Now that Week 10 is wrapped up, we are over halfway through the NFL regular season, and well over halfway through the fantasy football regular season. At this point in the NFL season, there are teams that look like contenders, teams on the cusp of being eliminated from the playoffs, and the teams in between.
The same can be said about many fantasy football leagues. The fantasy football trade deadline is approaching for most leagues in the coming weeks, which is why it’s best for fantasy managers to boost their team(s) through waiver wire pickups this week, and every week.
As always, we saw players come out of the woodwork this week. Whether it’s the first time in a few weeks or the first time all season, the players listed below all had noteworthy weeks. Also listed below are trends for continued success in the NFL and fantasy football. Here are the top waiver wire pickups in fantasy football in Week 11.
Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Week 11: Running backs
1. Isiah Pacheco, Chiefs
In week 7, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid announced running back Isiah Pacheco had been taking first team reps in preparation for their game @ the 49ers. While it didn’t translate to the game right away, we started to see a shift in Week 10. Pacheco played 56% of snaps, while former starter Clyde Edwards-Helaire only played 2% of snaps.
Only rostered in 26.8% of NFL.com fantasy leagues, the Chiefs have a new number 10 in town. He’s no Tyreek Hill, but he’s a fast, talented back. The Chiefs found themselves a gem in the 7th round of 2022, and you could get yourself a gem in a waiver wire pickup in 2022. He is a priority add in all formats.
2. Gus Edwards, Ravens
You may remember me writing about Gus Edwards before Week 7. He came out the gate hot vs. the Browns and finished the day with 66 yards and 2 touchdowns on 16 carries. He looked to follow that game up with another strong showing @ the Buccaneers but left the game injured after earning 65 total yards on his 11th carry.
Only rostered in 15.2% of NFL.com fantasy leagues, Gus Edwards had the bye week to rest and recover from his hamstring injury. The Ravens and head coach John Harbaugh expect Edwards to be back. Dobbins is still on IR, so Edwards is the back you want to own. He is worth rostering and streaming in all formats but is more useful in STD and .5 PPR.
3. Rachaad White, Buccaneers
You may remember me writing about Rachaad White after Week 4. The 2022 3rd-round pick was announced as the Buccaneers starter ahead of their matchup against the Seahawks in Munich, Germany. On top of that, former workhorse back Leonard Fournette left the game with an injury. White finished the game with 105 yards on 22 carries.
Still available in 91.3% of NFL.com leagues, the former Arizona State Sun Devil was the more efficient running back. Fournette is expected to be back as soon as Week 12, after the Bucs bye. This will be a situation worth monitoring. He is still worth rostering in all formats and has starter upside ROS.
If he’s recently become available, Brian Robinson, Commanders
Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Week 11: Receivers
1. Christian Watson, Packers
Now THIS is the guy the Packers drafted. The 2022 2nd round pick exploded @ the Cowboys, hauling in 4 of 8 targets for 107 yards and 3 touchdowns. He was on the field for 84% of snaps, which is his season high. Watson finished Week 10 as WR3, and helped Aaron Rodgers finish as QB9, his first top-10 finish of 2022.
Still available in nearly 99% of NFL.com fantasy league, Christian Watson is going to be the #1 waiver wire pickup this week. He could be on a similar trajectory as Chase Claypool in his rookie season. After emerging and scoring 4 TDs in one game, Claypool went on score 9 TDs for the rest of the 2020 season. If the Packers’ offense gets hot, and Watson is involved, watch out. He is a priority add in all formats and is worth streaming.
2. Kadarius Toney, Chiefs
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes have a new speedster on the roster. The Chiefs traded the Giants a compensatory 3rd-round pick and 6th-round pick in 2023 in exchange for wide receiver Kadarius Toney. In his second week with the team, he had an expanded package. He caught 4 of 5 targets for 57 yards and 1 touchdown and also added 33 yards on the ground on two carries.
Only rostered in 38.5% of NFL.com fantasy leagues, Toney was a hot waiver wire pickup immediately after the trade. After the smoke cleared, and he had limited usage in a short week, some fantasy managers dropped him. Some might argue he saw more usage because Mecole Hardman was out, but I would argue he’s going to continue to see more usage as he keeps learning the playbook and gaining chemistry with Mahomes. He is worth rostering and streaming as a flier in all formats.
3. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Titans
After missing two weeks with an injury, the Titans starting QB Ryan Tannehill was back under center. He came back and delivered his third top-10 finish of 2022. The biggest beneficiary of Tannehill being back and the Titans not running the ball down the team’s throats with Derrick Henry and Malik Willis, was wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine. He saw 8 targets, the team’s high, and caught 5 of them for 119 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Available in nearly 99% of NFL.com fantasy leagues, Westbrook-Ikhine had the biggest receiving day of any Titans receiver in 2022 in Week 10. Robert Woods and Treylon Burks have lived up to their expectations, so far, but the former UDFA has emerged. He is worth stashing in deep PPR leagues.
If he’s still available, Darius Slayton, Giants
If he’s recently become available, Paris Campbell, Colts
Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Week 11: Quarterbacks
1. Deshaun Watson, Browns
The Browns traded the farm to the Texans in exchange for civil lawsuit plaintiff and disgruntled QB Deshaun Watson. As a result, GM Andrew Berry confirmed that he will be the team’s starting QB, despite Jacoby Brissett’s strong performances in his absence. Watson will be taking first-team reps this week but hasn’t started a regular season game since 2020.
Only rostered in 42.8% of NFL.com fantasy leagues, that number is sure to rise over the next few weeks. Finishing as QB5 in 2020, Watson’s first game in 2022 will be Week 13 @ the Texans. He is worth adding in one-QB leagues with the Cardinals and Kyler Murray being on bye in Week 13 and the Falcons and Marcus Mariota, the Bears and Justin Fields, the Packers and Aaron Rodgers, and the Colts and Matt Ryan being on bye in Week 14. He is a priority add in two-QB leagues.
2. Matt Ryan, Colts
You may remember me writing about Matt Ryan after week 6. This was my second time writing about him. Maybe I should be the Colts’ interim head coach. Just kidding. The interim head coach decided to put Matt Ryan back under center, and he breathed some life back into the Colts’ offense. In their 25-20 win over the Raiders, Ryan completed 21 of his 28 pass attempts for 222 yards and 1 touchdown. He also added 38 yards and 1 touchdown on the ground on 4 attempts (yes you read that right).
Still available in 92.8% of NFL.com leagues, it appeared that Ryan’s fantasy value was dead after being benched by Frank Reich in favor of Sam Ehlinger. Some might argue that was Reich’s last-ditch effort at saving his job, but he has since been fired. As long as Ryan is starting, he is worth streaming in one-QB leagues and rostering in two-QB leagues.
If he’s recently become available, Derek Carr, Raiders
Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Week 11: Tight Ends
1. Cole Kmet, Bears
Many fantasy football analysts projected Bears’ 3rd-year tight end, Cole Kmet, to be a top-10 tight end in 2022. Some even projected him to be top-5. Well, they were right, kind of. After weeks 1-7 where he looked like a drop candidate, Kmet has finished as TE14, TE2, and TE1, respectively. 5 touchdowns over the last 3 weeks have fueled this top half of the league performances.
Only rostered in 44% of NFL.com fantasy leagues, Kmet appears to be fantasy relevant again. The Bears and Justin Fields have found their identity in recent weeks, and Kmet is part of their weekly game plan. He has averaged 6.5 targets and 4.5 receptions in the last two weeks. He is worth rostering in PPR formats and is a priority add-in TE-Premium leagues.
If he’s still available, Juwan Johnson, Saints
If he’s recently become available, Darren Waller (injury stash)