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Top 10 Waiver Wire Pickups to FIX Your Fantasy Team

Fantasy Stock Exchange14:51

Transcription

Week 10 is officially wrapped up, and now it is time to set our waiver claims for week 11 of fantasy football. It is crunch time. It is time to secure your playoff spot. Whether you're fighting for a by-week, whether you're fighting for a five or six seed, it is time to go and secure your spot in the fantasy football playoffs.

In week 11, man, we got a couple of names on the docket that should be exciting. But before we get into the official top 10 running back and wide receivers, I go through the "should be rostered" tier. Just a lot of guys that are rostered in 50-plus percent of leagues, but if they are available, they'd be one of the top pickups in this week's slate.

Alec Pierce, wide receiver in the Colts, looking very good, nearly 15 PPR points in the last month. He definitely should be rostered in every league. And to be honest, I view him as a wide receiver three for the rest of the season. Similar case with Tez Johnson. Obviously, the elephant in the room here, Mike Evans probably done for the regular season. Chris Godwin still no timetable to return, and he has operated as that true number two wide receiver behind Mecha Igbuka.

Jerry Judy, wide receiver of the Cleveland Browns. He was always getting the usage. He was always getting the snaps, but he finally had a big game against the New York Jets. And now, moving forward, if he can maintain that wide receiver one level workload, he should be a flex option for you in your lineup. Similar case to Keon Coleman. He only played 62% of the snaps, but at the same time, he commanded eight targets. He scored a touchdown in this game, and he's going to be attached to an offense and plied for 28-plus points every week.

Next up with Parker Washington. He operated as the number one wide receiver for the Jaguars. There is context here. Brian Thomas Jr. didn't play in the game. Jacobe Myers making his debut for the Jaguars this week. Parker Washington, I think he's only a short-term play. Like, once Brian Thomas Jr.'s back in the lineup, I don't think you can play Parker Washington with confidence, but in the meantime, I think he's a solid PPR flex play.

Next up, Darius Slayton, wide receiver of the New York Giants. Very simple. He's played well these couple weeks. Yes, he did get banged up in the game, but at the same time, when he is healthy, 85-plus percent of the routes, downfield role on this team.

Matthew Golden. Maybe he was dropped in your league. Obviously, he's dealing with a shoulder injury. Not a guy that I want to put in my lineup anytime soon, but at the same time, he's going to be one of the best stashes in fantasy football.

Brandon Aiyuk. Very similar case, rostered around the 50% line. He hasn't made a season debut yet. We don't know when he will. But at the same time, if even if he makes his season debut in week 15 or in week 16, he's a high upside stash, man. The 49ers offense, we trust it. We have evidence of Brandon Aiyuk being an All-Pro level wide receiver. Sure, that's two years removed, but at the same time, with Brandon Aiyuk, you're getting the talent and you're getting the potential wide receiver one for the 49ers down the stretch.

But moving on to the number one waiver pickup of the week at running back and wide receiver. And to me, that's going to be Christian Watson of the Green Bay Packers, rostered about 37% of the leagues. I would spend upwards of 20 to 30% if I'm very desperate. More than likely, you should be able to get him for under 20%. And the reason why I'm high on Christian Watson is that simply put, when he's been trusted to make plays coming off of that injury, he's delivered, man. And I get it. It hasn't been the biggest workload, but at the same time, we've seen his route share go up significantly in recent weeks, 65% in week eight. He peaked at 83% in week 10. And obviously, the elephant in the room here, Romeo Doubs leaves the game with a chest injury. He does come back, but he's completely uninvolved in that offense. We do have Matthew Golden, like I mentioned at the top, dealing with a shoulder injury. If we get a scenario in week 11 or in week 12 where Christian Watson is the number one wide receiver here with either Romeo Doubs or Matthew Golden missing a game, we could be looking at Watson as a top 30 option. He's got the downfield appeal and he really reminds me of Green Bay's version of Jame Williams.

My number two waiver claim of the week is going to be Luther Burden of the Chicago Bears, in 15% of leagues on Sleeper. I'd be willing to spend 10 to 20% of my budget, pending what your league market is, and I would be willing to spend my number one waiver priority. And obviously here, DJ Moore leaves the game early, comes back, doesn't really look the same. It is being described as a shoulder injury. When he did return though, it was only 11% targets per route for DJ Moore. He obviously puts up the goose egg in the box score. To me, it's very clear Luther Burden is an ascending player, and I do think sooner rather than later, he will straight up beat out DJ Moore for snaps. In week 10, he posted 51 receiving yards on only 49% of the snaps. And every year, we try to find, you know, who is the next league-winning rookie wide receiver? Who's the guy down the stretch that can be a needle-moving piece of my lineup? A guy that maybe you have flex expectations for, but he completely overdelivers. And to me, Luther Burden reminds me of what Jaylen McMillan was last year. If you guys recall, Jaylen McMillan down the stretch, week 12, week 13 on, was an absolute needle mover in fantasy. And I think Luther Burden's both got the skill set and the offensive insulation to be able to pay off. Sure, there is question marks. Obviously, Cole Kmet has been coming on. Darnell Mooney is the clear number one in this offense, but Luther Burden's got a clear skill set. He's been the most efficient Bears wide receiver this year. And this is a complete upside shot, man. Sure, you're probably not going to put Burden into your lineup in week 11 until we know what the snap share is. But at the same time, we do have quotes from Ben Johnson. They do want to give him the ball in space more moving forward. And Luther Burden had a first-round grade for me in this past draft class. So for me, Luther Burden, one of the highest upside stashes in fantasy football, he should be rostered in every league.

Another upside shot at wide receiver. We got another rookie from Houston, this time with Jaden Higgins of the Houston Texans. Rostered in 17% of leagues, similar to Luther Burden. I'd be willing to spend 10 to 20% of my fab budget on. And with Jaden Higgins, we've seen him command seven targets and eight targets in two of his last three games. And he finally got more snaps than Christian Kirk and Xavier Hutchinson. Both those guys were available, and Jaden Higgins got more snaps. He's got the size. He's got the ability at the catch point. Obviously, we saw what he was able to do on that red zone touchdown. And I honestly think he's a very nice compliment to Nico Collins. He's the only wide receiver in this core that's actually good and has size. Sorry, Xavier Hutchinson, but when you run 27 routes and you're simply unable to command work, I will look towards the young guy with some talent. Jaden Higgins, second-round pick, went in the top 40 to the Houston Texans. And to me, while he's only a stash for now, as soon as we see the usage uptick, maybe he gets 75% of the routes next week, 82% of the routes next week. If we do see that evident usage uptick, I think Jaden Higgins should be viewed as a top 36 wide receiver moving forward. So, if you get him for the cheap right now, get him for 10 to 20% of your budget. I honestly think this is going to be a player worth 20-plus% of the budget next week.

But moving on to Tyler Allgeier. And you're going to have to spend up on him a little bit. He obviously had a two-touchdown performance against the Colts, but to me, Tyler Allgeier is the exact same principle for why Zack Charbonnet is in lineups. With Zack Charbonnet, you're getting touchdown equity. You're getting goal-line equity, similar to Tyler Allgeier. And we do have the implied upside should the other back in their backfield go down. If Ken Walker were to get hurt, Charbonnet would be a league winner. And of course, if Bijan Robinson were to go down, Tyler Allgeier would be a league winner. Again, you're going to have to spend up a little bit. He did have a big performance. People are going to be more enthused about him on the waiver wire. But to me, when I look at Tyler Allgeier, even aside from a Bijan Robinson injury, I do think in the right game scripts, you can plug him into your flex and feel confident. Obviously, byes going forward, week 12, 13, 14 byes are coming up. And I think Tyler Allgeier is a guy you can play in a pinch in those good matchups. The Saints, the Jets, the Cardinals, all situations that you can flex Tyler Allgeier with confidence.

And the next guy on this list, I would call the budget version of Tyler Allgeier. Obviously, Tyler Allgeier has the two touchdowns, you're going to have to spend up on him. But to me, Blake Corum of the Rams had a very similar case to Tyler Allgeier. 12-plus carries in three straight games. And obviously, if Kyren Williams were to go down, you're getting a workhorse running back for one of the best offenses in the NFL. We love the Rams. They're going to be ahead in good game scripts. Blake Corum has shown he's a good player this year. Much more efficient as a second-year player versus what he was as a rookie. And I do feel like if Kyren Williams were to miss any time, like I said, this is an RB one in the waiting.

Next up at number six, and kind of gearing off the implied upside plays, like obviously Tyler Allgeier, Blake Corum were citing as potential league winners should anything happen in their backfield. I don't think Amari Demarcado is going to win anybody leagues. But at the same time, if you need someone to put in your flex in week 11, I think he does have some appeal. Now, we're awaiting news. We'll see what ends up happening in terms of the news of Bam Knight. He of course exited in the fourth quarter with an injury, and Amari Demarcado, he handled the majority of the workload after Bam Knight left. After Bam Knight left, it could have been Carter. It could have been Demarcado. Demarcado looked straight up better. And I do think based off what we saw earlier in this year, yes, of course, Michael Carter ended up getting that starting workload over Demarcado. At the same time, he didn't do anything with it. And with Demarcado, with both available in the backfield this week, he was straight up much better than Michael Carter. If I have to take a flyer on a one-week player for anybody in this Cardinals backfield, it is going to be Amari Demarcado. Now, in terms of fab, maybe you have to spend $5, $6 to be able to play him for one week. But I do think if he does have that workload, he could be a very solid option in PPR leagues. We saw what he's able to do in the receiving game. And of course, he's got the juice to be able to break off a long run. So Demarcado, it's a little bit riskier. I do think there's a tier difference between these guys 6 through 10 than the guys I had in my one through five. But I do think if you're in a pinch, you need someone to put in your lineup, Demarcado has much more standalone value than the two guys we just mentioned.

And at number seven, going back to the implied upside plays, Sean Tucker of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. We do have the report from Tampa Bay that Bucky Irving, he still doesn't have a timetable to return. And Sean Tucker quietly in the last two weeks has gotten his most usage of the year, 30-plus% of the snaps, two biggest carry workloads in weeks 8 and 10. But let's be real, the main upside for why you would pick up Sean Tucker is if anything were to happen to Rachaad White. With Sean Tucker, he's over 200 lbs. We've seen breakaway ability. If he's able to have any type of workload as the main RB1 for Tampa Bay, we are talking about insane upside. You can get him for a few bucks on the wire. You could stash him. But like I said, if you were to get a week where Sean Tucker is the standalone running back for Tampa Bay with Rachaad White and Bucky Irving out of the lineup, we're talking about a legitimate difference-maker in the lineup.

My number eight waiver wire pickup of the week, we got Adonai Mitchell of the New York Jets. He was inactive in week 10 after getting dealt at the trade deadline, but this is still a clear talent, man. He was a 2024 second-round pick. He was specifically requested by New York in that deal for Sauce Gardner. There's the upside that Mitchell becomes the number one target in this Jets offense cuz quite simply he flashed that type of ability in limited spurs with the Colts. Obviously with the Colts you have Alec Pierce playing the way he has been. You have Michael Pittman fully healthy. You have Josh Downs as your main slot. Probably never going to get a ton of usage for Adonai Mitchell. I do think with the Jets situation we see him blossom into the talent we called a potential future wide receiver one out of his draft class.

At number nine, we got Devin Singletary of the New York Giants. And it's gross. Like, I get it. Like, you're seeing Devin Singletary, you're realizing, hey, well, this is the RB2 for a bad football team with the New York Giants. However, we did see him lead the backfield two weeks ago. It could very well be a hot hand approach. And I do think he has enough standalone value to be rostered on your teams. Now, I'm not saying get aggressive. I'm not saying bid half your budget, 20% of your budget on Devin Singletary. But if you can get him for a few bucks, you know, $3 gets it done, $4 gets it done. He has shown the standalone value. And who knows, man, if this is indeed a hot hand approach, maybe you can luck into a 15 touch workload with him.

And then finally, at number 10 here, we got Samaje Perine of the Cincinnati Bengals. Another implied upside play. Look, I don't expect Samaje Perine to have the most relevance if Chase Brown's healthy, but at the same time, we did see him get solid usage between weeks five and eight. And we do know he has a receiving skill set for a high octane offense. Probably not going to enter your lineup anytime soon. He also is dealing with a current high ankle sprain. But at the same time, in the weeks 14, 15, 16 run, especially if they get Joe Burrow back for the playoff run, we could be looking at Samaje Perine being one of the most valuable handcuffs in fantasy.

But moving on to the onesies, we'll talk about my three favorite tight end streamers and my three favorite quarterback streamers this week. At tight end, we'll start off with number one here, Dalton Schultz of the Houston Texans. And he's quietly been very good, man. 10.5 PPR points per game this season and 13.2 points per game over his last five games. Not to mention, he has 11 or more fantasy points in four of his last five. And on top of that, he plays the eighth-ranked team versus tight ends with the Tennessee Titans this week. If you need a tight end start to pinch into your lineup, Dalton Schultz has shown significant volume upside in this offense.

Same thing with Theo Johnson, man. He's been a top 12 scoring tight end in four of his last six games, and he's currently the tight end 12 in PPR points per game this season. And now faces the number 16 ranked Packers defense in week 11 for fantasy. If you need a spot start, you got a guy on bye, maybe you lost a tight end this week. I think Theo Johnson can enter your lineup in a pinch.

And the same applies to Mason Taylor, the Jets. Look, I know it was incredibly low volume in week 10, but at the same time, Garrett Wilson, he exited this game with a knee sprain, and we simply won't see 11 passing attempts every week. Like, surely I understand you have Justin Fields. It's probably not going to be a 30-40 attempt offense. But 11 passing attempts is unsustainable. And I do think given the usage we've seen from Mason Taylor, 87% of the routes, 14.4 PPR points in week eight, I do think there's significant upside in this spot. No Garrett Wilson, he now becomes the number one in the progression. And until Adonai Mitchell really proves himself, I think Mason Taylor should be viewed as the number one on this team.

Moving on to the quarterback position, and before I get into the three streamers that you can play in week 11, I do have to mention a guy that you can't play in week 11, but is one of the best stashes in fantasy football. He is rostered in 61% of the leagues, but if you are in the 39% that he's available, you have to be rostering Joe Burrow. 21-day practice window is open, meaning that at some point in the next 3 weeks, he will be making his return to the lineup. The Bengals, they're still in the midst of a playoff push. That division's very close. The Steelers, the Ravens, the Bengals, they're all in the mix. And I do think if the Bengals are in playoff contention, we see Joe Burrow come back. And obviously, of course, as soon as he's back, he's a mid-end quarterback one.

But moving on to the players that you can actually put in your lineup this week. Number one here, Aaron Rodgers. Very simple. 24.6 points last time they played Cincinnati. And as we know with the Bengals defense, they are the 30th ranked defense against the pass this year.

Next up, Justin Fields of the New York Jets. Obviously, a bad game against Cleveland. Not a ton of volume. But at the same time, the Patriots are a clear pass funnel defense. And with no Garrett Wilson, maybe we see Fields lean on his legs. We know he's very mobile. We know he likes to handle the rock. And as bad as the Jets have been this year, Fields has scored 20-plus points in four of his seven starts.

And the final name I want to mention is Marcus Mariota of the Washington Commanders. He is a rushing quarterback and he faces the 24th ranked Miami Dolphins defense. He hasn't finished lower than quarterback 19 in any game this year. And I do think given the rushing ceiling we've seen, given the cupcake of a matchup, we can see 18-plus points yet again from Mariota.

But either way, if you guys enjoyed, make sure you leave a like down below. Comment your biggest waiver wire decision. I'll try to get to as many as possible. And of course, if you're new, hit subscribe. We are on the road to 100,000 subscribers. Appreciate you guys for that continued support. But with that being said, peace out. Good luck in week 11. Secure your playoff spot, baby.