The hottest NFL Week 11 waiver wire additions in fantasy football

It’s getting down to crunch time in the fantasy football season. The point in the season to pounce on difference-making talent is now, and it’s also important to stay one step ahead of the other fantasy managers in your league. We’ll go through the top players to scoop off of the wire ahead of Week 11. All statistics are sourced from Football Reference.

Valdez-Scantling has been somewhat of a punchline throughout his NFL career. He’s played with top-tier quarterbacks like Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes, only to be relegated to running as fast as he can down the field but not be taken seriously as a pass-catching threat. That may change during the rest of the 2024 NFL season in New Orleans.

It’s understandable why fantasy managers would be a little leery of MVS given his history, but his two-touchdown, 109 yard game in Week 10 can’t be ignored. With Chris Olave on the shelf for an undetermined length of time, and Rashid Shaheed out for the season, New Orleans is desperate for play-making ability. NOLA’s city website believes he’s exactly the type of player they need now.

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In perhaps one of the most stunning fantasy developments of the day, the Broncos elected to give the bulk of their backfield work to Estime. He carried the ball 14 times, compared to Jaleel McLauglin’s two carries, and perhaps more shockingly, Javonte Williams’ single carry for one yard. Head coach Sean Payton seemed to clearly indicate his confidence in the rookie runner.

It was hard to see this type of backfield takeover coming. Denver was blown out in Week 9, so the usage pattern in that game may not have been that revealing. Still, Williams handled 12 carries to Estime’s five in that contest. That’s all in the past now, and the important thing is that Estime must be considered a priority add ahead of Week 11.

There are different schools of thought when it comes to fantasy football and defenses. Some managers like to ride with the defenses that they drafted in August or September, while others like to play the matchups and stream in that spot. If a fantasy player is more of a streamer, then there’s a golden opportunity in Week 11 to start the Texans’ defense.

That’s because Houston squares off with their in-state rivals, the Dallas Cowboys. The Cowboys were throttled at home by the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 10, and don’t figure to have much more success against a talented Houston unit. There should be no hesitation to grab the Texans off of the wire (they played Detroit in Week 10) and insert them into the lineup.

It was Spears, and not Tony Pollard, who picked up the most yards on the ground for Tennessee on Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers. Granted, Spears had a 47 to 44 yard advantage on Pollard, which isn’t glaring. With that said, Spears was on the shelf due to injury prior to this game, but figures to be notably involved in Tennessee’s strategy moving forward.

Titans head coach Brian Callahan told the team’s official website that he did not want to overuse Pollard this season, even though he has had no choice but to do that for most of the year. With Spears back healthy and in the fold, Callahan can now take some work off of Pollard’s plate, which is clearly what happened against Los Angeles.

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Mitchell’s production has been all over the map as a rookie, much like the quarterback play has been in Indianapolis this season. In Week 10, Mitchell had somewhat of a breakout line, posting six catches for 71 yards on six targets. He seemed to have a good rapport with Joe Flacco against the Buffalo Bills.

One important piece of the equation was missing on Sunday for the Colts, as Michael Pittman Jr. missed the game with a back injury. Pittman has battled through this ailment for much of the season, and it would not be surprising to see him sidelined for additional games. Mitchell’s stock would be more favorable with Flacco under center, but is still worth a look due to target share alone.

Speaking of rookie pass catchers, Coker is starting to become fantasy relevant for Carolina. He’s had at least six targets in two of the last three games, and logged eight looks in Week 10 against the New York Giants. Former Panther Steve Smith broke down Coker’s beautiful route running for Sports Illustrated before the Giants game.

The additional opportunity hasn’t translated into a monster line, and it might not with the current state of the Panthers quarterback room. With that said, Carolina is going nowhere, and has made moves to open up playing time for him. They traded Diontae Johnson away to the Baltimore Ravens, and things aren’t looking great for an Adam Theilen return in 2024.

Rome wasn’t built in a day, and it’s clearly going to take time for Odunze to become the player that many people think he can be. Chicago has been ravaged by deplorable offensive line play, which has affected Caleb Williams’ ability to get the ball to his receivers. It’s not pretty in Chicago right now, but fantasy managers can do worse than investing a lottery ticket in Odunze.

The New York Post and Yahoo Sports wrote about Odunze’s ability to one day become of the best wide receivers in the NFL. The Bears got off to a strong start to the season, but have since slipped in the standings. If this continues to happen, it’s possible that veteran players will be de-prioritized, and players like Odunze with massive potential will get a greater chance to show what they can do.

We’re aware that Atwell isn’t going to be at the top of mind for many fantasy managers going down the stretch of the season. With Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua at the top of their games in Los Angeles, Atwell would be far off the fantasy radar. With that said, there’s reason to believe Atwell could catapult into an important asset down the stretch.

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It’s not the most fun exercise to root for injuries in the NFL, but the fact of the matter is that Kupp and Nacua haven’t been the healthiest players recently. Nacua suffered a small setback heading into Week 9 with his balky knee, and Kupp has been no stranger to serious injuries in recent years. It feels likely that at least one of them might miss time before the season is through, which would launch Atwell into fantasy relevance.