Waiver Wire Pickups Week 11
It is never too late to find a way to improve your fantasy football team. If the trade deadline has not passed, that is one way to improve your roster. However, finding impact players on the waiver wire is the easiest way. As we get set for Week 11, the fantasy football regular season is in the home stretch. Now is the time to move for one of the top seeds or push for one of the final playoff spots. Four teams on bye in Week 11 may test your team’s depth. That makes being active on the waiver wire that much more crucial. Here are some of my top waiver wire options for Week 11.
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Quarterback Waiver Wire Suggestion
Russell Wilson – Pittsburgh Steelers
Many people did not believe Russell Wilson should have taken over the starting job in Pittsburgh. But the last three weeks have shown us that Mike Tomlin made the right decision. On Sunday, Wilson threw for 195 yards and three touchdowns. Wilson has thrown six touchdowns in his three games with only one interception. He has played himself into a viable fantasy QB as well. He averages 18.9 fantasy points per game and is a great bye-week fill-in heading into Week 11. Wilson should be started in most Superflex leagues and rostered in all 12+ team leagues. If you use FAAB, Wilson is worth up to 25% in Superflex leagues and around 10% in 1QB leagues.
Running Back Waiver Wire Suggestions
Audric Estime – Denver Broncos
The Broncos have been surprisingly strong on offense this year. However, quarterback Bo Nix’s play has sparked the offense. Another rookie starting to get involved more is running back Audric Estime. He had a career-high 14 carries on Sunday and led the Broncos running backs in snaps with 26. Estime has seemingly taken the starting job from Javonte Williams, making him ownable in all leagues. We usually see rookies take off in the second half of the season, now could be the time for Estime. The rookie is worth 15-20% FAAB but could go for more to an RB-desperate team.
Trey Benson – Arizona Cardinals
Another rookie running back starting to come into his own is Trey Benson. He was drafted in the third round of the 2024 NFL draft, and now the Cardinals are ready to unleash him. Benson played 16 snaps on Sunday and led the Cardinals in rushing with 62 yards on ten carries. He also added two receptions for 25 yards. While Benson has not taken the starting job from James Conner, he should be in line for plenty of work over the remainder of the season. He should be added in all leagues as a high-upside bench stash. Benson is worth around 15% FAAB, as we hope to see an increased workload for him down the stretch.
Tyjae Spears – Tennessee Titans
The Titans seem intent on having a two-headed monster in their backfield. Tony Pollard and Tyjae Spears will likely see plenty of action throughout the remainder of the season. Spears played 25 snaps to Pollard’s 29 on Sunday, and his usage is worth monitoring. Spears rushed seven times for 47 yards and caught three passes for four yards. Pollard has been the more effective player this season, and this will likely continue. But Spears is worth stashing on your bench as we wait to see if his snaps continue to increase. Only spend around 5% FAAB on Spears as his role is not guaranteed.
Wide Receiver Waiver Wire Suggestions
Ricky Pearsall – San Francisco 49ers
You may be too late if you have not hopped on the Ricky Pearsall wagon. Coming out of their bye week, Pearsall saw 41 snaps (64.1% snap percentage) and caught four passes for 73 yards and one touchdown. Even though he saw fewer snaps than Deebo Samuel and Jauan Jennings, Pearsall holds plenty of value as a WR3 in this offense. At this point, he should be owned in all leagues and has flex value. He should go for around 20-25% FAAB, as his upside in this offense is tremendous.
Adonai Mitchell – Indianapolis Colts
For the first time this season, we saw a significant snap share for rookie wide receiver Adonai Mitchell. He led the Colts’ wide receivers in snaps with 60 and had the best game of his young career. He caught six passes for 71 yards. Some of that may be because Michael Pittman Jr. was inactive. But Mitchell opened some eyes in this game. The Colts are looking for explosiveness in their passing game, and Mitchell is just the player to help with that. There is no reason for the Colts not to put the rookie on the field as much as possible. His snap count may decrease when Pittman returns, but if the Colts want to develop the rookie, they will find a way to get him on the field. Look to spend around 10% FAAB on the rookie as we hope the Colts get him more involved down the stretch.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling- New Orleans Saints
Someone has to catch passes for the injury-riddled Saints. Chris Olave was recently placed on injured reserve, opening the door for many targets across the roster. On Sunday, Marquez Valdes-Scantling took over the Saints’ offense. He caught three passes for 109 yards and two touchdowns. It was only his second game with the Saints, and his ability as a deep threat was needed for the Saints’ offense. He will unlikely continue his insane efficiency in the coming weeks, but he could become a flex play in deep leagues. He should go for no more than 5% FAAB, as he is a dart throw heading into Week 11.
Tight End Waiver Wire Suggestion
Jonnu Smith – Miami Dolphins
The struggle to find a consistent tight end in fantasy football is one many managers have been dealing with. If you are streaming tight ends, Jonnu Smith may be the next guy to take a look at. Smith will not put up massive numbers, but he will be involved every week. On Monday Night in Week 10, Smith caught three passes on four targets for 45 yards. He has now caught at least three passes in five straight games. Smith has a limited ceiling but can be started as a streaming option. Spending a lot of FAAB at tight end is tough, so do not use more than 5% on Smith.
