Week 11 Waiver Wire Pickups: 5 Sleepers Who May Still Be Available

Few things in this world reward folks for being late to the party, but the fantasy football waiver wire is one—especially in Week 11.

See, while owners trip over each other in pursuit of Robert Griffin III, Tre Mason, Jordan Matthews and others, the savvy among them know to fall back and watch the chaos unfold before making calculated maneuvers.

At its most basic level, fantasy football is about high-upside decisions that expose the owner to as little risk as possible. With that mentality in mind, carefully picking among sleepers on the wire can very much produce the same effect as engaging in a sprint to the finish with others.

Sometimes it works out leagues better, too.

Josh McCown, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3.9 percent owned)

Brian Blanco/Associated Press

Any sane fan or owner cringes at the name Josh McCown, but try to hear this one out.

This has been quite a year for week-to-week streaming play at quarterback. Thank Austin Davis, Kyle Orton, Blake Bortles and others for that.

McCown is next up on the list for those owners who need a spot-start quarterback due to bye or injury. The veteran took back the starting gig in Tampa Bay last week and scored a season-best 19 points—while throwing two interceptions.

It would be great if McCown could keep that same level of production but turn down the turnovers, right? Perhaps a Week 11 date with Washington will prove a great way to do so considering the defense surrenders the second-most points to quarterbacks this season.

Look, McCown is a risk, but a quarterback with a better matchup who is still available and has the infancy of a nice trend brewing is difficult to find. As for the upside, well, the veteran may even become a viable week-to-week starter. 

Bryce Brown, RB, Buffalo Bills (6.3 percent owned)

David Seelig/Associated Press

It would be terrific if Bryce Brown could stop fumbling.

No, really—his season-high seven points last week in the C.J. Spiller role (out for season) for the Buffalo Bills would look much better had he not fumbled out of the back of the end zone on his way for a touchdown.

Fret not, though. The Bills went right back to Brown, showing confidence that he is the man in the backfield at the moment. He totaled 100 yards on 13 touches and was targeted seven times through the air—more than everyone on the team except for wideouts Sammy Watkins and Robert Woods.

Opportunities continue to equal production at running back, meaning Brown's usage rates despite game flow last week are nothing short of an encouraging sign. It is quite clear he will continue to be the passing-down back, making him a valuable commodity to scoop up and stash to see where this goes.

C.J. Anderson, RB, Denver Broncos (3.5 percent owned)

By this point in the week, C.J. Anderson would not normally make such a list.

The bad news—he may see a reduced role soon.

The good news—owners are avoiding him for this very reason, and there is an outside shot the Denver coaching staff realizes that Anderson is the most talented back on the roster.

For now, owners will have to roll with this nugget from Andrew Mason of DenverBroncos.com:

That would be Anderson for the time being. Montee Ball is still working his way back from a multiweek injury, and Ronnie Hillman continues to battle a nagging foot issue, which enabled Anderson to gain 90 yards on 13 carries and 73 yards and a touchdown through the air to post 22 points last week. 

Again, the coaching staff could completely go away from Anderson soon. But if it does not, owners have a stud on their hands. 

Preston Parker, WR, New York Giants (0.1 percent owned)

Elaine Thompson/Associated Press

Yet another name who posted season-high numbers last week and should have the attention of owners, Preston Parker is now the slot man for the New York Giants with Victor Cruz out of the picture. 

Parker showed well last week against the vaunted Seattle secondary with seven grabs for 79 yards and a touchdown, good for 13 points.

While Parker did not receive as many targets as Odell Beckham Jr. or Rueben Randle, it is quite clear his role in three-receiver sets is cemented so long as he can continue to hold on to the football.

In the coming weeks, Parker gets to go against the struggling defenses of San Francisco, Dallas and Jacksonville. The first two, as an added bonus, figure to be offensive shootouts that will allow Parker plenty of opportunities to produce.

Stash Parker and see what comes of this as the playoffs approach. Eli Manning loves his slot receivers, after all.

Austin Seferian-Jenkins, TE, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1.2 percent owned)

Slowly but surely, Tampa Bay's rookie tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins has carved out a piece of the pie for himself in the offense.

Seferian-Jenkins now has six or more points in two of his last three games as he develops his craft, and just last week, he caught a career-high five passes for 30 yards and a score.

Perhaps the switch to McCown under center will do Seferian-Jenkins some good. On the way to those nine points, he saw as many targets as Mike Evans and was behind just Vincent Jackson in the pecking order.

Even better, the former Washington star next gets Washington, Chicago and Cincinnati, all teams that rank among the 10 worst against tight ends this season, with the Bears surrendering the absolute most points to the position.

Owners have known since the start of the season that Seferian-Jenkins has wicked upside. They may just now be on the cusp of his breakout.

All scoring info courtesy of ESPN standard leagues, as is points-against info and ownership stats. Statistics courtesy of ESPN.