5%)
It will be interesting to see what role John Metchie retains once the Houston Texans get top wideout Nico Collins back from injury. However, he can be found amongst the fantasy football waiver wire pickups this week no matter how deep your league is. Week 10 was very encouraging, as he played 65% of the snaps and caught five of six targets. Even when Collins returns, there is a chance Metchie retains a firm position in this offense as the third WR option. The talent has always been there and he now has a chance to deliver on the expectations he had coming out of Alabama.
TE Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints (26.8%)
Thanks to his ability to contribute as both a runner and pass-catcher, Taysom Hill doesn’t need to play a ton of snaps to provide decent production at the TE position. His usage in the offense was not quite as healthy as many were anticipating in Week 10, but a pair of receptions to go along with 14 rushing yards resulted in seven fantasy points. Sure, you would like to get more than that. However, it must be noted that Hill probably has a more stable week-to-week floor than any other TEs available on the waiver wire. The New Orleans Saints are still extremely thin in terms of offensive playmakers, so his role should be maintained.
Will Dissly, Los Angeles Chargers (1.7%)
As a disclaimer, if Will Dissly scores double-digit fantasy points, that’s a great week. With that being said, it’s tough to ignore his recent target shares in the Los Angeles Chargers passing attack. In the last four games, Dissly has now seen at least a half-dozen targets on three occasions. His yardage has been minimal and he also has yet to score a touchdown on the season. That said, sparsely owned TEs who can be trusted to produce are few and far between. He could be the ideal bye-week filler, especially for those in deeper leagues.
