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Week 11 Waiver Wire: Projecting Top Fantasy Football Adds and Drops
November 13, 2018
The latest crop of players worth picking up on the waiver wire have dealt with different sets of circumstances in order to be reliable options entering Week 11.
A few of the players deserving of pickups this week have consistently produced at their respective positions over the last few weeks, which gives us hope they can do the same in the coming weeks.
Other players should be picked up now with an eye on the future, as they're set to benefit from injury absences and an uptick in playing time.
In order to make room on your roster for some of the hottest names on the waiver wire, you need to let go of some veteran players and those who just aren't producing enough to warrant a roster spot.
Quarterback
Top Pickup: Marcus Mariota, Tennessee (1,788 Adds in Yahoo leagues)
Over the last three games, Marcus Mariota has shown he can be a reliable fantasy starter.
Mariota's thrown for at least 225 yards and a score in each of his last three contests, and he produced a pair of touchdown passes against Dallas and New England during Tennessee's two-game winning streak.
In five career games against Week 11 opponent Indianapolis, Mariota averaged 275 passing yards and he's thrown eight touchdowns.
With Tennessee's postseason status on the line, Mariota should be able to produce similar numbers to the past three weeks and help your team, especially if you're dealing with bye weeks for Tom Brady or Baker Mayfield.
Top Drop: Joe Flacco, Baltimore (880 drops in Yahoo leagues)
If you haven't let go of Joe Flacco already, now is the perfect time to do so.
The Baltimore quarterback hasn't put up the numbers necessary for a starting fantasy quarterback recently, and we found out recently that he's dealing with a hip issue that was confirmed by Ravens head coach John Harbaugh Monday, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.
We were already skeptical of Flacco's fantasy usage after he threw for 398 yards and a touchdown in his last two games against Carolina and Pittsburgh, but now the injury concern justifies any decision to drop him.
Even if Flacco comes back healthy for the final stretch of the regular season, he can't be trusted, as he's produced two multiple-touchdown games since Week 2 and has one 300-yard passing game during that span.
Running Back
Top Pickup: Josh Adams, Philadelphia (2,829 adds in Yahoo leagues)
The majority of the running backs receiving attention on the waiver wire split carries with teammates. They are too up-and-down to trust week after week.
While Philadelphia's Josh Adams has been in that situation, head coach Doug Pederson thrust a vote of confidence behind the rookie saying Monday he'd get more carries moving forward, per Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
The Eagles' running back situation has been a mess since Jay Ajayi was ruled out for the season, but Adams has been a bright spot over the last two games.
Adams averaged 6.75 yards per carry against Jacksonville and Dallas, and that was just off 16 carries.
As the Eagles try to go back to more of a balanced offense, Adams will be the focal point of the running game and should improve on the 108 yards he's gained in the last two games.
Top Drop: Carlos Hyde, Jacksonville (3,226 drops in Yahoo leagues)
Week 10 officially marked the end of consistent production from Carlos Hyde.
With Leonard Fournette healthy, Hyde is no longer a viable fantasy option, as he'll only be relied upon to spell Fournette or to pick up short gains on third down or in the red zone.
Hyde, who was brought in through a trade with Cleveland, has 16 yards on nine carries in his two games with the Jaguars, and even if he improves those numbers slightly, he isn't getting the bulk of the running back touches with Fournette back in the lineup.
The only reason to hold on to Hyde is if you're looking for a touchdown vulture to save your week that's either affected by bye weeks or injuries.
Wide Receiver
Top Pickup: Anthony Miller, Chicago (3,021 adds in Yahoo leagues)
You better pick up Anthony Miller while you can.
After his 122-yard day against Detroit, the Chicago wide receiver is one of the hottest names on a wide receiver waiver wire chock-full of intriguing names.
Miller stands out because he's progressed in each of the last three weeks, and he's found the end zone in two of his last three games.
More importantly for the Bears, Miller is a reliable option, as he's caught five of his six targets in each of the last two weeks.
After the high-stakes NFC North clash with Minnesota in Week 11, Miller has two favorable matchups in a rematch with the Lions and a trip to MetLife Stadium to face the struggling New York Giants.
Top Drop: Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams (46,455 drops in Yahoo leagues)
Unfortunately for the Los Angeles Rams, Cooper Kupp is out for the season with a torn ACL, as ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Monday.
Kupp was a solid option in most leagues because of his ability to score touchdowns, as he caught six in eight games.
Despite the presence of Brandin Cooks and Robert Woods, Kupp was targeted at least six times in all but one of his starts by quarterback Jared Goff.
The Rams are hoping the combination of wide receiver Josh Reynolds and tight ends Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett can fill the void left by Kupp in order to keep the depth in the passing game.
Tight End
Top Pickup: Gerald Everett, Los Angeles Rams (220 adds in Yahoo leagues)
Figuring out which tight end will benefit most from Kupp's injury is a bit of guesswork, but taking a risk on Everett is worth it in a tight end market with little potential on the waiver wire.
In the last two weeks, Everett's caught five passes for 63 yards and a touchdown, and he's going up against a Kansas City defense that's given up the second-most receiving yards to tight ends in Week 11.
While Higbee's posted similar numbers recently, Everett's been the more consistent tight end target in the Rams offense.
Everett has 15 receptions on 23 targets for 161 yards and a touchdown compared to Higbee's 11 receptions on 18 targets for 135 yards and two touchdowns.
Picking up a Rams tight end is still a risky move since Everett could be the fourth or fifth option on some passing plays, but Goff's shown more trust in his tight ends of late to justify the pickup.
Top Drop: David Njoku, Cleveland (3,522 drops in Yahoo leagues)
Cleveland's bye week gives you a perfect opportunity to dump David Njoku from your roster and go after a tight end who can consistently produce touchdowns.
Njoku hasn't been terrible in the Browns offense, but if you're looking for a difference-maker at tight end, you need him to find the back of the end zone.
Although Baker Mayfield threw for 216 yards and three touchdowns in Sunday's win over Atlanta, Njoku was targeted once for an 18-yard reception.
Since Mayfield has a plethora of wide receivers to choose from and can utilize Nick Chubb as an option out of the backfield, it's hard to project Njoku producing much more than 50 yards per game.
Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.
Statistics obtained from Pro Football Reference.