Fantasy Football Waiver Wire: Nick Foles A Top QB Option As He Returns From Injury
By Matt Citak
(CBS Boston) Week 11 is upon us, which means time is running out to clinch your spot in the fantasy postseason.
Week 10 was a tough one for many fantasy managers, as six teams, including fantasy-friendly offenses such as the Patriots, Texans, Eagles and Jaguars, had the week off. That is the largest number of teams on bye in the same week that we will have to deal with all season. We're not completely out of the woods yet, as Weeks 11 and 12 feature four teams on bye each week, but the worst is now behind us.
With bye week replacements soon to be a thing of the past, we can now focus on trying to land some players on the waiver wire that could come up big in the final six weeks of the fantasy season. Having a deep bench can only benefit your team at this point of the season.
With that said, here are the top waiver wire adds for Week 11.
QB Nick Foles, Jacksonville Jaguars- Minshew Mania was fun while it lasted, but now Foles is healthy and ready to go. The veteran quarterback has been activated off injured reserve and named the Jaguars' starter once again, despite the success of rookie Gardner Minshew in his absence. The veteran didn't even last a full half of the season opener before breaking his clavicle, but in his limited action back in Week 1, Foles did show encouraging signs. The 30-year-old completed five of eight passes for 75 yards and a touchdown, and Jacksonville is confident that the former Super Bowl MVP can pick up right where he left off. For those of you that have been streaming quarterbacks every week all season, Foles may be your saving grace with matchups against Tampa Bay, Oakland and Atlanta still on the docket.
QB Sam Darnold, New York Jets- Darnold has been included on this list for a few weeks now, and he will continue to appear here until his ownership numbers go up. Darnold enjoyed a solid game against the Giants in Week 10, throwing for 230 yards and a touchdown while adding 25 rushing yards and an additional score on the ground to finish with 21 points. A lot of that can be put on the state of the Giants defense, but check out Darnold's next four games: Washington, Oakland, Cincinnati and Miami. Starting Darnold certainly comes with some risk, but considering his upcoming schedule, that is a chance that I would be willing to take.
RB Brian Hill, Atlanta Falcons- In the most shocking game of the week, Atlanta went into New Orleans and put the beat down on the Saints. Heading into Sunday, the news around the Falcons was about the team putting Ito Smith on IR with a neck injury. To make matters worse, Devonta Freeman then suffered a foot sprain during the win over the Saints, which led to Brian Hill picking up 20 carries. Hill was unable to do much with those touches, finishing with just 61 yards on those 20 rush attempts, but he was able to save his day with a 10-yard receiving touchdown. We still don't know how long Freeman will be out, if he misses any time at all, but considering Atlanta's 2-7 record, it appears as if the Falcons' backfield is about to become the Hill show.
RB Derrius Guice, Washington Redskins- Remember Guice? Similar to Foles, Guice has finally been activated off IR and is ready to return to action after getting hurt in the season opener. Guice didn't do much in Week 1, taking 10 carries for only 18 yards, but the second-year back did also catch three receptions for 20 yards. Adrian Peterson isn't going anywhere, but Washington has been taking the veteran back off the field on passing downs all season long. Guice has the skill set to be a three-down back for the Redskins, and with Washington's playoff hopes already dead, the team will likely give their young back some extended playing time moving forward. I wouldn't start him right away, but Guice is definitely worth a speculative add.
RB J.D. McKissic, Detroit Lions- The Lions' backfield has been one to avoid since the injury to Kerryon Johnson. Since the starter went down, we have seen several different running backs step up into the lead role, yet none have found success. Tra Carson has since been placed on IR, and on Sunday Ty Johnson suffered a concussion. The Lions are running out of backs, but the next one who is likely going to lead the backfield in touches is McKissic. McKissic is interesting because of his pass-catching abilities, as the injury to Matthew Stafford could leave Jeff Driskel as the team's starting QB for the next few games. If that is the case, McKissic could actually provide some solid FLEX value, as Driskel is likely to check the ball down to him often. For those desperate for some depth at RB, McKissic could surprise a lot of people, especially with some soft matchups coming up.
WR Cole Beasley, Buffalo Bills- Beasley continues to get overlooked, despite putting up consistent numbers throughout the 2019 season. The speedy slot receiver has finished with at least 74 receiving yards or a touchdown in six of nine games, and has quietly developed into Josh Allen's security blanket in Buffalo. Beasley is never going to light up a defense for 150 yards, but the 30-year-old receiver has shown enough to warrant FLEX consideration on a weekly basis from here on out. Even in tough matchups, Beasley should continue to produce as the Bills' slot man.
WR Darius Slayton, New York Giants- With Sterling Shepard and Evan Engram both out with injuries, it was the Darius Slayton and Golden Tate show at MetLife Stadium Sunday. You won't find Tate on the waiver wire, but chances are Slayton is available in your league. If that is the case, go pick up the rookie receiver immediately. Slayton saw a whopping 14 targets against the Jets in Week 10, reeling in 10 of them for 121 yards and two touchdowns. Slayton has developed a nice rapport with Daniel Jones, as the two rookies spent plenty of time together throughout the offseason and training camp. Who knows when or if we will see Shepard and Engram on the field again this season, which makes Slayton a must add as a potential late-season star.
WR Demaryius Thomas, New York Jets- Thomas has quietly put together some solid performances over the last month. The veteran receiver has finished with over 60 receiving yards in three of his last five games, and has seen nine targets in three of his last six games. Jamison Crowder has emerged as Darnold's go-to guy underneath, but Thomas has established himself as the team's most talented receiver on the outside. I already talked about the Jets upcoming schedule and how Darnold should be able to find success over the next four weeks. The same goes for Thomas, who has already been offering WR4 value over the last two months.
TE Noah Fant, Denver Broncos- Denver's bye week likely caused many to forget about Fant's strong performance in Week 9. The rookie tight end caught three of four targets for 115 yards and a touchdown against the Browns last week, including a highlight reel touchdown grab that had him bouncing off defenders as if he was a pinball machine. Fant has seen his role in the Broncos' offense increase since the Emmanuel Sanders trade, as he has seen at least five targets in each of the last three games and 13 in the last two. With the rookie starting to blossom into quite the talented tight end, Fant should continue to see more looks from Brandon Allen over the next six weeks.
TE Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles- Similar to Fant, Goedert and the Eagles are coming off their bye week, which has likely caused many fantasy owners to overlook the second-year tight end. Heading into the bye, Goedert had at least five receptions or a touchdown in three of his last four games, and had accumulated 22 targets over that span. Philadelphia loves lining up with two tight ends on the field, which has resulted in both Goedert and Zach Ertz producing solid fantasy numbers. Philadelphia doesn't have the easiest remaining schedule, but with Ertz continuing to receive more attention from opposing defenses, Goedert could quietly emerge as a strong TE play for the rest of the year. Considering how weak tight end has been this year, Goedert is worth the speculative add and stash.
Matt Citak is a contributing writer for CBS Local. Follow him on Twitter here for all things fantasy football, New York Giants and more.