Deeper-League Waiver Wire Adds for Week 11: Audric Estime, Trey Benson, Ricky Pearsall, Mike Williams, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Dawson Knox

November 12, 2024

Jackson Sparks' deeper-league waiver wire sleepers for Week 11 (2024). His top free agent sleepers for 14-team fantasy football leagues or deeper.

The 2024 fantasy football campaign has flown by in an instant, and the fantasy playoffs are near. Experienced deep-league fantasy managers already know the waiver wire is ultra-thin by this point in the season. However, whether you're at the top of your league's standings or need to stack a few wins to make the playoffs, you should always be exploring all possible options to improve your roster.

Wavier wire pickups are often obvious in 10 or 12-team leagues, but if you're in a league with a ton of roster spots or 14-plus teams, it becomes trickier to know who to submit a waiver claim for or bid on. In this article, we'll cover those deeper waiver wire adds for Week 11.

We won't cover chalk waiver-wire pickups for shallower leagues like Jauan Jennings and Cedric Tillman. Instead, we'll only mention players who are under 40% rostered in Yahoo! leagues except for a few players narrowly over that mark. Without further ado, here are the top deeper-league waiver-wire targets for Week 11, including Audric Estime, Trey Benson, Ricky Pearsall, Mike Williams, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Dawson Knox, and more.

Running Back Waiver Wire Targets for Deep Leagues

Tyler Allgeier remains an elite handcuff RB behind Bijan Robinson. Hopefully, Robinson stays healthy and keeps producing this season, but most running backs have missed at least a game or two over the last few years. Even if Allgeier draws one start, he could be a difference-maker for your team in a workhorse role. For now, he's a decent low-end flex option after logging 29 carries over the last three weeks.

Zach Charbonnet is beginning to get dropped by a ton of fantasy managers, but like Allgeier, he has elite handcuff status. In Walker's Week 2 and Week 3 absences, Charbonnet averaged 19.8 half-PPR fantasy points per game.

Audric Estime led Denver in carries in Sunday's loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. He saw 13 opportunities on the ground to Javonte Williams' one and Jaleel McLaughlin's two. While he only produced 5.3 fantasy points, he could have some big games in more favorable matchups in the second half of his rookie season. The Denver offense as a whole has exceeded expectations in 2024.

Braelon Allen turned eight touches into 34 yards in the blowout loss to Arizona. He is not startable as long as Breece Hall is healthy, but if Hall missed any time or New York wants to get the rookie more action as their playoff chances dwindle, he could be at least a useful RB3 down the stretch.

Tyjae Spears finally returned to the Tennessee lineup in Week 10. He saw 10 touches and produced 51 yards. Tony Pollard mustered 63 yards on 13 touches. The Titans have been vocal about wanting to get Pollard's workload down, so it'll be interesting to see how involved Spears gets now that he is presumably back to full health.

Ray Davis like many others on this list, is mostly just a handcuff stash with upside. In the one game James Cook missed this season, Davis tallied 152 yards on 23 touches.

Trey Benson scored a touchdown in Week 9 and turned 10 carries and two receptions into 87 total yards in Week 10. James Conner remains the featured back in Arizona, but Benson's uptick in usage is promising for his potential second-half value. The Cardinals are on a Week 11 bye, but he remains a solid option for fantasy managers needing help at RB.

Dope Week 9 Trey Benson run alert pic.twitter.com/FigmUYL1UI

— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) November 5, 2024

Gus Edwards returned from the Injured Reserve list in Week 10 and immediately led the Chargers in rushing yards (55). Quarterback Justin Herbert and the L.A. offense have become more balanced in recent weeks, but the offense is still built on the run game. If J.K. Dobbins misses any action in the near future, Edwards will become at least a low-end RB2 option, making him a virtual must-start in deep setups.

Cam Akers has overtaken Ty Chandler as the RB2 in Minnesota, putting him on the "handcuffs to consider" list. The former Los Angeles Rams' second-round pick handled 14 touches in Week 10, and Aaron Jones continues to pile up minor injuries.

Khalil Herbert did not make an impact for the Bengals in Week 10, but after a mini-bye week following a Thursday Night game, he could become a factor behind Chase Brown. Cincinnati has struggled in 2024, but its offense remains high-powered.

Kenneth Gainwell and Will Shipley each handled at least eight touches in the blowout win over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. Neither running back is guaranteed touches in any game, but both are intriguing stashes behind Saquon Barkley.

Jerome Ford is back in action after missing a few games with a hamstring injury, and Cleveland might opt to use a committee approach with Ford and Nick Chubb. In the middle of a lost season, it would not make a ton of sense to utilize Chubb in a workhorse role coming off a major knee injury, so there's a chance Ford at least becomes the receiving back for Jameis Winston moving forward.

IR Stash: MarShawn Lloyd

Note: Any direct backup running back, especially one in a good offense, should be considered a bench stash in deep leagues.

Wide Receiver Waiver Wire Targets for Deep Leagues

Ricky Pearsall might be considered a chalky waiver wire pickup, but he's worth snagging if available in your league. The rookie out of Florida caught four passes for 73 yards and a touchdown in just his third NFL game. The Tampa Bay secondary has given up big games to wideouts all year and we can't expect Pearsall to produce like he did all season. However, he should have some spike weeks in a strong offense led by Kyle Shanahan and Brock Purdy.

First NFL TD for Ricky Pearsall ‼️

📺 #SFvsTB on FOX pic.twitter.com/J8kjN1jYLB

— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) November 10, 2024

Jerry Jeudy has seen 19 total targets in two games with Jameis Winston under center, making him a clear must-add in deep setups.

Quentin Johnston caught just two passes for 24 yards in Week 10, but he found the end zone for the fifth time in his sophomore season. The Chargers offense is starting to have more success through the air, making Johnston a solid flex option in favorable matchups. It's worth noting he is averaging just over four targets per game, though, so he's not a clear must-start wideout.

Rashod Bateman notched his second eight-target game of the year in last Thursday's win over the Cincinnati Bengals. The former first-round pick caught six of eight targets for 54 yards and a touchdown and continues to be involved in the passing game despite a crowded group of skill players. Lamar Jackson is having the most prolific passing season of his career, so Bateman remains on the fantasy football radar.

Mike Williams did not take long to make an impact for the Steelers after being traded from the New York Jets last week. In his debut for the AFC North leaders, he caught a 32-yard touchdown. He's a natural fit with quarterback Russell Wilson, who loves to throw the deep ball, so he could return to his boom-or-bust profile as he acclimates to the offense.

FIRST TD AS A STEELER!!!!!!!!

📲 Stream on NFL+: https://t.co/COxKRnr6Mc pic.twitter.com/qaxvtHNvcM

— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) November 10, 2024

Marquez Valdes-Scantling hauled in three passes for 109 yards and two touchdowns against the Falcons on Sunday. Like always, the former Packer, Chief, and Bill is not an elite target earner, but he's one of the true touchdown-or-bust players in fantasy football.

DeMario Douglas has seen at least five targets in four of his last six games. The New England offense is more competent under quarterback Drake Maye, so he could put up big PPR numbers when the Patriots are forced to keep up in a negative game script.

Alec Pierce and Adonai Mitchell combined to catch 10 passes for 152 yards and a touchdown on Sunday in the absence of Michael Pittman Jr. (back). Both wideouts are viewed as boom-or-bust plays but have more upside with Joe Flacco under center rather than Anthony Richardson.

Mack Hollins and Curtis Samuel each caught four passes in Week 10 while Keon Coleman and Amari Cooper were sidelined. Now, Dalton Kincaid is dealing with a knee injury, so Hollins and Samuel could remain on the fantasy football radar as Buffalo's injuries continue to pile up.

IR Stashes: Brandin Cooks, Adam Thielen

Tight End Waiver Wire Targets for Deep Leagues

Mike Gesicki had a disappointing showing in his last game action, but he saw nine targets. The opportunity was there, but the production did not materialize. With rookie Erick All Jr. out for the season, Gesicki will remain a key piece of the potent Bengals' passing offense.

Zach Ertz has five or more targets in five of his last six games and plays in one of the best offenses in the NFL. That's all that needs to be said to make him a strong option to consider in deep leagues.

Dawson Knox has a chance to be promoted back to the TE1 role if Dalton Kincaid's knee injury is serious. With Amari Cooper and Keon Coleman also banged up, Knox could have TE1 value over the next few weeks. That said, check on Kincaid's latest injury updates to see if Knox is worth picking up.

really nice throw and catch from Josh Allen to Dawson Knox pic.twitter.com/iqY36v70Hn

— Nate Tice (@Nate_Tice) November 10, 2024

Ja'Tavion Sanders has 95 yards and a touchdown over the last two weeks. The Carolina offense is showing a little bit more promise under Bryce Young, so Sanders taking a second-half leap is not out of the realm of possibility.

Will Dissly is close to becoming a must-roster option in deep PPR setups after catching at least five passes in three of his last four contests.

Quarterback Waiver Wire Targets for Deep Leagues/Superflex Leagues

Bo Nix is the QB9 so far in 2024. He has scored more fantasy points than big names like Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, and Jared Goff. Despite this, he remains available in the majority of fantasy leagues, but he has legitimate QB1 upside every week, especially in favorable matchups.

Drake Maye wasn't asked to do much in the Week 10 win over the Chicago Bears, but he remains an intriguing fantasy QB option given his dual-threat skill set. He could be in for a big game against the fantasy-friendly Los Angeles Rams defense in Week 11.

Russell Wilson has scored three touchdowns in two of his three starts with the Steelers. He loves to take deep shots to outside wideouts like George Pickens and Mike Williams, which often results in big chunk plays and touchdown passes. Fire him up against the horrendous Baltimore Ravens defense in Week 11.

Bo Nix goes deep to Courtland Sutton for the 32-yard TD! @Broncos lead 14-3 👀

📺: #DENvsKC on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/zCVxAlrDBs

— NFL (@NFL) November 10, 2024

Backup Quarterbacks to Stash for Two-QB/Superflex Leagues

• Skylar Thompson, Dolphins
• Tyrod Taylor, Jets
• Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Browns
• Desmond Ridder, Raiders
• Andy Dalton, Panthers
• Anthony Richardson, Colts
• Trey Lance, Cowboys

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