Thomason: Top Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Pickups For Week 11
By Jack Thomason--
(CBS) For weeks, I was touting Ravens running back Kenneth Dixon as a hot waiver addition or a great stash while he was injured. He didn't do much over his first few games back, but just as we began to think he wouldn't amount to anything for this season, he had a good game last Thursday. If you held on to him, you're excited about his prospects again.
Dixon isn't the end-all-be-all, but his situation is a reminder how quickly everything can change. The same goes for Bears receiver Cameron Meredith, who was a fantasy darling for a few weeks, vanished and now is back to being relevant again after Alshon Jeffery's four-game suspension. Such is fantasy life!
Here are my top 10 waiver adds for 10- and 12-member leagues.
1. Rob Kelley (RB, Washington Redskins) – Volume is king in fantasy football, and Kelley is seeing almost all of the work in the Washington backfield. In his two starts, he's had 43 carries, racking up 184 yards and a touchdown. He's also forced more missed tackles on his 43 carries than Matt Jones did on 99 carries. Another reason the coaching staff loves Kelley is his ability as a north/south runner. He's lost yardage on only two of his carries. Kelley plays on a good offense and will see the workload. Not many running backs are guaranteed 15-plus touches per game anymore.
2. C.J. Prosise (RB, Seattle Seahawks) – Prosise and the Seahawks offensive line came to play Sunday night against the Patriots. He carved them up for 153 total yards on 24 touches and played 77 percent of the snaps to Christine Michaels' 16 percent. Part of that may have been due to Michael's hamstring, but I'm not so sure that was the case. The Seahawks have been talking Prosise up since they drafted him. He missed the majority of the offseason with an injury and was raw coming in to the NFL. He finally looks to be healthy and ready to go. While Thomas Rawls is set to return, Prosise may be too good to keep off the field with his dual-threat ability.
3. James Starks (RB, Green Bay Packers) – The Packers seemed to move on rather quickly from the Ty Montgomery experiment at running back once Starks came back healthy. Starks tallied 71 percent of the offensive snaps, while Montgomery played just 28 percent. He also doubled up Montgomery's touch total last week, 10-5. Starks' day was less than impressive, but the silver lining here is he's the running back of choice for the Packers offense and will see the majority of touches on a team that can put up points.
4. Rishard Matthews (WR, Tennessee Titans) – Since Week 5, Matthews has averaged four receptions for 50.5 yards and a touchdown Marcus Mariota has been piping hot, and Matthews has been his guy. He has six touchdowns in his last six games. While the offense runs through DeMarco Murray, Mariota is putting on his own sideshow through the air and Matthews has been the most consistent receiver on the offense. Ride the hot streak.
5. Cameron Meredith (WR, Chicago Bears) – Yes, Meredith vanished after a few games of early season heroics, but with Jeffery suspended for four games, you have to look to Meredith as the go-to, big play receiver in this offense. He only caught one ball Sunday, but it was for a 50-yard score, so that should remind you of his ability.
6. Dion Lewis (RB, New England Patriots) – After a long-awaited return, Lewis was activated from the physically-unable-to-perform list but not active for Sunday night's game. We all saw what he was capable of last year in this offense, and he's likely to return against the 49ers this Sunday. He could be a huge boost down the stretch as he rounds into form. The one caveat is how much will he play? LeGarrette Blount continues to pound the rock and leads the NFL with 12 rushing scores, but he also has been saying how nasty Lewis looks in practice, so there's hope for a consistent role on one of the league's best offenses.
7. Kenneth Dixon (RB, Baltimore Ravens) – Much like Meredith, Kenneth Dixon was a popular then fell off the map and now jumps back to relevancy. Terrance West continues to struggle, averaging a paltry 2.2 yards per carry over his last three games. Dixon is quick and elusive for a bigger back and is also a quality receiver out of the backfield. Look for the Ravens to continue to use Dixon more and more, but temper expectations as they aren't a great team and they're missing both starting guards from their offensive line.
8. Thomas Rawls (RB, Seattle Seahawks) – Rawls is ready to go for Week 11, coach Pete Carroll said. The Seahawks have struggled to run the ball due mostly to their offensive line, but we saw that last year too when Marshawn Lynch struggled throughout the beginning of the season and then Rawls came in and took the league by storm. This could be a similar situation, as you saw C.J. Prosise carve up the Patriots defense on Sunday. Rawls has upside, but no matter what, Prosise has a role in this offense, so Rawls isn't a do-or-die add.
9. Eli Rogers (WR, Pittsburgh Steelers) – Much like Dixon and Meredith, Rogers has found his way back into a useful role after disappearing due to injury and then obedience. Sammie Coates has failed to lock down the No. 2 role opposite Antonio Brown, and Rogers has played the second-most snaps at receiver over the past two weeks, over which Rogers hauled in 10 catches, a touchdown and 145 yards on 15 targets.
10. Sammy Watkins (WR, Buffalo Bills) – This is mostly for teams looking to make a splash on a deep playoff run. Watkins hasn't been cleared yet to practice but says he feels great. Clearance could come soon, which could mean a dynamic playmaker for a championship run. Tyrod Taylor is also playing really well, which makes the stash, for the right team, even more appealing. If you're not one of those playoff teams looking for the big edge, I'm looking at Paul Perkins here for upside and some running back depth.
Just missed: All stud running back handcuffs, Colin Kaepernick, Damien Williams, Paul Perkins, Tyreek Hill, Taylor Gabriel, Ladarius Green and Cameron Brate.
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 @jthomason77 and feel free to ask fantasy questions.
