We are now in the home stretch of the fantasy football season, which means we know which of our teams look like contenders and which ones are fighting for a playoff spot. We need to cater our pickups toward our team situations. It’s now time to improve our rosters.
Let’s take a look at the top Week 11 waiver wire targets and pickups that fantasy managers should consider adding to their rosters.
As always, all players are rostered in less than 50% of Yahoo leagues.
I have done away with FAAB recommendations this year, as there are too many variables to account for. Instead, I replaced it with my opinion on how aggressive fantasy managers should be in pursuing the player on a scale of 1-10.
Russell Wilson, QB | PIT
Rostered: 21%
The Steelers are still a run first offense. However, there’s no denying Russell Wilson’s ability to make plays when needed. It’s these timely throws that have helped his fantasy value.
Wilson has 19+ fantasy points in two of his three starts. And he hasn’t really faced a situation where he’s had to air it out a ton, with fewer than 30 pass attempts in each start.
FIRST TD AS A STEELER!!!!!!!!
📲 Stream on NFL+: https://t.co/COxKRnr6Mc pic.twitter.com/qaxvtHNvcM
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) November 10, 2024
Next week, things might be much different. The Steelers have a home date against the Ravens’ pass funnel defense. The way to beat the Ravens is through the air. We could see the Steelers throw more than usual, and they should have success doing it.
Wilson is at least a viable streamer.
Aggressiveness Rating: 3.5
Ricky Pearsall, WR | SF
Rostered: 37%
The volume isn’t quite there for Ricky Pearsall, but the talent sure looks to be. He’s improved in every game this season. Against the Bucs, the rookie caught four passes for 73 yards and an impressive catch-and-run touchdown.
First NFL TD for Ricky Pearsall ‼️
📺 #SFvsTB on FOX pic.twitter.com/J8kjN1jYLB
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) November 10, 2024
With the 49ers healthy, returning Deebo Samuel, Christian McCaffrey, and Jauan Jennings, it may be hard for Pearsall to have any consistency. But we’ve seen enough to believe he’s worth rostering.
Aggressiveness Rating: 4.0
Alec Pierce, WR, | IND
Rostered: 15%
With Michael Pittman Jr. out, the Colts needed more from their ancillary players. On the surface, it may appear they got it from Alec Pierce. He caught four of seven targets for 81 yards and a touchdown. However, most of his production came during garbage time.
Pierce has splash play upside and is always liable to produce on limited volume. But he is not someone that can be trusted in lineups. I would not add him.
Aggressiveness Rating: 0.0
Adonai Mitchell, WR | IND
Rostered: 6%
Between Pierce and Adonai Mitchell, I would much prefer the rookie, if adding one of them. Mitchell caught all six of his targets for 71 yards, and looked like a much more complete receiver.
Pittman could be back next week. He also could be done for the season. That makes adding Mitchell highly speculative, as any fantasy value he might have is contingent upon Pittman remaining out. Nevertheless, he is a name to monitor.
Aggressiveness Rating: 1.0
Jaylen Warren, RB | PIT
Rostered: 51%
Slightly over the rostership threshold, Jaylen Warren is good enough to warrant discussion. The Steelers have gone back to their timeshare between Najee Harris and Warren with the latter getting healthy.
Warren carried the ball 14 times for 66 yards, while adding two receptions for 29 yards. That’s 16 opportunities.
On Thursday night, we saw Chase Brown rack up nine receptions as the Bengals went extremely pass heavy against the Ravens’ pass funnel defense. We could be looking at a heavy Warren game. And we’re not adding him just for one game. Warren is a legitimate weekly RB3 with RB1 upside if Harris were to go down.
Aggressiveness Rating: 6.0
Tyler Allgeier, RB | ATL
Rostered: 43%
It can be difficult to roster a backup running back without much standalone value. Tyler Allgeier still managed to earn 11 carries in negative game script against the Saints. But this is continuing a trend where Allgeier is just too far behind Bijan Robinson.
Allgeier hasn’t caught a pass in three weeks. Even when he scored in Week 9, he didn’t even get to eight fantasy points.
With that said, Allgeier is the clear handcuff in one of the best situations in the league. If Robinson were to miss time, Allgeier would be an every-week high RB2, at worst.
Aggressiveness Rating: 4.5
Cam Akers, RB | MIN
Rostered: 14%
Aaron Jones briefly left the Vikings’ win over the Jaguars. We got a glimpse of what this backfield would look like without him. It would be Cam Akers as the lead back with Ty Chandler behind him.
Akers carried the ball 13 times for 38 yards. It wasn’t impressive, but the volume is what we care about. He’d at least be a rosterable RB3. That’s worth handcuff value.
Aggressiveness Rating: 2.0
Tyjae Spears, RB | TEN
Rostered: 46%
Returning from a three-game absence due to a hamstring strain, Tyjae Spears saw a respectable 10 touches against the Chargers. To be fair, most of them came with the game no longer in doubt in the fourth quarter. Even so, Spears looked good, carrying the ball seven times for 47 yards and adding three receptions for four yards.
Most importantly, Tony Pollard missed part of this game with a leg injury. If he were to miss time, Spears would be a weekly RB2/3. But even with Pollard healthy, Spears has some desperation Flex value. He’s worth a look as a bench stash.
Aggressiveness Rating: 3.0
Trey Benson, RB | ARI
Rostered: 18%
Impressively, Trey Benson has hit double-digit fantasy points in back-to-back games. Of course, it was largely flukey.
First, Benson stole a short touchdown to get there. Second, he benefited from the Cardinals blowing out the Jets and there being a lot of time to rest James Conner.
Regardless, though, Benson looks like a much improved player, one capable of handling lead back duties, if necessary. He appears to be the clear handcuff to Conner. That’s at least worth a bench stash.
Aggressiveness Rating: 2.5
Rashod Bateman, WR | BAL
Rostered: 29%
Can you really trust Rashod Bateman every week? No. Does he have spike week upside, though? Absolutely.
Bateman bounced back after two massive duds with six receptions for 54 yards and a touchdown. He’s now hit double-digit fantasy points in five of his last eight games. At the very least, he’s worth putting on your bench for potential games where the Ravens need to throw.
Aggressiveness Rating: 3.5
Mike Gesicki, TE | CIN
Rostered: 45%
Fantasy managers who started Mike Gesicki with confidence in a dream matchup were sorely disappointed on Thursday. In a game the Bengals scored five touchdowns, Gesicki had a mere four receptions for 30 yards. so, why pick him up? Gesicki’s usage is still promising. He saw nine targets. It just didn’t work out.
If Tee Higgins returns, I would not trust Gesicki. However, if Higgins misses another game, you can go back to the Gesicki well if you need a TE.
Aggressiveness Rating: 3.0