10 Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Adds Heading Into Week 11

There isn't a certified league-winner on the Week 11 waiver wire, but we do have several interesting names worth looking at.

Quarterback is especially strong -- good news for Kyler Murray and Baker Mayfield managers, both of whom are on bye in Week 11.

We do have some rare life in the running back free agent pool after a pair of rookie backs enjoyed strong utilization last week. Wide receiver, too, has a little juice, and there's more life at tight end than you'd expect after a low-scoring slate.

Let's dive into the best fantasy football waiver wire adds for Week 11.

All NFL projections via our numbers at FanDuel Research, and NFL odds references are to FanDuel Sportsbook.

Top Fantasy Football Waiver Wire Targets

Quarterbacks

Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers

After a slow start to the season, Justin Herbert has worked his way back into the starting conversation for fantasy. Herbert is averaging 18.3 fantasy points per game since their Week 5 bye, 11th among quarterbacks. That's come alongside a noticeable volume bump, as well as increased work downfield. His average depth of target (aDOT) has jumped from 7.0 to 8.5 in that span, helping his average passing yards climb from 144.5 to 262.2 per game.

The difference is night and day.

He's thrived against some strong competition, too, posting the ninth-highest EPA per dropback (per Next Gen Stats) despite facing three top-15 pass defenses. The Los Angeles Chargers are 4-1 over that span, winning each of the last three games by 10+ points.

That team-level success has me bullish LA continues to lean into the air attack going forward -- good news for his fantasy stock ahead of Week 11's date with Cincinnati Bengals.

Cincy has allowed the fifth-most fantasy points to quarterbacks, and their own offense has been plenty good enough to force pushback from the opposition. In their last three games, the Bengals have given up 37, 24, and 35 points. They've averaged 30.7 points themselves in that three-game sample, and that explains this week's sneaky-strong, 46.5-point over/under. Coupled with a tight spread, this is the kind of game environment we're looking to start Herbert in.

The schedule is just as strong in the following weeks, too. After Cincy, Herbert draws the Baltimore Ravens and Atlanta Falcons indoors -- both top 10 fantasy matchups for quarterbacks. Consequently, Herbert should be in the starting conversation for the next three weeks, making him a sensible waiver wire target for QB-needy teams.

Russell Wilson, Pittsburgh Steelers

Say what you want about Russell Wilson as an NFL quarterback in his age-35 season, but the guy just keeps producing for fantasy. After finishing as the QB16 in fantasy points per game (17.7) last season, Russ has finished as a top-10 quarterback in two of his first three starts for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Granted, he's run hot in the touchdown department (6 passing; 1 rushing), but high touchdown rates aren't exactly new for the 13-year vet. He had the third-highest touchdown rate last season and was top-five in five straight seasons from 2017-2021. Wilson's upcoming schedule puts him in good position to keep tossing scores, too.

The Steelers have a top-10 quarterback schedule from now until the fantasy playoffs, according to PFF. That includes matchups with the Baltimore Ravens (31st in fantasy points allowed to QBs), Bengals (28th), and two dates with the Cleveland Browns (17th).

The road does get a bit tougher once we get to Week 15. But the Steelers are in pole position for the AFC North crown, so I wouldn't expect them to shy away from Russ given how well he's played. His production should only increase as he builds chemistry with George Pickens and Mike Williams, so Wilson's someone who should flirt with QB1 numbers for the foreseeable future.

Others to Consider:

Derek Carr (vs. Browns), Drake Maye (vs. Rams), Anthony Richardson (stash)

Running Backs

Audric Estime, Denver Broncos

You wouldn't really notice just based on the final fantasy output, but Audric Estime took hold of the Denver Broncos' running back room in Week 10. The rookie 5th-round pick handled 14 of Denver's 17 running back rush attempts, pacing the backfield in snaps, red zone snaps, and red zone rush attempts. Much of that came in the second half -- a good sign Estime is trending in the right direction coming out of the loss.

Now, that translated to only 5.3 fantasy points, so Estime likely won't get as much buzz as you'd expect relative to his workload. He didn't see a single target in the passing game and only netted 53 yards off his 14 attempts. But he was second among Denver backs in routes, and Sean Payton offenses have a strong track record of peppering running backs with targets. Estime may never be Alvin Kamara in the passing game, but history tells us there's more receiving upside than the early production has shown.

Estime and the Broncos have a tough upcoming schedule, so I wouldn't break the bank here if you're set at running back. Two of their next three matchups are against bottom-10 running back matchups in fantasy, and they have a bye in Week 14. But if Estime can maintain his spot atop the totem poll over the next month, he could be an under-the-radar league-winner when we get to the fantasy football playoffs thanks to matchups against the Colts, Chargers, and Bengals.

In a starved free agent running back market, Estime is the clear top waiver wire back heading into Week 11.

Trey Benson, Arizona Cardinals

Trey Benson is still on mop up duty behind James Conner in this Arizona Cardinals backfield, but he's taken a larger piece of the pie over the last two games. Despite playing half as many snaps as Conner, the rookie has still averaged 12 adjusted opportunities (carries plus 2x targets) and 71 scrimmage yards per game. Heading into the final stretch, Benson's shaping up to be a premier running back handcuff as we approach the playoffs.

Again, Benson likely won't have standalone value as long as Conner remains healthy. But we know how volatile the running back position is, and this is the time of year we should be filling our bench with high-upside backups.

Benson fits the mold, especially when you take into account Arizona's schedule. The Cardinals have three neutral running back matchups after their Week 11 bye, but things get juicy in the fantasy football playoffs. According to PFF, Arizona has the easiest running back schedule in fantasy from Weeks 15-17. That includes a Week 16 date with a Carolina Panthers front allowing the most fantasy points per game to the position.

But with Arizona off next week, Benson likely won't be a priority with Conner still healthy. That makes him someone worth targeting if you're already looking ahead to the playoffs as he'd slide into RB2 status if anything were to happen to Conner.

Jaylen Warren, Pittsburgh Steelers

Jaylen Warren still hasn't cracked double-digit fantasy points this season, but he's profiled as a valuable fantasy contributor since Russell Wilson took over under center. Over the last three games, Warren has averaged 17 adjusted opportunities and 71 yards per game, playing 45.3% of snaps (compared to 51.2% for Najee Harris). He leads the Pittsburgh backfield in route participation (40.6%) and target share (10.1%) with Russ under center.

He's seen 2.7 red zone rush attempts and a 25% red zone opportunity share in that stretch but is still looking for his first score of the year. That's a number likely to correct itself in the coming weeks, as PFF's expected fantasy points model pegs Warren for 2.3 touchdowns despite the donut on his player card. Consequently, he's the third-biggest running back underperformer by expected fantasy points.

I'm pretty bullish on this Steelers offense as a whole going forward, and Warren is no exception. Even with Pittsburgh rating as the second-most difficult running back schedule the rest of season, Warren could play his way into flex consideration given the uptick in volume. There's contingent upside here, too, as the clear top back behind Najee Harris.

Others to Consider:

Gus Edwards (vs. Bengals), Cam Akers (at Titans), Keaton Mitchell (stash), MarShawn Lloyd (stash)

Wide Receivers

Ricky Pearsall, San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers let everyone eat in Christian McCaffrey's return, and Ricky Pearsall was no exception. The rookie first-round pick housed a 46-yard touchdown in Week 10's win, but the volume is what makes him my favorite waiver wire add heading into Week 11.

Pearsall was one of just five 49ers to see a target last week, tying for third with a 17.6% share. He posted a healthy 64.3% route participation and was second in air yard share thanks to seeing 4 downfield targets (10+ yards).

There's obviously a lot of fantasy-relevant talent on this San Francisco offense, so we're probably not getting a path to WR1 numbers from Pearsall. But we've seen this offense support multiple fantasy-relevant names time and time again over the past few years, and Pearsall has been a clear focal point since his season debut. In three games with him active, Pearsall 3.7 receptions and 57 scrimmage yards. Perhaps most encouraging -- Ricky Pearsall has been on the field for 74.3% of red zone plays since Week 7.

San Francisco doesn't have a great rest-of-season schedule, but they do get a mouth-watering date with the Seattle Seahawks next week. Pearsall has shown enough through three games to warrant flex consideration in that one, and he's someone whose stock could continue to rise as he gets acclimated to the offense.

Noah Brown, Washington Commanders

Noah Brown enjoyed some of his best utilization of the season in Week 10, running a route on 97.3% of dropbacks while seeing the second-most targets (7) on the team. That resulted in only 33 yards and 4.8 fantasy points, but it continues an ongoing trend of heavy involvement. Brown has seen 6-plus targets in 4 of the last 5 games, averaging 48 yards and the third highest target share (19.6%) on the team.

He's right with Terry McLaurin in terms of targets per route run in that stretch, narrowly trailing him in downfield work, too. We've seen how effective Jayden Daniels has been this season, so I'm certainly interested in getting shares of this offense.

Brown's solidified his role as their top pass-catcher outside McLaurin and Zach Ertz, and his ability to make plays down the field gives him upside on a week-to-week basis. With Washington in the playoff hunt and showing a top-10 wide receiver schedule rest of season, Brown is someone who can help you right now but also offer upside for the stretch run.

Mike Williams, Pittsburgh Steelers

The idea that Mike Williams -- despite being 30 years old and coming off an ACL tear -- was washed never made sense to me. He'd averaged 6.3 receptions and 83 yards prior to getting hurt last season, and was a consistent force when healthy in LA. The move to New York felt like more of an issue than Williams' on-field ability, so it wasn't surprising to see him shipped to Pittsburgh prior to the deadline.

The early returns suggest this is a match made in heaven alongside Russell Wilson.

Williams ran only 6 routes in his Steelers debut, but he caught the only target he saw for a 32-yard touchdown. That should have prospective managers bullish on his outlook moving forward, especially given how impactful Wilson has been under center.

The Steelers needed a secondary pass-catcher beside George Pickens, too. And while they don't have a great schedule the rest of the year, it's not bad. Pittsburgh draws the shootout-prone Ravens next week and in Week 16, so there's upside in the immediate future and in the fantasy playoffs for the big-play receiver. He's not someone I'd break the bank for, but it's not hard to imagine him flirting with a 20% target share on an offense lacking playmakers out wide.

Others to Consider:

Jerry Jeudy (at Saints), Marquez Valdes-Scantling (vs. Browns), Demario Douglas (vs. Rams), Jalen Coker (stash)

Tight Ends

Taysom Hill, New Orleans Saints

Taysom Hill feels like a borderline must-start tight end in this version of the New Orleans Saints offense. Taysom has scored 20 fantasy points over the last two games, averaging 11.5 adjusted opportunities, 2 red zone rush attempts, and 55 scrimmage yards per game. With Chris Olave (concussion) joining Rashid Shaheed on IR, the Saints aren't swimming in playmakers on offense.

We know Taysom is nothing if not a playmaker.

There is still going to be some inconsistent play here, but I think we're going to be able to rely on him more consistently going forward. His ability to rack up fantasy points in several different ways offers unique upside from the tight end position, and last week proved the Saints won't be rolling over. With a modest 44.5-point over/under and tight spread set for next week's clash with the Browns, Hill's someone you can feel comfortable sliding into starting lineups.

That could be especially important next week with Trey McBride and Cade Otton both on bye.

Others to Consider:

Mike Gesicki (at Chargers), Will Dissly (vs. Bengals), Zach Ertz (at Eagles)

Defenses

Green Bay Packers

The Green Bay Packers were a top-10 defense by numberFire's schedule-adjusted numbers heading into their Week 10 bye, and they enter Week 11 with the second-most takeaways (19). In an outdoor game featuring one of the week's lowest over/unders (41.5) against the Chicago Bears, there's a lot to like with the Green Bay D/ST.

The Bears have been a borderline top-10 matchup for opposing defenses this season, giving up the most sacks in football while averaging just 19.4 points per game.

Green Bay is around league-average in pressure rate and sack rate, but we've seen Chicago cede sacks to fronts that have otherwise struggled to get to the quarterback this season. With a rookie quarterback and banged up offensive line, they're one of the juiciest offenses to target right now, especially in an outdoor game at the notoriously windy Soldier Field.

The Packers have flashed upside on defense, too, finishing as a top-12 fantasy defense in five of their first six games to open the season.

Others to Consider:

Miami Dolphins (vs. Raiders), Houston Texans (at Cowboys), New Orleans Saints (vs. Browns)

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author's advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.