NFL Week 11 waiver-wire targets

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Tua Tagovailoa
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) celebrates his first touchdown pass to Miami Dolphins wide receiver DeVante Parker (11) at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, November 1, 2020. (ALLEN EYESTONE / THE PALM BEACH POST)

Aside from Drew Brees, there weren’t many big-name injuries in week 10. If you’re in need of a QB, you can snag Jameis Winston to take Brees’ spot, although we don’t know if we’ll get the same gunslinger mentality from Jameis that he had in Tampa Bay, as he failed to stretch the field on any of his 10 pass attempts in the 2nd half. As for the other skill-position additions, my favorites are below. I will mention that Jalen Reagor is still rostered at a low rate across ESPN leagues and you should grab him. He was in my article last week, so I didn’t feel the need to write him up again, but wanted to mention his name.

PPR waiver wire targets

  1. Michael Pittman – (IND WR) – In an offense that desperately needs an alpha wide receiver, Pittman’s role following his injury and the Colts’ bye week has continued to increase. He only saw 1 target in his first game back 3 weeks ago, but in the past 2 weeks he has seen 15 targets. It is notable that TY Hilton was active in week 10 when Pittman put on a show for 7 catches on 8 targets for 101 yards, while adding a rush attempt for 21 yards. It’s also worth noting that Pittman ranks 4th on the team in red zone targets despite not playing in 3 of their games.   
  1. Salvon Ahmed – (MIA RB) – Ahmed came onto the scene in week 10 as the Dolphins had their top 3 running backs out for the game. Miles Gaskin has easily been the best running back for Miami but he is currently on injured reserve. The Dolphins turned to Ahmed in this one with Matt Breida also out, and Jordan Howard inactive. Howard was also just released by Miami, so Ahmed should have very little competition until Gaskin returns. Once that happens, Ahmed becomes less valuable, so use him while you can. He racked up a whopping 21 carries in week 10, going for 85 yards and a TD. He wasn’t used in the pass game much as he only saw 1 target and caught it for 5 yards. Considering how good the Miami defense is playing, Ahmed shouldn’t get scripted out of games.
  1. Josh Reynolds (LAR WR) – Yes, Reynolds has been crushing the last 2 weeks for the Rams but he is still going to be the third option behind Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods most weeks. The Rams do want to be a run heavy team as they rank in the bottom 10 in pass rate this year, so it is still undeniable that Reynolds needs to be rostered due to how often he is on the field. As a result of a bunch of playing time, he has seen 27 targets in his last 3 games but ranks 4th on the team in red zone targets with only 5 on the year.
  1. Kalen Ballage (LAC RB) – Ballage could lose all of his value when Justin Jackson and Austin Ekeler return, but that is yet to occur. In his role as the lead back over the last 2 weeks, Ballage has 33 carries for 137 yards and a TD, complemented by 7 receptions for 49 yards. He also has 11 of the 12 red zone carries for the Chargers in the past 2 weeks. Ekeler is slated to possibly return week 12 and the Chargers play the Jets this week.
  1. Keelan Cole (JAX WR) – Cole continues to have quiet, steady production on a weekly basis. He usually won’t put up monster games, but he won’t put up many goose eggs for you either, making him a serviceable fill-in for short term injuries or bye weeks. Cole has gone for double digit fantasy points in 5 of his 9 games, and has only scored under 8 points twice. He has seen 21% of the air yards and 14% of the targets, which is useful in head-to-head formats.
Trade targets and waiver wire pickups

Non-PPR waiver wire targets

As previously mentioned, touchdowns are much more valuable in non-PPR leagues, and the high volume pass catchers are much less valuable. This fact will change around some of the rankings for our waiver wire targets. This week’s non-PPR adds are going to be the same as the PPR adds due to injuries around the league. However, some guys get a slight boost or downgrade due to reliance on pass catching or TDs.

  1. Michael Pittman (IND WR) – Pittman has the most upside of the options this week since he can become the alpha wide receiver for the Colts. In non-PPR, touchdowns are king, and Pittman is 4th on the team there despite missing a few games.
  1. Salvon Ahmed (MIA RB) – Until Gaskin returns, Ahmed is going to be the main back. The Dolphins currently vacate all 30 red zone rush attempts by running backs this year between Gaskin, Howard, and Breida not playing.
  1. Kalen Ballage (LAC RB) – Similar to Ahmed, until Ekeler returns, Ballage could keep the lead role. He has 11 of the 12 red zone rush attempts for the Chargers over the last 2 weeks.
  1. Josh Reynolds (LAR WR) – Reynolds has done his damage this year between the 20s, and hasn’t had a big red zone role as he ranks 4th on the team in red zone targets with only 5. He is still a serviceable wide receiver on a weekly basis and has been seeing some deep shots from Goff that could soon turn into TDs.
  1. Keelan Cole (JAX WR) – Similar to Reynolds, Cole hasn’t had a big red zone role with the Jaguars. He also ranks 4th on the team with only 5 red zone rush attempts. The Jags continuously play from behind, though, and Cole has shown he can make big plays, including a punt return TD in week 10.

Top streaming QB options

  1. Jameis Winston (NOR) – We have no clue what Jameis Winson will shows us this week, but he definitely has the highest upside of the widely available options in most leagues. This should be Winston’s first career start for a team other than Tampa Bay, assuming he starts in place of the injured Drew Brees. He couldn’t have a better matchup than the Atlanta Falcons, who allow the most fantasy points per game to opposing quarterbacks thanks to allowing the 2nd most pass yards and most pass TDs this year.
  1. Tua Tagovailoa (MIA) – Tua has looked pretty good in his first two starts for the Dolphins. The most encouraging sign has been his willingness to scramble. He has 13 rush attempts in his two starts, which raises his floor if he continues to run a handful of times a game. He hasn’t been asked to throw for a high volume, but has been very efficient with his attempts, throwing 2 TDs in back-to-back games. This week, he faces the Broncos, who have been middle-of-the-road in allowing the 16th most fantasy points to opposing QBs. There aren’t many available streaming options this week, but you can trust Tua to avoid putting up a dud.

Top streaming defense options

  1. Miami Dolphins defense – Just as Tua has been playing well, so has the Dolphins’ defense. They have scored the 7th most fantasy points this year, yet they are only rostered in 33% of leagues. Playing the Broncos’ Drew Lock has been a good matchup for opposing defenses, as he has taken 10 sacks and thrown 10 INTs in his last 5 games.
  1. Cleveland Browns defense – Just like Lock, Carson Wentz has not taken care of the ball this year. Over the entire season, Wentz has thrown 12 INTs and has taken a whopping 35 sacks. The one thing the Browns’ defense can do is put some pressure on opposing QBs, as they have at least 2 sacks in all but one game this year. I expect Wentz to make some bonehead plays in this one, which will benefit Cleveland’s D.