Thomason: Top Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups For Week 11
By Jack Thomason--
(CBS) While watching games with a friend this weekend, he told me about how he's in first place and has lost out on every good player because of that standing. He has also lost Patriots running back Dion Lewis and other players to season-ending injury. This got me thinking about the typical waiver systems automatically provided when you sign up for a league. If you're still playing in a league where the first place team every week has the last waiver pick, it's time to change that!
With all the options of rolling waivers, blind bidding, open bidding, etc. for waiver choices, no one should be playing with those archaic settings. Is it really fair for the best teams in the league to suffer injuries but never have a chance to improve their squads? No.
Personally, I like blind bidding best. Every team starts off with a specific dollar amount at the beginning of the year, and it's up to every owner to strategically decide how to spend that money on what players throughout the waiver period. The player goes to the highest bidder, but no one knows who that is until waivers are processed and the players are placed on the winning bidder's team.
Anyway, here are my top 10 waiver adds for 10- and 12-team leagues for Week 11.
1. Danny Amendola (WR, New England Patriots) -- The Patriots' offense has taken two huge hits the last two weeks, losing Lewis and now Julian Edelman. Someone's going to have to pick up the slack. That's where Amendola comes in. He led the Patriots with 11 targets and 10 receptions Sunday, albeit for 79 yards. He's going to be Tom Brady's main safety blanket outside of Rob Gronkowski, and while the offense is going to slow some, it's still going to be a top-five unit.
2. Matt Jones (RB, Washington Redskins) – You could see the type of explosion that Jones has for a big man on his 78-yard touchdown reception Sunday. He caught the ball close to the line of scrimmage and exploded through the field, making would-be tacklers miss with his speed and power. Now that being said, he still played only 37 percent of the snaps, while Alfred Morris led with 40 percent. Expectations should be tempered, but grab Jones, as the upside is there after his 14-touch, 187-yard, one-touchdown outing. Keep in mind it was against the Saints defense.
3. Stevie Johnson (WR, San Diego Chargers) -- Johnson shouldn't be on waivers, but if he happens to be, snatch him up. With Keenan Allen and Malcom Floyd down with injuries, plus Antonio Gates handling a sprained MCL, the opportunities are going to be there for Johnson to make a significant impact. The Chargers are the second-ranked pass offense in the NFL in attempts, completions and yards.
4. Kamar Aiken (WR, Baltimore Ravens) – Aiken led the Ravens skill position players in time on the field, playing 79 percent snaps Sunday. He now has back-to-back games with at least six receptions and once again led the team in targets, receptions and yards. Touchdown upside may not be there, as he only has two on the season, but volume will be there for sure. Baltimore ranks 10th in passing yards per game and is tied for seventh in pass attempts.
5. Tony Romo (QB, Dallas Cowboys) -- If you're struggling for consistency at quarterback or your league mates are hogging multiple quarterbacks, Romo may be your saving grace. He's expected to return next week, and the Cowboys (somehow) aren't out of their divisional title race. That bodes well for Romo to come back swinging in an attempt to pull the Cowboys out of the gutter and back to relevancy.
6. Crockett Gillmore (TE, Baltimore Ravens) -- The opportunity has and will continue to be there for Gillmore, the second-year man out of Colorado State. He has averaged five targets over the last four games and has scored in two of them. With the injury to Steve Smith and Baltimore's mediocre running game, Gillmore will be the main red-zone weapon for a team that projects to trail often the remainder of the year.
7. Jamison Crowder (WR, Washington Redskins) – Crowder finally found the end zone Sunday for the first time in his career. He also led the the Redskins in targets (five) and continues to be a safety valve for Kirk Cousins. He totaled four receptions for 60 yards, and that marks only the second time he's been held under five catches since Week 3. A big part of that was the game script. Washington was winning big, and Cousins only attempted five second-half passes. Crowder is a solid WR3 in PPR leagues.
8. Shaun Draughn (RB, San Francisco 49ers) – The early week news has Carlos Hyde coming out of the bye as day-to-day, but with multiple weeks off and no ringing endorsement for Hyde from coach Jim Tomsula, Draughn is likely to lead a committee backfield this weekend. This will be no cake matchup though, as Draughn has to go into Seattle and face off with a stingy front seven. That being said, the volume was there before the bye, with Draughn soaking up 67 percent of the backfield work, turning 20 touches into 96 yards.
9. Jay Ajayi (RB, Miami Dolphins) -- This is more about hand-cuffing one of the better fantasy running backs, but Ajayi has looked good in his first two outings. On Sunday, he chipped in six carries and led the Dolphins in rushing yards with 48. It's a small sample size, but he's averaging more than eight yards per carry and looks like he could be a big factor if something happened to Lamar Miller. He's worth stashing and is a must hand-cuff for Miller owners.
10. David Cobb (RB, Tennessee Titans) – This is more about Antonio Andrews' horrible day against a stout Carolina front seven. He rushed for a mere eight yards on 11 carries, and there's a possibility Cobb suits up for Thursday's tilt with the Jacksonville Jaguars. There isn't a lot to expect here, but with Andrews being a former undrafted free-agent plodder, the Titans may want to find out more about what they have in Cobb, their fifth-round draft pick out of Minnesota. He's worth the flier on the off chance something good happens. Just don't expect it.
Just missed: Brock Osweiler, Jay Cutler, Thomas Rawls, Tevin Coleman, Doug Baldwin, Dorial Green-Beckham, Chris Givens, Devin Funchess, Austin Seferian-Jenkins and Zach Miller
Just missed: Brock Osweiler, Jay Cutler, Thomas Rawls, Tevin Coleman, Doug Baldwin, Dorial Green-Beckham, Chris Givens, Devin Funchess, Austin Seferian-Jenkins and Zach Miller.
Jack Thomason is 670 The Score's fantasy football expert and co-host of "Chicago's Fantasy Football Today," which can be heard every Sunday during football season from 8-9 a.m. CT on WSCR-670 and 670thescore.com/listen. Follow him on Twitter@jthomason77and feel free to ask fantasy questions.
