Even though Week 10 isn’t fully in the books, it’s time to cast an eye over your Week 11 waiver wire pickups for the 2021 season.
We continue having to deal with bye weeks,but only two teams on bye this week:
- Denver Broncos
- Los Angeles Rams
All of these pickups are written in percentage, not priority. For a player to be eligible they have to be owned in less than 50% of leagues. The rostered percentage is taken from ESPN. Now, let’s get into them!
Mac Jones (NE) @ATL 13.9% rostered
Jones is having a good rookie season, infact he is having the best rookie season of the incoming draft class. He just seems to have found his groove in the offense. The thing is, it hasn’t always translated to fantasy. But, after a 3-TD game, he faces the Atlanta Falcons secondary.
Cam Newton (CAR) v WAS 12.4% rostered
The replacement for Cam Newton’s replacements replacement is Cam Newton. Yep, I think that’s right. But even if it’s not- the key is that Newton has returned to the team, and will likely step immediately into the starting role against Washington this week. Assuming he runs as often as he did the first time round, that’s great fantasy production to have.
Trevor Siemian (NO) @PHI 3.7% rostered
Siemian has continued to be the starter for the Saints, and he has performed well with it. He has thrown for 2TDs in each of his past two games, with good yardage to go with it. You might not want him unless you are in a really deep league, but you could do worse.
Others to Consider
- Baker Mayfield (CLE) v DET 33.2% rostered
- Tyrod Taylor (HOU) @TEN 6.2% rostered
Devonta Freeman (BAL) @CHI 43.8% rostered
The lead rushing player might be Lamar Jackson on this team, but that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be picking up Freeman. This Ravens offense is still focused on the run, so there should be more than enough volume for Freeman. The issue will be if he would be able to improve his efficiency with those touches.
Jordan Howard/ Boston Scott (PHI) v NO 37.9/ 34.9% rostered
The first thing is to say, is the matchup isn’t ideal this week. The Saints are a tough team against RBs, but this is a pickup for the rest of the season. The Eagles backfield is split between these two, with Kenny Gainwell now definitely an afterthought. Pick up whichever one is available in your league and you’ve got a player you can slot into your flex at least (or more, if you are scrambling due to injury/ bye weeks.
Alex Collins (SEA) v ARI 31.9% rostered
Collins is the starting running back for the Seahawks, and the offense is about to get an uptick with Russell Wilson returning to the lineup. There are some tough matchups coming up, but you can’t not pick up a starter like this.
Rhamondre Stevenson (NE) @ATL 9.9% rostered
I really hope you took my advice last week and picked up Stevenson. If you didn’t, then you might struggle this week after his 114 scrimmage yard, 2 TD performance. Obviously, there is the fact that Damien Harris could return next week, but even so, Stevenson is the type of player you want to have for depth.
D’Onta Foreman (TEN) v HOU 1.5% rostered
The Titans backfield is still working itself out. It certainly isn’t the same without their wrecking ball Derrick Henry, but with injuries piling up, you need to take a risk with players like Foreman and hope that they can take a step forward.
Others to Consider
- Brandon Bolden (NE) @ATL 16.3% rostered
- Jermar Jefferson (DET) @CLE 0.3% rostered (although could miss some time with an ankle injury)
Van Jefferson (LAR) BYE 36.2% rostered
Wow, what a week. Jefferson went from a player that was being dropped everywhere to a player that is going to be worth picking up. Jefferson is likely to fill the same role in the offense that he had this season, after the injury to Robert Woods. You might not want to pick him up with him on his bye week next week, but keep an eye out on if he gets dropped by people that don’t have the space on their bench for him
Rashod Bateman (BAL) @CHI 32.5% rostered
Another week passes, and another week I can tell you again to pick up Bateman. I think (well, it should) be the last week where I can. Bateman has been impressive since he made it onto the field and could be a real league winner at this stage of the season.
Jamal Agnew (JAX) v SF 8.1% rostered
This season, after the injury to Travis Etienne, I thought that the Jaguars were going to be looking to Laviska Shenault as that gadget player. But it seems like that guy is actually Agnew. He might not have caught any of the five targets against the Colts, but he did manage to crack a big run for a TD.
Amon-Ra St. Brown (DET) @CLE 8.0% rostered
St. Brown has had the type of performance that I hoped for when he was drafted. He had a joint-team-high six targets and had a team-high 61 yards. Watching the game it felt like he was being used for some crucial moments, which is a positive sign moving forwards.
Tre’Quan Smith (NO) @PHI 1.7% rostered
Smith started the season on the sidelines, but has started to show why he has been talked up by the coaching staff in past seasons. This past week against the Titans, he was joint leader in targets and managed to catch a TD. If you need a Rams receiver plugin, Smith could be your guy.
Others to Consider
- Elijah Moore (NYJ) v MIA 26.3% rostered
- Bryan Edwards (LV) v CIN 16.1% rostered
- Marquez Valdes-Scantling (GB) @MIN 4.2% rostered
- Gabriel Davis (BUF) v IND 2.7% rostered
- Ray-Ray McCloud (PIT) @LAC 0.4% rostered
Tyler Conklin (MIN) v GB 39.6% rostered
Conklin caught two TDs last week, which saved his fantasy day, but he is still involved in this offense. He is still getting targets around the goal-line, as well as generally on the field being the third (or fourth) option on the offense. Again, if you need a plugin for whatever reason, Conklin is a good guy to add.
Dan Arnold (JAX) v SF 26.1% rostered
Arnold wasn’t the target leader for the Jaguars last week, but he was just one behind. With the seven targets that he did get, he led the team in receptions and yards as well as catching a two-point conversion.
Others to Consider
- Evan Engram (NYG) @TB 24.0% rostered
- Gerald Everett (SEA) v ARI 3.4% rostered
Carolina Panthers v WAS 48.1% rostered
The Panthers got the upper hand early in their matchup against Arizona, which isn’t likely to happen against Washington. The thing is they are still a great unit- they get after the QB consistently and have a good unit to force turnovers too.
Los Angeles Chargers v PIT 4.2% rostered
The Chargers aren’t the best unit in the league, with injuries hitting them in the secondary especially. But, they do have the ability to make plays. To be totally honest, the Steelers’ offense hasn’t been too great with Ben Roethlisberger this season. Then this coming week, they allowed Detroit to force some turnovers, as well as put pressure on the QB. There are most likely better options, but if you have one of the units on bye and a lot of options are taken already, you could do worse.
Others to consider
- San Francisco 49ers @JAX 49.2% rostered
- Green Bay Packers @MIN 33.4% rostered
- Cincinnati Bengals @LV 20.1% rostered
Randy Bullock (TEN) v HOU 32.5% rostered
The Titans offense is still finding its feet after losing its focal point. That has allowed Bullock to be brought onto the field a bit more, to finish drives. Bullock has a good leg and has shown himself to be able to be accurate in pressure situations. While it’s unlikely to be needed during the game with Houston, he could be worth picking up for the next week too.
Robbie Gould (SF) @JAX 3.9% rostered
Gould returned in Week 9 after injury, and kicked everything he could, and did the same in Week 10. Let’s be frank, if Gould hadn’t of gotten injured, then his ownership would be far higher than this. Take advantage.
Others to consider
- Chase McLaughlin (CLE) v DET 18.5% rostered
- Micahel Badgley (IND) @BUF 13.1% rostered
- Zane Gonzalez (CAR) v WAS 1.8% rostered
There you have it! Any questions, or want some more specific help for your league on who to drop, just reach out. Reach out on social media, you can find us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Or jump into our Discord server. And checkout out rankings for each Week.
Image Credit: Brian Fluharty – USA TODAY Sports