Fantasy Football 2021 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 roster percentages coming from Yahoo.com
Quarterbacks
Daniel Jones, Giants (30% Rostered): After a week off, perhaps we’ve had enough distance from Daniel Jones to forget the stench of his stinkers? Jones is certainly capable of sinking your team in any given week, but if you’re looking for widely available upside at the position, Jones has it. After a bye, he’s coming back and should have Saquon Barkley returning to the backfield, Kadarius Toney and Kenny Golladay both healthy, and an upcoming schedule of at Tampa Bay, vs. Philadelphia and at Miami, three friendly pass defenses. Couple all that with his high rushing upside, and Jones has the look of a surprisingly fantasy relevant QB, and one you’ll probably be able to secure with a $0 FAAB bid.
Cam Newton, Panthers (16% Rostered): Newton’s back! In his second debut with the Panthers, Carolina used him sparingly, and he rewarded them with a passing TD as well as a rushing score. It’s likely they’ll make him the starter next week, and his obvious rushing upside makes him playable from the jump. Newton has some impressive weapons to throw to, but as I harped on all offseason here and here when I thought he’d be a fantasy relevant QB for the Patriots (whoops!), he’s looked shot as a thrower of the football for a while. His upcoming matchups vs. Washington and at Miami are favorable in terms of him providing non-catastrophic passing numbers, but that’s not a guarantee. You’re signing Cam for the rushing TDs, and Christian McCaffery has just as good a chance at scoring on the ground in the red zone as Cam. He should be fine to start, but the ceiling for him is actually a bit lower than some may expect, so expectations should be tempered.
Running Backs
Rhamondre Stevenson, Patriots (32% Rostered): Stevenson flashed in the preseason, and has averaged more than five yards per carry in back-to-back games. With Damien Harris inactive on Sunday, Stevenson ran absolutely wild on the Browns, putting up 100 yards and two touchdowns while also catching four passes for 14 yards. Should Harris remain out of the lineup on a short week – New England plays Atlanta on Thursday – Stevenson is a must-start against the Falcons, who entered Week 10 with the 27th-ranked DVOA against the run per Football Outsiders. It’s not advisable to blow a massive chunk of FAAB on him without concrete news about Harris’ status, because we’ve seen Stevenson fluctuate between eye-popping and healthy scratch. With the Patriots, their backfield is a constant maze, but Stevenson carries major upside as a breakout down the stretch. Feel free to spend, but unless there are indications he’s “the guy” going forward, don’t blow the whole load.
Latavius Murray, Ravens (28% Rostered): As the world patiently waits for Murray to heal up, the Ravens RBs left standing continue to flail in their attempts to establish dominance of the backfield. In what should’ve been a plush matchup for Devonta Freeman to knock Murray off his pedestal, he rushed 10 times for 35 yards and totaled 58 yards on the night in a putrid offensive effort. If Murray can get back on the field, he should immediately lead the RB room in attempts, and once again have first dibs on touchdown opportunities, which is a valuable role in this offense. Murray is rarely going to ever perform like anything more than an RB2, but if you find yourself battling injuries or with some unfortunate late-week byes, Murray will be a capable fill in.
Boston Scott, Eagles (32% Rostered): Scott logged 11 carries for 81 yards and added 24 receiving yards on two catches. The Eagles offense is extremely unpredictable in terms of who will succeed on a weekly basis, but until Miles Sanders returns, it looks clear that Jordan Howard and Boston Scott are going to see the bulk of the carries, with Howard having the goal line touch edge, and Scott likely to be used on passing downs. So with that, you have a playable FLEX type until Sanders heals up and casts all of this into further disarray.
Sony Michel, Rams (33% Rostered): As I’ve said for weeks, Michel needs to be added by Darrell Henderson managers or they’ll be crying at what he costs on waivers if Henderson gets hurt.
Wide Receivers
Kadarius Toney, Giants (46% Rostered): It’s a solid week to be on the market for receivers, because talent is abundant. Toney tops the list for me, coming off a bye week and looking at Tampa Bay’s shredded secondary in Week 11, followed by the Eagles and Dolphins. Toney will have more competition for touches with Golladay and Barkley back in the fold, but that also means defenses can’t key on him. Toney has shown supernova potential, and he should not be on waivers. If you can grab him, he’s a potential league-winner. Don’t be afraid to spend.
Rashod Bateman, Ravens (50% Rostered): Bateman, a fellow rookie, has benefitted from the Ravens’ decimated RB corps increasing the production pie for Ravens pass-catchers. Marquise Brown remains the obvious WR1, and Mark Andrews is still a crucial cog of the passing offense, but Lamar Jackson has quietly eclipsed 250 yards in five of his last seven games. Bateman is head-and-shoulders that sturdy third option, drawing six or more targets in all four of his games, and hitting 80 yards for the second time this season on Thursday. Bateman is seeing regular looks, and is due to find the end zone. Bateman doesn’t have Toney’s ceiling, but he probably has a safer floor.
Darnell Mooney, Bears (45% Rostered): Lots of managers had to let Mooney go while he was on his bye, and managers who miss out on Toney or Bateman can find themselves a nice little consolation prize in the Bears’ true WR1. Allen Robinson has the name brand, but it’s Mooney who leads Chicago in targets (59), receptions (36), yards (450) and receiving TDs (2). He is averaging 12.5 yards per reception, has seen five or more targets in eight of nine games, and is graded 29 spots ahead of Robinson per PFF. Mooney is viewed as a boom or bust deep threat, but while he has tremendous ability to hurt defenses down the field, he’s really looked more like a low-end WR2. This passing offense is ugly, but right now Mooney is a strong bet to not goose you if you need to throw him in your FLEX spot.
Deonte Harris, Saints (19% Rostered): Harris has also emerged as a decent option if you’re in dire need. The target share isn’t as sturdy as Mooney’s, and with Trevor Siemian at QB the passer is actually a downgrade from Justin Fields, but the targets have been there lately. Harris has drawn 19 targets across the last three games, and has caught at least three balls in each of his last three games. He’s no smash play, but he is a player you can count on to have a couple of passes come his way and he has the talent to make a big play out of one of them.
Tight Ends
Cole Kmet, Bears (18% Rostered): Kmet has come on strong as the season’s progressed, seeing five or more targets in every game since Week 5, an excellent number for the position. He’s been held out of the end zone all year, but that comes to an end on Sunday when he gets the Ravens. I like Kmet as a possible rest of season starter, but he tops the list because he is a super smash play vs. the Ravens. Baltimore entered Sunday allowing the most points per game to TEs (8.9) and yards (75.6) and that was before Tyler Conklin scored twice on them. This team struggles mightily against the position, and Kmet is a high draft pick emerging as a productive option.
Dan Arnold, Jaguars (26% Rostered): Another week, another high-target outing for Arnold, who caught five passes for 67 yards and scored a two-point conversion on seven targets. It was his third straight game with at least seven targets, and he’s been thrown to at least five times in all four of his games as a Jaguar. Arnold still hasn’t gotten in the end zone yet, but it’s coming. It is worth noting, however, that his Week 11 matchup vs. the 49ers is unattractive.
Tyler Conklin, Vikings (30% Rostered): Conklin had another good game, drawing five targets and scoring twice. The touchdowns saved a meager three-catch, 11-yard output otherwise, but his matchup with the Chargers is what made him attractive to begin with. Conklin is steadily seeing five to seven targets a game, and many of them are touchdown opportunities. This week he’ll see Green Bay, a middle of the road defense vs. TEs (23rd TE DVOA).