If you’re reading this, chances are you need to find replacements for injuries or players on bye (DEN and LAR). There have been plenty of injuries in 10 weeks of action, with top-tier fantasy players out for extended periods of time or were unable to suit up Sunday morning, leaving you scrambling for a plug-in starter. This is why you will need to work the fantasy football waiver wire to grab high-upside players to help fill these empty spots and reduce the Sunday morning pre-kickoff panic.
We’re officially onto the back half of the season, so you may want to drop those later-round flyers you’ve been stashing for weeks and start considering other options that have carved out more significant roles. If you need that immediate upgrade now, here are some Week 11 fantasy football waiver wire pickups that could help move your team in the right direction.
Players must be owned in less than 60 percent of ESPN leagues to be included in the Week 11 fantasy football waiver wire pickups column. All ownerships for waiver wire players will be provided and will reflect that of Monday evening.
QB Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
Justin Fields, Chicago Bears (18.2%)
Justin Fields hasn’t looked great from an NFL perspective, but he puts up decent numbers in fantasy football. After starting the season with very inconsistent play and fantasy points, he’s posted back-to-back double-digit fantasy performances and has some serious rushing upside moving forward. The Bears offense looks weak for the most part with no identity but Fields is still just a rookie. The more he gets comfortable with the game flow and play calling, the better he’ll look and the better fantasy numbers he’ll put up on a consistent basis. He faces BAL and DET, two poor passing defenses that should bode well for good fantasy days from him.
Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins (36.0%)
Tua Tagovailoa is another quarterback that just doesn’t look good on a very underwhelming offense, but he has posted solid fantasy numbers the last three weeks. He plays too cautiously from a NFL standpoint but that helps his fantasy value because he will likely take care of the ball more often than not. He’s scored double-digit fantasy points in four straight games but has regressed from the first performance, so it is still risky to add him if you’re looking for a new quarterback to replace an injury or bye. Miami faces NYJ, CAR and NYG, which should all be decent matchups for Tagovailoa to post good fantasy numbers.
RB Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
AJ Dillon, Green Bay Packers (59.5%)
With Aaron Jones out for multiple weeks, AJ Dillon is going to be the clear top fantasy football waiver wire addition this week. Once Jones left with injury last week, Dillon posted 26 fantasy points, with two rushing touchdowns and even two catches for 62 yards. Green Bay’s offense has looked out-of-sorts for the most part and have depended on their defense, but Dillon’s talent is no joke. We’ve seen how damaging Jones can be on a consistent basis, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Dillon do the same, if not more. He just makes the cut here at 59.5 percent ownership, so he likely isn’t available in smaller formats but definitely the top waiver wire add in deeper leagues.
Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots (29.1%)
Damien Harris sat last week due to injury and Rhamondre Stevenson filled in very nicely. He carried the ball 20 times for 100 yards and two touchdowns against a usually pretty solid Browns run defense. It’s worth the pickup here to see how he’s factored into the mix if Harris is able to suit up next week against the Falcons but he certainly made a case to see more touches, especially near the goal line. Harris has had some very good games this season as well so don’t expect Stevenson to just take over the starting job anytime soon but he could very well start splitting 50/50 with Harris.
WR Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
Rashod Bateman, Baltimore Ravens (32.5%)
The consistency of Rashod Bateman since joining the lineup is very impressive and worth the fantasy football waiver wire add as a result. He’s seen eight targets in back-to-back games and has posted three straight double-digit fantasy performances. The Ravens have had some rough wide receivers the last few years for Lamar Jackson but it seems that the two are developing some chemistry already just four games into Bateman’s career. Baltimore faces CHI, CLE and PIT, who are all pretty vulnerable against the pass this season, and Bateman should see the same amount of targets he’s been seeing the last few games.
Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions (7.8%)
Another wide receiver that sees consistent targets is Amon-Ra St. Brown. I’ve been banging this gavel for weeks now and he has yet to score a touchdown but has seen at least four targets in six of eight games played this year. Jared Goff is simply not a good quarterback and the Lions are in full tank mode at this point to secure the No. 1 overall pick in next year’s draft but that also means it’s a good time for St. Brown to develop into a top receiver for years to come. The target share is there and as soon as the Lions figure out how to get him in the endzone, he’ll be a solid fantasy option. For now, you can consider him in deeper leagues if you’re in need of wide receiver depth or replacements.
TE Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups
Pat Freiermuth, Pittsburgh Steelers (47.5%)
Since JuJu Smith-Schuster went down, the rookie Pat Freiermuth has made some noise. With Big Ben sidelined last week, he posted a single-digit performance but saw a season-high nine targets from backup QB Mason Rudolph. Prior to last week’s tie against Detroit, he caught three touchdowns in three games and was targeted at least six times in each. The Steelers’ offense has been underwhelming and has dealt with many injuries across the board, so Freiermuth’s usage moving forward should be very safe. He’s clearly a main red zone target, and Big Ben has notoriously loved throwing to the tight end position.
Dan Arnold, Jacksonville Jaguars (28.0%)
Dan Arnold’s ownership is way too low for the number of targets he sees on a weekly basis. Trevor Lawrence hasn’t looked like a No. 1 overall pick so far, and that’s mainly due to Urban Meyer’s questionable offensive game plan each week, but Arnold has become his security blanket when his first read isn’t there. He’s been targeted seven times back-to-back weeks and has posted double-digit fantasy points in four of the last five games. Jacksonville is playing for virtually nothing at this point other than a high draft pick, so it’s possible they’ll always play from behind, which will further increase Lawrence’s and Arnold’s chemistry moving forward. The Jaguars face SF, ATL and LAR in their next three games, and it’s almost guaranteed they’ll be playing from behind in at least two of those.
We told you Dan Arnold was a fantasy football waiver wire target weeks ago, so hopefully you already have him owned.
