Pigskin Papers- 2022 Waiver Wire Week 11
Matty Ice Returns
(Published November 14, 2022)
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Welcome to the Waiver Wire, Week 11. Last week’s free agent offerings left a lot to be desired. This week is slightly better, and with the fantasy regular season hitting the stretch run, the bye weeks taking their toll, and the injuries piling up, lots of fantasy managers are looking for whatever help they can get. I’m here to help you make sense of this week’s free agent pool.
*****SEE THE WEEK 10 TAKEAWAYS COLUMN HERE: https://www.thepigskinpapers.com/posts-1/pigskin-papers-take-2-2022-week-10 *****
The Week 11 BYES: Jaguars, Dolphins, Seahawks, Buccaneers
Looking ahead; The Week 12 BYES: NONE (Thanksgiving weekend, everyone plays)
The Process: Each week, I try to identify the top Waiver Wire targets and evaluate the short and long term prospects of those players. I also do my best to identify which players who are coming off a big week are fool’s gold. And finally, as we move through the bye weeks I’ll spend a little time on streamers at each position who might help you in a pinch. Note that this advice is primarily intended for Season-Long leagues, and NOT Dynasty leagues.
Some of the players I’ll talk about won’t be available in your league. As a general rule, I list players who are available in more than 50% of leagues. But what does that even mean? A 10 team league with 6 bench spots will have a much larger free agent pool than a 14 team league with 8 bench spots. Most leagues fall somewhere in between. This isn’t “one size fits all.”
Before we hit the individual positions, a brief word. The following players should all at this point be rostered. I’ve mentioned each one multiple times this year, including last week. If for some reason any of them are available in your league, they’re all priority adds, in this order: RB Jeff Wilson, WR Kadarius Toney (and especially with JuJu getting hurt), RB Rachaad White (with or without the Fournette injury), TE Cole Kmet, QB Daniel Jones (who has another nice streaming matchup this week, vs. DET), and RB Isaiah Pacheco.
QB:
Matt Ryan. New interim HC Jeff Saturday, or as I’ve dubbed him, “Jeff Sunday,” pulled the old switcheroo and started Ryan at the Raiders. My guess is he saw 5 minutes of one practice or took a peek at Sam Ehlinger’s game film from the last 2 weeks and that was that. Anyway, not only does Ryan’s return to the starting lineup put the Colts’ WRs back in play, but he himself is a startable mid-range QB2 in a Superflex. It hasn’t always been pretty this year, and Ryan isn’t likely to carry your team, but Jonathan Taylor being back is big for the offense, Ryan can still throw it, and he’s got decent weapons. Just don’t count on any more 40 yard scrambles. The Eagles are a tough draw this week, but it’s a short week and a road game for them.
If you’re in need of a streamer in Week 11, there isn't much to recommend. The best of the bunch (if Daniel Jones isn’t available) are Taylor Heinicke @HOU, Jimmy G @AZ, and Jared Goff @NYG.
If Jeff Wilson Slipped Through to This Week, Grab Him
RB:
Elijah Mitchell is a nice depth add, and he looked pretty good in his first game back from injury. Interestingly, it was Mitchell, and not CMC, that was on the field for a key red zone possession at the end of the game. Mitchell’s main value is as a handcuff for CMC, but he also has stand-alone value if you’re desperate.
Jerrick McKinnon has limited upside barring injury, but with CEH apparently being phased out, McKinnon’s role as the passing downs back and 2-minute drill guy seems even more secure. In full PPR especially, McKinnon has some value. He’s decent bench depth.
Keaontay Ingram. In a surprise move, the Cardinals parted ways with Eno Benjamin, so for now, the rookie is the backup to James Conner, who has already dealt with multiple injuries this year. Ingram is a bench stash at most.
Jaylen Warren continues to play well in his limited role, but he’s getting more touches than we would have expected as the #2 in a Mike Tomlin offense.
Don’t pick up Cam Akers. Please? Yes, they’re still trying to make it work with him, but it’s just not happening. If you must, grab Kyren Williams instead.
Christian Watson Announced his Arrival against the Cowboys
WR:
Christian Watson was recommended in this article last week, and I took my own advice and picked him up. Great! Well, having him laugh at my starting lineup from the bench as he went off wasn’t fun, but with Doubs on IR, Watson has a real opportunity to become Rodgers’s guy, and he’s the only WR on the team with real speed. The rookie continues to struggle with drops, but the upside is there as we saw this week. This could be the start of something big and he could be this year’s ARSB down the stretch. Or not. It’s definitely worth finding out. He’s a priority add for me, and I’m glad I have him rostered.
Zay Jones has been mentioned in this article multiple times this year. He continues to be a good volume receiver, can be flexed, and is nice depth.
With Matt Ryan back under center, both Parris Campbell and Alec Pierce are again interesting. They’re both good depth adds, with some upside.
Nick Westbrook Ikhine and Trent Sherfield are both coming off big games, but I feel like picking either of them up is chasing performance that’s unlikely to repeat, and if it does, will be impossible to predict. I guess if you want to find out, stash them.
A few more decent WRs to consider if you’re in need: Deandre Carter, Nico Collins, DPJ, Darius Slayton, Jarvis Landry, Julio Jones, and Mack Hollins. And if you have the space, stashing OBJ has some upside.
Juwan Johnson Keeps it Going
TE:
Juwan Johnson keeps getting it done, on a bad offense. He’s rewarded those who grabbed him a few weeks ago. You could do worse.
Trey McBride played almost every snap on Sunday after Zach Ertz went down with a knee injury, and with Ertz’s season over, McBride will get his shot. He’s low on the pecking order for targets, but the first TE taken in the 2022 NFL Draft (pick #55 overall) has some upside. He’s worth a flier.
Foster Moreau will be the starter in Vegas for at least 3 more weeks, with Waller on IR. He played 95% of the snaps and ran 37 routes Sunday, en route to a 3-43-1 stat line. This week’s matchup (DEN) is not a good one, however.
Isaiah Likely is still worth picking up, since we don’t yet know if Mark Andrews will play this week, or if he does, how much he’ll play. He’s scored in each of the 2 games he’s played with Andrews out, although he only had one catch in the last game before the bye.
PK Streamers: Robie Gould@AZ, Brandon McManus vs. LV, Jake Elliott@IND, Will Lutz vs. LAR
D/ST Streamers: WAS (@HOU), NO (vs. LAR), BAL (vs. CAR), CIN (@PIT)
Good luck with your waiver claims!
DH
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