Fantasy Football Week 11 Cheat Sheet: Deep Sleepers to Target

It's Wednesday of NFL Week 11, which means we're on the doorstep of both Thursday Night Football and the fantasy waiver deadline for most leagues. The Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals are set to kick off the week on Thursday night, meaning that many lineup decisions will also need to be made in the next 24-plus hours.

With the Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers on bye this week, several top options—like Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs, Allen Robinson II and Brandon Aiyuk—will be unavailable.

To help get a jump on Week 11, we're here to examine the top players at each skill position along with some deep sleepers to target on the waiver wire.

Rankings are based on point-per-reception (PPR) scoring, and we'll be looking specifically at sleepers rostered in 40 percent or less of Yahoo and/or ESPN leagues.

Quarterback

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1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

2. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals

3. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks

4. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers

5. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers

6. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

7. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

8. Deshaun Watson, Houston Texans

9. Cam Newton, New England Patriots

10. Matt Ryan, Atlanta Falcons

11. Matthew Stafford, Detroit Lions

12. Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Waiver-Wire Target: Jameis Winston, QB, New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints have yet to commit to a starting quarterback with Drew Brees ailing. However, The Athletic's Brandon Howard believes that Winston is the better option over Taysom Hill and the safer fantasy play:

"It’s evident that Winston went back to the basics and polished up on his mechanics in order to be a more rotational thrower. He’s routinely bringing his hips through and allowing his arm to follow, which allows him to throw with greater accuracy and velocity. With Drew Brees likely out at least the next three weeks, don’t be afraid to pick Winston up off the waiver wire."

While the Saints will likely platoon Winston and Hill at quarterback, Winston should get the majority of the traditional dropback opportunities. Against an Atlanta Falcons defense that ranks 31st against the pass, he should have a fairly high ceiling.

Winston is rostered in just 4 percent of Yahoo leagues and 1 percent of ESPN leagues.

Running Back

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1. Dalvin Cook, Minnesota Vikings

2. Alvin Kamara, New Orleans Saints

3. Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers

4. Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans

5. Mike Davis, Carolina Panthers

6. James Conner, Pittsburgh Steelers

7. D'Andre Swift, Detroit Lions

8. Miles Sanders, Philadelphia Eagles

9. Kareem Hunt, Cleveland Browns

10. Nick Chubb, Cleveland Browns

11. Antonio Gibson, Washington Football Team

12. Josh Jacobs, Las Vegas Raiders

13. James Robinson, Jacksonville Jaguars

14. Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys

15. Duke Johnson Jr., Houston Texans

Waiver-Wire Target: Kalen Ballage, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

While starting back Austin Ekeler is likely to return for the Los Angeles Chargers soon, it may not happen this week. The Athletic's Daniel Popper believes Ekeler won't make his return until Week 12.

This gives managers one last opportunity to exploit Kalen Ballage, and the New York Jets present a prime opportunity to do so. The Jets are traveling to visit Los Angeles, and they rank just 9th against the run and 30th in points allowed.

With Justin Jackson on injured reserve, Ballage should again be the centerpiece of L.A.'s backfield. He's held that role over the past two weeks and has found success. In Week 9, he rushed for 69 yards and a touchdown while catching two passes for 15 yards. in Week 10, he rushed for 68 yards and caught five passes for 34 yards.

Ekeler's status will bear watching, but it's worth putting in a claim for Ballage now. He's rostered in 22 percent of Yahoo leagues and 48 percent of ESPN leagues.

Wide Receiver

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1. DeAndre Hopkins, Arizona Cardinals

2. Davante Adams, Green Bay Packers

3. Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs

4. Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers

5. Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons

6. DK Metcalf, Seattle Seahawks

7. Adam Thielen, Minnesota Vikings

8. Terry McLaurin, Washington Football Team

9. Tyler Lockett, Seattle Seahawks

10. Michael Thomas, New Orleans Saints

11. Calvin Ridley, Atlanta Falcons

12. Tyler Boyd, Cincinnati Bengals

13. Diontae Johnson, Pittsburgh Steelers

14. Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams

15. JuJu Smith-Schuster, Pittsburgh Steelers

16. A.J. Brown, Tennessee Titans

17. Tee Higgins, Cincinnati Bengals

18. Chase Claypool, Pittsburgh Steelers

19. Robert Woods, Los Angeles Rams

20. Will Fuller V, Houston Texans

Waiver-Wire Target: Jalen Reagor, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

There aren't a ton of premier receiver options handing around the waiver-wire, but Jalen Reagor at least has breakout potential. The Philadelphia Eagles rookie has had at least 40 receiving yards in three of his four NFL games and found the end zone in the other game.

Reagor has a juicy matchup with the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.

Cleveland ranks just 21st in pass defense 20th in scoring defense and has allowed its fair share of big plays this season. Reagor has plenty of big-play potential and could have his coming-out party at FirstEnergy Stadium.

Reagor has been targeted at least six times in each of his past two games, and he should be a top option against the Browns. The rookie is rostered in 26 percent of Yahoo leagues and 37 percent of ESPN leagues.

Tight End

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1. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs

2. Darren Waller, Las Vegas Raiders

3. T.J. Hockenson, Detroit Lions

4. Hunter Henry, Los Angeles Chargers

5. Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens

6. Noah Fant, Denver Broncos

7. Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles

8. Eric Ebron, Pittsburgh Steelers

9. Rob Gronkowski, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

10. Austin Hooper, Cleveland Browns

11. Jonnu Smith, Tennessee Titans

12. Hayden Hurst, Atlanta Falcons

Waiver-Wire Target: Logan Thomas, TE, Washington Football Team

Washington Football Team's Logan Thomas is the best tight end likely to be available in most leagues. He's rostered in just 36 percent of Yahoo leagues and 30 percent of ESPN leagues. If you can claim him, he's worth a play in Week 11.

Thomas has been targeted six times in two straight weeks and should again see a healthy target share against the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals rank just 26th in pass defense and 23rd in points allowed, meaning Thomas could be in store for one of his bast fantasy outings of the season.

This past week, Thomas caught four passes for 66 yards, and that should be about his floor against Cincinnati. Rookie Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow is likely to make enough headway on the scoreboard, that Washington won't be able to abandon the pass, so Thomas could be even more heavily targeted than he has been recently.

If Thomas can find the end zone, he may actually finish as one of the top tight ends of the week.

Yahoo and ESPN roster percentages from FantasyPros. Advanced statistics from Pro Football Reference.