Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: Add These Players For Week 11

Don’t look now, but we’re 10 weeks into the regular season. Thankfully, there’s a silver lining for us fantasy football fans: We’re almost done with bye weeks! The Rams and Broncos are the lone teams on their byes this week, which leaves just 10 teams yet to enjoy their week off. That means you should be planning ahead and figuring out what positions you’ll need to replenish in a given week. Then again, no remaining bye week should be as brutal as Week 7. 

Fortunately, I’m back again with a list of players you should consider adding. Unfortunately, the waiver wire is starting to be worn out. Players like Carson Wentz, Dan Arnold, and Elijah Moore are now beyond consideration, and not just because I already included them here for multiple weeks. Most of these players below have a bit more to prove until they’re startable, but that’s just how it goes this deep into the fantasy season. 

Have any other fantasy questions? Hit me up on Twitter @ZachCohenFB and follow TDN Fantasy @TDNFantasy. I also used FantasyPros’ consensus ownership stats to reference a player’s general availability.

Quarterbacks

Justin Fields (QB - CHI)

Week 10 Stat Line: Bye

Last week, I only included Matt Ryan here after rambling about the lack of viable quarterbacks on waivers. That may apply to my next quarterback, but not to Fields. He scored 25.3 and 18.14 points in the last two games, respectively. Could he be matchup-proof? Dropping 18 points on the Steelers indicates he may be. He’s also surprisingly available in a majority of leagues, per FantasyPros. His Week 11 matchup against Baltimore doesn’t look as nice as his Week 12 matchup against Detroit, yet he’s still a must-add. That may be the last time I say that about a quarterback this season, so go grab him ASAP.

Mac Jones (QB - NE)

Week 10 Stat Line: 19.92 points, 198 passing yards, 3 passing TD

Jones is coming off a sharp performance and gets to face the mighty Falcons. You know, the team that’s allowed the third-most passing touchdowns per game? Jones has been almost unusable this season, but his play in Week 10 tells me he can be a solid streaming option. He may not have much rushing upside, though few typically available quarterbacks do. Just don’t bank on Jones driving your fantasy team to a title.

Players to Watch: Taylor Heinicke, Cam Newton, Trevor Siemian

Running Backs

Ty Johnson (RB - NYJ)

Week 10 Stat Line: 8.8 points, 2 rushing yards, 5 catches on 8 targets, 36 receiving yards

A.J. Dillon is too rostered for me to include him (he’s available in just 30% of leagues), but may I interest you in Johnson… again? This is the third-straight week I’ve listed Johnson here, and yet, he’s available in more than 80% of leagues! Does no one read my articles? In all seriousness, Johnson failed to post double-digit points for the first time since Week 4. He still saw eight targets, thus cementing his role as a receiving back. Michael Carter has actually seen seven more targets since Week 4, though it hasn’t impacted Johnson much. Johnson is still finding ways to produce points. Don’t be scared off by an average game against Buffalo. They’ve allowed the second-fewest points to running backs. Bottom-line: Johnson offers a high floor, which most available running backs don’t offer. Let this be the last time I include Johnson in my waivers column.

Brandon Bolden (RB - NE)

Week 10 Stat Line: 10 points, 32 rushing yards, 3 catches on 3 targets, 38 receiving yards

I have two New England running backs on this list, but only one of them may have long-term value: Bolden. Even though Rhamondre Stevenson outplayed Bolden in every stat, Bolden’s role as the Patriots’ receiving back gives him a safer weekly floor. Take their blowout versus Cleveland, for example. Despite a positive game script, Bolden still scored 10 points on just 18 snaps. Stevenson more than doubled Bolden’s playing time. Imagine what he can do when New England needs to throw the ball more? After all, their largest loss was by 15 to New Orleans in Week 3. Their other three losses came at a combined nine points. And even with Damien Harris healthy, Bolden scored 10-plus points in three of the last four games. He’s more than deserving of a roster spot.

Rhamondre Stevenson (RB - NE)

Week 10 Stat Line: 27.4 points, 100 rushing yards, 2 rushing TD, 4 catches on 5 targets, 14 receiving yards

Okay, so I touched on Stevenson a lot in the last blurb. We know what he’s capable of, thus deeming him worthy of a stash in most leagues. “But Damien Harris is coming back!” That’s true, to which I submit the following counterpoint: Do we really know what Bill Belichick is thinking? Yes, Harris may come back and kick Stevenson to the curb. But he also may not. Besides, Harris’ season-high for targets was three… back in Week 1. At the very least, hold onto Stevenson until after New England’s Thursday night matchup, especially if Harris isn’t cleared by then.

D’Onta Foreman (RB - TEN)

Week 10 Stat Line: 9.8 points, 30 rushing yards, 2 catches on 2 targets, 48 receiving yards

I once again implore you to stop expecting the Titans to replace Derrick Henry. It won’t happen. There’s a reason I had all Titans running backs as my weekly sit of the week. However, I did pinpoint Foreman as the best back on the roster. It seems Mike Vrabel and Co. somewhat agree because Foreman led Tennessee in carries and snaps. He ran a bit fewer routes than Adrian Peterson and Jeremy McNichols, yet none of them should be coveted for their receiving work. At this point, Foreman is the only running back in this backfield who I’d take a flier on, especially with Houston on deck in Week 11. He may not have anywhere near Henry’s upside, but Foreman’s usage and production are trending in the right direction.

Players to Watch: Alexander Mattison, Eno Benjamin

Wide Receivers

DeAndre Carter (WR - WSH)

Week 10 Stat Line: 15 points, 3 catches on 6 targets, 56 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD

It appears Washington has a new WR2. In the last two games, Carter has seen the second-most targets among the team’s wideouts—and it hasn’t been close. Could the potential return of Curtis Samuel curtail Carter’s surprising involvement? Sure, but Samuel’s lingering groin injury may continue to keep him sidelined. Besides, Carter has been playing well enough to earn the WR2 job over Dyami Brown, who’s also dealing with an injury. Carter has nearly identical stat lines in the last two games, which includes a touchdown in each game. Now, Washington does have a tough three-game stretch ahead of teams all within the top 10 of fantasy points allowed (FPA). Nonetheless, Carter is still someone to target if you need depth at the position.

Amon-Ra St. Brown (WR - DET)

Week 10 Stat Line: 10.1 points, 4 catches on 6 targets, 61 receiving yards

Excluding a donut in Week 7, St. Brown has been surprisingly consistent since Week 4. He’s played between roughly 69-78% of the Lions’ snaps while producing 7.6-13.5 points in that five-game span (again, I’m not counting his abysmal Week 7). Based on Detroit’s snap counts from their gritty tie with Pittsburgh, St. Brown is locked in as a top wideout on the team. He basically saw the same usage as Kalif Raymond and Trinity Benson. Looking ahead, St. Brown gets juicy matchups against Chicago and Minnesota (and Cleveland next week?). While his ceiling isn’t too high, his relatively high floor makes him rosterable.

Tre’Quan Smith (WR - NO)

Week 10 Stat Line: 14.4 points, 4 catches on 7 targets, 44 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD

Welcome back, Tre’Quan Smith! The annual deep sleeper missed the first six weeks of the season due to an injury. Since then, he’s only seen 3-4 targets each game, yet he’s scored 12.1 and 8.3 points in his last two games, respectively. Then he goes out and scores 14.4 points. This week, Smith led the team in snaps and routes run. That’s not too shabby for someone available in roughly 97% of leagues, per FantasyPros. Smith has a solid enough floor in fantasy to be rostered, and as long as he keeps getting treated like the Saints’ WR1, he may become a solid flex play.

Marcus Johnson (WR - TEN)

Week 10 Stat Line: 15 points, 5 catches on 6 targets, 100 receiving yards

Who? The Titans’ leading wideout for Week 10, that’s who. Johnson had seen more than five targets just twice all season, yet he stepped up big-time with Julio Jones on IR. He only ran a few more routes than Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and Chester Rogers, but he and A.J. Brown were clearly Tennessee’s top two receivers. Johnson even led the Titans’ receivers with a 22% target share. If anyone’s going to fill Jones’ role, it may be Johnson. He’s a solid addition in deeper leagues and a true flier in regular leagues. There’s no need to expect this production every game, especially with how run-heavy the Titans are, but don’t be surprised if Johnson finds some success against the Texans’ woeful secondary in Week 11.

Deonte Harris (WR - NO)

Week 10 Stat Line: 10 points, 3 catches on 4 targets, 84 receiving yards

I didn’t expect to tout two Saints receivers today, yet here we are. Harris typically hasn’t been as involved as Smith, but he’s been just as productive. Harris has averaged 10.9 points in the last five games. Although, that did include a game with one target, which Harris caught for a 72-yard touchdown. Harris actually has the largest target rate per snap among the entire team over the last six weeks. Simply put, the Saints know how to get Harris the ball. Is he a reliable starter each week? No, but he, Smith, and Marquez Callaway are seeing large enough target shares to warrant roster consideration. 

Players to Watch: Kendrick Bourne, Ray-Ray McCloud, Bryan Edwards

Tight Ends

Tyler Conklin (TE - MIN)

Week 10 Stat Line: 16.1 points, 3 catches on 5 targets, 11 receiving yards, 2 receiving TD

If you read this column each week, then hopefully you avoided this situation by adding Dan Arnold or Pat Freiermuth. If you’re a first-time reader or you just need a tight end, you could do worse than Conklin. Prior to his multi-touchdown performance, Conklin averaged roughly 10 points over the previous three games. He just hadn’t scored. In fact, Conklin only had one score all season. But 5-7 targets in each of the last four games give him a startable floor. His upcoming opponent, Green Bay, has allowed a range of roughly 9-18 points to tight ends in each of the last four games. That adds to Conklin’s viability as a good waiver add. 

Adam Trautman (TE - NO)

Week 10 Stat Line: 8.2 points, 5 catches on 6 targets, 32 receiving yards

Look, we both know how hard it is to find a viable tight end off of waivers. At this point in the season, that’s become the motto of this section of my column. So don’t think Trautman is a must-add, though he could be turning into one. He finished just shy of being a TE1 this week, behind players like Gerald Everett and Albert Okwuegbunam. That won’t happen every week. It was more encouraging to see Trautman post similar stats from Week 9, where he scored 8.7 points on seven targets and 42 receiving yards. He’s seen a season-high 19 targets over the last three games. Clearly, Trevor Siemian likes Trautman more than Jameis Winston. All jokes aside, Trautman may not be a consistent starter now, but he’s trending in that direction. I don’t blame you for stashing him before it’s too late. There are really no other good options, though the two players to watch could be serviceable in deeper leagues.

Players to Watch: Gerald Everett, Austin Hooper