Week 11 Waiver Wire Pickups: Sleepers Available in Majority of Fantasy Leagues

While fantasy managers usually work the waiver wire early in the week, scrambling for reinforcements late in the week is sometimes necessary.

Did your top receiver get downgraded on Friday? Did you forget that your star quarterback is on bye this week? Did you forget to elevate your top bench player before they played on Thursday night? Then, it's time to see what the waiver wire has left to offer entering the weekend.

Here, we'll dive into some viable sleeper options who may still be available for Week 11. As a reminder, the Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are on bye this week.

All picks and analysis are based on point-per-reception (PPR) scoring.

New England Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye hasn't exactly been the raw developmental prospect many expected him to be. Since taking over as the starter, the North Carolina product has flashed his dual-threat potential while showing a great command of Alex Van Pelt's offense.

"You've got to be giddy if you're New England," ESPN's Dan Orlovsky said in a video post (h/t Hayden Bird of Boston.com), "absolutely giddy with what you see from Drake Maye."

Maye's scrambling ability is what makes him a strong sleeper option even without a great supporting cast. While the rookie only rushed for 24 yards last week, he scrambled for 95 yards in his previous game and had 46 yards and a touchdown the week before that.

The 22-year-old has also thrown a touchdown pass in each of his last two games.

New England will host a solid-and-improving Los Angeles Rams defense in Week 11, but Maye's running gives him a dependable fantasy floor. He's still available in over 80 percent of ESPN and Yahoo leagues.

Managers in need of a running back could be in trouble. Surefire fantasy starters aren't available late in the week because the NFL simply doesn't feature a surplus of high-volume running backs.

Denver Broncos rookie Audric Estimé is the closest thing managers are going to find to a true starter. Denver has employed a frustratingly hard-to-predict backfield committee this season, but Estimé might be settling in as the leading ball-carrier.

Estimé saw 14 carries against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, 11 more than any other Broncos player.

The rookie hasn't been used in the passing game, so his PPR floor is extremely low. However, the Notre Dame product may find more running room this week.

The Chiefs have allowed the fewest fantasy points to opposing running backs, while the Atlanta Falcons have surrendered the 10th-fewest fantasy points. Estimé is still available in more than 90 percent of Yahoo leagues and more than 70 percent of ESPN leagues.

Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Mike Williams was only targeted once in Week 10. Of course, he just arrived in Pittsburgh a few days earlier, having been acquired at last Tuesday's trade deadline.

And Williams likely earned the trust of quarterback Russell Wilson during his debut. He caught his lone target for a 32-yard fourth-quarter game-winning touchdown.

This week, Williams and the Steelers will host the Baltimore Ravens, who have been utterly bad against the pass. No team has allowed more passing yards this season, and no team has allowed more fantasy points to opposing receivers.

Williams should be a bigger part of the game plan after practicing with his new team for a full week. Now is a great time to grab the 30-year-old, even if he doesn't immediately make the starting lineup.

One big outing will make Williams a popular waiver-wire target. Right now, he's still available in more than 80 percent of Yahoo leagues and more than 70 percent of ESPN leagues.

Los Angeles Chargers right end Will Dissly has spent most of the season as a fringe fantasy option, specifically in PPR leagues. He rarely has large yardage outputs, but he'll occasionally see a high volume of targets.

Last week, for example, Dissly caught five of six targets for 30 yards.

The 28-year-old should see targets in the 5-7 range again this week, and he could end up with one of his better overall outings of the season. The Chargers will host the Cincinnati Bengals, who have had a difficult time covering opposing tight ends. Quarterback Justin Herbert knows how to exploit gaps in a defense.

The Bengals haven't been particularly good at covering anyone, actually, but their second-level defense has been particularly suspect. Only the Chiefs and Carolina Panthers have surrendered more fantasy points to opposing tight ends in 2024 than Cincinnati.

Dissly is still available in more than 90 percent of Yahoo and ESPN leagues.

*Fantasy scoring and roster information via FantasyPros.