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The fantasy playoffs are getting closer so it's crucial to get your rosters ready for the postseason. It may mean making that smart RB stash or grabbing a QB with a favorable schedule. Only two teams are off in Week 11, the Broncos and Rams, so there should be fewer short-term needs than usual.
Winning teams always look ahead and that's exactly what we try to do when recommending a player. In this column, we always identify as many noteworthy waiver wire targets as possible at every position with a brief explanation of each player's current path to fantasy relevance.
All rostered percentages are taken from Yahoo and players are listed in descending order, not in order of priority. Only players who are rostered in approximately 40% or fewer leagues are considered.
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Running Backs - Waiver Wire Options to Pickup
Rhamondre Stevenson, New England Patriots - 32% rostered
If you paid close attention over the weekend, you noticed that Stevenson was declared active against Cleveland while Damien Harris was ruled out. That gave the rookie a chance to be the featured back and he delivered in a big way with 100 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. This type of performance would normally make a running back like him the top pickup of the week but if Harris returns then he will be relegated to a backup role again. He's certainly worth adding for Week 11 since Damien Harris was estimated to miss Monday's practice and the Pats play on Thursday night. Just don't overreact by spending too much on him because his late-season value is not guaranteed.
Boston Scott, Philadelphia Eagles - 32% rostered
The Eagles just can't stop running the ball all of a sudden. Jordan Howard led the team again with 83 yards on 12 carries but Scott was just behind him at 81 yards on 11 carries and is rostered in 20% fewer leagues. This committee is likely to remain intact, which undercuts Scott's upside a bit, and the Week 11 matchup is extremely tough; New Orleans allows the fewest rushing yards per carry among all defenses. Scott is mostly a player to stash and stream in case of injury or bye.
Eno Benjamin, Arizona Cardinals - 18% rostered
As the RB2 on the team with the best record in the NFL, Benjamin's appeal is obvious. It didn't look that way in Week 10 when the Cards lost for the second time this year and only put 10 points on the scoreboard. Benjamin was barely involved, carrying six times for 22 yards. It should be a different story once Kyler Murray returns, presumably next week to face Seattle. If Benjamin gets used as a pass-catcher like Chase Edmonds was, his value in PPR leagues could get a big boost. He isn't necessarily on the streaming radar outside of deeper leagues and the Cards are off in Week 12 so he should only be added to rosters where bench space is available.
D'Onta Foreman, Tennessee Titans - 3% rostered
For what it's worth, Foreman may be taking over as the lead back in Tennessee. He carried the ball 11 times compared to eight for Adrian Peterson and four for Jeremy McNichols. If Ryan Tannehill would stop taking it in himself around the goal-line and hand the ball off instead, there might be more fantasy intrigue here. Their Week 11 opponent is Houston, one of the worst run defenses in the league. As it stands, Foreman is a deep-league stash in case he carves out a bigger role.
Patrick Taylor, Green Bay Packers - 0% rostered
The latest unheralded RB that we need to pay attention to is Taylor, an undrafted free agent in 2020 who saw his first NFL carry in Week 10 after Aaron Jones left with a knee injury. This will prompt excitement around Taylor as a waiver wire add, naturally. His PlayerProfiler page shows why he went undrafted:
Aaron Jones sustained a sprained MCL and will miss at least Week 11, with the possibility of 2-3 more games too. That leaves A.J. Dillon as the clear lead back with Taylor as the backup. He likely won't see enough touches to be startable anywhere but he becomes the insurance policy for Dillon and a flier worth taking.
Wayne Gallman, Atlanta Falcons - 0% rostered
The former Giant has been sparsely used in Atlanta until Week 10 when he saw 15 carries and churned out 55 yards. Two factors conspired to make this happen: Cordarrelle Patterson suffered an ankle injury early on and the Falcons got blown out from the very start. Although we shouldn't read too much into garbage time stats, it's interesting that Gallman got a lot more work than Mike Davis, whose snap share keeps falling. If Patterson isn't ready to go for Thursday night on the short turnaround, Gallman could see enough involvement to become a streaming option.
Others to consider: Sony Michel, Los Angeles Rams (33% rostered); Samaje Perine, Cincinnati Bengals (24% rostered); Jaret Patterson, Washington Football Team (2% rostered)
Wide Receivers - Waiver Wire Options to Pickup
Robby Anderson, Carolina Panthers - 37% rostered
A quarterback change might be all Anderson needed. With Sam Darnold sidelined, Anderson caught his third touchdown pass of the season. He only wound up with 37 yards on four receptions but he did outpace D.J. Moore on the day. When Cam Newton starts in Week 11, it could help even more. The upcoming schedule is also favorable with Washington and Miami over the next two weeks.
Donovan Peoples-Jones, Cleveland Browns - 29% rostered
It was a miserable outing for Cleveland in Week 10, especially on offense. DPJ wasn't immune, catching just one of five targets for 16 yards. He will live and die by the big play downfield, making him the ultimate boom-or-bust streamer. His chances for a home run play will go up exponentially when facing Detroit in Week 11.
Deonte Harris, New Orleans Saints - 19% rostered
Harris didn't lead the Saints in targets as he had the previous two games but he did lead the team in receiving yards with 84 in Week 10. It's a balanced attack in New Orleans but they may have to lean on the pass a little more as long as Alvin Kamara remains out. Harris is becoming a solid WR3 in PPR leagues regardless.
Bryan Edwards, Las Vegas Raiders - 18% rostered
Although DeSean Jackson made an appearance by catching a deep ball, he promptly fumbled it and didn't see any other targets on the evening. Edwards may be the true deep threat to replace Henry Ruggs, as he caught three balls for 88 yards and a touchdown. Each reception went for at least 20 yards. The matchup and game script certainly worked in his favor but Edwards has shown a proclivity for the deep reception all year long. He is a high-upside streaming option, more so in non-PPR leagues.
Kendrick Bourne, New England Patriots - 7% rostered
Without much notice, Bourne has been a top-30 fantasy wide receiver on the season and bumped up his point totals even more in Week 10. He went for a team-high 98 receiving yards and a touchdown in the romp over Cleveland but if that wasn't enough, he also chipped in 43 rushing yards. It was just a couple of weeks ago that he threw a 25-yard touchdown pass, showcasing his all-around skills. He doesn't get a high target share (13%) but his knack for the big play makes him a boom possibility any given week.
Tre'Quan Smith, New Orleans Saints - 3% rostered
The fact that Smith scored a touchdown for the second time in three games is more significant when you consider that he nearly scored a second this week and was targeted several times in the red zone. This pass offense is going to look much different with Trevor Siemian at QB rather than Jameis Winston so Smith, Harris, and Callaway won't be running fly routes so much as working underneath. That could lead to more stability and a higher floor, even if it means fewer splash plays. Smith seems to be the preferred red-zone threat so he is in play for standard leagues.
DeAndre Carter, Washington Football Team - 1% rostered
The bye week was sandwiched in between two solid outings for Carter with very similar statlines. In Week 8 and 10, he caught three passes on six targets for just over 50 yards and a touchdown. Granted, he won't necessarily do that every week going forward but he's emerging as the WR2 in Washington. That's enough to make him flex-worthy in 12-team leagues or deeper.
Marcus Johnson, Tennessee Titans - 0% rostered
A big game from a lesser-known receiver can easily be dismissed as a blip on an otherwise irrelevant season (see: Davis, Gabriel). In this case, it matters that Johnson went for a 100-yard game against New Orleans because Julio Jones was just placed on IR. Johnson could be cementing his role as the WR2 in this offense that will need to lean on the passing game more without Derrick Henry. Johnson's resume is spotty, especially considering he had only caught a ball in two other games this season before Week 10. Take a flier on him wherever receiver help is needed.
Others to consider: Marquez Callaway, New Orleans Saints (34% rostered); Jamison Crowder, New York Jets (22% rostered); Jamal Agnew, Jacksonville Jaguars (9% rostered); Nico Collins, Houston Texans (1% rostered)
Tight Ends - Waiver Wire Options to Pickup
Tyler Conklin, Minnesota Vikings - 30% rostered
His yardage went down to 11 this past weekend but he scored twice against the Chargers, so that's a fair tradeoff. Conklin remains involved as a pass-catcher and will keep hovering at low-end TE1 fantasy value based on his usage in the Vikings offense.
Dan Arnold, Jacksonville Jaguars - 26% rostered
Raise your hand if you thought that the most productive offensive threat on the Jaguars this season would be tight end Dan Arnold. If you raised your hand then you are a filthy liar because Arnold wasn't even on the Jags' roster before Week 4! Since that time, he's gone over 60 yards four times and is averaging over seven targets per game over the last five contests. It would be nice if he ever found the end zone but that's asking too much of a player in his situation. The ceiling isn't tremendous but he's bringing a double-digit point total to PPR owners on a near-weekly basis.
Cole Kmet, Chicago Bears - 18% rostered
The week off may work to the advantage of fantasy teams needing a solid tight end because Kmet was dropped in many places. In Week 9, he posted a season-high 87 yards on six receptions while Justin Fields also dropped a career-high in passing yards with 291. It'll take a bigger sample size before we say that either player has arrived as a pro but Kmet has seen his target share steadily rise the past few weeks with no fewer than six targets in the last three games. If Allen Robinson's injury from last week hampers him in any way, it could be all systems go for a Kmet breakout.
Adam Trautman, New Orleans Saints - 5% rostered
The move to Trevor Siemian seems to have helped the tight end position in New Orleans. Through the first six games, Trautman had a grand total of nine receptions and 100 yards on 13 targets. In the three games Siemian has mostly played (including Week 8 when Jameis Winston went down in the first quarter), here are his numbers:
| Tgts | Rec. | Yds | |
| Week 8 | 6 | 2 | 4 |
| Week 9 | 7 | 4 | 47 |
| Week 10 | 6 | 5 | 32 |
Those stats are nothing to write home about but we can see a steady target share and increased usage. Trautman may be inching closer to fantasy relevance in 14-team leagues.
Others to consider: Evan Engram, New York Giants (32% rostered); Cameron Brate, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4% rostered)
Quarterbacks - Waiver Wire Options to Pickup
Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns - 37% rostered
Those in the Odell Beckham Jr. camp or who side with him had to smile a little when watching Mayfield in his first game without OBJ. He completed 11 of 21 attempts before being pulled in the second half of a blowout loss to New England. Consider next week a huge bounce-back opportunity against Detroit, who held their own against Pittsburgh this week but is clearly inferior on defense to the Patriots. Mayfield should benefit from the return of Nick Chubb to support the run game and is a viable streamer for those missing Matthew Stafford.
Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins - 19% rostered
The defense took center stage on Thursday night's upset over Baltimore but it also marked the return of Tua under center. He didn't start for the second straight week due to a finger injury but came in when Jacoby Brissett also got hurt. Tagovailoa was efficient, completing eight of 13 pass attempts for 158 yards and running in a touchdown. He will start against the Jets in Week 11 and has a good chance to put up a nice fantasy day. It goes without saying this is a smash spot for any quarterback.
Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers - 15% rostered
It had been a minute (10 months and 11 days to be exact) since Cam Newton appeared in an NFL game but it looked as if he were in midseason form. Superman came in and ran for a touchdown in the first snap of his second stint with Carolina and then threw for a touchdown on the next appearance. It's rare for a quarterback to put up double-digit fantasy points when attempting just four passes and carrying three times but that's what he did, outscoring Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson among others on the day. Newton appears to be the starter going forward and is worth adding in two-QB and Superflex leagues immediately.
Others to consider: Daniel Jones, New York Giants (30% rostered); Mac Jones, New England Patriots (28% rostered)
Team Defense (D/ST) - Waiver Wire Options to Pickup
San Francisco 49ers Defense - 45% rostered
It's usually a bye week that leads to a top DST getting dropped but in this case, a Monday night matchup with the Rams did the trick. That was a mistake, as they stymied Matthew Stafford and the once-mighty Rams offense. Now, the Niners defense is widely available in time for a Week 11 tilt with Jacksonville. Trevor Lawrence has gotten much better at limiting turnovers lately, having thrown two picks in the last six games after tossing seven in the first three games. That hasn't led to more scoring for the Jags though. In leagues where points allowed weigh more heavily, the 49ers are a great choice.
Carolina Panthers Defense - 29% rostered
Make that three straight games the Panthers have held their opponent under 20 points. Is there anything they can't do without Sam Darnold around? Seriously though, this defense keeps improving with the additions of Stephon Gilmore and C.J. Henderson in the secondary during the season. The Panthers have picked off four passes in the past three games and sack master Haason Reddick keeps bringing down quarterbacks. They return home to face Washington in Week 11, which isn't a bad time to stream them.
Miami Dolphins Defense - 25% rostered
They're back??!? Interesting how the Dolphins waited until they were 1-7 with one of the worst-ranked defenses in the league to start winning and stopping the other team from scoring. Their last game against Baltimore was an eye-opener since it came against an elite offense. The Dolphins now travel to Gotham to face whichever quarterback wants to throw four INT for the Jets next. This unit went from a must-avoid to a must-start in a hurry.
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