As we inch closer to the fantasy football playoffs, it’s as important as ever to utilize the waiver wire in preparation for injuries, bye weeks and unexpected postponements. Need a hand in making your waiver wire selections? No problem. We’ve got you covered!
Here are Dan Harris, Mike Tagliere, and Kyle Yates with their waiver wire rankings and FAAB recommendations for Week 11:
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Q1. Who is your top waiver wire option of the week, and why?
I’ll go with Salvon Ahmed. It seems he’s taken over as the Myles Gaskin of the offense, accumulating 22 touches against the Chargers last week and turning them into 90 total yards and a touchdown. The Dolphins defense has been playing extremely well, which allows for plenty of carries. Matt Breida might come back this week, which does cause slight concern, but let’s not pretend they’re going to give him tons of work. If they wanted to do that, they would’ve at the start of the season before Gaskin emerged. I don’t think you should bid a lot on Ahmed, as he’s got a tough matchup on deck against the Broncos, but he should get 15-plus touches in Week 11, which has value during the last big week for byes.
– Mike Tagliere (@MikeTagliereNFL)
It’s yet another week without a sure-fire winner at the top of my waiver-wire rankings, but my top choice is Salvon Ahmed. Matt Breida missed another game and Jordan Howard was a healthy scratch, which led to Ahmed receiving 22 touches for 90 yards and a touchdown. If we knew Myles Gaskin were out for the remainder of the season, Ahmed would likely be ranked as an RB2 ROS. As it is, Gaskin was reportedly expected to miss only three games, which would put him back in Week 12 and that would at least damage, if not altogether ruin, Ahmed’s value. But Ahmed will be a solid starter in Week 11 against the Broncos, and with at least some uncertainty about Gaskin’s return, he’s the top pickup this week.
– Dan Harris (@danharris80)
I believe that we just saw a breakout game from Michael Pittman Jr. on Thursday night. He was one of my favorite wide receivers coming out in this past year’s draft class and I loved his landing spot in Indianapolis. Now that he’s fully healthy, he’s become a focal point of this offense and he has the talent to make it count. Pittman’s worth adding everywhere.
– Kyle Yates (@KyleYNFL)
Q2. Which notable waiver wire option for Week 11 was the most difficult to rank?
It’s Nyheim Hines and don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise. His touch totals have ranged from 1-17 this season, which brings about so much inconsistency, it’s not even funny. He looks like the best running back on the field for the Colts, but will he be used like it? The matchup against the Packers this week almost made me put him up at No. 1, but the uncertainty keeps me in check.
– Mike Tagliere (@MikeTagliereNFL)
Can I just put [insert Indianapolis running back] in this answer every week and be done with it? Nyheim Hines had a preposterous game against the Titans and now faces an extremely soft schedule for running backs. But, I mean, we have legitimately seen this exact same script before back in Week 1 when Hines scored two touchdowns and got the goal-line work, and he followed that up with a one-touch, four-yard effort against the Vikings the following week. It’s still a three-headed rushing attack for the Colts, and it’s probably one where fantasy managers won’t feel comfortable starting any back in Indianapolis. But with the running back landscape SO barren, fantasy managers just can’t, and shouldn’t, let Hines go. Balancing that obvious need, with my utter lack of faith than Hines will be useful going forward, was the toughest task this week.
– Dan Harris (@danharris80)
I feel like we’ve been here before. Hines put up a dominant performance yet again in week ten, but he’s done that previously this season only to disappear the next week. It’s going to be very difficult to trust Hines as anything more than a RB3 next week against Green Bay. It’s a great matchup and Hines is a very talented player, but the usage of these RBs is too sporadic to rely on for fantasy.
– Kyle Yates (@KyleYNFL)
Q3. For managers streaming a D/ST in Week 11, what readily available option (under 40%) should they target?
Any time you can start a defense against the Jets, you typically want to do it. The Chargers defense has gone through a lot of injuries/changes, but they’ve still managed to average a 35.0 percent pressure-rate, which ranks eighth in the NFL. They’ve not converted a whole lot of sacks, but against the Jets, who’ve allowed their quarterbacks to be sacked 26 times and be pressured 41.5 percent of the time, there should be more than a few sacks. That’s not even including the lack of scoring (14.4 points per game) and turnovers (1.3 per game) you get.
– Mike Tagliere (@MikeTagliereNFL)
The Chargers D/ST is slightly above the 40% threshold, but they would be the best widely-available option if they are, indeed, available. If not, I’d go back to the well with the Washington Football Team against the Bengals. Cincinnati’s offensive line is in rough shape and they’ve allowed at least three sacks in six of their nine games. Washington should be able to get pressure on Joe Burrow, tally some sacks, and potentially force some turnovers.
– Dan Harris (@danharris80)
The Chargers defense is widely available, who gets to play the Jets in week 11, but it slides in 1% point ahead of our criteria. The Washington defense gets to take on Cincinnati, which could also be a good plug-and-play option. However, I’m going to personally be playing the Cleveland Browns defense. The Browns get to take on the Philadelphia Eagles and Carson Wentz, who seems incapable of moving the ball downfield. Additionally, there’s always the potential that Wentz holds onto the ball too long and turns the ball over. I’m fine plugging in the Browns defense as a streaming defense in week 11.
– Kyle Yates (@KyleYNFL)
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Notable Week 11 FAAB Recommendations (in %)
| POS | PLAYER | TEAM | TAGS | HARRIS | YATES | AVG. |
| RB | Salvon Ahmed | MIA | 10 | 15 | 10 | 11.7 |
| WR | Michael Pittman Jr. | IND | 7 | 10 | 15 | 10.7 |
| RB | Nyheim Hines | IND | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10.0 |
| WR | Jalen Reagor | PHI | 8 | 10 | 8 | 9.7 |
| WR | Sammy Watkins | KC | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7.7 |
| QB | Jameis Winston | NO | 5 | 5 | 7 | 5.7 |
| RB | Cam Akers | LAR | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4.3 |
| RB | Rex Burkhead | NE | 3 | 5 | 5 | 4.3 |
| RB | Tony Pollard | DAL | 1 | 5 | 7 | 4.3 |
| TE | Logan Thomas | WAS | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4.0 |
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Q4. Which Week 11 waiver wire option carries the biggest risk of being a waste of FAAB dollars?
It’s Nyheim Hines, and it all comes back to why he was the toughest player to rank on the waiver wire. I can see the upside of snagging him and putting him in your lineup against the Packers terrible run defense, but I can also see him getting like six touches and hurting your lineup.
– Mike Tagliere (@MikeTagliereNFL)
See my answer to the second question above. Fantasy managers legitimately spent up to 50% of their budgets on Hines after Week 1 and saw little return. The same may be true this week, as Frank Reich simply keeps fantasy managers guessing. Hines has to be a top pickup, but could be unstartable for the rest of the season.
– Dan Harris (@danharris80)
Hines absolutely carries the biggest risk of being a waste of FAAB dollars here. While I believe that he should be added, it’s going to be near impossible to determine when you’re going to be able to play him. You could absolutely plug him into your lineup next week and get five total points in half PPR scoring. Or you could get another two touchdown performance. Unfortunately, with the way Frank Reich utilizes these RBs, it’s impossible to know.
– Kyle Yates (@KyleYNFL)
2020 Rest of Season Rankings (through Week 10)
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