Waiver wire pickups are much more important than it’s ever been before in any fantasy season, with the amount of injuries sustained thus far. It seems like there’s more and more inactives added to the list each week. With four more teams on a bye this week (BUF, SF, CHI, NYG), you will need to work the waiver wire and try to find a hidden gem with an ideal matchup to replace the voids in your team, especially those teams with the Allen-Diggs stack.
I’ve said it every week thus far: active fantasy managers win their leagues. Working the waiver wire each week can prove to be crucial come fantasy playoff time. Injuries are unpredictable and you never know which one of these guys could end up starting in your fantasy championship roster. And, remember, we are entering Week 11 so the fantasy playoffs are coming.
Here are top waiver wire pickups for Week 11 that are certainly worth adding to your fantasy roster. Players are chosen based on their schedule strength moving forward as well as their usages and efficiencies in their respective offenses.
And, of course, some players will be added near the end that are drop-worthy candidates, but no by means are must-drops.
Players must be owned in less than 60 percent of ESPN leagues to be included in the fantasy football Week 11 waiver wire pickups column. All ownerships for waiver wire players will be provided and will reflect that of Monday evening.
Quarterback Waiver Wire Pickups
Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins (32.6%)
Tua Tagovailoa has won his first three career starts, and that trend should continue as the Dolphins take on DEN, NYJ and CIN in their next three games. He hasn’t been a fantasy stud by any means thus far, but he gets the job done and ultimately wins his team the game. All of his upcoming matchups are intriguing, as all three teams rank in the bottom half of the league for fantasy points allowed to opposing QBs. Tua will likely be one of the top waiver wire adds this week, but at just under 33 percent ownership, there’s a good chance you can grab him to replace your starter on a bye.
Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders (44.1%)
Carr disappointed his fantasy owners last week, after only putting up 7.16 fantasy points against the poor Broncos defense, but his upside in the next few games is hard to pass up. He faces KC, ATL and NYJ in his next three matchups, which are all favorable. Last time he faced KC in Week 5, he threw for 347 yards and three touchdowns, totaling 23.98 fantasy points. That is the Chiefs’ only loss on the season thus far, so I would imagine they’ll play a lot better this time around. Following this week’s game, Carr faces the worst defense against quarterbacks (ATL) then faces the fifth-worst defense in the Jets. He could put up big numbers in all three of these games.
Cam Newton, New England Patriots (56.5%)
The former 2015 MVP has certainly struggled this season with consistency and decision-making, but the Patriots looked somewhat normal again on SNF against the Ravens. Cam Newton is still struggling throwing the ball, but he will get it done on the ground more often than not. The Patriots play HOU, ARI and LAC in their next three matchups, which are quite favorable. All three defenses are allowing over 19 FPPG to opposing quarterbacks, which will help Newton in the passing game. He’ll likely get a rushing touchdown nearly every game at this rate as he already has nine on the season through eight games as a starter. He’s just under the 60 percent cut-off, so it’s not guaranteed he’ll be available in your leagues, but he is certainly worth the waiver add if he is.
Running Back Waiver Wire Pickups
Nyheim Hines, Indianapolis Colts (41.1%)
Rookie running back Jonathan Taylor has disappointed his fantasy owners plenty this season, which is why Nyheim Hines is worth the consideration to be on fantasy rosters. Last week against the Titans, he scored 28.5 fantasy points and hit the most carries he’s had all season, with 12 for 70 yards and a touchdown. The Colts backfield is just as bad as the 49ers backfield at this point with deciphering what running back gets the most fantasy points, but I like Hines’ floor moving forward. He is their third down back and, with QB Philip Rivers checking it down more often than not, he will be worth the waiver add in PPR formats. The remaining Colts’ schedule is extremely favorable, as they have only one tough matchup when they face Pittsburgh in Week 16.
Wayne Gallman, New York Giants (30.5%)
Since Devonta Freeman began dealing with injuries, Wayne Gallman has filled in nicely. He’s had double-digit fantasy days in four straight games now. The Giants are on their bye this week, but he’s worth the add to stash him to see if he’ll still be the main back even once Freeman is healthier. They face CIN, SEA and ARI in their next few matchups, which aren’t ideal for running backs, but he’ll get good looks in the passing game as well. At just over 30 percent ownership, you could wait and address other priorities first, but Gallman’s floor seems too good to pass up.
Damien Harris, New England Patriots (43.6%)
It seems like Damien Harris owners gave up on him after a single-digit performance, even though he still averages more than five yards per carry and is clearly their main running back for the running game. On SNF against the Ravens, he carried the ball 22 times for 121 yards, but failed to get into the end zone. Cam Newton will likely get every carry inside the five yard line because of his running ability, but Harris has a safe floor moving forward into the end of the season. The Patriots face off against HOU, ARI and LAC in their next three games, which should all be good, high-scoring games. Houston allows 26.2 FPPG to opposing running backs, the second-worst in the league.
Wide Receiver Waiver Wire Pickups
Cole Beasley, Buffalo Bills (46.1%)
After putting up double-digit fantasy points in seven straight games, Beasley disappointed for two weeks in a row. Last week against Arizona, however, he caught 11-of-13 targets for 109 yards and a touchdown. The Bills are on their bye this week, but once they come back, they have some big games. With both Buffalo and Miami fighting for top of the AFC East, the Bills will have to win most of these remaining games, including LAC, SF and PIT. If Allen is throwing the ball as much as he has the past two weeks, Beasley will be a huge part of that. The Chargers are allowing 20.9 FPPG to opposing wide receivers thus far, but with as many weapons as the Bills have, they can’t guard everyone. Beasley is Allen’s security blanket on third-down plays and broken plays as well.
Jakobi Meyers, New England Patriots (23.2%)
After this breakout performance in Week 9 against the Jets where he caught 12-of-14 targets for 169 yards, he came back down to earth against Baltimore, catching five of his seven targets for 59 yards. However, Jakobi Meyers threw a touchdown to Rex Burkhead! With both Julian Edelman and N’Keal Harry still dealing with injuries, Meyers will be the WR1 in New England. If Newton can improve his passing game, Meyers’ value will only increase. He’s owned at just over 23 percent right now, but that’ll likely change this week with how much usage and targets he’s seeing in the offense right now. New England was laughed at by the whole league for multiple weeks and HC Bill Bellichick will not allow that. The Patriots are the Patriots at the end of the day.
Michael Pittman Jr., Indianapolis Colts (5.0%)
The entire Colts offense has been inconsistent in production, but their upcoming matchups are too good to pass up. It’s hard to guess who Rivers’ favorite target will be each game, but in back-to-back weeks, Pittman Jr. has seen seven or more targets. It’s hard to trust anyone on this offense as it is, but if Rivers continues to form some chemistry with Pittman Jr., he’ll likely become his favorite target in the short passing game. The upcoming game between Green Bay and Indianapolis will be a harder matchup for Pittman Jr., but after this week, he faces TEN, HOU and LV, who are all allowing more than 24 FPPG to opposing WR.
Tight End Waiver Wire Pickups
Logan Thomas, Washington Football Team (20.2%)
Despite three different quarterback changes this season, Logan Thomas has been as consistent as you’re going to get in this offense. He has seen four or more targets in every game, including six in back-to-back games. There’s plenty of targets on that offense for QB Alex Smith to find, but Thomas seems like a safe option for the remainder of the season. Washington faces CIN and DAL in their next two matchups, which are both ideal for Thomas to get into the end zone. Cincinnati allows the second-most points to opposing tight ends, with 10.9, while Dallas allows 8.6 FPPG. He’s worth the backup spot, if you’re weak at tight end, but certainly a starter in deeper formats.
Jordan Reed, San Francisco 49ers (15.3%)
When George Kittle isn’t on the field, Jordan Reed has seen at least six targets in every game he’s started. It’s clear that Reed is a better pass-catching tight end than Ross Dwelley, and that should continue with their next few matchups. The 49ers are one of the teams on a bye this week, but adding Reed to your fantasy roster could pay off big-time. After the bye week, San Francisco faces LAR and BUF, who are both in the bottom-half of the league against tight ends. Buffalo allows nearly 10 FPPG to opposing tight ends and have been out-of-sorts the last few games, defensively. At just over 15 percent ownership, it can’t hurt to make a waiver claim for Reed and see if he is their main option at the tight end position.
Drop Candidates
QB: Baker Mayfield, Philip Rivers, Nick Mullens
RB: Alexander Mattison, Deejay Dallas, Adrian Peterson
WR: Golden Tate, Anthony Miller, Russell Gage
TE: Trey Burton, Jack Doyle, Darren Fells
Deeper League Waiver Wire Considerations
QB: Jake Luton, Alex Smith
RB: Salvon Ahmed, Jordan Wilkins, Rex Burkhead
WR: Kendrick Bourne, KJ Hamler, Zach Pascal, Cam Sims, Steven Sims Jr.
TE: Richard Rodgers, Jordan Reed, Dalton Schultz, Gerald Everett
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