Welcome to the 2025 Waiver Wire for Week 11!
Welp, it’s that time of year again, folks. We are nearing Thanksgiving, which means that we are getting closer and closer to the fantasy playoffs. Whether you are firmly in the playoff picture or are currently fighting for your playoff lives, there is always room to improve this time of year. In today’s discussion, I am going to be giving you MULTIPLE waiver wire gems to pick up for week 11 that can help you down the stretch here and hopefully lead you to a fantasy championship when it’s all said and done.
Disclaimer: Waiver Wire Rostership Percentages from Sleeper, ESPN, & Yahoo, as well as the Combined Rostership Percentages, will not exceed 50% (some slight exceptions may be made this week but not by much). Also, fantasy point scoring will be represented from a Half-PPR perspective.
Teams on Bye Week: Indianapolis Colts, New Orleans Saints
Quarterbacks
J.J. McCarthy
Percent Rostered on Sleeper (42%), ESPN (49.6%), & Yahoo (56%):
Combined Consensus Rostership Percentage: 49.2%
Base Statistics of The Week:
- 48 percent completions, 248 paYDS, 1 TD, 2 INTs, 48 ruYDS, 16.7 fpts
Notes and/or Advanced Statistics Over Past Three Weeks:
- 10.2 aDOT (easy schemed up throws, 6th most amongst QBs over last three weeks)
Waiver Wire Analysis:
For such a young QB, J.J. McCarthy is in a great situation in Minnesota currently. He has a great play caller in Kevin O’Connell, is playing behind a good offensive line, and is surrounded by a great set of weapons to work with. Something significant to note as well is the fact that McCarthy provides a surprisingly high amount of rushing upside weekly. McCarthy is not available across all platforms, but if he is still available in your league, pick him up immediately.
Next 3 Opponents: Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Seattle Seahawks
Jacoby Brissett
Percent Rostered on Sleeper (16%), ESPN (17.4%), & Yahoo (20%):
Combined Consensus Rostership Percentage: 17.8%
Base Statistics of The Week:
50 percent completions, 258 paYDS, 2 TDs, 19.4 fpts
Notes and/or Advanced Statistics Over Past Three Weeks:
- 2.3% Turnover Worthy Throw Rate in week 10 (7th lowest amongst QBs)
Waiver Wire Analysis:
Jacoby Brissett provides virtually zero rushing upside on any given week, which obviously frustrates/worries fantasy managers. But that’s ok, because he somewhat makes up for it with how accurate he is as a passer through the air, especially when he is throwing to superstar tight end Trey McBride, specifically in the red zone. Kyler Murray is obviously going to be out for at least the next three games due to being on IR with his foot injury.
Still, if Brissett continues to impress or at least keep the Cardinals somewhat competitive, Murray might just flat out be benched, even when he is healthy. Jacoby Brissett might not be the most exciting name out there right now, but he is at least worthy of being included in the weekly streamer conversation going forward.
Next 3 Opponents: San Francisco 49ers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Michael Penix Jr.
Percent Rostered on Sleeper (23%), ESPN (17.2%), & Yahoo (22%):
Combined Consensus Rostership Percentage: 20.7%
Base Statistics of The Week:
43 percent completions, 177 paYDS, 1 TD, 11.0 fpts
Notes and/or Advanced Statistics Over Past Three Weeks:
- 10.4 aDOT (easy schemed up throws, 3rd amongst QBs over last three weeks)
Waiver Wire Analysis:
In fantasy football, we like quarterbacks who have an alpha #1 WR. Michael Penix has that in Drake London, who has been on an absolute TEAR over the last couple of weeks. Yes, it is true that Penix provides virtually no rushing upside weekly and can be very up and down as a passer at times, but as a streamer, he is a perfectly fine get-by option.
Next 3 Opponents: Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, New York Jets
Running Backs
Brian Robinson Jr.
Percent Rostered on Sleeper (33%), ESPN (21.2%), & Yahoo (24%):
Combined Consensus Rostership Percentage: 26.1%
Base Statistics of The Week:
- 41 ruYDS, 1 TD, 1 tgt/1 rec, 4 recYDS, 11.0 fpts
Notes and/or Advanced Statistics Over Past Three Weeks:
- 7.23 YPC (7th amongst RBs over last three weeks)
Waiver Wire Analysis:
Christian McCaffrey is obviously the star of the show in the San Francisco backfield. Still, if you dive into the numbers a bit, McCaffrey hasn’t been nearly as efficient on the ground this season as he usually has been in the past. Additionally, CMC has a lengthy injury history in the NFL. Even though he has stayed perfectly healthy in San Francisco this year so far, will that perfect picture of health sustain as the season goes on down the stretch? Who knows?!
So Brian Robinson Jr. is a PREMIER handcuff option right now. If anything at all were to ever happen to Christian McCaffrey at any point this season, Robinson would become an ELITE option at the RB position every single week, just based on the coaching and elite infrastructure in San Francisco alone.
Next 3 Opponents: Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns
Devin Neal
Percent Rostered on Sleeper (11%), ESPN (1.7%), & Yahoo (2%):
Combined Consensus Rostership Percentage: 4.9%
Base Statistics of The Week:
- 22 ruYDS, 3 tgts/3 recs, 9 recYDS, 4.6 fpts
Notes and/or Advanced Statistics Over Past Three Weeks:
- 3.14 yds before contact/ATT (16th amongst RBs over last three weeks)
Waiver Wire Analysis:
I understand that Alvin Kamara just had an excellent fantasy performance this past week, considering his standards, but overall, the veteran RB has been underwhelming and disappointing this season. Therefore, due to Kamara’s recent inefficiency, Kellen Moore and his staff may want to give Devin Neal more work going forward.
This is a lost season anyway in New Orleans, so might as well take a shot and see what you’ve got in the kid. It can’t hurt at this point after all. Yes, on paper, it might seem gross to want to add a backup RB on a Tyler Shough-led offense, but regardless, it is fun to speculate about the player and his potential upside going forward. Pick him up for that reason alone.
Next 3 Opponents: BYE, Atlanta Falcons, Miami Dolphins
Sean Tucker
Percent Rostered on Sleeper (10%), ESPN (3.5%), & Yahoo (7%):
Combined Consensus Rostership Percentage: 6.8%
Base Statistics of The Week:
- 53 ruYDS, 5.6 fpts
Notes and/or Advanced Statistics Over Past Three Weeks:
- 2.48 yds before contact/ATT (15th amongst RBs over last three weeks)
Waiver Wire Analysis:
Sean Tucker’s value obviously hinges on Bucky Irving’s health going forward. If Irving returns as soon as this upcoming week, then Tucker will once again become irrelevant and isn’t even worth being rostered. If Irving is out for the foreseeable future, though, as is being reported right now, then Tucker is absolutely worth a pickup off the waiver wire right now/this week. When Bucky Irving initially got hurt earlier this season and started to miss time, everyone was all excited about Rachaad White in this Tampa Bay offense, as he looked to be the new workhorse and also had pass-catching upside.
It started as solely White’s backfield, but as the weeks have gone on here, Sean Tucker has started to get more and more work in this backfield recently. Look at just this past week. The two RBs basically had the same amount of carries, but Sean Tucker was much more efficient with those carries at the end of the day. This Tampa Bay backfield could feature a 50/50 split going forward between Rachaad White and Sean Tucker, or at least a close approximation. Pick up Sean Tucker in the absence of Bucky Irviing immediately.
Next 3 Opponents: Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Rams, Arizona Cardinals
Wide Receivers
DeMario Douglas
Percent Rostered on Sleeper (13%), ESPN (12.4%), & Yahoo (14%):
Combined Consensus Rostership Percentage: 13.1%
Base Statistics of The Week:
- 2 tgts/2 recs, 34 recYDS, 4.4 fpts
Notes and/or Advanced Statistics Over Past Three Weeks:
- 5.39 YPRR (2nd amongst WRs over last three weeks)
Waiver Wire Analysis:
When Kayshon Boutte was ruled out this past week for the Patriots, many, including myself, wondered who would step up at WR in his absence, outside of Stefon Diggs, of course. For the waiver wire this week, there is a lot to discuss in this situation. You can pick up guys like Mack Hollins and Kyle Williams if you want, but in my opinion, Hollins is probably fool’s gold, unfortunately. While Williams is fun and exciting, he didn’t get nearly enough volume to the point where it matters.
So the guy I want here personally is DeMario Douglas, as he is the one who has actually shown a bit of flash in this offense before anybody else, and gets a lot of those easy slot targets as well.
Next 3 Opponents: New York Jets, Cincinnati Bengals, New York Giants
Alec Pierce
Percent Rostered on Sleeper (53%), ESPN (36.5%), & Yahoo (42%):
Combined Consensus Rostership Percentage: 43.8%
Base Statistics of The Week:
- 7 tgts/4 recs, 84 recYDS, 1 TD, 16.4 fpts
Notes and/or Advanced Statistics Over Past Three Weeks:
- 19.5 aDOT (1st amongst WRs over last three weeks)
Waiver Wire Analysis:
Ok, I’ll admit it. I was very hesitant to believe in Alec Pierce at any point this season. But it’s time for me to bite the bullet and go after Pierce AGGRESSIVELY on the waiver wire this week, if he’s even still available, because he’s not widely available across all platforms at the moment. Alec Pierce has been so valuable over these last few weeks because he gets a lot of those high-value downfield targets in this high-powered Colts offense, and he finally scored his first TD of the year this past week, so there is still even more upside to be realized here, as crazy as that might sound.
Next 3 Opponents: BYE, Kansas City Chiefs, Houston Texans
Jayden Higgins
Percent Rostered on Sleeper (17%), ESPN (17.1%), & Yahoo (14%):
Combined Consensus Rostership Percentage: 16%
Base Statistics of The Week:
- 7 tgts/5 recs, 42 recYDS, 1 TD, 12.7 fpts
Notes and/or Advanced Statistics Over Past Three Weeks:
- 82.9% out wide rate (8th amongst WRs over last three weeks)
Waiver Wire Analysis:
Welp, it finally happened. The Texans finally played their highly drafted rookie, Jayden Higgins, and gave him a lot of snaps, stopping the unnecessary WR rotation on the outside. Speaking of on the outside, Jayden Higgins runs a majority of his routes on the outside opposite Nico Collins, which gives him a lot of opportunities since defenses are so focused on Collins, especially in the red zone as a fun, big-bodied target.
Next 3 Opponents: Tennessee Titans, Buffalo Bills, Indianapolis Colts
Tight Ends
Cade Otton
Percent Rostered on Sleeper (38%), ESPN (34.8%), & Yahoo (41%):
Combined Consensus Rostership Percentage: 38%
Base Statistics of The Week:
- 12 tgts/9 recs, 82 recYDS, 12.7 fpts
Notes and/or Advanced Statistics Over Past Three Weeks:
- 25.4% target share (2nd amongst TEs over last three weeks)
Waiver Wire Analysis:
With no Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Bucky Irving, Cade Otton has clearly solidified himself as the #2 option in this Buccaneers passing attack over the last couple of weeks. Tez Johnson is a fun player, but he is not getting near the amount of volume that Otton has been getting recently. In a TE landscape that is so lackluster right now, Cade Otton is not only a streamer at the position, but he is a MUST ROSTER asset/player going forward.
Next 3 Opponents: Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Rams, and Arizona Cardinals
Theo Johnson
Percent Rostered on Sleeper (31%), ESPN (44.6%), & Yahoo (42%):
Combined Consensus Rostership Percentage: 39.2%
Base Statistics of The Week:
- 8 tgts/7 recs, 75 recYDS, 11.0 fpts
Notes and/or Advanced Statistics Over Past Three Weeks:
- 58.4% slot rate (3rd amongst TEs over last three weeks)
Waiver Wire Analysis:
Theo Johnson has flashed his freak athleticism at various points this season, growing alongside rookie QB Jaxson Dart. I’ll admit, the Giants have just fired their head coach, Brian Daboll, so Johnson’s usage could change slightly in this offense. If Russell Wilson is under center for the Giants this week, this may not go very well in the end. But we’re playing the long game here. Pick up Theo Johnson this week and stash him for a stretch run, potentially, because he’s one of the couple of reliable and healthy weapons actually left on the Giants right now.
Next 3 Opponents: Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, New England Patriots
Dalton Schultz
Percent Rostered on Sleeper (33%), ESPN (26.9%), & Yahoo (34%):
Combined Consensus Rostership Percentage: 31.3%
Base Statistics of The Week:
- 11 tgts/7 recs, 53 recYDS, 1 TD, 14.8 fpts
Notes and/or Advanced Statistics Over Past Three Weeks:
- 7.1 aDOT (8th amongst TEs over last three weeks)
Waiver Wire Analysis:
Whether it’s Davis Mills or C.J. Stroud at the helm for the Texans, they have both had to get the ball out quickly over the middle of the field to Dalton Schultz, because let’s be honest, Houston’s offensive line is pretty terrible at the end of the day. If Schultz keeps carrying this high target upside weekly, he becomes an IMMEDIATE top streaming option at the TE position going forward, maybe even more than that.
Next 3 Opponents: Tennessee Titans, Buffalo Bills, Indianapolis Colts
D/ST
Green Bay Packers
Percent Rostered on Sleeper (56%), ESPN (60.2%), & Yahoo (57%):
Combined Consensus Rostership Percentage: 57.7%
Waiver Wire Analysis:
Jeff Hafley is a phenomenal defensive coordinator in the NFL, and his unit has an absolute DREAM matchup against the New York Giants this upcoming week. Jaxson Dart may be out in this matchup due to a concussion, which means that it will be Russell Wilson under center if Dart can’t go, which if you’ve watched Wilson at any point at all over the last few years of his career, you’d know that he can’t really function at the QB position anymore at this point in his career.
Plus, the Giants have virtually no offensive weapons to speak of, and they literally just fired their head coach, Brian Daboll, so this team, and more specifically the offense in this case, have really nothing to play for anymore at this point in the season.
Next 3 Opponents: New York Giants, Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions
Baltimore Ravens
Percent Rostered on Sleeper (48%), ESPN (50.8%), & Yahoo (54%):
Combined Consensus Rostership Percentage: 50.9%
Waiver Wire Analysis:
To start this season, the Baltimore Ravens’ defense got off to a slow and lackluster start. However, over the last few weeks, the unit has made significant improvements, and they have been performing exceptionally well recently. Not only are the Ravens a defense to stream for just this week, but you can confidently stream them over the next TWO weeks. They play two of the NFL’s worst offenses in back-to-back weeks in the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets. What an absolute dream scenario and situation.
Next 3 Opponents: Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, Cincinnati Bengals
