Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: Early Must-Adds For Week 11
Here's your early jumpstart on the fantasy football waiver wire for Week 11.
Week 10 of the 2024 NFL schedule is close to being done, with Sunday and Monday night games to be completed. But it’s always good to get an early start on the fantasy football waiver wire for the next week, and in Week 11 we have four teams (Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, New York Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers) on bye.
Here are your early must-adds from the Week 11 fantasy football waiver wire.
Note: Yahoo! fantasy scoring (0.5-point PPR) is the scoring cited unless otherwise noted.
Justin Herbert, QB, Los Angeles Chargers
Herbert went 14-for-18 for 164 yards and a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, and he also had 32 rushing yards with a touchdown on the ground. He has accounted for multiple touchdowns in three straight games, and he had 349 passing yards in the one prior to that.
Four of the Chargers next five games are against teams who entered Week 10 in the bottom-seven of the league in fantasy points allowed to quarterbacks (Cincinnati Bengals-Week 11, Baltimore Ravens-Week 12, Atlanta Falcons-Week 13, Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Week 15). Week 14 against the Kansas City Chiefs isn’t nearly as good, but they have allowed multiple passing touchdowns in four of their last five games.
Herbert gets tougher-looking matchups in Week 16 (Denver Broncos) and Week 17 (New England Patriots), but even those aren’t the dead end they may seem to be.
Herbert was in this space heading into Week 10, and he delivered. No quarterback has a better schedule than he does over the next five weeks, with the promise of more competitive games to foster more pass volume. The Chargers have one each of their last three games by more than two scores.
The negative sentiment about Herbert from the summer should be long gone. He’s looking like a weekly QB1 right into (and maybe right through) the fantasy playoffs.
ESPN Ownership: 47.8%
Yahoo! Ownership: 54%
Audric Estime, RB, Denver Broncos
Estime had 14 carries for 53 yards against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, as he finally got more opportunities like head coach Sean Payton has been promising. More precisely, he had a 46 percent snap share (h/t to Nathan Jahnke of Pro Football Focus) while Javonte Williams had just one carry with a 28 percent snap share. Jaleel McLaughlin played seven snaps and had two carries in the game.
Before a Week 14 bye, the Broncos face the Atlanta Falcons, the Las Vegas Raiders and the Cleveland Browns. The Raiders entered their Week 10 bye allowing the 10th-most fantasy points per game to running backs. The Falcons and Browns look tougher, since they each entered Week 10 in the top-12 of the league against running backs. But Atlanta has allowed over 80 yards from scrimmage to a running back in five of their last six games, while Cleveland allowed at least 77 yards from scrimmage and at least one rushing touchdown to an opposing back in both games before their Week 10 bye.
It’s entirely possible Sunday will go down as a one-off with Estime taking over the lead role in the Broncos’ backfield. But it’s also very possible he has seized the role with a solid showing against a tough run defense. More, or any, passing game work would be nice, but the rookie out of Notre Dame should be added in 12-team leagues.
ESPN Ownership: 1.1%
Yahoo! Ownership: 3%
Bo Nix, QB, Denver Broncos
Nix had a solid outing against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, going 22-for-30 for 215 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He got nothing done as a runner (-5 yards), but no turnovers kept the Broncos in the game.
From Week 11-13, before a Week 14 bye, Nix gets favorable matchups against the Atlanta Falcons, Las Vegas Raiders and Cleveland Browns. The Falcons and Raiders entered Week 10 allowing the seventh and eighth-most fantasy points per game to quarterbacks this season.
Going into their Week 10 bye the Browns allowed multiple passing touchdowns in four straight games with more than 260 passing yards allowed in three of those. Over their last five games, albeit to Jayden Daniels, Jalen Hurts and Lamar Jackson, Cleveland has allowed more than 30 rushing yards to a quarterback three times.
On the other side of that bye, Nix gets nice matchups against the Indianapolis Colts (Week 15) and Cincinnati Bengals (Week 17). In Week 16 he gets the Los Angeles Chargers, and he had 277 total yards and two passing touchdowns against them back in Week 6.
Nix’s ownership rates dropped just a bit heading into his matchup against Kansas City. Be aware of that Week 14 bye, but he looks like a QB1 for fantasy purposes from here on out.
ESPN Ownership: 50.5%
Yahoo! Ownership: 33%
Ricky Pearsall, WR, San Francisco 49ers
Pearsall had four catches for 73 yards (on six targets) on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, highlighted by a 46-yard catch and run for a touchdown. After missing the start of the season due to being shot during the preseason, he has stepped into a prominent role and it came to a fuller bloom on Sunday.
Week 11 brings a favorable matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, who entered their Week 10 bye allowing the 10th-most fantasy points per game to wide receivers this season. Matchups after that (Week 12-Green Bay Packers, Week 13-Buffalo Bills, Week 14-Chicago Bears) aren’t as favorable, but game scripts against the Packers and Bills seem sure to keep Brock Purdy throwing the ball. Then Week 15 (Los Angeles Rams) and Week 17 (Detroit Lions) are very favorable again.
Pearsall may never be a real target monster, with all the other mouths to feed in the 49ers’ offense even without Brandon Aiyuk. But he seems to have quickly secured a good role in a productive offense, and that makes him roster-worthy in 12-team leagues from here right through the fantasy playoffs.
ESPN Ownership: 25%
Yahoo! Ownership: 37%
Trey Benson, RB, Arizona Cardinals
After scoring the first touchdown of his career in Week 9, Benson had 87 yards from scrimmage on 12 touches against the New York Jets on Sunday. He has at least 55 total yards in back-to-back games, and he had 60 total yards before Sunday’s game got especially one-sided.
James Conner is having an excellent season, so he’s not going anywhere as the Cardinals’ lead back. But he has never not missed at least two games over a full season in his career, and getting Benson more consistently involved in the last two games seems to be a bit of an effort to not run him into the ground.
The Cardinals have their bye in Week 11, but after that the schedule is nice. From Week 12-17, only one of their opponents (Minnesota Vikings-Week 13) entered Week 10 in the top half of the league against running backs. If something happened to Conner, Benson would take a big role into those favorable matchups (Seattle Seahawks-Week 12 and Week 14; New England Patriots-Week 15, Carolina Panthers-Week 16, Los Angeles Rams-Week 16).
Benson is only an add-and-stash this week with his bye coming. But he is a must-add in 12-team leagues, with potential for flex value down the stretch even if Conner stays healthy.
ESPN Ownership: 16%
Yahoo! Ownership: 18%
Russell Wilson, QB, Pittsburgh Steelers
It wasn’t always great-looking, but Wilson went 14-for-28 for 195 yards with three touchdowns and an interception on Sunday against the Washington Commanders. He has multiple passing touchdowns and more than 19 fantasy points in two of his three starts since replacing Justin Fields, with 278 passing yards in the other.
From Week 11-17, only one of the Steelers’ opponents entered Week 10 in the top half of the league (as in, the toughest matchups) in fantasy points per game allowed to quarterbacks (Philadelphia Eagles-Week 15). Wilson gets the Baltimore Ravens twice (Week 11, Week 16) and the Cincinnati Bengals once (Week 13) over that stretch, and both are in the bottom-five against quarterbacks.
Pittsburgh had their bye in Week 9, which boosts Wilson’s appeal as a waiver wire add a notch more. He doesn’t run like he used to, but he should flirt with QB1-style numbers more often than not from here on out.
ESPN Ownership: 40.2%
Yahoo! Ownership: 21%
Rashod Bateman, WR, Baltimore Ravens
Bateman had six receptions for 54 yards and a touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals last Thursday night, on eight targets. He now has four touchdowns this season, with more than 50 yards and/or a score in four of his last six games.
The biggest potential fly in Bateman’s fantasy ointment going forward is Diontae Johnson. Baltimore’s big wide receiver trade addition barely played against Cincinnati (five snaps), after playing 17 snaps in his Week 9 Ravens’ debut. His playing time really has nowhere to go but up, the question is if the uptick yields noticeable production.
The matchups for Baltimore’s wide receivers over the rest of the season, around a Week 14 bye, are a mix of good and bad. But their offense is producing, while their pass defense has been a sieve to ensure passing volume for Lamar Jackson.
Boom-or-bust is automatic part of the equation with Bateman, often dependent on a touchdown. But in leagues with 12 or more teams, there are far worse ways to fill a bench spot (go ahead and drop that extra defense or kicker, you have my permission).
ESPN Ownership: 14%
Yahoo! Ownership: 29%
Marquez Valdes-Scantling, WR, New Orleans Saints
The litany of injuries the Saints have at wide receiver opened the door for Valdes-Scantling to have a big role Sunday against the Atlanta Falcons. And he delivered, with three catches for 109 yards and two touchdowns. The catch that wasn’t a touchdown was a 67-yarder.
With Chris Olave (concussion) possibly done for the season, Rashid Shaheed (knee) indeed done for the season, the Saints are down to Bub Means (who’s on IR), Cedrick Wilson (who missed Sunday’s game) and Mason Tipton at wide receiver. So, in other words, there’s nothing that would seem to stop Valdes-Scantling from being New Orleans’ No. 1 receiver from here on out this season. Alvin Kamara is the engine of the Saints’ offense, but someone has to catch passes at the wide receiver spot.
Drops and big plays (16.9 yards per catch) are the dual narratives of Valdes-Scantling’s career. The former Packer (2018-2021), Chief (2022-2023) and Bill (very briefly earlier this season) looks like a viable boom-or-bust WR3/WR4/flex option in leagues with 12 or more teams.
ESPN Ownership: 0.6%
Yahoo! Ownership: 1%
Cam Akers, RB, Minnesota Vikings
There was a path to fantasy viability for Akers on Sunday, assuming the Vikings were beating the Jacksonville Jaguars handily. He got 13 carries for 38 yards and one catch for nine yards in the game, but that path was paved by an injury to Aaron Jones.
Jones suffered a rib injury, which led to him being carted to the locker room before he returned late in the fourth quarter. Akers split time with Ty Chandler when Jones was out, and it would likely be a committee if Jones missed time. But in two games he has played an offensive snap since being re-acquired by the Vikings, Akers has clearly overtaken Chandler as the No. 2 back (19 carries).
In case Jones’ injury is more serious than it seems right now, Akers is a solid speculative waiver wire add in leagues with 12 or more teams.
ESPN Ownership: 16.4%
Yahoo! Ownership: 14%
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