Did your Week 10 fantasy football game go as planned? Did the additions you made help your team? My advice was much more useful last week. I hope to continue giving you useful advice as we look forward to the playoffs.
This week is going to be another week full of waiver wire pick ups and changes to the roster due to the six teams on bye. Those six teams are the New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers.
We’ve seen what Amari Cooper and Golden Tate mean to their teams and players around them. But let’s continue to keep an eye on them and maybe find a trade of value before our league’s deadline is over.
You should also be looking at replacements on the waivers. Let’s jump in and see who’s available for us this week to replace our QBs like Tom Brady and Baker Mayfield.
Quarterbacks
- Marcus Mariota, Tennessee Titans, 84.5 percent availability
- Blake Bortles, Jacksonville Jaguars, 79.6 percent availability
- Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys, 69.8 percent availability
- Case Keenum, Denver Broncos, 90.7 percent availability
- Joe Flacco/Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens, 77.3/93.4 percent availability
Like I’ve been saying for the past few weeks, Mariota plays better after bye weeks. I know this because he bailed me out two weeks ago coming off a bye and connected with another good week. We could expect the same against the Colts, who don’t have much of a secondary, so add Mariota in a must-start situation.
Bortles and Prescott had one of their better games of the season this past week.
Unfortunately for Bortles, it ended in another loss, but with the return of RB Leonard Fournette, things are looking better for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Let’s just hope their defense can count to have Big Ben and Steelers number like they did last two times they faced each other.
For Prescott, he has found a way to have some productive games since the bye week and that is thanks to the addition of Amari Cooper. Although it doesn’t show on paper, in-game, Cooper helps the Cowboys open up more options. We look to see this continue on a weekly basis. Don’t forget he still has one of the best running backs in the league by his side.
Keenum and the Broncos are coming off a bye. Although it may be against the red-hot Chargers, it should be an exciting one. This will be the second straight game without former WR Demaryius Thomas, who has been since been traded. Keenum has found a way to use his RBs and TEs to help fill the void. We do expect him to use all three of the RBs in passing schemes also.
How about Joe Flacco or Lamar Jackson? With Flacco spending the bye week dealing with an injury, this could be the week we finally see backup QB Lamar Jackson get his first start. It may be coming at a good time, as they will be facing a Cincinnati team who has lost their way on defense. The Ravens could use a change at QB and hopefully get themselves on the winning side of things! So let’s keep an eye on the Flacco injury and see where it takes us this week.
Until then, let’s see who is available to add this week at RB with Duke Johnson, Nick Chubb, Sony Michel, James White, Kenyan Drake, Frank Gore, Isaiah Crowell, LeSean McCoy and Matt Brieda all unavailable.
Running Backs
- Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans, 47.8 percent availability
- Jalen Richard, Oakland Raiders, 50.2 percent availability
- Ito Smith, Atlanta Falcons, 68.3 percent availability
- Mike Davis, Seattle Seahawks, 54.3 percent availability
- Theo Riddick, Detroit Lions, 81.5 percent availability
Henry has started to turn his season around after the bye week and looks to continue adding to his yards and touchdowns as the Titans continue to win big games. If you managed to still have him available in your league, you should add him as an RB2 or Flex for the rest of the season.
Richard is emerging as the top option over Martin on the Raiders. Although their offense is struggling to get anything going, Richard should still be rostered on your team and could be looking to take over one of your flex positions.
Smith has continuously been a part of the Falcons’ success on offense. It will remain that way for the rest of season. We should expect him to be a touchdown or bust type of player like he has been.
Davis has once again benefited from the absence of Chris Carson. Whether or not Carson returns, Davis should continue to have a role. Expect him to get some red zone touches and late touchdowns like he did against the Rams last week.
Riddick had zero rushing attempts for zero yards against a tough Chicago Bears team, but he did catch several passes from the backfield and tried to help the Lions’ offense get going. We expect to see Riddick continue to be involved in the passing game, as QB Matt Stafford loves to give the ball to Riddick on the short screen passes. If you’re in a PPR league, that is a huge plus for you on your roster.
But who could you use at wide receiver? You already know Josh Gordon and Julian Edelman will not be available, but neither will Jarvis Landry or any of the other receivers those teams like to throw too.
Wide Receivers
- Christain Kirk, Arizona Cardinals, 82.5 percent availability
- Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Green Bay Packers, 79.3 percent availability
- Corey Davis, Tennessee Titans, 32 percent availability
- Courtland Sutton, Denver Broncos, 47.2 percent availability
- Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks, 31.4 percent availability
The Arizona Cardinals are still trying to figure themselves out on offense. We finally saw RB David Johnson have himself a nice day, which meant that Kirk didn’t. We do expect to see Kirk continue being the second best option for QB Josh Rosen. Kirk and Rosen have built a connection with one other and it will help in the passing game when all the attention is on Larry Fitzgerald. So continue to keep an eye on Kirk and the Cardinals as they attempt to finish the season strong.
Valdes-Scantling continues to benefit from the lack of depth on the Green Bay Packers receiving core and should still be the second option for QB Aaron Rodgers behind teammate Davante Adam. As long as Randle Cobb and Geronimo Allison remain out, Valdes-Scantling should be added to your team and placed as a flex.
He’s back! Or so we hope! It was a first half full of struggles for the Titans’ offense, but since the bye, they have figured things out beating both the Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots fairly easily. Their next opponent is the Indianapolis Colts. It will be interesting to see how Davis plays after a huge performance against the Patriots. With the way the Titans are rolling, Davis should be a flex consideration in most leagues who need the replacement for the byes.
Sutton was a huge pick up two weeks ago when he became the number two WR on the Broncos’ depth chart. He has been a proven WR and has quickly became one of QB Case Keenum’s favorite targets. He should be a flex option for their game against the Chargers.
With Doug Baldwin continuing to struggle, Lockett is now the top option for the Seattle Seahawks. He and the running back trio have helped the Seahawks stay close in games, but they will need more from them. This game against Green Bay should be one that allows Lockett and the Seahawks to open up the play book.
And then there’s the tight end position that we probably have been struggling with, unless you got one of the top ones who have been there for you all season. George Kittle, Rob Gronkowski and David Njoku will not be available for you this week. The Jets TE whose been on my waiver list the past few weeks is also not available.
Tight Ends
- Ben Watson, New Orleans Saints, 51.9 percent availability
- Nick Vannett, Seattle Seahawks, 97.5 percent availability
- Jonnu Smith, Tennessee Titans, 99.4 percent availability
- Jordan Thomas, Houston Texans, 98.7 percent availability
- Jeff Heuerman, Denver Broncos, 92.7 percent availability
The Saints are the No. 1 offensive team in the NFL, and that is due to the fact that they have so many weapons for QB Drew Brees to throw too. One of those weapons is Watson, who has always had success with Brees as his QB. The two of them have found a real connection.
Vannett is continuing to be a part of the Seahawks’ offense, especially in the red zone. If you’re looking for a tight end with touchdown or bust potential, you’ll get it with Vannett.
Yes, I have put one Titans player on this list at each position! I’m a big believer in the Titans having a big second half of the season. Smith will be a big part of that. When Delaine Walker went down with a season-ending injury early in the season, you probably added Smith as his replacement, but dropped him weeks later because of lack of production. But now is the time to add him back to your roster as a backup tight end or maybe even a flex if you’re that desperate. Smith has scored three touchdowns in the last two weeks. His production has finally been shown, so add him when you can.
Like Smith, Thomas has been put in a good situation too. I would keep an eye on him as a red zone target for QB Deshaun Watson. With the addition of Demaryius Thomas to Houston’s offense, this could bring more opportunities for Jordan Thomas. Teams will likely double team both Demaryius and Deandre Hopkins. Jordan Thomas will have several miss matches on him and it should be taken advantage of by Jordan Thomas.
Heuerman is continuing to earn QB Case Keenum’s trust. With Demariyus out of Denver, he could see a bigger role in the passing game. The fact that the Broncos have a good running attack helps the offense move the ball more with the pass. Heuerman could be a big threat for the Broncos, so add him as a replacement at your own risk. The Broncos do like to run the ball a lot.
Regardless of who you add, good luck to all the fantasy football players this week! Hope you can put together the best lineup to win your matchup in Week 11!
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