Eleven weeks down and only one team has been eliminated from the playoffs in real football – god speed to my Cincinnati Bengals – so the hope is you are not the Bengals of your league and still have a shot at the playoffs. If you are in need of a few late season pickups, we have quite a few for you this week in our Waiver Wire Report.
NOTE: All ‘Percent Rostered’ stats are based off ESPN.com fantasy leagues
Quarterbacks:
Like most weeks, the list of quarterbacks on the waiver wire continues to be pretty solid, so if you find yourself in need of a quarterback due to an injury or bye, you are still in luck.
Kirk Cousins, QB, Min:
Percent Rostered: 59.6%
Stats thru Week 11: 2,756 yds, 21 TD, 3 INT
What the hell is going on in nearly half of the leagues where Kirk Cousin is not owned? I get it, he isn’t a sexy pick, but last I checked, most people play fantasy football for money, and as a result, should be be concerned with production and nothing else…well, Cousins is producing this year. Producing so much that he should be in the MVP conversation. When you stop laughing, here me out: Cousins ranks 2nd in touchdowns (21), 2nd in quarterback rating (114.8), 3rd in completion percentage (70.6%), t-3rd in yards per attempt (8.6), 5th in yards, and just 3 interceptions…all without his top receiver, Adam Thielen. Despite the MVP numbers, his ownership somehow went down .6% this past week. In fact, guys like Josh Allen, Carson Wents, Jameis Winston, Jared Goff and Philip Rivers are stilled rostered in more leagues than Cousins. Even with the Vikings on bye, you should pick up Cousins (and start him!) if you happen to be in one of the asinine leagues where he is available.
Sam Darnold, QB, NYJ:
Percent Rostered: 12.3%
Stats thru Week 11: 1,600 yds, 11 TD, 10 INT
Darnold is by no means an everyday starter in fantasy football because he is still too inconsistent at this point, but he is certainly worthy of a roster spot and can fill in as a spot starter. Darnold is coming off his best fantasy performance of the year this past week – 293 yards, 4 touchdowns, 1 interception – and has three straight weeks of friendly matchups (Raiders, Bengals, Dolphins).
Nick Foles, QB, Jax:
Percent Rostered: 19.7%
Stats thru Week 11: 371 yds, 4 TD, 2 INT
In his first game back, Foles had a pretty good fantasy performance against a good Colts defense – 296 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception. As Foles becomes more comfortable with his receivers, I would expect his production to increase even more.
Jeff Driskel, QB, Det:
Percent Rostered: 4.0%
Stats thru Week 11: 478 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT; 13 rushes, 88 yards, 1 TD
Driskel is just keeping the seat warm for Matthew Stafford, but he is playing well and he provides additional value with his legs. In just his second start, Driskel accounted for three touchdowns and 260 yards. If you need a spot starter, Driskel has a friendly matchup this week against the hapless Redskins.
Baker Mayfield, QB, Cle:
Percent Rostered: 45.3%
Stats thru Week 11: 2,394 yds, 11 TD, 12 INT; 15 rushes, 77 yards, 2 TD
This one may surprise people because Mayfield is having such a rough year, but over the last four games against three of the best defense in the league (Patriots, Bills, Steelers), he has seven total touchdowns (6 passing; 1 rushing) and just one turnover and three of his next four games are against the Dolphins, Bengals and Cardinals.
Running Backs:
Thanks to some recent injuries, trades and returns from injury, there are actually a few decent running back options out on the waiver wire again this week.
Derrius Guice, RB, Was:
Percent Rostered: 46.8%
Stats thru Week 11: 17 carries, 42 yds, 0 TD; 4 rec, 65 yds, 1 TD
His first game back wasn’t great, but he did find the endzone and with a favorable matchup this week against the Lions, Guice is worthy of a Flex start if you are short on running backs.
Jonthan Williams/Nyheim Hines, RB, Ind:
Percent Rostered: 16.7%/29.2%
Stats thru Week 11 (Williams): 15 carries, 117 yds, 0 TD; 1 rec, 31 yds, 0 TD
Stats thru Week 11 (Hines): 25 carries, 77 yds, 1 TD; 30 rec, 242 yds, 0 TD
With Marlon Mack out for the forseeable future with a fractured hand, the value of all other Colts running backs has gone up. The early leader in the clubhouse for the bulk of the work is Williams. Despite only two touches on the season, Williams picked up the load for Mack and put up 116 yards on 13 carries for a staggering 8.9 yards per carry. He also added a reception for 31 yards. And, though Williams may get the bulk of the carries, Hines still has value in PPR leagues. He has seven receptions for 54 yards over his past two games.
Kalen Ballage, RB, Mia:
Percent Rostered: 34.3%
Stats thru Week 11: 64 carries, 122 yds, 3 TD, 13 rec, 50 yds, 0 TD
With Mark Walton suspended, Ballage is seeing the bulk of the touches in the Dolphins backfield. While he didn’t do much with the touches – 17 total yards – he found the endzone and hauled in five receptions, so he certainly has value in PPF leagues.
Bo Scarbrough, RB, Det:
Percent Rostered: 0.1%
Stats thru Week 11: 14 carries, 55 yds, 1 TD
Despite only being on the team for 24 hours, Scarbrough had a pretty successful day – 55 yards and a touchdown. It is still tough to figure out what is going on in the Lions backfield, but with Stafford out, the Lions are likely to be leaning hard on their running backs.
Tony Pollard, RB, Dal:
Percent Rostered: 11.4%
Stats thru Week 11: 51 carries, 238 yds, 1 TD; 9 rec, 81 yds, 1 TD
Pollard is nothing more than a handcuff or emergency starter, but teams focusing on stopping Ezekiel Elliott, there should be some room for productivity from Pollard – at least in the passing game.
Wide Receivers:
At this point, the waiver wire remains pretty picked over at the wide receiver position, but there are a few options out there which are worth taking a flyer on if you are thin at the position.
DeVante Parker, WR, Mia:
Percent Rostered: 44.7%
Stats thru Week 11: 40 rec, 604 yds, 4 TD (65 targets)
I have been on Parker all year and over the last few weeks, he has been making me look pretty good. Over the last five games, Parker has been targeted 44 times, pulling in 27 of those for 375 yards and two touchdowns.
Josh Gordon, WR, Sea:
Percent Rostered: 54.2%
Stats thru Week 11: 22 rec, 314 yds, 1 TD (38 targets)
After one week with Russell Wilson, the Seahawks went on bye, so we don’t know how involved Gordon will be in this offense, but, with Will Dissly on IR, an MVP candidate quarterback and an otherwise underwhelming receiving corps, a top talent like Gordon could excel in Seattle if he can click with Wilson.
Darius Slatyon, WR, NYG:
Percent Rostered: 21.5%
Stats thru Week 11: 27 rec, 394 yds, 5 TD (45 targets)
After Slayton’s huge breakout in Week 10, the Giants went on bye, so we don’t know yet if his performance was the beginning of a bigger role, or just an outlier, but if you have a spot on your bench, Slayton is worth picking up.
Deebo Samuel, WR, SF:
Percent Rostered: 32.9%
Stats thru Week 11: 38 rec, 473 yds, 1 TD (53 targets)
With George Kittle, Emmanuel Sanders and Matt Brieda all battling injuries, Samuel has been the big beneficiary. Over the past three games, Samuel has seen 38 targets, pulling in 20 of those for 286 yards. While it may not last when everyone is healthy, given how productive he has been, he should have a role in the offense.
Hunter Renfrow, WR, Oak:
Percent Rostered: 7.9%
Stats thru Week 11: 33 rec, 365 yds, 2 TD (48 targets)
Renfrow has been here a few weeks now and that is because his role and production have picked up. Over the past four weeks, he has 22 targets, of which, he has pulled in 19 for 250 yards and two touchdowns. In PPR leagues he is a borderline Flex play.
Tight Ends:
Due to injuries and trades, there are actually some solid tight end options out there if you find yourself needing a tight end late in the season.
Jacob Hollister, TE, Sea:
Percent Rostered: 15.0%
Stats thru Week 11: 17 rec, 137 yds, 3 TD (24 targets)
With Will Dissly on IR, Hollister has been filling in and filling in quite well. While the pickup of Gordon could impact Hollister, over the last two weeks, he has 16 targets and has pulled in 12 of those for 99 yards and three touchdowns. Hollister is a borderline starting fantasy tight end at this point.
Ryan Griffin, TE, NYJ:
Percent Rostered: 1.1%
Stats thru Week 11: 25 rec, 269 yds, 4 TD (29 targets)
In three of the last four weeks, Griffin has put up double-digit points in PPR leagues and quite frankly has been a solid TE play. Over those four weeks, Griffin has seen 18 targets, pulling in 16 for 223 yards and three touchdowns.
Noah Fant, TE, Den:
Percent Rostered: 14.2%
Stats thru Week 11: 27 rec, 360 yds, 2 TD (48 targets)
Fant is another guy who has been on this list a few times now. With Emmanuel Sanders being traded, Fant’s role and production have ticked up significantly. Over the past two weeks, he has seen 15 targets, pulling in 7 of those for 175 yards and a touchdown.
Ross Dwelley, TE, SF:
Percent Rostered: 10.6%
Stats thru Week 11: 14 rec, 66 yds, 2 TD (21 targets)
Dwelley’s value is strictly tied to George Kittle’s health, and his production has been touchdown dependent, however, if you are in a bind, and Kittle is out a third week, Dwelley may be a decent option.
