You pretty much know what kind of team you have at this point in the fantasy football season, whether you like it or not. But there is still time to steer the ship in the right direction, even with the playoffs quickly approaching.
As your waiver wire pickups for Week 11 begin to be formulated, taking a look around your league for players other teams dropped due to a myriad of reasons (not having a big-enough bench, underproducing but big names, or even fighting a lasting injury bug but should be healthy soon), can be a big-time benefit. Plus, with the trade deadline sprinkled throughout the month of November for most of your leagues, getting any additions to your fantasy football squad is going to be tough.
For our conversation about Week 11 Waiver Wire Pickups on the Establish the Pass podcast, listen below:
This week’s waiver wire pickups play the field in terms of positions, creating a sense of flexibility for all sorts of rosters that are looking to get better – with all players (except one) under the regular 50% rostership line (in ESPN leagues), most (if not all) of these players should be available to be added.
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Week 11 Waiver Wire Pickups
10. Jamal Agnew – WR
9.4% Rostered
Jacksonville Jaguars
One of the league’s worst teams, the Jacksonville Jaguars have struggled to facilitate any sort of a fantasy-relevant offense, yet there are a few standout options that make for intriguing bench additions.
For starters, Jamal Agnew has never really had a role on an NFL offense in his career, playing mostly on kick and punt return units. But with the Jaguars failing to create a good offensive attack, he has been a spark plug in a role that should have been filled by Laviska Shennault.
While limited on touches, he has big-play abilities every time he touches the ball, something that certainly can provide fantasy football relevance, even if this offense is tough to trust. If looking for a potential WR3/4 on the wire, Agnew is a boom/bust play that hopefully will do more of the former and less of the latter.
9. James Washington – WR
2.2% Rostered
Pittsburgh Steelers
In the absence of Chase Claypool due to a toe injury, James Washington and Ray-Ray McCloud have been given more playing time. Even though McCloud ended up earning the far superior target share on Sunday against Detroit, Washington caught an early-game touchdown and is the better option out of the two.
McCloud earned a ridiculous 12 targets from Mason Rudolph, who was filling in for Ben Roethlisberger during his stint on the COVID list, and while playing to a tie against a winless team is embarrassing, Washington was given every chance to earn some of Claypool’s fantasy work, an intriguing aspect to consider for your waiver wire pickups this week. The Steelers will continue to rely on Najee Harris on the ground, but Washington brings a high-upside WR3 outlook to your waiver wire pickups this week.
8. Marcus Johnson – WR
0.0% Rostered
Tennessee Titans
Yes, the percentage of rosters that Marcus Johnson is a part of currently on ESPN is 0.0% – but that will change after his performance in Week 10.
Stepping in to be the WR2 alongside A.J. Brown, Johnson put up his first career 100-yard performance against the Saints, proving that maybe the Tennessee Titans offense can support fantasy-relevant receivers besides Brown.
While expecting a lot out of Johnson isn’t fair, what is fair is to expect him to earn a steady dosage of targets from Ryan Tannehill, especially if defenses decide to shut down Brown and not focus on Johnson at all. Filling a WR3/4 upside role certainly can never be overlooked for fantasy football rosters, meaning Johnson is a strong choice for your waiver wire pickups this week.
7. Devonta Freeman – RB
43.8% Rostered
Baltimore Ravens
On a run-first team, the Baltimore Ravens have been forced into recovery mode after losing J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards to season-ending injuries. By bringing in a cast of washed-up veteran options, they have put a band-aid on a big wound – but Devonta Freeman has become the best option out of the bunch.
For Freeman, he certainly was not expected to fill any fantasy-relevant role this year, and even when he joined the Ravens not much was expected out of him. But the team looks to trust him the most out of all the current options on the roster, and the kind of touches he will get alongside Lamar Jackson will only help boost his ceiling.
Certainly dependant on game script, Freeman is a sneaky RB2/3 at this point.
6. Dan Arnold – TE
28.0% Rostered
Jacksonville Jaguars
Think back to the explanation for Agnew’s spot on this list – and now think of a proven option on a week-by-week basis that has averaged seven targets per game since being traded to the Jaguars.
For Dan Arnold, he has seen an incredible uptick in target share, putting him back onto the TE1/2 radar on a weekly basis, a sentence not even remotely thought of earlier this season. Having earned seven-plus targets and 60-plus receiving yards in four of his last five games, Arnold profiles to be a TE1/2 for the remainder of the year.
5. Michael Gallup – WR
52.3% Rostered
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys have a lot of mouths to feed that all factor into the fantasy football landscape, and with Michael Gallup returned from the IR, he is just another piece to the highly-charged puzzle for Dak Prescott.
In the two games he has been active for this year, Gallup has received five-plus targets in each, and with opponents focusing on Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb, Gallup benefits from being that forgotten weapon. Even though he is the 3A/B/C target in this offense, Gallup is one of those hard-to-pash-up options that you should target in this week’s waiver wire pickups.
4. D’Onta Foreman – RB
1.6% Rostered
Tennessee Titans
Ever since they lost Derrick Henry for the foreseeable future, the running game for the Titans has been a bit of a struggle. After bringing in both D’Onta Foreman and Adrian Peterson, the depth looks to be there for TEN.
However, Foreman has looked to be the best option of the bunch, having fresher legs and having a bigger role in the passing game too, all boosting his value for your fantasy football roster. With the Titans locked into a divisional title battle, look for Foreman to start to receive more work as the season progresses, which he has already started to do (5 carries in Week 9, 11 carries in Week 10), making him a solid choice for your waiver wire pickups.
3. Cam Newton – QB
12.6% Rostered
Carolina Panthers
The comeback that no one knew they needed – Cam Newton has returned to help right the ship in Carolina.
While fighting an uphill battle in a tough division, the Carolina Panthers turned to old friend Newton to help step in as Sam Darnold went down with an injury and P.J. Walker does not look like the best starting option.
Reports have surfaced that Newton will be taking most of the first-team snaps in practice this week, pointing to him starting against old friend Ron Rivera and Washington this upcoming week – if looking for a high-upside QB with rushing abilities, go after Newton and get him on your roster.
2. Rashod Bateman – WR
32.5% Rostered
Baltimore Ravens
A mainstay on this list throughout a good part of the season, Rashod Bateman continues to be a focused aspect of the passing attack for the Ravens. As Jackson looks to him, Mark Andrews, and Hollywood Brown, Baltimore has one of the better sets of weapons in a long time.
For Bateman, he received six targets in two games and eight targets in the other two across his last four contests, and while the Ravens rely on the run, his target share is a metric that certainly boosts his fantasy football stock. Bateman has WR2/3 written all over him for the rest of the season, a value that is hard to find on the waiver wire.
1. Rhamondre Stevenson – RB
29.1% Rostered
New England Patriots
With Damien Harris missing Sunday’s contest with a concussion, it was rookie Rhamondre Stevenson who took the lead-back reigns and ran with it against the Browns.
24 touches for 114 yards and 2 rushing TDs is a healthy day for Stevenson, who looks to have minimally earned a larger role alongside Harris when he returns. With the Patriots helping Mac Jones remain successful as this team’s leader, Stevenson certainly has become a larger factor in that conversation and will remain a part of the offense moving forward, even if not as the starter.
Harris’ status will determine what kind of role Stevenson will have in Week 11, so keep an eye on those headlines for your fantasy football roster moving forward.
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