Waiver Wire Week 11
As the season goes on, the waiver wire gets a little thinner each week. Injuries never cease, however, so there’s always someone out there when you need to replace your starter or shore up your bench. You won’t replace the production of an injured stud (like Julian Edelman) but you can prevent utter disaster with smart waiver wire management.
Quarterbacks have a surprisingly interesting week ahead with Brian Hoyer and Sam Bradford going down to concussions, Case Keenum replacing the now-benched Nick Foles, Peyton Manning getting injured during one of the worst games of his (or anyone’s) career, and Tony Romo finally coming back to the field against Miami. We will cover all that and more in this week’s waiver wire advice.
Rejoice, for after this week, you will no longer have to deal with those pesky byes.
Teams on bye this week: Cleveland, New Orleans, New York Giants, Pittsburgh
Quarterbacks
Tony Romo should be at the top of your list if you’re struggling with QB play. He’s an instant top-10 option with Dez Bryant healthy and a struggling running game in Dallas on a team that desperately needs to win.
For owners of Peyton Manning, if you couldn’t tell before now, you need help. Brock Osweiler could come in and light it up, but he’s an unproven commodity on a struggling team. Take him only if you’re in a deep league or need a desperation play at QB, and don’t expect him to dominate Chicago; the Bears have been semi-impressive since their bye, allowing under 12 points per game to opposing QBs.
Mark Sanchez provided owners with a great plug-and-play after the injuries to Foles last season, but this isn’t last year’s Philly offense. He won’t work his way into every-week starting QB conversation at any point this season with Philadelphia’s offensive struggles. Like Osweiler, pick him up if you’re desperate, but don’t expect anything fantastic.
As was the case with his predecessor, Case Keenum should not be on fantasy squads outside of the deepest leagues. The same goes for T.J. Yates is Hoyer misses time.
Must-Adds: Tony Romo
Bench Players: Brock Osweiler, Mark Sanchez
Ignore: Case Keenum
Running Backs
Matt Jones is = fantasy relevant again after finally bringing some life to Washington’s woeful run game. Even without his 78-yard touchdown yesterday, he still had double-digit fantasy points. On the road against Carolina is a little tougher than New Orleans at home in a blowout, so temper expectations this week, but expect Jones to produce well against the Giants and Cowboys in following weeks.
Jay Ajayi continues to look good in relief of Lamar Miller, who has rocketed into top fantasy RB status. He’s not dependably useful with Miller in the game, but if he continues to produce like this, Dan Campbell’s staff will have no choice but to get him more involved.
Sen’Derrick Marks tore his triceps, weakening the already-unimpressive Jaguars defensive line. This makes Antonio Andrews a rock-solid start this week, who is only owned in 56 percent of Yahoo leagues right now. Andrews should be owned in all 12-man leagues anyway, but merits strong flex consideration on Thursday night.
If you need a Hail Mary desperation play, check out Ahmad Bradshaw on the Colts. Facing Atlanta without Andrew Luck, Indianapolis will need the running game to be effective, and Bradshaw’s versatility will make him useful behind Gore. You’ll have to hope for a touchdown, but Bradshaw is more likely to score one this week than most other RBs on the wire.
Shaun Draughn had a surprisingly effective debut against Atlanta at home, but don’t be afraid to drop him for a kicker if you need one. He travels to Seattle this week and follows that up with Arizona at home, by which time Carlos Hyde should be healthy and Draughn irrelevant.
Must-Adds: Matt Jones, Antonio Andrews
Bench Players: Jay Ajayi, Ahmad Bradshaw
Ignore: Shaun Draughn, Patriots RBs, Houston RBs
Wide Receivers
Julian Edelman’s broken foot was the biggest injury of Week 11, making Danny Amendola the top waiver add this week for leagues where Tony Romo isn’t available. The Patriots would love to replace Edelman’s production with a platoon, but with Dion Lewis out as well, they will be forced to use Amendola as much as possible to make up for both losses.
He’s not getting much press, but Michael Floyd has been playing like a WR1 since getting healthy. He’s hit double digits every game since Week 6, and has had at least 100 yards and 8 targets in each of his last two games. Owned in 66 percent of Yahoo leagues at the moment, Floyd should be owned and started until he shows signs of slowing down.
Speaking of owned and started, how about Kamar Aiken’s 14 targets last week? He has some rough sledding ahead against St. Louis this week and Seattle in Week 14, but has a juicy playoff schedule against Kansas City, the kindest team to opposing fantasy receivers, and Pittsburgh, a top-10 softest option. Don’t drop Aiken if you managed to grab him last week.
For the desperate, Cole Beasley could see more use this week against Miami with Romo back and Lance Dunbar out. He has a different skill set than Dunbar, but he’s a top read on third down and could see heavy usage if Miami’s defensive line pressures Romo early.
Must-Adds: Danny Amendola, Michael Floyd, Kamar Aiken
Bench Players: Cole Beasley
Ignore: The Rest
Tight Ends
Tight end is unsurprisingly barren on the wire this late in the year. You either have one or you don’t.
Richard Rodgers in Green Bay offers as much upside as anyone you’ll find now, and he’s available in over 50 percent of Yahoo leagues. He’s touchdown-dependent, but if you’re expecting better from a Week 11 waiver wire tight end, you need to come back down to earth a bit.
Other upside plays in Week 11 include Eric Ebron against Oakland, the worst team against TEs this season, and Coby Fleener against Atlanta.
Zach Miller, Chicago’s second-string tight end and the surprise of Week 10, isn’t worth picking up. He has too many people ahead of him on the depth chart, most of his points came on a single 87-yard touchdown catch he won’t repeat, and he’s playing the Broncos defense this week.
Must-Adds: None
Bench Players: Richard Rogers, Eric Ebron, Coby Fleener
Ignore: The Rest
Strategy
Players worth a top claim this week include Romo, Amendola, Floyd, and Aiken. Use a claim on Andrews or Jones if you feel otherwise comfortable with your roster.
Top 12 Overall
Tony Romo, QB DAL
Danny Amendola, WR NE
Michael Floyd, WR ARI
Kamar Aiken, WR BAL
Antonio Andrews, RB TEN
Matt Jones, RB WAS
Jay Ajayi, RB MIA
Richard Rogers, TE GB
Eric Ebron, TE DET
Cole Beasley, WR DAL
Ahmad Bradshaw, RB IND
Brock Osweiler, QB DEN
Preston Wickersham | Waiver Wire Pickups: Week 11 - Gridiron Experts