Ladies and gentlemen, we’re entering Week 11 with four teams getting a much needed break. Those team include the Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, New York Giants, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
We set off to find the best waiver wire options of the week so you don’t have to, because we know how important having a ton of information will be now that we’re inching closer to the fantasy playoffs. We’ll get you set up for success heading into Week 11’s action.
Note: All rostership percentages use Sleeper for this Fantasy Football Week 11 Waiver Wire (2024) article.
Quarterback:
Bo Nix – Sleeper Roster – 44%
- We’ve touted Nix quite a bit in this article in recent weeks, and we’ll keep doing it because Nix provides a solid amount of rushing floor and he’s been pretty good through the air too with multiple touchdowns in four of his last six games. Since Week 5, Nix is the overall QB6 and now gets the Falcons at home, which is an exploitable defense.
- The Falcons are in the bottom third of teams in the league in EPA per dropback allowed. Nix just put up a decent two-touchdown fantasy performance against a tough defense in Kansas City when he wasn’t expected to, so in his next three matchups against the Falcons, Raiders, and Browns, Nix should thrive with quality performances if you need a multi-week streamer.
Russell Wilson – Sleeper Roster – 30%
- Don’t look now, folks, but ol’ Russell Wilson has two top-10 fantasy performances under his belt. In Week 10, Wilson tossed three touchdown passes and now has TWO “YOLO” outside receivers in George Pickens and the newest Steeler, Mike Williams. The Steelers have won three games in a row and now get the Ravens, who have been an abomination as a secondary.
- Joe Burrow put up 428 yards and four touchdowns in Week 10, Jameis Winston put up 334 yards and three touchdowns in his first start in Week 8, and Baker Mayfield put up 370 yards and three touchdowns on Baltimore in Week 7. Wilson cracks my top-10 quarterbacks this week with a primo matchup. If you need a quarterback with Kyler Murray and Baker Mayfield on bye, Wilson is a solid option to stream.
Drake Maye – Sleeper Roster – 25%
- While Drake Maye has tailed off a little bit with his last 20+ point fantasy game coming in Week 7, we know the upside Maye has even with a lackluster passing game. It’s the same exact bet as Bo Nix, but Maye just hasn’t done as well or put together that signature game. Though that could come in Week 11.
- Maye gets a defense that could cede some yards and touchdowns to Maye and his pass-catchers as Maye and the Patriots get a home matchup with the Los Angeles Rams on a short week. The game could sneakily be one of the higher-scoring games of the week, so now is the time to toss Maye into your lineup if you don’t have a quarterback option you feel good about in Week 11.
Running Back:
Audric Estime – Sleeper Roster – 7%
- Week 11 was not a great week for Javonte Williams as Audric Estime saw a season-high 26 snaps (45%) and saw 70% of the team’s rushing attempts. Many are saying “Joever” for Williams, and it just might be with Estime seeming like he’s not at the top of the heap for the Broncos.
- If you need a starting running back where you know you’re getting touches, Estime is just that and he would be an option worth dropping some serious FAAB or using a high-order waiver claim on this week. The Falcons are eighth-worst in the NFL in defensive EPA per rush attempt, so Estime is not only a potential breakout option, but one with a very good matchup in the upcoming week.
Cam Akers – Sleeper Roster – 20%
- So, in case you wanted to hold out for one more week to see if the “flippening” that happened in Week 9 where Cam Akers supplanted Ty Chandler was indeed real, we got confirmation of that as Akers saw nine more carries than Chandler and a 31% to 14% snap percentage edge on Chandler.
- Akers saw much more work than normal thanks to Aaron Jones leaving the game thanks to a chest injury. If Jones can’t go in Week 11 against the Titans, Akers is slated for a large share of the workload for the Vikings. That’s worth an add for sure, but he should be added anyway thanks to the contingent value he has plus the fact that Jones is an older back who always seems to get nicked up regularly.
Tyjae Spears – Sleeper Roster – 46%
- After missing three games due to a hamstring injury, Tyjae Spears came back with a vengeance… sort of. Spears led the Titans in rushing yards, but with Tony Pollard clearly hampered with a foot injury, the duo split a lot of the workload. Pollard did edge Spears 13-to-10 in total touches, but Spears is back for now with involvement in the Titans’ offense.
- Whether that involvement continues when Pollard gets healthier is another issue entirely, but it was good to see Spears not only look good from an athletic standpoint, but to see him featured quite a bit in tandem with Pollard. Spears is a priority addition to your roster if you’re looking to get some cheap standalone value in Week 11 as the Titans host the Vikings and some contingent value for the rest of the season.
Wide Receiver:
Adonai Mitchell – Sleeper Roster – 16%
- Adonai Mitchell has had a tough time getting on the field this season. He had been able to see some decent routes toward the beginning of the season when Josh Downs was hurt, but with Michael Pittman, Alec Pierce, and Downs all healthy, Mitchell seemed to be the odd man out of the rotation at wide receiver. Further complicating matters was Pierce not being too terrible of a receiver as he had been in previous seasons.
- Fast forward to Week 10, as Mitchell took advantage of Pittman’s back and finger injury to see his highest routes per dropback at 95% and he caught all six of his targets for 71 yards. With Pittman undeniably trying his best to get through an injury he reportedly almost went in on injured reserve for, Mitchell will benefit from the time on the field and Joe Flacco throwing him passes. Mitchell is an upside flex play with four teams on bye this week.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling – Sleeper Roster – 2%
- Normally, it’s easy to dismiss Marquez Valdes-Scantling’s three-catch, 109-yard, two-touchdown outburst as the good side of variance. But there are literally no pass-catchers left in New Orleans. For context, the Saints were on their WR6, WR8, WR9, WR10, and WR11 that were active in Week 10. By comparison to some of those options, Valdes-Scantling looked like Ja’Marr Chase.
- If you’re hard up for wide receivers, you can do worse than MVS… you can do BETTER, but you theoretically could do worse. Valdes-Scantling only ran routes on 67% of Derek Carr’s dropbacks, but it still led the wide receivers. His three targets in Week 10 were primarily deep shots too with a 30.7-yard aDOT. Is there target-earning potential here? Because for MVS to be anything close to a consistent option, he’s going to have to earn targets. He never has earned targets in Green Bay, Kansas City, Buffalo and hasn’t in New Orleans. MVS has a high ceiling, but it’s coupled with a rock-bottom floor, so I’ll leave you with this: caveat emptor; buyer beware.
Rashod Bateman – Sleeper Roster – 32%
- I’m surprised Rashod Bateman’s rostership is as low as it is, because Bateman has a regular role on arguably the best offensive team in football. He earned eight targets for a 6-54 line with a touchdown on 83% routes per dropback. What’s not to like?
- Well, Bateman could start ceding some routes to recent acquisition Diontae Johnson, who has been slowly worked into the rotation at wide receiver. The Ravens didn’t trade a draft pick to give Johnson just five snaps every week, and his rise in workload has to come from somewhere. Perhaps Bateman’s role stays insulated, but I’m still more than willing to trot Bateman out as a solid flex option in an elite offense.
Tight End:
Dawson Knox – Sleeper Roster – 4%
- With starting tight end Dalton Kincaid (knee) leaving the game after running just 11 pass routes, Dawson Knox was able to pick up the slack with 40 yards on two catches on three targets. Kincaid said he wanted to go back in the game but was held back in doing so. Despite that, if Kincaid cannot go in Week 11 vs. the Kansas City Chiefs, Knox becomes an interesting tight end streamer.
- Knox filling in for Kincaid in Week 10 saw his highest routes per dropback of the season with 63% as he’s been a part-time player this season for the Bills. He’s had a history of solid potential, albeit mostly touchdown-based, so despite a tougher matchup against the Chiefs, Knox works his way into streaming tight end consideration this week if Kincaid is inactive.
Theo Johnson – Sleeper Roster – 6%
- Sure, the Giants are on bye in Week 11, but that doesn’t mean we should grab somebody to stash that’s been coming on over the last couple of weeks. Johnson has at least six targets in his last two games and has run routes on 76% of snaps this season. He’s been a regular fixture of the Giants’ offense and with the inconsistency going on with the wide receivers, Johnson makes for a potential tight end option after their bye week.
- The Giants have a massive group of cakewalk defenses to go against from after their bye through to the fantasy championship with the Buccaneers, Cowboys, Saints, Ravens, Falcons, and Colts in the next six weeks. That’s very juicy and as long as Daniel Jones is starting, that makes Johnson a solidly attractive tight end option for all of those weeks. If you have a better option, you should be starting that option, but Johnson could come on and be a potential league-winner with a schedule like that and running the routes per dropback that he’s earned.
Ja’Tavion Sanders – Sleeper Roster – 10%
- Another rookie tight end that we’ve featured in this article quite a bit, Ja’Tavion Sanders has had a solid last couple of weeks with a 4-87 line on five targets in Week 9, following by now great target earning with just two catches for eight yards, but he did score a touchdown.
- Frankly, if you don’t have an elite tight end at your disposal, the position hinges on whether that player can score a touchdown or not. Running a season-high 89% routes in Week 10, the Panthers are also on bye in Week 11, but he should be stashed as the Chiefs, Buccaneers, Eagles, Cowboys, and Cardinals are next up on the schedule, where Sanders could be a solid option on an offense that’s looked better with Bryce Young over the last couple of weeks.
D/ST:
Miami Dolphins – Sleeper Roster – 16%
- The Miami Dolphins’ fantasy D/ST hasn’t been great all season. They haven’t scored double-digit fantasy points all season, but they did finish top-10 in Week 10. That’s not why we’re recommending them in Week 11.
- The Dolphins host the punchless Las Vegas Raiders, and matchups truly matter when it comes to streaming defenses. Despite the Dolphins being a bottom-five in DVOA, pick them up to start against the Raiders this week.
Houston Texans – Sleeper Roster – 29%
- The Texans have finished as a top-10 fantasy defense in four of the last five weeks with a hiccup against the New York Jets in Week 9. Lucky for the Texans, they get to be the next team to face either Cooper Rush or Trey Lance as they take on the Cowboys in AT&T Stadium.
- Somehow, the Texans are available in over 70% of fantasy leagues, so they need to be a priority add this week as Houston should be able to smother whoever starts at quarterback for the spiraling Cowboys. Not only does Houston get the Cowboys in Week 11, but they also face the Titans at home and the Jaguars in Jacksonville, so the Texans are likely a three-week streaming option before they get their bye week in Week 14.
Denver Broncos – Sleeper Roster – 46%
- While the incoming Atlanta Falcons have been solid on offense this season as the 11th-best offense in terms of EPA per play, the Broncos are third in defensive EPA per play on the campaign. The Falcons visit the Broncos and Denver’s stifling defense could prove tough for Kirk Cousins to maneuver around.
- Cousins is no stranger to back-breaking turnovers throughout his career and against a rock-solid defense in Denver, he could provide some gifts to Patrick Surtain and company in Week 11. The Broncos based on the strength of their defense shouldn’t be on waivers in 54% of leagues, but they’re easily a top-10 fantasy option this week.
