As we head into Week 11 of the NFL season, the waiver wire pickings are getting increasingly slim. All but a handful of teams have had their bye weeks, and that leaves many fantasy managers dropping their backfills in favor of high-upside lottery tickets. Despite this being the case, there are still several interesting names that are more widely available than they should be. Whether it is young players starting to earn their way onto the field or top-notch handcuffs who are an injury away from league-winning upside, if we stay diligent with our free-agency targets, it can bolster our teams for a deep playoff run.
Kyle Williams, WR – New England Patriots | 2% Rostered
Kyle Williams burst onto the scene last week with a 72-yard house call where he topped 21 MPH while pulling away from defenders. That type of top-end speed will certainly grab the headlines, but something is bubbling below the surface that is more interesting for his rest-of-season outlook. Williams saw additional playing time with Kayshon Boutte sidelined with an injured hamstring, but he didn’t play an ancillary role by any means. Williams stepped in and played 56% of snaps, the 3rd most on the team, while both Stefon Diggs and Pop Douglas saw their typical allotment of work. We can’t get ourselves worked into a lather over one game and a single breakaway run, but it is interesting to see a young player get an expanded opportunity and make the most of it. The Patriots’ offense is one that I want to get exposure to, and they now have proof of concept with what Williams can contribute. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him push Mack Hollins for more work, in addition to the likelihood that he’ll be running in place of Boutte on Thursday Night Football.
Luther Burden, WR – Chicago Bears | 5% Rostered
I’ve made the case for Luther Burden in several places, including once before in this very article. At its core is my belief that a player of his caliber who was drafted in the 2nd round will eventually earn his opportunity and take hold of a larger role in the offense. Burden is only running routes on about a quarter of the Bears’ drop-backs, but he is creating 2+ yards of separation on 66% of those routes, the highest rate on his team by far. The difficult thing with Burden was not trying to determine if his opportunity would come, but when. It appears we might be on the doorstep of that reality, as DJ Moore is legitimately questionable with a shoulder injury. We likely won’t have definitive word about Moore until after Friday’s practice report, so now is the time to take a speculative waiver on the next-man-up in this high-flying offense.
Blake Corum, RB Los Angeles Rams | 14% Rostered
It will never cease to amaze me how widely available premier handcuffs are, but maybe I should simply adjust my expectations. Logically, Kyren Williams is rostered in nearly 100% of leagues, so every one of those managers can make a defendable case for carrying his backup. The workload that Blake Corum would project for if called into duty would have him in the RB2 conversation every week, and yet 5 out of 6 Kyren managers are letting him sit on the wire. Corum isn’t just a pure handcuff play, however. He’s been earning an increasing snap-share week over week, topping out last week at nearly 40%, and has the explosiveness to take any touch to the house. His role reminds me of a West Coast version of Tyler Allgeier, but he’s available in 3 times as many leagues. I think, if yours is one of them, you should change that – especially if you’re the Kyren manager.
Adonai Mitchell, WR – New York Jets | 2% Rostered
I have banged the drum for Adonai Mitchell in the past, both as an exciting prospect coming into the league and as he started to earn more snaps at the early part of this season. If not for a boneheaded dropped touchdown, it would be entirely possible that Mitchell would be more widely rostered and potentially still on the Colts’ roster. Instead, he was unceremoniously shipped out of town as a “toss-in” piece on the Sauce Gardner deal. Mitchell was a healthy scratch for his first week as a Jet, but in light of the injury to Garrett Wilson, it would make sense that he be activated for their Thursday Night Football matchup against New England. Even if he isn’t suiting up immediately, the Jets are facing another lost season and should be deep into player evaluation mode before long. Mitchell has the pedigree to be a nice perimeter option to run alongside Wilson, a hole the Jets have been looking to plug for years now. The downside is real, but there is some potential for Mitchell to establish himself down the stretch for New York, and that is worth a flier.
Photo by Eric Canha | Adapted by Parker McDonald (@CarbonFoxGFX on Twitter/X)