Fantasy Football Week 11 Rankings: Waiver-Wire Targets for Players on Injury List
With Week 11 already under way, the playoffs are on the near horizon for most season-long fantasy leagues. These next few weeks will be critical for fantasy managers, and unfortunately, injuries and absences continue to be an issue.
The NFL lost another starting quarterback on Wednesday, when the Cleveland Browns announced that Deshaun Watson would undergo season-ending shoulder surgery. This leaves Watson, Aaron Rodgers, Kirk Cousins and Daniel Jones as Week 1 starters who are now done for the year.
Things have been even just as murky at the skill positions, with players like Nick Chubb, J.K. Dobbins, Justin Jefferson, Austin Ekeler and David Montgomery missing large chunks or the majority of the 2023 season.
Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews and Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow both exited Thursday night's game with injuries.
There are some notable injury absences this week too—Hayden Hurst, Gerald Everett, Dameon Pierce and Treylon Burks are among notable names who have already been ruled out—and the Atlanta Falcons, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots and New Orleans Saints are on bye.
Below, we'll dive into our updated top 10 positional rankings and some potential sleepers to target on the waiver wire.
Quarterback
QB Top 10
1. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
2. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins
3. C.J. Stroud, Houston Texans
4. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
5. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions
6. Sam Howell, Washington Commanders
7. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
8. Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
9. Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
10. Brock Purdy, San Francisco 49ers
Waiver Target: Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams
After missing the Los Angeles Rams' last game with a thumb injury, quarterback Matthew Stafford is expected to return to face the Seattle Seahawks. He returned to practice in preparation for Seattle.
"I haven't been out there obviously in a couple weeks, so it was kind of nice to just get back out there and get my feet wet again," Stafford said, per Dan Greenspan of the Associated Press.
With both Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua at his disposal, Stafford should have a solid floor this week against a Seahawks defense that has allowed the 14th-most fantasy points to opposing QBs.
Stafford is rostered in 44 percent of Yahoo leagues and 31 percent of ESPN leagues.
Running Back
RB Top 10
1. Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers
2. Austin Ekeler, Los Angeles Chargers
3. Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions
4. Breece Hall, New York Jets
5. Josh Jacobs, Las Vegas Raiders
6. Travis Etienne Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars
7. Aaron Jones, Green Bay Packers
8. D'Andre Swift, Philadelphia Eagles
9. Tony Pollard, Dallas Cowboys
10. Saquon Barkley, New York Giants
Waiver Target: Rico Dowdle, Dallas Cowboys
With Bijan Robinson, Zack Moss, Jonathan Taylor, Rhamondre Stevenson and Alvin Kamara all on bye this week, managers may be scrambling for a running-back fill-in. If so, Dallas Cowboys back Rico Dowdle is an enticing target.
Dowdle has started to cut into Tony Pollard's workload rather significantly. Against the New York Giants in Week 10, for example, he logged 12 carries to Pollard's 15 and led Dallas with 79 rushing yards and a touchdown.
This week, Dowdle has a fantastic matchup against the Carolina Panthers, who have allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing RBs. Dowdle is rostered in only 15 percent of Yahoo leagues and eight percent of ESPN leagues.
Wide Receiver
WR Top 10
1. Tyreek Hill, Miami Dolphins
2. Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit Lions
3. Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams
4. Davante Adams, Las Vegas Raiders
5. CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys
6. A.J. Brown, Philadelphia Eagles
7. Jaylen Waddle, Miami Dolphins
8. Puka Nacua, Los Angeles Rams
9. Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
10. Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco 49ers
Waiver Target: Jayden Reed, Green Bay Packers
Green Bay Packers rookie receiver Jayden Reed has started to form a connection with quarterback Jordan Love and has flashed in recent weeks. He finished last Sunday's game with five catches for 84 yards and a touchdown and has topped 80 yards in two of his last three outings.
This week, Reed has a favorable matchup at home against the Los Angeles Chargers. The Chargers have enough offensive potency to keep the Packers passing, and they've allowed the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing receivers.
While Reed does carry some boom-or-bust potential—he had just three catches for 19 yards against the Rams two weeks ago—he's a serviceable flex option in Week 11. Reed is rostered in only 32 percent of Yahoo leagues and 18 percent of ESPN leagues.
Tight End
TE Top 10
1. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
2. T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings
3. Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals
4. Sam LaPorta, Detroit Lions
5. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers
6. Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo Bills
7. Dalton Schultz, Houston Texans
8. Jake Ferguson, Dallas Cowboys
9. Luke Musgrave, Green Bay Packers
10. David Njoku, Cleveland Browns
Waiver Target: Luke Musgrave, Green Bay Packers
Given the Chargers' struggles against the pass this season, Luke Musgrave has legitimate top-10 scoring potential in most formats. While he only had two catches last week, he tallied 64 yards—marking his second-consecutive 50-yard game.
The Packers' rookie has been a bit up and down this season, but the matchup is tough to ignore. Los Angeles has surrendered the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing tight ends this season and coughed up four catches and 40 yards to rookie Sam LaPorta last week.
Musgrave is still only rostered in 42 percent of Yahoo leagues and 24 percent of ESPN leagues. He's a solid play in Week 11 and a top target for managers who have likely lost Andrews for the season.
Injury information via NFL.com. Fantasy scoring and roster information from FantasyPros.