A lot of times in fantasy football, players will bust or get injured and you feel your team is basically done for the year. However, without even making trades you can drastically improve your team by working the waiver wire. For those new to fantasy football, the waiver wire is full of ‘free-agent’ players that you can pick up and add to your team.
Oftentimes, there will be a variety of players worth adding to your roster and depending on your team this article might contain most of them or just a few. Therefore, whenever I put a player on this list he will have a 50% ownership percentage or lower to make it so there should be players for everyone to add and make their teams significantly better.
Additionally, all ownership percentages will be based on the ESPN website data but usually the percentages are relatively uniform across platforms from my experience.
I am going to always divide this article into three sections: Running Backs, Wide Receivers, and Tight Ends. So if you need one of those positions more than anything else feel free to just scroll to that given section.
Running Backs:
Ty Johnson (19% owned):
His involvement was not really there in week ten, however in week nine Johnson had eight targets which led to five receptions for 36 yards. With Michael Carter potentially missing time, Johnson will step into that coveted third down receiving role. Given how heavily targeted all Jets running backs have been this season, Johnson becomes a very usable asset in fantasy. For context, Johnson had a four game streak of 11+ points this year despite being the active backup. Johnson needs to be picked up if Carter misses time.
Dontrell Hilliard (0% owned):
It’s quite rare to see a running back, this late in the season, erupt out of literally nowhere to have an amazing day in fantasy. Hilliard was elevated from the practice squad and showed out for his team. He had seven rush attempts for 35 yards which is a very respectable five yards per carry. In addition, Hilliard had eight receptions for 47 yards on ten targets. That is a pretty ridiculous amount of targets for a guy who literally had not played a game all year. He has incredible flex upside if he can maintain even a fraction of the target share he had in this game. Definitely a guy worth targeting.
Rex Burkhead (0% owned):
Similar to Mark Ingram earlier this year, Burkhead didn’t do a ton production wise but his touch count was remarkable. Burkhead had 18 touches in this game and it’s not often you find a guy who can get 18 rush attempts on the waiver wire in week eleven of fantasy. Will the production be there? It is hard to say but what I can say is he has a large role in this offense and therefore is worth flex consideration at the very least and is a good back up at worst.
Wide Receivers:
Elijah Moore (41% owned):
As a Jets fan, I have been waiting for Moore’s breakout all year. This was the game that finally displayed all the talent Moore has to offer. Even with Joe Flacco at quarterback, Moore had eight receptions for 141 yards and a touchdown. That’s 29.6 PPR fantasy points! Moore truly is a great player even as a rookie. He has ten plus points each week since week seven. Ever since the Jets came out of their bye week, the franchise has made a concerted effort to get Moore as many touches as physically possible.
Nick Westbrook-Ikhine (0% owned):
Every week it seems like another random Titans wide receiver goes for over 100 yards but maybe Westbrook-Ikhine is the player you want. He had eight receptions for 107 yards against Houston. Additionally, this isn’t even his first eight target game as he had one in week four this year. He is not a safe option whatsoever but he presents enough upside that a pickup is most certainly warranted. I love him as a fantasy option.
Marquez Valdez-Scantling (3% owned):
Another high risk - high reward player, MVS had 123 yards and a touchdown this past week. MVS has missed a lot of games this year and hasn’t been able to produce as a result. In my opinion, he has crazy single game upside with his big play ability but has almost no floor. If you want to take a risk and go big or go home then start MVS. He could be the reason you win your week.
Tight Ends:
Tyler Conklin (42% owned):
Has he been on this list enough? Conklin seems like he is here almost every week but then again he puts up consistently decent tight end numbers. Although he is more of a TE2, when tight end is as shallow as it is this year, consistency can make up for lack of overall production. He had 6.5 points this week which is not anything special but the previous four games had 9.5+ points. Conklin is a great option to start if your main player is out.
Logan Thomas (47.0% owned):
Thomas is returning from injury after a long absence. He has the ability to be a top tier fantasy tight end and is certainly worth the pick up given his upside. It is near impossible to find tight ends with his upside this late in the season. Grab him while you still can. He won't be available for long.