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Matt MacKay's must-have fantasy football bench stashes and sleepers ahead of Week 11. He picks high-upside players to stash on your teams who can emerge as starters.
Now is the time to strengthen roster depth in the final four weeks of the regular fantasy season. Week 11 will see nearly every team, except for Denver and the Los Angeles Rams, compete and attempt to establish winning momentum entering the final half of the 18-game season. There are still plenty of high-upside players available on league waiver wires that can be stashed as lineup insurance or even flexed into lineups if necessary.
Week 10 saw its top three running back finishes awarded to backups that were given a RB1 opportunity due to injuries. Rhamondre Stevenson, AJ Dillon, and Darrel Williams likely won matchups for those fantasy managers willing to acquire these players before their increased workload. This is just one example of why it's worth stashing players with high upside, even if they are buried on a team's depth chart. One injury is all it takes to make a bench stash triple their value in lineups.
Here are some of the best available high-upside players to stash on benches ahead of Week 11. A couple of these prospects can be considered in Week 11 lineups if necessary. However, this should only be done based on their floor. Expecting massive production with high-upside bench stashes will leave you disappointed. Understanding which waiver wire players possess the highest upside versus the highest floor is key to improving your roster instead of hurting it.
Editor's Note: Discover RotoBaller’s top Fantasy Football Sleepers to gain an edge in your drafts. Our free who to draft tool and expert picks spotlight undervalued players, breakout candidates, and late-round gems for all league formats.
Ty Johnson, New York Jets
Ty Johnson is a former sixth-round pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. Selected by the Detroit Lions, Johnson mainly was an afterthought in the offense. Since his trade to the New York Jets last season, he has earned more playing time as the Jets' RB2. Johnson makes his stripes with his role in the passing game, drawing 37 targets and converting these opportunities into a 24/263/2 stat line across nine games. In Week 10 Johnson saw eight targets, leading all Jets running backs. Johnson is hardly relevant as a ball carrier, but his passing game usage makes him a solid stash in PPR formats. He also has a favorable schedule until Week 14, facing Miami, Houston, and Philadelphia. In recent weeks Miami has improved their run defense drastically, but the Texans and Eagles have consistently struggled to contain running backs. The Jets' rotating quarterback carousel will continue to funnel targets to the running backs, making up a significant chunk of the passing game, which bodes well for Johnson's outlook down the stretch. He is a high-upside bench stash with moderate floor appeal against the Dolphins in Week 11.
Brandon Bolden, New England Patriots
With a full complement of running backs against Atlanta to begin Week 11 on Thursday Night Football, New England Patriots OC Josh McDaniels opted to deploy veteran Brandon Bolden as the primary target out of the backfield. Yes, it was only two targets that turned into two receptions for 15 yards. Still, the opportunity to remain involved in the passing game despite a healthy Damien Harris and impressive rookie Rhamondre Stevenson is notable. He's an effective ball carrier, meaning Bolden qualifies as an insurance stash if Harris or Stevenson deal with future injuries. In addition, the offense has controlled the game script with a run-centric approach, limiting rookie quarterback Mac Jones to 26 pass attempts or fewer in three consecutive games. Expect the Patriots to keep pounding the rock, making Bolden a high-upside bench stash that should stay there as injury insurance for Week 12 and Week 13.
Quez Watkins, Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles struck gold with Heisman-winning rookie wideout DeVonta Smith, but one of their other wideouts has developed into a pleasant prospect in his own right. The Eagles drafted second-year wide receiver Quez Watkins in the sixth round of the 2020 NFL Draft and made minimal noise during his rookie season due to the instability and injuries that plagued the team. Watkins has become the WR2 for Philadelphia, establishing chemistry with his draft class peer, Jalen Hurts, developing as a passer in his first year as a starter. This season, Watkins has played 72 percent of snaps and is outpacing Jalen Reagor with a 13.2 percent target share. The issue arises with the low passing volume head coach Nick Sirianni settling into the last few weeks, resulting in Hurts attempting 23 or fewer passes in their previous three games. Watkins is not consistent enough for lineups at this time, but he possesses good upside as a bench stash heading into games against the Saints, Giants, and Jets.
Zach Pascal, Indianapolis Colts
Zach Pascal is one of the more intriguing waiver wire wideouts to assess. He only saw two targets from Carson Wentz during a gritty, conservative game plan against the Jaguars in Week 10. Previously, Pascal saw at least six targets during the Colts' win streak. He projects as the WR3 behind T.Y. Hilton and Michael Pittman Jr.. However, Wentz has excellent matchups on the horizon against the Buccaneers and Texans in Weeks 12 and 13, meaning he could return to tossing two or three touchdowns as he did during their previous six games before failing to produce in Week 10. The NFL has proven that it's a week-to-week league, and Pascal has an opportunity to pop down the stretch, making him a quality high-upside bench stash ahead of the Colts' difficult Week 11 road contest against the Buffalo Bills.
Nelson Agholor, New England Patriots
This season Mac Jones has been good enough to sustain production in the passing game for New England Patriots wideouts. One of Bill Belichick's free-agent acquisitions this offseason was bringing in Nelson Agholor to bolster their weakest position from a year ago. It's been a boom-or-bust type of season for Agholor's fantasy production compared to his 2020 season in Las Vegas, where he revived his name after struggling with drops in Philadelphia to start his career. Agholor has seen at least four to five targets in every game, excluding a goose egg (0) in Week 9, hauling in a crossing route for a 19-yard touchdown reception against Atlanta on Thursday Night Football. This was his first touchdown since Week 7 and only the third of the season, so don't expect Agholor to continue finding the end zone in each of his upcoming games. However, Agholor has surpassed 50 receiving yards in four games, meaning he can produce a WR3 finish for specific weeks. Stash Agholor as a high-upside wideout who can be plugged into Week 12 lineups with WR2 upside against the league's worst pass defense in the Tennessee Titans.
Adam Trautman, New Orleans Saints
Adam Trautman is the clear-cut TE1 for the New Orleans Saints, especially with backup quarterback Trevor Siemian starting under center. Since Siemian took over in Week 8 to rally the Saints to a win over Tampa Bay, Trautman has been an absolute target hog, drawing six or more targets in his last three games played. While the production has been modest at best, this is the type of opportunity to chase on the waiver wire. So stash Trautman and feel free to insert him into lineups against Philadelphia in Week 11, as the Eagles' pass defense is ranked 32nd against opposing tight ends.
Trevor Siemian, New Orleans Saints
Trevor Siemian is not the one to blame for the Saints' two-game losing skid. He has played fantastic as a backup relieving Jameis Winston, throwing for five touchdowns and avoiding turnovers since taking over against the Bucs. He produced a QB4 finish against the Falcons in Week 9, and Week 10 saw Siemian toss another pair of touchdowns and nearly 300 passing yards on the road against the Tennessee Titans. Unfortunately, the schedule gets more difficult against the Eagles, Bills, and Cowboys during the next three weeks. Still, Siemian has proven that he can facilitate the offense with a more pass-centric focus in the continued absence of star running back Alvin Kamara. The Eagles are a difficult matchup as they rank inside the top 12 against opposing quarterbacks and wide receivers. Siemian has enough appeal as a streamer moving forward, but the upcoming schedule is cause for some concern, making him a perfect high-upside stash off of waivers.
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