If the 2021 season is your first year playing fantasy football, I cannot say I would not blame you for throwing your phone out the window and vowing to never play again (that is a lot to say coming from a devout fantasy football/ baseball enthusiast and sucker for pain like myself). While I do my best not to be hyperbolic with my opinions in this space, I do feel that it has been one of the more unpredictable and frustrating seasons (depending on your team’s record) that we have had in recent memory. That said, the proverbial ball could just as easily bounce the other way moving forward, so hang in there, keep fighting, and take advantage of the chaotic occurrences we have been seeing lately. With only the Rams and Broncos on bye weeks, the streaming radar for Week 11 will not be limited too much since most fantasy-relevant players on both teams are already over 65% rostered. Stay focused; your run to the postseason begins here!
* Players marked with an asterisk below can also be found in the priority waiver wire adds article referenced at the end. If anyone featured below is at risk of not playing or is relegated to a bench role late in the week, I will do my best to keep you all updated on Twitter (@BrandonMillerFB). All players below are under 65%-rostered as of 11/17/21.
Running Back
* D’Onta Foreman (RB, Tennesse Titans)
You will not find me pounding the table trying to convince anyone to start Foreman at all costs, but as I have stated before, everyone is banged-up this time of year and the RB position tends to suffer the most. That means you really have to keep your head on a swivel to take advantage of unexpected players stepping into more playing time because backfield situations can literally change by the day. While I would hesitate to call Foreman “safe” by any measure, I feel that he is a talented player who has put up enough good film so far to earn more opportunities from the Titans coaching staff while Derrick Henry is out. Sure, 11 carries for 30 rushing yards against a tough Saints run defense last week does not do much for you, but the two catches for 48 receiving yards are indicative of the type of player he can be when he breaks loose. The opportunities should be there to salt away the clock in a “revenge game” against the lowly Texans in Week 11.
* Rhamondre Stevenson (RB, New England Patriots)
I am fully aware that this recommendation would have really come in handy last week when Stevenson rumbled for 20 carries, 100 rushing yards, two TDs, and four catches for 14 receiving yards in Week 10. Even if you missed out on that breakout performance, Stevenson put fantasy gamers (and hopefully New England’s coaches) on notice that he can produce in a variety of ways when called upon. The Patriots have always had an unpredictable and notoriously fantasy-unfriendly backfield more often than not, so I am not suggesting that you simply chase last week’s stats; usual starter Damien Harris (concussion) could be back for Thursday night’s game and perhaps we see Stevenson fade back into a complementary role.
It is also not out of the question that we will begin to see more involvement from him moving forward, even if it turns out to be something like a 40-60 share of rushing attempts along with some passing-down work mixed in. If Harris does not clear concussion protocol and remains out for another week, Stevenson is a smash play on Thursday against the Falcons. Regardless, he needs to be on rosters for his potential alone while we monitor this backfield’s usage in the coming weeks. I would call him a mid-RB2 without Harris and a low-RB3/ borderline Flex if both players are active.
RB Streamers (ranked): Rhamondre Stevenson (top streamer if Harris inactive), Mark Ingram II (66% ESPN, monitor Kamara status), Devonta Freeman, Tony Pollard (57% ESPN, priority handcuff), Jordan Howard, J.D. McKissic, D’Onta Foreman, Devin Singletary (62% ESPN), Jeff Wilson Jr (#2 streamer if Mitchell inactive), Alex Collins (monitor Carson status), Boston Scott, Kenyan Drake, Adrian Peterson, Wayne Gallman, Mike Davis (65% Yahoo), Nyheim Hines, Ty Johnson, Eno Benjamin, Brandon Bolden, Jeremy McNichols, David Johnson, Devontae Booker, Samaje Perine, Kenneth Gainwell, Giovani Bernard, Carlos Hyde, Chuba Hubbard, Alexander Mattison (priority handcuff), Salvon Ahmed, Latavius Murray, Ronald Jones II, Jamaal Williams, J.J. Taylor, Rex Burkhead, Jerick McKinnon, Joshua Kelley, Matt Breida, Larry Rountree, Sony Michel (bye – handcuff/stash).
Wide Receiver
Michael Gallup (WR, Dallas Cowboys)
Somewhat lost in the luster of Dallas’ many high-profile offensive players is the fact that Michael Gallup is a pretty darn good receiver who is coming off two-straight 105+ target seasons and would likely be an every-week, no-questions-asked fantasy starter if he played for most other teams. Week 10 was only his second game active in 2021 after missing a couple of months due to a calf injury, and he returned with an efficient three catches on five targets for 42 receiving yards in a game where the Cowboys thrashed the Falcons and had little need to air it out. This week at Kansas City is expected to be much more of a back-and-forth contest with the highest project point total for Week 11 (Over/Under: 56 points). I would expect Gallup to have a floor around six-plus targets and 50+ receiving yards with potential for much more if things turn out as anticipated. Lock him in as a low-WR3/Flex as part of this dynamic offense.
Elijah Moore (WR, New York Jets)
It is not uncommon for even the most highly-touted rookie WRs to start slow, get dropped by fantasy managers, then ascend like a rocket in the second half of the season. I would hesitate to say that Moore will become some sort of “league-winner”, but his past three games, albeit without the Jets’ full complement of WRs, have shown us the inherent talent he possesses. Moore has seen at least six targets in each of the Jets’ last four games, but unlike earlier this season, he is finally starting to do something with them (65 receiving yards/ game and three TDs over NYJ’s last three games). Even with the Jets’ receiving corps back intact, Moore is a solid rest of season bench stash or Week 11 dart-throw as a fringe WR3/WR4.
WR Streamers (ranked): Christian Kirk (61% ESPN), Rashod Bateman, Kenny Golladay, Darnell Mooney, Michael Gallup, Kadarius Toney, Elijah Moore, Donovan Peoples-Jones, Tyler Boyd (67% Yahoo), Bryan Edwards, Jamison Crowder, Kendrick Bourne, Marquez Callaway, A.J. Green, Jamal Agnew, Mecole Hardman, T.Y. Hilton, Russell Gage, Robby Anderson, Deonte Harris, Laviska Shenault Jr., Nelson Agholor, Rondale Moore, Tre’Quan Smith, James Washington, Marcus Johnson, Marquez Valdes-Scantling (check status), Allen Lazard, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Quez Watkins, Randall Cobb, Olamide Zaccheaus, Zach Pascal, K.J. Osborn, Gabriel Davis, Tajae Sharpe, Jalen Reagor, DeSean Jackson, Sammy Watkins, Kalif Raymond, Tyler Johnson.
Tight End
* Tyler Conklin (TE, Minnesota Vikings)
For goodness sake, if you are still playing “TE roulette” every week off the waiver wire, please go add someone like Dan Arnold or Pat Freirmuth, take your steady weekly points floor, and call it a day (unless you are in a league where someone like Hunter Henry, 57% ESPN, or Zach Ertz, 62% ESPN, is still available). Searching for more long-term upside for the fantasy playoffs? Logan Thomas would make an excellent stash as he is likely to return from IR over the next couple of weeks and could step right back into a high-volume role once active. If none of those options apply to your situation, Tyler Conklin is an unheralded but consistent name to speculate on this week. He has five-plus targets in six-of-nine games this season and five total red-zone targets over the past two weeks, which he converted into two TDs in Week 10. Furthermore, Conklin is more than just a “catch it and fall down” TE, as he has 40-or-more receiving yards in five games this season.
TE Streamers (ranked): Hunter Henry (57% ESPN, priority add), Pat Freiermuth, Dan Arnold, Zach Ertz (62% ESPN), Tyler Conklin, Jared Cook, C.J. Uzomah, Evan Engram, Cole Kmet, Adam Trautman, Austin Hooper, David Njoku, Gerald Everett, Mo Alie-Cox, Jack Doyle, Cameron Brate, Ryan Griffin, Donald Parham Jr., Anthony Firkser, O.J. Howard, Tommy Tremble, Geoff Swaim, Jordan Akins, Kyle Rudolph, Jonnu Smith, Eric Ebron, Logan Thomas (IR – stash).
Looking Back
Accountability is everything, so here’s a quick look back at last week’s recommendations
Devonta Freeman (RB, Baltimore Ravens): This was not the game script the Ravens expected as they trailed the underdog Dolphins throughout last Thursday night’s contest, so Freeman did not quite see the volume that would have otherwise raised his fantasy floor. He still managed 10 carries for 35 rushing yards and caught three-of-four targets for 23 yards, producing an unexciting but okay stat line. He will be a low-end RB3/ Flex until Latavius Murray returns.
J.D. McKissic (RB, Washington Football Team): I am not sure anyone picked the Washington Football Team to beat the Buccaneers last week, even sarcastically, but they did because the NFL is in a weird way recently. Typically, Antonio Gibson carries the load for the WFT when they are playing from ahead (as they did on Sunday) while McKissic tends to step up when they are chasing points. Even in the unusual game flow, McKissic produced four catches for 35 receiving yards along with two carries for four yards on the ground. Similar to Freeman (above), he is a low-end RB3/ Flex most weeks, albeit more of a factor in PPR leagues vs non-PPR.
Brandon Aiyuk (WR, San Francisco 49ers): In yet another unexpected Week 10 outcome, the 49ers led the Rams throughout their MNF matchup, limiting their need to air it out (especially with Deebo Samuel dominating seemingly every time he touched the ball). Aiyuk finished with a meager three catches for 26 receiving yards, but I still think he is a hold with better performances ahead.
Rashod Bateman (WR, Baltimore Ravens): On one hand, it was frustrating that Bateman did not see any targets until late in the game when Baltimore was in desperation catch-up mode. The positive is that when Lamar Jackson did target him, Bateman consistently plucked tough catches out of the air and was dynamic after the catch, turning in six catches (eight targets) for 80 receiving yards. It remains to be seen whether he can become more of a factor in neutral-to-positive game scripts, but the talent was on full display last week, making Bateman a hold for now.
Dan Arnold (TE, Jacksonville Jaguars): Although he has yet to find the end zone this season, Arnold just might be Jacksonville’s most consistent receiver for fantasy purposes. He now has seven-plus targets in four-of-five games, hauling in five catches on seven targets for 67 yards against the Colts on Sunday. If you need help at TE, you could do much worse than Arnold as a low-end TE1.
Make sure to check out AJ Passman’s priority waiver wire adds article every Tuesday for more insights on who you should be submitting claims for heading into each Wednesday. Good luck in Week 11!
(Photo by Andrew Dieb/Icon Sportswire)