If you’re anything like me, you’re looking at your leagues and starting to count the number of wins you need to secure a playoff spot. If that number is anywhere close to the number of weeks remaining, then you’ve got some work to do. In Week 11, the Bears, Texans, Giants, and Bengals are back in play, and only the Broncos and Rams are taking the week off.
Notables on bye:
| Player | Position | Rostered % | Fppg |
| Matt Stafford | QB | 98% | 22.5 |
| Teddy Bridgewater | QB | 36% | 15.95 |
| Cooper Kupp | WR | 100% | 22.04 |
| Robert Woods* | WR | 48% | 12.74 |
| Odell Beckham Jr. | WR | 89% | 5.52 |
| Van Jefferson | WR | 59% | 8.31 |
| Courtland Sutton | WR | 90% | 9.72 |
| Jerry Jeudy | WR | 89% | 8.53 |
| Tim Patrick | WR | 33% | 9.48 |
| Darrell Henderson Jr. | RB | 99% | 15.26 |
| Melvin Gordon III | RB | 93% | 11.68 |
| Javonte Williams | RB | 88% | 8.70 |
| Tyler Higbee | TE | 91% | 6.88 |
| Noah Fant | TE | 83% | 8.54 |
| Los Angeles | DST | 97% | 6.78 |
| Denver | DST | 64% | 7.40 |
*Robert Woods suffered a season-ending ACL injury in Week 10
Hmm. There might be more fantasy-relevant players to replace in Week 11 than there were last week. We’ll call that the Houston Effect. Let’s look at this week’s recommendations.
Percentages are based on Yahoo! leagues.
Running Backs
Rhamondre Stevenson, New England (32%)
With Damien Harris sidelined in Week 10, Rhamondre Stevenson handled the lion’s share of the backfield work, rushing 20 times for 100 yards and 2 touchdowns. And as a bonus, Stevenson was also involved in the passing game with 5 targets. Fantasy managers, rejoice! It was a great showing from the talented rookie, who hopefully never goes back into the Belichik dog house. For this season, I expect the backfield to belong to Harris when he’s healthy, but Rhamondre Stevenson has made a compelling case for more work. Stevenson is my top add this week if Damien Harris can’t make the short turnaround for Thursday Night Football against a mouth-watering matchup in Atlanta.
Bid: At this point in the season, your bid should be very dependent on your budget, your league standing, and with an eye to the other managers’ needs and budgets, so take this with a grain of salt. $15
D’onta Foreman, Tennessee (4%)
Tennessee is the class of the AFC at 8-2. It’s easy to forget that D’onta Foreman looked like he was going to be a good running back before suffering an achilles injury as a rookie in 2017. The rushing identity of the Titans has been understandably in flux without Derrick Henry. Adrian Peterson and Jeremy McNichols were the early favorites to earn lead back duties, but it looks like it’s neither of them. Watching the game, it’s Foreman who shows the most potential and burst for Tennessee. It may take a couple more weeks for this backfield to get sorted out, but it could (should) be D’onta Foreman at the top of the pile as one of this season’s most improbable comeback stories.
Bid: $7
Jeff Wilson Jr., San Francisco (20%)
San Francisco wants to run the ball. In seasons past, the 49ers have proven capable of supporting more than one fantasy running back, so keep an eye on Monday Night Football to see to what extent Jeff Wilson Jr. shares the rushing duties with Eli Mitchell. Trey Sermon is not in Kyle’s Shana-plans, and JaMychal Hasty could continue to miss time. Wilson has shown flashes in previous seasons and could end up slotting into the No. 2 role right away.
Bid: $3
Other names to consider: Jordan Howard (48%) and Boston Scott (32%) are names to watch, but their relevance (especially Howard) could disappear with the return of Miles Sanders. Jaret Patterson (2%) is a preferred backup in Washington to stash; Jeff Wilson Jr. (20%) has a chance to get involved in San Francisco’s rushing attack; Eno Benjamin (17%) is well behind James Conner in the pecking order, but he is worth a stash in case of a Conner injury. Wayne Gallman (0%) could be on his way to replacing Mike Davis in Atlanta, but the injury to Cordarrelle Patterson could slow that transition down.
Wide Receivers
Darnell Mooney, Chicago (46%)
Before Chicago’s Week 10 bye, Darnell Mooney looked like he had established himself as the top receiver for the Bears, catching 3 of 6 targets for 41 yards and a score. The passing volume won’t be anything to write home about, but if Mooney continues to out-target Allen Robinson, he could return WR3 value with upside for the rest of the season.
Bid: $5
Kadarius Toney, New York Giants (46%)
Kadarius Toney’s breakout was waaaaayyyy back in Week 5, and he hasn’t made good on the potential he showed. Some of that is due to nagging injuries, and some is probably Daniel Jones’ fault. The talent for the rookie wideout is there, with Toney looking untouchable on some of his routes. If he (and the Giants offense) can get it going, Toney could be a valuable piece for managers heading into the fantasy playoffs.
Bid: $4
Kendrick Bourne, New England (7%)
Week 10 was all about celebrating Jakobi Meyers, who finally scored his first career touchdown. Looking toward Week 11, I’m firing up Kendrick Bourne on Thursday night against Atlanta. Mac Jones is making a case for Offensive Rookie of the Year, and the Patriots should face little resistance from a pitiful Falcons defense.
Bid: $0
Other names to consider: Jamal Agnew (9%) continues to get targets on a bad Jaguars team; Quez Watkins (1%) could find opportunities with a favorable schedule coming up; T.Y. Hilton always has WR3 upside when he’s healthy; Marquez Callaway isn’t a lock, but he’s the best bet to see volume in New Orleans; as the top wide receiver in Atlanta, Russell Gage (27%) can’t go scoreless again, right? RIGHT!? DeAndre Carter (1%) may have carved out a real role in Washington’s offense; Marcus Johnson (1%) filled the vacuum left by Julio Jones in Tennessee and could continue to make an impact.
Tight Ends
Dan Arnold, Jacksonville (26%)
Somehow, Dan Arnold dropped 1% in his rostered percentage in Week 10. In Jacksonville’s last five games, Arnold is averaging 7.4 targets per game. That’s TE1 volume, and I expect it to continue. Arnold is connected to a struggling offense but carries a safe scoring floor that is desperately needed at the position. And if he manages to add a score in any week, it could win you a matchup.
Tyler Conklin, Minnesota (30%)
Minnesota’s tight end Tyler Conklin caught 3-of-5 targets for 11 yards and 2 touchdowns in Week 10. I don’t recommend chasing touchdowns, but this was actually an anomaly for Conklin. This week notwithstanding, Conklin has been one of the safer options at the tight end position. He’s not typically going to give you spike weeks, but he’s also not going to give you a goose egg. Not very sexy? Just ask T.J. Hockenson and Mike Gesicki managers how they’re feeling this week. I expect Conklin’s role to stay largely the same, with the potential for a score here and there. If you’ve been burned by boom/bust tight ends all season, let Tyler Conklin melt that stress away.
Other names to consider: Evan Engram (32%), Adam Trautman (5%), C.J. Uzomah (21%).
Quarterbacks
Week 10 was a challenging week for streaming quarterbacks, with disappointing showings from Teddy Bridgewater and Matt Ryan, but Week 11 has some exciting, albeit risky, options for the bold manager. Cam Newton (16%) has returned to Carolina, and he seems to have brought his touchdown-vulturing skills with him. The rushing potential immediately puts Newton on the streaming radar, especially with a friendly matchup against his old coach Ron Rivera in Washington. In a similar vein, Justin Fields (25%) offers serious upside because of his rushing ability, and he has shown signs of putting it together in his last two games. Fire him up against the player he’s compared to the most, Lamar Jackson, and the Ravens in Week 11. For safer options, Mac Jones (28%) should find success against Atlanta on Thursday night, and Tua Tagovailoa (23%) has already been declared the starter for Miami against the New York Jets. You shouldn’t need more information than that.
Defenses
Three matchups I like for Week 11:
Miami Dolphins @ New York Jets
San Francisco @ Jacksonville
Carolina vs. Washington
That wraps it up for this week’s recommended waiver adds. You know if you need to manufacture some wins or start looking toward the fantasy playoffs at this point in the season. If you have the luxury of looking ahead to Week 12, I’d think about stashing Van Jefferson Jr. and Courtland Sutton if they end up on waivers during their Week 11 byes.
Photo by Fred Kfoury III/Icon Sportswire | Design by Michael Packard (@designsbypack on Twitter @ IG)