Fantasy Football 2019 Week 11 Waiver Wire Pickup Advice
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
Sam Darnold, Jets (26% Owned): Darnold didn’t disappoint this week against the Giants, one of the best get-right defensive opponents in the NFL right now. Darnold threw for 230 yards and a score and rushed for 25 yards and a touchdown on Sunday. Efforts like this are what you can expect down the fantasy regular season stretch, as his matchups are delightful. The remaining regular season schedule for Darnold is as follows: at Washington, vs. Oakland, at Cincinnati, vs. Miami. It’s one of the best slates a QB can have, and right now people are so spooked by his rough patch that they won’t go near him. Darnold will be free on waivers, and he could really help.
Nick Foles, Jaguars (20% Owned): Foles is back! He was 5-8 in Week 1 before he went down with an injury, and he had already thrown a touchdown pass to D.J. Chark. In his absence, Gardner Minshew became a mini-sensation, and Foles should be able to pick up where he left off. The upcoming matchup with Indianapolis is tough, but Tennessee and Tampa Bay are appealing. Foles is a solid pickup for playoff-contending teams that have tried to stream their way to a season-long Top 10 QB. I prefer Darnold, but Foles certainly is operating behind a superior offensive line.
Running Backs
Derrius Guice, Redskins (37% Owned): Guice survived on a lot of waiver wires because of the high volume of bye weeks, but now that Washington’s ready to roll for the rest of the season, Guice is likely to be the hottest pickup of the week. He’s not without red flags; dude has never been healthy, we haven’t seen him enough to be certain he will produce, and he does have to deal with Adrian Peterson and Chris Thompson chipping away at his workload. Guice will be “the guy” going forward, but coming off a long absence, and due to his overall inexperience at the NFL level, his upside is probably capped at a mid-level RB2 rest of season. I’m more bullish on him for next year.
Brian Hill, Falcons (3% Owned): I’m lying to you if I say I know much about Brian Hill. Here’s what I do know: Devonta Freeman is hurt, Ito Smith is out for the season, and Kenjon Barner is not taking anything close to a RB1 role. Rookie Qadree Ollison could become interesting, but it was Hill who carried the ball 20 times once Freeman was out of the picture. On volume alone, Hill will be a good add and he will get a juicy opportunity vs. the Panthers if Freeman misses the week.
Alexander Mattison, Vikings (29% Owned): Mattison is a very good running back who is stuck behind one of the best RBs in the NFL (Dalvin Cook). Any Cook owner who doesn’t also have Mattison needs to wake up and get him immediately. Some weeks Mattison can serve as a desperation FLEX who can be counted on for a non-zero performance. Other weeks, mostly in blowouts, he sees enough work to show his talent. Regardless, if Cook gets hurt Mattison becomes a potential league-winning add. Why not add him now while he’s free of charge?
Wide Receivers
Deebo Samuel, 49ers (15% Owned): Samuel stepped up to the plate with Emmanuel Sanders out of the game Monday night, hauling in eight of his 11 targets for 112 yards. He’s had an up-and-down rookie season, but has proven to be very solid when heavily targeted. If Sanders misses time, Samuel becomes the clear-cut No. 1 receiver for Jimmy Garoppolo, and the No. 2 option in the passing game when George Kittle is healthy. He will draw more stifling coverage, but he will also see a bigger share of red zone opportunities.
Diontae Johnson, Steelers (18% Owned): Johnson was back to himself after a total dud in Week 9. He caught four passes for 64 yards, and continues to be a favorite of QB Mason Rudolph in the rare shots he takes downfield. In deeper leagues, or three-WR formats, Johnson has major upside for a WR3 and beautiful matchups through the rest of the fantasy regular season. The upcoming slate is as follows: at Cleveland, at Cincinnati, vs. Cleveland, at Arizona. Juicy.
Darius Slayton, Giants (10% Owned): Slayton is starting to look like a real guy, and that’s important as it becomes more and more likely that we aren’t seeing Sterling Shepard again in 2019. Slayton completely erupted on the Jets, knifing them for 10 catches, 121 yards and two touchdowns. That’s not going to be a regular occurrence, but his four touchdowns in his last three games are evidence that he has rapport with Daniel Jones, and he’s someone the Giants are looking at in the red zone. With Evan Engram possibly out several weeks, he could be the primary receiving option near the goal line.
Hunter Renfrow, Raiders (10% Owned): Renfrow is a bit of a PPR format deep cut, but he’s gained some consistency in his target share of late, and he’s scored in two of Oakland’s last three games. I wouldn’t consider Renfrow a high-touchdown receiver, but with steady targets, and a soft slate – vs. Cincinnati, at Jets – Renfrow is a sneaky WR3/FLEX type in deeper leagues.
Cole Beasley, Bills (32% Owned): Beasley’s awesome stretch of matchups is about to end, but this week is a return date vs. the Dolphins, against whom he scored in Week 7. Beasley’s TD streak was snapped by the Browns Sunday, but he did pile up 74 yards on them, his third-best total of the year. The yardage has become spotty, but Miami represents a nice opportunity to return to the end zone even despite back-to-back wins.
Tight Ends
Darren Fells, Texans (43% Owned): You don’t want to need Fells, but times are hard. You might be a proud Evan Engram owner struggling in the dark without real information on how long he’ll be gone. You may be about to give up on T.J. Hockenson, or frustrated with praying on Jimmy Graham or someone just like him. Fells is touchdown-dependent, but he has scored six times this year and the Texans are a pass-happy offense. The upcoming slate isn’t perfect, but Houston is so explosive they are basically matchup proof. If they get near the end zone, Fells is always going to be a threat. He certainly can goose you, but he’s managed to contribute okayish TE numbers in all but two games since Week 3.
Chris Herndon, Jets (31% Owned): Herndon is really back now, and just in time for the best slate in the NFL for pass-catchers. Herndon had become a bit of a safety blanket for Darnold last year, and while that’s now clearly Jamison Crowder’s role, Herndon can still make some big plays for this team. He’s below Fells here because I think his TD upside is much lower, but he will likely have more receptions and yards than Fells for the rest of the season.