Waiver Wire Pickups Week 11: White, Watson

Two rookies are hitting their strides deep into the season and fantasy managers should snap them off the waiver wire ASAP!

Welcome to Week 11. Time sure flies when you’re having fun!

With four teams on bye and a host of injuries to fantasy football studs, the waiver wire will be popular this week. Playoffs are just around the corner, and it's time to bid bigger for the players you need to make it to the postseason. Hopefully, you still have some FAAB budget left to spend as we navigate through the next few weeks.

Cooper Kupp, Zach Ertz, and Jerry Jeudy are just a few prized players you may need to replace this week. Be creative.

Justin Fields was one of our top waiver claims a few weeks ago, but he is now nearly 100% rostered and has been the QB1 across the past four weeks. Suppose you picked him up, but he is redundant (for example, you already have Tua, Mahomes, Allen, or Hurts). In that case, you should look to move him for another piece. This is just one way the waiver wire can work to your advantage. Even if you don't "need" a player, consider picking up high-value players for packaging in a trade.

I've listed players at each position below. Some players have more in-depth writeups, and some are listed in the "others" category at the bottom. If a player is listed as an "other," it usually means I have recently featured them in a longer writeup, or they are more than 50% rostered. Please always check for those players as well. For example, I did not write up Cole Kmet because he is nearly 65% rostered. He should be your top target at the position if you are in a league where he has been dropped. The same applies to players such as Eli Mitchell, Daniel Jones, and Justin Fields.

Now, without further ado, let’s get started. We will kick it off at the QB position with a high-upside veteran that looks like he just got his job back….

QUARTERBACKS WAIVER WIRE

Matt Ryan (IND) FAAB up to 11%
Matt Ryan made a surprise start on Sunday after it had been announced he would be benched for the rest of the season. He made a surprise start and led the Colts to an upset win in Las Vegas vs. the Raiders. New head coach Jeff Saturday claims he is auditioning for a job and will do what he needs to win. Fantasy managers certainly hope so since Ryan being back boosted all other fantasy components as well (sorry, Sam Elingher, but you were not cutting it). Ryan was the QB4 on the week heading into Monday night, finishing ahead of Josh Allen, Dak Prescott, and Tom Brady. He only took one sack, did not turn the ball over, and finished with 222 passing yards, a passing TD, and another 38 yards and a touchdown on the ground. The next matchup with Philadelphia isn't the greatest, but with the Colts expected to be playing from behind, we could see Ryan be productive for fantasy playing catch-up. Ryan has thrown for 350+ yards in three of eight games this year, and he's available in 89% of leagues.

Marcus Mariota (ATL) FAAB up to 4%
Marcus Mariota is a reliable streamer with no major upside. Still, in a season where the QB position is so unpredictable, he usually logs between 15-20 points per game. This matchup vs. Chicago is favorable for mobile QBs as the Bears have allowed four rushing TDs (tied for most in the league) and the fourth-most rushing yards to opposing QBs. Mariota is available in 64% of leagues.

DeShaun Watson(CLE) FAAB up to 11%
Deshaun Watson is eligible to return in Week 13 vs. the Houston Texans. The Browns quarterback hasn't played football at the NFL level in over a year after being suspended for 11 games  after more than two dozen women accused Watson of sexual harassment and sexual assault.  Watson is available in 63% of leagues. 

Others: Daniel Jones (NYG), Kenny Pickett (PIT)

RUNNING BACKS WAIVER WIRE

Rachaad White (TB) FAAB up to 11%
Leonard Fournette left Sunday's game in Germany with a hip injury, but even before that, Rachaad White drew the official start for the first time this year. He set a career-high for attempts with 22, ending the day with 105 yards on the ground. Tampa Bay is finally back on top of the NFC South, and this rotation seems to be working. Tampa is on bye this week, but you can stash him now to get ahead of the game. In Week 12, the Bucs get the Browns, who allow the second-most fantasy points per game to opposing RBs. White is available in 55% of leagues.

Isiah Pacheco (KC) FAAB up to 9%
Pacheco has made this column a few times and had a lengthy writeup last week, but this week might be the last week he is widely available on the waiver wire as he is now the early down back in KC. Clyde Edwards-Helaire did not log even a single carry on Sunday, as Pacheco carried the ball 16 times for 82 yards. Jerick McKinnon is still the pass-catching back and short-yardage back, but as the Chiefs often play with a lead, Pacheco could have immediate value for a team with the fifth-easiest schedule for the remainder of the season. Pacheco is available in 76% of leagues.

Jaylen Warren (PIT) FAAB up to 7%
Najee put together his best rushing performance of the season with 99 yards on 20 carries, but Jaylen Warren remained the third-down back while logging nine carries of his own and playing 43% of the team's offensive snaps. Warren caught three passes for 40 yards, and now that Chase Claypool is gone, there could be more opportunity for the rookie, who has also been the more efficient runner this year. Harris is still averaging only 3.59 yards per carry. Warren is 76% available.

Kyren Williams (LAR) FAAB up to 6%
The Rams are a complete mess, but Kyren Williams could have some potential, as he played most of the snaps in the two-minute drill in his first game of the season. Williams only carried the ball once for nine yards as they were easing him back in from injury, but he caught all three of his targets for 30 yards. Neither Akers nor Henderson were very effective in this contest, and with Cooper Kupp possibly missing time, Williams could see his role increase in the weeks ahead. Williams is available in 58% of leagues.

Others: Brian Robinson, Jr. (WSH), Gus Edwards (BAL), Elijah Mitchell (SF), Jerick McKinnon (KC), Kenneth Gainwell (PHI),

WIDE RECEIVERS WAIVER WIRE

Christian Watson (GB) FAAB up to 16%
Watson entered Monday night as the WR2 of the week after catching four of his eight targets for 107 yards and three touchdowns on Sunday vs. Dallas. Aaron Rodgers led the Packers to an upset win at home, with Watson commanding a whopping league-leading 71.6% of the team's air yards and 42.1% of the team's targets. Rodgers can be fickle with his preferred targets, but this connection led to a much-needed win over a tough opponent. Romeo Doubs remained sidelined, and as long as Watson can get the drops under control (he had two early in the game), the second-round pick has the potential to become Rodgers' WR1. Watson is available in 91% of leagues.

Donovan Peoples-Jones (CLE) FAAB up to 13%
We had DPJ in this article last week, and we also had a player prop on him, and he rewarded us with five catches for 99 yards on Sunday. He's now a trusted target for Brissett, and Brissett has the job for two more weeks. With Watson taking over, there is still plenty of room for upside. Peoples-Jones commanded the second-highest percentage of his team's air yards this week (53%) after only Christian Watson. Peoples-Jones is available in 65% of leagues.

Parris Campbell (IND) FAAB up to 12%
Matt Ryan is back, and therefore so is Parris Campbell. Just before it was announced they were benching Ryan two weeks ago, Campbell was a popular waiver wire claim. He has seen 11 targets in Week 6 and 12 in Week 7 with Matt Ryan under center. Well, now that the high-volume passing game is potentially back, Campbell is worth another FAAB claim. Campbell saw nine targets for seven catches and 76 yards in Sunday's victory over the Raiders. The slot receiver should be trusted as long as he can remain healthy and Matt Ryan remains at QB. He's available in 82% of leagues.

Jarvis Landry (NO) FAAB up to 12%
Landry returned to action this week and saw one more target (6) than Chris Olave (5), catching three passes for 37 yards. With no Michael Thomas, Landry should remain at the top of the depth chart as either W1 or WR2 on a team that could switch back to Jameis Winston and a high-volume pass attack.

Kadarius Toney (KC) FAAB up to 12%
Toney is one of many pass-catchers for Patrick Mahomes, but Toney shined on Sunday, logging 90 yards and his first NFL touchdown for the Chiefs. His opportunity increased due to Mecole Hardman being sidelined with an abdominal injury and JuJu Smith-Schuster leaving early to go into concussion protocol. Toney played the outside while Valdes-Scantling moved into the slot, and both could be good adds this week vs. the Chargers- especially if either Hardman or Smith-Schuster remains out. Toney is ahead of Skyy Moore on the depth chart and will likely see more usage in the league's top passing offense. He's available in 49% of leagues.

Nico Collins (HOU) FAAB up to 9%
Collins is back from injury, and with Brandin Cooks landing firmly on the "disgruntled list," Collins fully claimed the WR1 role vs. the Giants on Sunday, commanding ten targets for 76 yards and a 27% target share. Next up, the Texans get a Commander's secondary that has been among the league's worst, allowing the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing wide receivers.

Van Jefferson (LAR) FAAB up to 6%
Cooper Kupp is going to miss some time. I just cried onto my keyboard, but somehow it's still functioning enough to suggest you could throw a dart at Van Jefferson in deeper leagues. After Kupp left the game, Jefferson caught all three targets for 27 yards and a score. We are still determining whether it will be John Wolford or Matt Stafford at QB next week, but Jefferson should have a bigger role now that he seems healthy. No, it's not exciting, and neither is the matchup with New Orleans, but it could be your best option in deeper leagues. Jefferson is available in 93% of leagues.

Others: George Pickens (PIT), Odell Beckham, Jr. (FA), Corey Davis (NYJ), Jarvis Landry (NO), Treylon Burks (TEN), Jahan Dotson (WSH), Michael Gallup (DAL), DeAndre Carter (LAC)

TIGHT ENDS WAIVER WIRE

Hayden Hurst (CIN) FAAB up to 8%
Hurst will be fresh coming off the bye week and playing for a team likely without Ja'Marr Chase. Hurst has caught all nine of his targets across the past two games for a decent PPR floor, and he plays for the sixth-highest-scoring offense in the league. Hurst's 249 routes run are tied with Evan Engram for the third-most at the position, and he's running routes on 72.8% of his snaps while blocking only 4.4% of the time. Hurst is available in 52% of leagues.

Foster Moreau (LVR) FAAB up to 7%
Darren Waller has officially been put on IR, where he joins WR Hunter Renfrow. That should open up opportunities for Moreau, who played 95% of the snaps on Sunday. Moreau finished Sunday's game with three passes for 43 yards and a TD in his best performance of the year. He doesn't have a big target share, so it can't be expected every week, and this week's matchup with Denver is tough, but after that, he has two soft matchups vs. the TE position in Seattle and the Los Angeles Chargers.

Others: Cole Kmet (CHI), Trey McBride (ARI), Evan Engram (JAX), Logan Thomas (WSH) 

More fantasy & NFL coverage:

• Top 10 Week 10 Fantasy Takeaways
• Fantasy Fallout: Kupp Injury Torments Tinseltown
• Week 11 IDP Waiver Wire Report
• Early Look at Week 11 Waiver Wire Pickups
• Odell Beckham Jr. Signing Update
• MMQB: Week 10 Game Balls