Fantasy Football Week 11 Rankings: Waiver-Wire Targets for Injured Players

When the fantasy football season is this close to the end of the regular season and the start of the playoffs, it becomes even more crucial to monitor the status of injured players.

That's because there are fewer top players available on the waiver wire, and not having a good fill-in for an injured starter could cost fantasy owners at a critical time in the season. So, injured players need to be monitored, and the waiver wires need to be scoured for potential options.

Heading into Week 11, here's a look at the fantasy rankings by position for the week, along with the outlook for injured players and waiver-wire fill-ins at each of them.

Quarterback

1. Lamar Jackson, BAL (vs. HOU)

2. Patrick Mahomes, KC (vs. LAC)

3. Deshaun Watson, HOU (at BAL)

4. Dak Prescott, DAL (at DET)

5. Josh Allen, BUF (at MIA)

6. Drew Brees, NO (at TB)

7. Matt Ryan, ATL (at CAR)

8. Jameis Winston, TB (vs. NO)

9. Jacoby Brissett, IND (vs. JAX)

10. Tom Brady, NE (at PHI)

Injury/Waiver Outlook

Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford was having a great fantasy season, but he's now dealing with a back injury. He missed last week's game against the Bears, and he's going to be out again for Sunday's game against the Cowboys.

While Stafford owners will need to find a replacement option, people who have Colts quarterback Jacoby Brissett on their roster can rejoice. After missing last week's game against the Dolphins, Brissett will start Sunday's game against the Jaguars.

For the former group of owners, there should be some solid options on the waiver wire to help fill in for Stafford this week. A noteworthy one is Panthers quarterback Kyle Allen, who was owned in only 31 percent of Yahoo leagues and 23 percent of ESPN leagues as of Friday night.

Allen is coming off a solid showing against the Packers in which he passed for 307 yards and a touchdown, and he now faces the Falcons, who rank 25th in the NFL in passing defense at 260.8 yards allowed per game.

Running Back

1. Christian McCaffrey, CAR (vs. ATL)

2. Dalvin Cook, MIN (vs. DEN)

3. Ezekiel Elliott, DAL (at DET)

4. Alvin Kamara, NO (at TB)

5. Leonard Fournette, JAX (at IND)

6. Josh Jacobs, OAK (vs. CIN)

7. Le'Veon Bell, NYJ (at WSH)

8. Melvin Gordon, LAC (vs. KC)

9. Tevin Coleman, SF (vs. ARI)

10. Mark Ingram, BAL (vs. HOU)

Injury/Waiver Outlook

The Falcons will be without Devonta Freeman this week after their lead running back suffered a foot injury in last week's game against the Saints. If Brian Hill is still available in your league (owned in 73 percent of Yahoo leagues, 65 percent of ESPN leagues), then he's a smart option because he'll likely get the carries that would have gone to Freeman.

49ers running back Matt Breida is also likely to be out this week, as he's dealing with an ankle injury. Jets running back Le'Veon Bell (ribs/illness) and Eagles running back Jordan Howard (shoulder) are both questionable.

If any of those three backs are out and put you in need of a replacement, Lions running back J.D. McKissic could be a solid option. He's available in 65 percent of Yahoo leagues and 77 percent of ESPN leagues. He also had 16 touches last week against the Bears and should again be heavily involved against the Cowboys with both Kerryon Johnson and Ty Johnson dealing with injuries.

Wide Receiver

1. Michael Thomas, NO (at TB)

2. DeAndre Hopkins, HOU (at BAL)

3. Tyreek Hill, KC (vs. LAC)

4. Julio Jones, ATL (at CAR)

5. Chris Godwin, TB (vs. NO)

6. Julian Edelman, NE (at PHI)

7. Mike Evans, TB (vs. NO)

8. Amari Cooper, DAL (at DET)

9. Cooper Kupp, LAR (vs. CHI)

10. DJ Moore, CAR (vs. ATL)

Injury/Waiver Outlook

T.Y. Hilton owners will have to look elsewhere again this week, as the Indianapolis Colts' top receiver is set to miss his third straight game with a calf injury. Fellow Indianapolis wide receiver Parris Campbell will be out with a hand injury.

Even though Zach Pascal had only two receptions for 26 yards against the Dolphins last week, he should have better production on Sunday against the Jaguars with Brissett back leading the Colts' offense. Pascal is available in 61 percent of Yahoo leagues and 66 percent of ESPN leagues.

Fantasy owners will also need to monitor the status of Houston's Will Fuller (hamstring), Baltimore's Marquise Brown (ankle) and San Francisco's Emmanuel Sanders (ribs), all of whom are questionable. Meanwhile, Minnesota's Adam Thielen (hamstring) and Cincinnati's A.J. Green (ankle) will continue to be out.

A solid streaming option is Buffalo's Cole Beasley, who has been consistent this season. He's scored a touchdown in three of the last four weeks, and he's available in 66 percent of Yahoo leagues and 73 percent of ESPN leagues. He could have one of his better showings of the season in a favorable matchup against the Dolphins.

Tight End

1. Travis Kelce, KC (vs. LAC)

2. Hunter Henry, LAC (vs. KC)

3. Mark Andrews, BAL (vs. HOU)

4. Darren Waller, OAK (vs. CIN)

5. Zach Ertz, PHI (vs. NE)

6. Jared Cook, NO (at TB)

7. Gerald Everett, LAR (vs. CHI)

8. Greg Olsen, CAR (vs. ATL)

9. Jack Doyle, IND (vs. JAX)

10. Dallas Goedert, PHI (vs. NE)

Injury/Waiver Outlook

Two of the top fantasy tight ends are likely to be out with injuries in Week 11. Atlanta's Austin Hooper (MCL) has already been ruled out, while San Francisco's George Kittle (knee/ankle) is doubtful.

Without those two top tight ends, there will be plenty of fantasy owners looking for streaming options this week.

One that should be considered is Houston's Darren Fells, who has scored three touchdowns over the Texans' past two games and should be heavily featured in their offense as they try to keep pace with the Ravens on Sunday. Fells is available in 45 percent of Yahoo leagues and 70 percent of ESPN leagues.