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Kyle's must-have fantasy football bench stashes and waiver wire sleepers for Week 11 (2023). He picks high-upside NFL players to stash on your fantasy teams and helps outline a plan to maximize the bye weeks.
Hey there, fantasy aficionados. It's time to buckle up for another wild ride! We're rolling this column right into the fantasy playoffs' doorstep. This means your start/sit game needs to be sharper than ever. Navigating the waiver wire isn't just about brains; it's about being as sneaky as a cat burglar in the night. Not every player we spotlight is going to be the next fantasy headline, but snagging that under-the-radar talent? That's how you secure long-term bragging rights.
Last week had this author feeling like a proud papa after Arizona Cardinals TE Trey McBride balled out alongside QB Kyler Murray. McBride was a player who had been touted as a stash candidate for several weeks and his playing time was accelerated due to the injury to TE Zach Ertz. In Week 10, McBride had nine targets to finish with eight receptions for 131 yards and was the TE3 on the week. He could be a league-winning fantasy tight end the rest of the way.
Week 11 features the Atlanta Falcons, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, and New Orleans Saints on a bye. However, there will be no teams on a bye in Week 12 before they ramp up again. It's like the NFL's spinning a wheel of surprises each week. If you're navigating the deep waters of 14-team leagues or luxuriating with extra bench spots, remember that stashing a potential MVP could be the move that makes your season. No matter how loaded your roster looks, the hunt for that game-changing player never stops. Stay sharp, stay keen, and let the waiver wire games begin!
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Weekend Waiver Wire Stashes Before Week 11
Zay Jones (WR), Jacksonville Jaguars
30% rostered on Yahoo, 34% on ESPN
The Jaguars offense and Trevor Lawrence have struggled throughout much of the season, and they came off their bye week only to get absolutely thumped by the San Francisco 49ers by a score of 34-3. Yikes! Jones hasn't played a game since Week 5 with a knee injury and is listed as questionable on the Week 11 injury report. If your league has injured reserve slots, by all means, pick up Jones and stash. He's had chemistry with his QB in the past and has shown some flashes. There are a lot of mouths to feed in this offense, but the hope is that they will get out of their current funk and get better in the second half.
Bryce Young (QB), Carolina Panthers
18% rostered on Yahoo, 11% on ESPN
It hasn't been the best rookie campaign for the No. 1 overall pick, but ask yourself this: had their draft slots been reversed on draft night with C.J. Stroud going to the Panthers and Young to the Texans, how much differently might we view Bryce Young? It's a question worth asking even if recency bias will likely skew the results in favor of Stroud. So far on the season, Young has thrown for just 1,560 yards to go with eight TDs to seven INTs and has just one top-10 QB finish for fantasy.
The offensive scheme being run in Carolina hasn't allowed the offense to get vertical and the Panthers are averaging the lowest number of 20+ yard plays in the league at under two per game. It's hard enough to score in this league and even harder to do so when your offense can't generate any big plays.
The offense under head coach Frank Reich needs to let Bryce be more of the natural point guard that he is and get him outside the pocket where he can make plays throwing on the run. Nonetheless, we are still talking about the No. 1 overall pick and we shouldn't be surprised if Young did a lot better in the second half of the season. Well worth an add in deeper leagues just in case.
Rico Dowdle (RB), Dallas Cowboys
15% rostered on Yahoo, 8% on ESPN
A player who has been on the list in a few articles but had not seen a breakthrough until Week 10, Dowdle had his most rushing attempts of the season with 12 for 79 yards and one TD. He doesn't seem to have a lot of value as a pass catcher, but it's safe to say that incumbent RB Tony Pollard has been a disappointment this year. The Cowboys have been in several weird games where it didn't make a lot of sense to keep Pollard out there, but nonetheless, there's still a chance we could see more Dowdle in Week 11. Considering how good this Cowboys offense is, landing a player with the potential to carve out a larger role should always be on our radar.
Joshua Kelley (RB), Los Angeles Chargers
17% rostered on Yahoo, 13% on ESPN
In the realm of fantasy football, we're always on the prowl for those running backs who are just a hop, skip, and jump away from the spotlight. Joshua Kelley, despite giving us a bit of a frown earlier this season during Austin Ekeler's absence, still stands as a worthy pick in most leagues.
Flashback to Week 7 against the Chiefs, Kelley broke out with seven rushes for an impressive 75 yards, though his dance moves as a receiver haven't quite hit the rhythm yet. In Week 10, Kelley saw just five rushes for 16 yards but has emerged as the clear backup just in case anything should happen to starting RB Austin Ekeler.
Over in Los Angeles, the Chargers are still finding their rhythm under the baton of their new offensive maestro, Kellen Moore. But hey, they're still trying to claw their way back into the AFC playoff hustle. Now, Kelley might not be your go-to starter brimming with confidence just yet but keep an eye on this space. If he gets more field time, we might just witness a Kelley comeback story after all.
Rashid Shaheed (WR), New Orleans Saints
46% rostered on Yahoo, 25% on ESPN
Unfortunately, starting WR Michael Thomas suffered a knee injury as well as having some potential legal issues and may be out for some time. Shaheed immediately stepped in as the team's WR2 and saw a total of nine targets in Week 10. The Saints are on a bye in Week 11, but if you can hold Shaheed for one week, he could provide some value for your lineups once New Orleans gets back on the field in Week 12. Shaheed's 20.9% target share was his highest of the year. The opportunity is there.
Kenneth Gainwell (RB), Philadelphia Eagles
26% rostered on Yahoo, 16% on ESPN
D'Andre Swift has been hogging the limelight, zooming past everyone to become the Eagles' alpha in the backfield. This plot twist? It's got fantasy managers bidding Gainwell a not-so-fond farewell on the waiver wire. Swift, though, has been dazzling, minus those pesky rushing TDs that keep eluding him thanks in part to Jalen Hurts' red zone shenanigans and the now-legendary tush push.
Gainwell, speedy and slick with catches, hasn't quite meshed seamlessly into the Eagles' strategic offensive game plan. Yet, if Swift were to take an unplanned break, Gainwell's the next man up, ready to seize the RB1 crown. In the NFL, the tide can turn with just one twist of fate (or ankle). Not that we're cheering for injuries -- it's just the name of the game, especially this season. The takeaway? Treat your fantasy bench like a well-stocked pantry; you never know when you'll need to whip up a last-minute winning recipe.
Michael Wilson (WR), Arizona Cardinals
13% rostered on Yahoo, 7% on ESPN
QB Kyler Murray looked sensational in his Week 10 debut since returning from a torn ACL suffered at the end of the 2022 season and the Cardinals won. Wilson finished with a 15.6% target share and had three receptions for 34 yards. He did see a total of six targets in the game and had an 89% route participation rate.
Wilson is officially questionable this week with a shoulder injury, but the arrow is pointing upwards in the Cardinals offense with Murray back. Wilson had some good production in college and flashed a good enough profile, but he wasn't able to stay healthy, which pushed him down to the end of the third round in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Isaiah Likely (TE), Baltimore Ravens
2% rostered on Yahoo, 1% on ESPN
Disclaimer: Since Isaiah Likely already played on Thursday Night, he is only available for pickup in some leagues that allow it. Many leagues lock players from being added if they already played. Nonetheless, if the Ravens don't add another tight end, there is ample opportunity for Likely.
Ravens All-Pro starting TE Mark Andrews went down with a brutal lower-body injury on Thursday Night Football that unfortunately appears to have ended his season. The 2023 league year has seen an unprecedented amount of injuries to many of its stars, and Andrews was no exception. The Ravens' offense has started to gel under new offensive coordinator Todd Monken, who is installing more of a downfield passing attack compared to the sophisticated running schemes under Greg Roman in years past.
While there is more wide receiver talent on the Ravens this year compared to last, Likely shined as a rookie last year and had two solid performances in games that Andrews missed, finishing as the TE9 and TE3. Everyone seems to be down on Likely since he didn't do much in Week 1 of this year while Andrews was out, but it was a game in which the Ravens won handily and Lamar Jackson only had 22 pass attempts. If you lost Andrews for the season or need some help at tight end, might as well spend up on Likely and see what happens.
Honorable Mentions
Here are a few players to also keep in mind as deeper stashes in bigger leagues (14 or 16 teams) or ones with larger bench spots just in case they should start seeing more playing time.
- Quarterbacks - Jacoby Brissett (WAS) - 0% rostered, Sam Darnold (SF) - 0% rostered, QB Jarrett Stidham (DEN) - 0% rostered
- Running Backs - Chris Rodriguez Jr. (WAS), 0% rostered, Pierre Strong Jr. (CLE) - 1% rostered, Tank Bigsby (JAC) - 6% rostered
- Wide Receivers - Braxton Berrios (MIA) - 3% rostered, Trenton Irwin (CIN) - 6% rostered, Trey Palmer (TB) - 1% rostered
- Tight Ends - Michael Mayer (LV) - 7% rostered
We hope you like these selections ahead of Week 11! Even if you don't have room to pick up some of these players, it's important to stay ahead of your league mates and preserve FAAB so that you have it at the end of the year when you need it. Feel free to follow me on Twitter/X for more waiver and player analysis throughout the season!
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