Deeper League Free Agent Pickups for Week 11

November 12, 2019

Some fantasy football leagues are deep enough that the top Week 11 waiver wire adds are already gone. Jake Trowbridge identifies some deeper free agents to pick up at QB, RB, WR, and TE.

Rotoballers, if you're not active on the waiver wire this time of year, there are only two reasonable explanations: 1) You're sitting at 3-7 (or worse) and don't find it enjoyable to play spoiler to your league mates, or 2) You're 8-2 (or better) and have nothing but matchup-proof studs on your starting lineup and bench. Anyone who's not still committed to watching the waiver wire is playing a dangerous game.

As a reminder, keep an eye out to see if anyone in your league happened to drop players from teams previously on bye to make space on their roster. It happens more often than you may think.

The following players are owned in approximately 10% or fewer of Yahoo leagues, so they won't be the flashiest names on the market. But if you're looking for a good spot start or just need some high-upside lottery tickets, these are your guys. Let's look at some potential waiver wire adds in deep leagues.

Free Agent Quarterbacks

Mason Rudolph, Pittsburgh Steelers - 10% owned

I'll be honest here, the pickings at the quarterback position are slim in deeper leagues. But if you need a low floor/low ceiling player to slot into your lineup to get through these last couple of bye weeks, Rudolph is a solid option. The Steelers sophomore QB has now thrown at least touchdown in every game he's played, regardless of whether he started and/or finished said game. Rudolph has an 11:4 touchdown-to-interception ratio overall, but has thrown for over 200 yards in just three of his five full games. Again, he's not the most exciting pickup, but if you could do a lot worse than his floor.

Dwayne Haskins, Washington Redskins - 2% owned

Haskins has officially been named the starter for the rest of the season by Washington's interim head coach Bill Callahan. And if you're only looking at the stat lines from the couple opportunities Haskins has already had...you're not excited. But his upcoming schedule is incredibly favorable, as three of his remaining six opponents rank in the top 10 for points allowed to quarterbacks. And with any luck Derrius Guice will be back sooner than later, which could help take some of the pressure of the rookie QB. And now that he's officially "the guy" and won't have to look over his shoulder to make sure a too-swift benching isn't in order, maybe Haskins can build some confidence against weaker defenses.

Free Agent Running Backs

Raheem Mostert, San Francisco 49ers - 4% owned

It's officially handcuff season. If you have any expendable wide receivers one-game-wonders at tight end on your bench, now is the time to cut bait on them and scoop up running back handcuffs instead. Mostert remains one of the better handcuffs out there, because all it takes is an injury to one of either Tevin Coleman or Matt Breida -- both of whom are prone to racking up injuries -- for the team's third back to see more action. Mostert got some of that work on Monday night against Seattle, when he operated

Brian Hill, Atlanta Falcons - 2% owned

Devonta Freeman left the Falcons game against the Saints late in the second quarter with an ankle injury and didn't return. In his place, Brian Hill was called upon often to help salt the game away. Hill had already been seeing work as the change-of-pace back behind Freeman stretching back to Week 7, and he's looked at times to be a more efficient runner than Freeman. Initial reports suggest Freeman is likely to miss two weeks, though the team hasn't put out official word on the matter yet. In the event Hill gets lead back duties against Carolina this week, he's a mid-range RB2 play. The Panthers have given up the 4th-most points to the running back position through 10 weeks.

Free Agent Wide Receivers

Hunter Renfrow, Oakland Raiders - 10% owned

Some of you listened to me last week and scooped Renfrow up ahead of his matchup the Chargers. Unfortunately, he didn't exactly blow up, notching just four receptions for 42 yards. He was held out of the end zone for the first time in three weeks, though he was targeted once inside the red zone, which at least provides some reassurance that Derek Carr hasn't forgotten about him there. He'll get a date against a rebuilding Cincinnati team in Week 11, who was just bulldozed by the Ravens.

Josh Reynolds, Los Angeles Rams - 10% owned

Similarly to Renfrow, Reynolds was picked up by a handful of fantasy owners but is still widely available. He didn't overly impress this past week against the Steelers, catching three of his five targets for 49 yards and no score. But considering how truly terrible Goff performed behind a turnstile offensive line, Reynolds' mediocre showing was to be expected. And it was still significantly better than his teammate Cooper Kupp, who put up his first goose egg on the season. Reynolds appears to have a lot of Goff's confidence, which will do wonders for him moving forward provided this offense can get back to prominence.

Free Agent Tight Ends

Jacob Hollister, Seattle Seahawks - 7% owned

Welp, guess it's time to chase points at the tight end position. Hollister received an absurd 10 targets and played 78% of offensive snaps in Seattle's victory over the 49ers on Monday night. That target share tied DK Metcalf for the team lead, with his eight receptions (for 62 yards) and one touchdown leading the team as well. This was the second week in a row Hollister was heavily targeted by Russell Wilson, and he now looks to be a real red zone darling with three touchdown over the last two contests. Yes, the Seahawks are on bye in Week 11, but someone with this much upside is worth scooping up now to hold until he's back on the field. Bonus: He plays Arizona, who are league-worst against tight ends, in Week 16.

Irv Smith Jr., Minnesota Vikings - 2% owned

We have to start considering the fact that Smith will be a larger part of this offense moving forward. With Thielen sidelined, the tight end group stepped up in a big way against Dallas. Although Kyle Rudolph benefitted from two touchdowns on the day, Smith wasn't exactly a slouch, posting five receptions for 34 yards. The first-year tight end has now seen at least six targets in three of his last four games, and that trend could very well continue this week against Denver, especially if Thielen misses more time.

More Waiver Wire Pickups and Advice