Fantasy Football Week 11 Waiver Wire Pickups

Is your fantasy team in need of new blood? Each week I’ll bring to you the best pickups to make ahead of the waiver deadline. All the players I list will be owned in fewer than 50 percent of leagues, with the ownership percentage coming from Yahoo.com.

Quarterbacks

Case Keenum, Vikings (17% Owned): I’m not convinced Keenum is actually a good quarterback, but his setup in Minnesota is great. He has a great offensive line, a lowkey studly stable of wide receivers, and a competent ground game. He’s feasted on back-to-back bad defenses for 596 yards and six passing touchdowns, and has the Lions and Falcons coming up after a stay-away date vs. the Rams this week. Keenum faces danger in house from Teddy Bridgewater, but his production lately makes him hard to bench.

Jay Cutler, Dolphins (18% Owned): This is being written prior to Cutler’s game vs. the Panthers, but I’m viewing him as merely a matchup-specific/desperation option. Cutler can go off at times, as we saw when he dookie’d on the Raiders for 341 yards and three touchdowns. Most weeks will not be like that, but he’s more appealing than, say, Brock Osweiler or Blake Bortles.

Running Backs

Latavius Murray, Vikings (44% Owned): Murray continues to play the role I envisioned for him in the preseason, which is a high-volume touchdown threat. For the third straight week Murray logged more than 15 carries, and for the second time in three weeks he scored. Murray is not exciting, nor does he carry much potential for blow-up weeks, but he’s settling in as a dependable RB2. It’s wild he’s still owned in this few leagues.

Jamaal Williams, Packers (6% Owned): Williams hasn’t been impressive at all in his limited opportunities this season, but he’s currently looking like the only back in town. With his competition in the trainer’s room, Williams will be a threat to score touchdowns, and should see close to 20 touches. I can’t promise he’ll deliver much, but any RB with that kind of workload needs to be owned.

Samaje Perine, Redskins (18% Owned): Rob Kelley is hurt again, so Perine becomes relevant. This is old hat for me now, and it’s been why I’ve recommended him in the past. Perine hasn’t shown he is good, but he will receive decent volume since the Redskins believe Chris Thompson to be fairly fragile. There will be some touchdown opportunities for Perine, but he’s going to need to score to be anything more than a FLEX play.

Austin Ekeler, Chargers (4% Owned): Ekeler has looked pretty damn good in limited action, averaging five yards per carry and catching 19 of his 23 targets on the season. Ekeler is on this list as a must-own handcuff for Melvin Gordon, but he might carry some value in super-deep PPR leagues.

Damien Williams, Dolphins (34% Owned): Again, this is written prior to Miami playing Carolina tonight, but he has value as the third-down/passing situation RB. The Dolphins didn’t seem ready to let Kenyan Drake handle the full workload yet despite the talent disparity, so Williams could be a worthy FLEX with the right matchup. It’s worth noting that he averages 3.2 yards per carry over his career though, so even if Drake went down with an injury Williams’ upside would be limited.

Danny Woodhead, Ravens (35% Owned): Woodhead might not be ready to play in Week 11, but you should go pick him up anyway if you can spare the roster spot. Woodhead is a PPR dream, and he has value in standard scoring too since he’s capable of scoring TDs despite his size. When he’s back, it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see Buck Allen’s role reduced back to nil.

Wide Receivers

Josh Doctson, Redskins (29% Owned): Doctson is healthy and getting significant playing time, so even though he hasn’t exploded yet, it’s coming. He’s ultra-talented, has an above-average QB, and has completely shoved a big free agent acquisition (Terrelle Pryor) completely out of the picture. With New Orleans, the Giants and Dallas upcoming on the schedule, Doctson is due for a blowup performance.

Martavis Bryant, Steelers (42% Owned): When it comes to talent, few people can claim to have more of it than Martavis Bryant. He seems to have emerged somewhat from the doghouse, and is being slowly reintroduced to the offense. Last week he caught three passes for 42 yards, and it seems possible for him to become the big play threat he was drafted to be once again. He’s not at a point where you can start him, but adding him as a flyer carries zero risk. Think of your bench receivers; none of them carry the upside of this man right here.

Kenny Golladay, Lions (7% Owned): Golladay is high-risk, high-reward, but boy does he make some big plays. Golladay is averaging 18.4 yards per reception, and in his first game back caught two passes for a chunky 64 yards. Golladay is a deep-league special, because he has the high-end upside that can win you a week from the WR3 role. He can also deliver a devastating doughnut here and there, but his athletic ability makes him matchup-proof.

Marquise Goodwin, 49ers (15% Owned): I realize that Goodwin’s big fantasy performance this week literally came on one reception; the fact that his lone catch went for an 83-yard touchdown is exactly why I think he’s a good add. Goodwin can bust badly in any game, or he can break a game – and your fantasy matchup – wide open with his Olympic-caliber speed. Goodwin is the de facto No. 1 receiver in San Francisco, so if they decide to hand the reins to Jimmy Garoppolo in Week 12, Goodwin will suddenly be an appealing option.

Brandon LaFell, Bengals (3% Owned): LaFell’s ownership percentage is purely based on his perception as the most boring and plodding of receivers. If you’re in a deep league though, or simply desperate for help at WR, look LaFell’s way. He’s been targeted five or more times in two-thirds of the Bengals’ games, and just last week saw 10 targets, which he turned into 95 yards and a score. In three-WR leagues, he’s perfectly acceptable as a WR3.

Tight Ends

Charles Clay, Bills (43% Owned): Clay is back, and even though he laid an egg last week vs. the Saints, he’s still the second-best passing option for Tyrod Taylor every week. At a position where volatility abounds, Clay will at least receive consistent targets.

Martellus Bennett, Patriots (33% Owned): Do you hate yourself? Then pick up Bennett. He’s playing hurt, but the Patriots have a way of taking malcontent flameouts from other teams and rendering them useful. He will be highly inconsistent and a weekly threat to put up a zero, but he also has more blowup potential than any other waiver wire TE.