Top Players to Add in Week 11
A great draft can make a great team, but leagues are won on the waiver wire. Injuries happen, top draft picks become busts, and no names become household names. Successfully navigating the waiver wire will lead to a winning season.
As a reminder, I’ll be covering Waivers every Tuesday morning right here on football.pitcherlist.com. You can also catch me and Brian Hartman (aka @TooMuch_Brian) on the Waiver podcast every Tuesday morning and the Start/Sit podcast every Thursday morning, wherever you listen to podcasts. If you like my work, give me a follow on Twitter @marioadamojr. With that out of the way, let’s dive into it.
Here are my top five targets, as well as some honorable mentions, to help you win through the wire this week.
An important thing to consider: this article focuses on players who are rostered in 50% or fewer of leagues. There could be players rostered in over 50% of leagues that are available in your league. Be vigilant; watch your league’s Free Agency pool and look for players who were given up on too early.
1. Tez Johnson – The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are struggling to field a healthy team. Their pass catchers, in particular, are dropping like flies. It seems like the team will be without Bucky Irving, Chris Godwin, or Mike Evans for the foreseeable future. We’ve seen Baker Mayfield support two fantasy viable wide receivers, and while Emeka Egbuka is the clear number one, it looks like Tez Johnson is right behind him. For the third straight week, Tez has been second in targets in this offense. Tez also saw three red zone targets this week, more than all other players combined. We expect next week in Buffalo to be a high-scoring affair. Tez is my top wide receiver waiver target.
2. Tyjae Spears – Back from the bye, back into my top waiver targets. With fellow running back Tony Pollard sticking around through the trade deadline, this backfield will still be split in some way. Even with the split, Tyjae Spears has looked to be the better of the two. From Weeks 6-9, Spears is RB22 while Pollard is RB27. While RB22 numbers are not worth blowing all your FAAB on, I consider Spears one of the safer plug-and-play bye week fillers for the remainder of the season. With bye weeks remaining for RB-stacked teams such as the Colts, Broncos, and 49ers, it’s good to have an option at the ready.
3. Emari Demercado – This option relies heavily on Trey Benson‘s health. Early on, after James Conner went down with an injury, it looked like Benson’s backfield. Since Benson has been on IR, it’s been a little bit of a committee, with Emari Demercado appearing to come out on top. Benson was eligible to return from IR this past week, but did not. If Benson missed another week, I expect Demeracdo to continue to be the top performer. Even with Bam Knight getting more carries, his production is so much lower than Demercado’s. I wouldn’t worry about the Dark Knight rising. If Benson is set to miss another week, Demercado would be my top running back waiver target.
4. Darius Slayton – Similar to Tez Johnson above, the question is, can Jaxson Dart support two fantasy-relevant wide receivers? The magic 8-ball says yes! This was Darius Slayton‘s first week hitting double-digit points, but it seems like a sign of good things. The week before, Slayton had 8.7, not bad for a flex, and 7 targets. The usage looks good with Slayton’s snap rate of 73%, 89%, and 62% over the last three weeks. With the run game a shell of itself without Cam Skattebo, this offense operates almost exclusively through the air. The final note is that the Giants parted ways with their head coach, Brian Daboll, yesterday. I expect the interim head coach bump across the board.
5. Juwan Johnson – It took until Week 11, but we finally have our first tight end in the top players to add! After finishing in the top 12 for three straight weeks, Juwan Johnson is currently TE3 on the week before Monday Night Football and TE4 since Week 7. Also, since Week 7, Johnson’s 23 targets only trail Chris Olave‘s 31. With Alvin Kamara‘s presence in this offense fading and Rashid Shaheed getting shipped to Seattle, the gap in the offense is being filled by a player at a premium position who’s available in over half of fantasy leagues. Consider Johnson your top waiver target if you are set at running back and wide receiver.
Others Receiving Votes
Sean Tucker, TB (4% ESPN, 7% Yahoo) – The Patriots’ streak of not allowing a 50-yard rushing is over. Though it wasn’t Rachaad White, it was Sean Tucker. Tucker only had one fewer carry than White and ended up being more productive on the ground. With no signs of Irving, Tucker has some value in a flex role.
Tyler Allgeier, ATL (28% ESPN, 33% Yahoo) – A certain Falcons running back found the end zone twice this week. No, not Bijan Robinson, it was Tyler Allgeier, who, going into this game, was tied with Bijan for touchdowns at four apiece. Now, Allgeier leads this backfield in end zone trips. While it may be inconsistent play, Allgeier continues to show he can be more than a handcuff in deeper leagues.
Brian Robinson Jr., SF (21% ESPN, 24% Yahoo) – Very similar situation as above, a premium handcuff who is getting real game minutes. In fact, this is the second week in a row Brian Robinson Jr. has scored double-digit points.
Parker Washington, JAX (17% ESPN, 41% Yahoo) – If Parker Washington wasn’t my top waiver target last week, he’d be right back in the top five. Yes, Brian Thomas Jr. missed this game, but Washington’s 7 targets far and away led the team, and production followed. Even if BTJ returns next week, I see a promising future for Washington and consider him a top waiver target.
Alec Pierce, IND (37% ESPN, 42% Yahoo) – If Alec Pierce and the Colts weren’t heading into their bye week, he would be a top waiver target. Two straight finishes inside the top 15. The Colts’ schedule gets trickier after the bye, including a game at Kansas City, but I just see that as a high-scoring affair that Pierce is sure to be involved in.
Jayden Higgins, HOU (17% ESPN, 14% Yahoo) – While no one will replace Nico Collins as the top target in Houston, Jayden Higgins and his seven targets certainly made an impact. My biggest worry with Higgins is consistency; in between his games of 12.7 and 11.4, he posted a stinker of 0.9. Higgins is an option for deeper leagues.
Jacoby Brissett, ARI (17% ESPN, 20% Yahoo) – Is Jacoby Brissett for real? Last week, when he put up 24.8 against Dallas, I figured that’s just Dallas. We saw what Russell Wilson did to them back in Week 2. But after Brissett looked good against Seattle, I think he’s for real. Next week, he travels to San Francisco, a team that allows the 11th most points against signal callers. I consider Brissett a very viable bye-week option.
Defense Wins Championships
This week, I like the Dallas Cowboys (5% rostered). They’re fresh off their bye and heading to Las Vegas to face the Raiders, who allow the third-most points to opposing defenses. Even though Brock Bowers has returned, the Broncos showed he is mortal after all.
Another option to consider is the Atlanta Falcons (11%), back from Germany, hosting the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers allow the eighth-most to opposing defenses and are coming back down to earth after their hot start. The Falcons are desperate for a win. I expect a strong showing versus the division opponent.
Photos courtesy of Icon Sportswire
Adapted by Kurt Wasemiller (@kurt_player02 on Instagram & Threads @kuwasemiller.bksy.social on BlueSky)