Week 11 Waiver Wire: Projecting Top Fantasy Football Adds and Drops

The list of Week 11 waiver-wire prospects grew Monday night after a few unexpected players stepped up for the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks. 

Deebo Samuel and Jacob Hollister flexed their fantasy football potential as trustworthy targets in their respective offenses. 

Derek Carr kicked off Week 10 with a prime-time victory, and he could be the best quarterback available with one of the easiest schedules over the next two weeks. 

The top running back option could be in line for more opportunities due to injuries in Atlanta. 

But we would advise you to be cautious to follow that line of thinking, as a few players failed to live up to greater expectations in larger roles Sunday. 

Top Adds

Derek Carr, QB, Oakland (owned in 45 percent of Yahoo leagues)

Ben Margot/Associated Press

Derek Carr does not have out-of-this-world statistics, but he has been consistent enough to garner a look in some leagues. 

In the last four games, Carr has eight touchdown passes and one interception while averaging 271.2 passing yards and completing at least 60 percent of passes in every contest. He has not turned the ball over since Week 7. 

The 28-year-old has done this without a marquee wide receiver. In Week 10, Jalen Richard and Hunter Renfrow were his top receivers with four receptions each. 

Carr should experience a production increase in Weeks 11 and 12 against Cincinnati and the New York Jets. 

The Bengals have conceded the second-most total yards and have given up the most yards per play at 6.7, while the Jets have allowed 16 passing touchdowns and 6.6 yards per passing attempt. 

Brian Hill, RB, Atlanta (owned in 5 percent of Yahoo leagues) 

Rusty Costanza/Associated Press

The injury news out of Atlanta has sparked interest in Brian Hill. 

The Falcons running back earned 20 carries for 61 yards in his side's Week 10 win over New Orleans, and those numbers could be the norm in the coming weeks. 

"My understanding is that Devonta Freeman is slated to miss about two weeks with a foot sprain," NFL Network's Ian Rapoport said on NFL Total Access. 

With Ito Smith already on injured reserve, Hill would be next in line to be the team's starting running back. 

Hill could be in line for immediate success against Carolina, who has yielded the sixth-most rushing yards and a league-worst 17 rushing scores. 

Deebo Samuel, WR, San Francisco (owned in 15 percent of Yahoo leagues) 

Christian Petersen/Getty Images

After Emmanuel Sanders exited Monday night's game with a rib injury, Deebo Samuel became Jimmy Garoppolo's top target. The rookie out of South Carolina earned career highs with 11 targets, eight receptions and 112 receiving yards. 

According to Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, the 49ers will learn the significance of Sanders' injury Tuesday. 

If Sanders is out for an extended period, Samuel is worth the addition based on how much his quarterback threw to him against Seattle. Kendrick Bourne and Ross Dwelley had eight and seven targets, respectively, but neither caught the ball as much as Samuel. 

A Week 11 meeting with Arizona could be favorable for Samuel, as Garoppolo threw four touchdown passes against the Cardinals in Week 9. 

Jacob Hollister, TE, Seattle (owned in 7 percent of Yahoo leagues) 

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

Jacob Hollister was Monday's other breakout fantasy star. 

The Seattle tight end hauled in eight receptions from 10 targets for 62 yards and found the end zone for the second straight week. 

With three scores in the last two games, Hollister is worth stashing on the bench during his Week 11 bye. 

Throughout the season, Russell Wilson has relied on his tight ends. Will Dissly had 262 receiving yards and four touchdowns before landing on injured reserve. 

If the red-zone targets continue for Hollister, he could be a difference-maker for owners who have struggled to find consistency at the position. 

Top Drops

Philip Rivers, QB, Los Angeles Chargers

D. Ross Cameron/Associated Press

It is time to move on from Philip Rivers as a fantasy starter. 

In the last three games, the Chargers quarterback has more interceptions than touchdowns and produced sporadically all season. Rivers has gone without a touchdown pass in three of his 10 starts and has not hit the 300-yard mark since Week 7. 

Fantasy owners have taken notice, as he has been among the most dropped QBs this week, according to Yahoo's transaction trends. 

There are better midtier options with Nick Foles returning from injury, Matt Ryan coming off Week 10 success and Ryan Tannehill continuing to surprise us in Tennessee. 

Jaylen Samuels, RB, Pittsburgh 

Keith Srakocic/Associated Press/Associated Press

Jaylen Samuels has not done enough with his opportunities to warrant a fantasy roster spot. With James Conner out in Week 10, he earned 29 yards on 14 carries and caught three balls for 11 yards. 

Samuels' role should diminish Thursday night with Conner expected to be back in the lineup. 

According to ESPN.com's Brooke Pryor, Pittsburgh's top running back "expects to be back" for the AFC North clash with the Cleveland Browns. 

Even if there is a production split between Conner and Samuels, we have not seen much from the backup to hold out hope that his fortunes can change. 

Zach Pascal, WR, Indianapolis

Darron Cummings/Associated Press

Zach Pascal was supposed to be a Week 10 waiver-wire steal with T.Y. Hilton and Parris Campbell ruled out. Instead, Pascal caught two of his seven targets for 26 yards and left plenty of fantasy owners disappointed. 

The lack of production has triggered the most number of drops among wide receivers in Yahoo leagues this week. 

Pascal caught the eye with a 106-yard, two-score outing in Week 7, but since then, he has 108 yards on eight catches. That production over a three-week span simply is not good enough at the third wide receiver or flex positions. 

Even if he increases those totals in Week 11 against Jacksonville, Pascal might be worth staying away from due to the up-and-down nature of his yardage stats. 

Mike Gesicki, TE, Miami

Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press

Just like Pascal, Mike Gesicki appeared to be in line for more targets with a key receiver (Preston Williams) out. 

That did not happen in Miami's 16-12 win over the Colts, as he brought in three of his six targets for 26 yards. In two of the last three weeks, the Penn State product has earned under 30 receiving yards, so his 95-yard Week 9 looks like an outlier right now. 

Holding on to Gesicki does not make much sense with upcoming matchups against Buffalo and Philadelphia.

The Bills and Eagles rank second and fourth in fewest yards conceded to tight ends, and they have combined to concede four scores to players at the position.

Follow Joe on Twitter, @JTansey90.

Statistics obtained from Pro Football Reference.