Joshua Cook
League Office: Fantasy Football Waiver Wire – Week 11
Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, Edit-VanOver, Heading, Los Angeles Chargers, New Orleans Saints, NFL Fantasy Football, NFL News, Oakland Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles, Sub-Heading
Chris Carson, Dak Prescott, Lamar Jackson, Rashaad Penny
This entry is part 12 of 17 in the series Fantasy Football: League Office
Fantasy Football: League Office
League Office: Fantasy Football Waiver Pick-Ups – Week 1
League Office: Waiver Wire Pick-Ups – Week 2
League Office: Fantasy Football Waiver Wire – Week 3
This is the time of the year that those magic numbers are generated. No, not the fantasy points put up by Ryan Fitzpatrick, but rather we learn the number of fantasy football wins (or losses by other teams) we need to reach to the playoffs.
Conversely, many of us are facing the wrong kind of magic number, as forces of darkness have worked against our squads and our quest for a playoff spot has grown dim.
But whether you're sprinting toward the light or trying to fight off the darkness with your boomstick, the waiver wire can be a trusted friend.
In honor of the firepower that can be found on the waiver wire — or at S-Mart — this installment of fantasy football waiver wire targets will focus on some boom-or-bust plays that could deliver a needed blast for you this weekend.
(ownership: 30% on ESPN, 35% on Yahoo)
There are better real-life quarterbacks than Dak Prescott, and there also are better fantasy signal-callers than the Dallas Cowboys' star. However, Prescott has a few things going in his favor for Week 11. First, he has put up more than 20 fantasy points in three of his last four games. And second, he gets a matchup with the Atlanta Falcons this week. The Falcons have given up an average of more than 23 fantasy points a game to quarterbacks this season while allowing 171 rushing yards to the position. Prescott offers a high ceiling this week.
(ownership: 7% on ESPN, 7% on Yahoo)
The status of Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco for Week 11 is in question because of a hip injury. With the Cincinnati Bengals coming to town, rookie Lamar Jackson is worth a look for those chasing a fantasy point explosion at the quarterback position this week. Of course, Jackson isn't assured the nod even if Flacco misses time, but it's likely he'll be the guy, at least in the Fantasy Sports Chef's estimation. So why chase points from a rookie?
A) He offers a rushing floor that could see him make a Mike Vick-like impact in the box score, at least as far as his legs are concerned. It doesn't get any more boom-or-bust than hoping to chase down a 70-yard rushing day from a quarterback.
B) He plays the Bengals, who are allowing more than 23 fantasy points per game to quarterbacks. This is the same Bengals squad that got destroyed by the New Orleans Saints in Week 10 and just fired their defensive coordinator. Confidence is low, the unit could be in flux, and Jackson could give them fits if he's the starter.
Since Marshawn Lynch was placed on injured reserve by the Oakland Raiders, Doug Martin has been a low-end bye-week flex fill-in. But he offers a higher ceiling than that this week. Since taking over in Week 8, Martin has touched the ball at least 12 times in each game and totaled at least 69 yards. He also looked surprisingly explosive against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 10. With Martin seemingly hitting his stride in a bad offense, the Raiders face the Arizona Cardinals this week. With the Cardinals not being great, either, it's very possible Martin's touches aren't affected by a negative game script, allowing him to have more opportunities to churn out yards and quite possibly reach the end zone. The Cardinals are giving up more than 31 PPR points per game to running backs.
There will undoubtedly be a lot of talk and possibly some clamoring for rookie Rashaad Penny on the waiver wire this week. However, the Seattle Seahawk running back with the higher ceiling could easily be Mike Davis. Granted, neither of these players should be in lineups if starter Chris Carson returns to action this week, so injury reports coming out of Seattle should be monitored closely. As for Davis, he out-touched Penny 15-12 in Week 10 while putting up 18 PPR points. In the three games Carson either missed entirely or exited from early, Davis has put up PPR point totals of 28.4, 17.7 and 18. He offers the upside of a low-end RB1 when Carson is either absent or limited.
Tre'Quan Smith
The Week 11 matchup between the New Orleans Saints and Philadelphia Eagles is shaping up to be a shootout following the news of Eagles corner Ronald Darby being lost for the remainder of the season with an ACL tear. Minus their best cover corner, the Eagles could be on their heels all game, and Tre'Quan Smith offers great boom-or-bust appeal as a deep threat. Even before the loss of Darby, the Eagles were giving up more than 43 PPR points per game to wide receivers this season.
Nelson Agholor
Speaking of the Eagles-Saints matchup, the deep threat for the Eagles offers the same boom-or-bust appeal as his counterpart. Nelson Agholor was expected to be the odd man out in the offense after the acquisition of Golden Tate. However, Tate's presence may actually have allowed Agholor to be set free as a deep threat. In Week 10 against the Dallas Cowboys, Agholor posted 83 receiving yards on five receptions. He saw seven targets in that contest and had an average targeted air yards of 19.8, per Next Gen Stats. Only John Ross of the Cincinnati Bengals had a higher average in Week 10, pending Monday Night Football. Removed from his YAC-dependent role in the slot to one more suited for his skill set, Agholor is a solid play this week for those seeking big-play potential.
Series Navigation << League Office: Fantasy Football Waiver Wire – Week 10League Office: Fantasy Football Waiver Wire – Week 14 >>
Can Andy Dalton Dominate Under Zac Taylor
Bengals Lose Jonah Williams for the Year
Writer Fantasy Football Desk at Sports Talk Line
Fantasy enthusiast armed with whit, sarcasm and some knowledge, too. The Fantasy Sports Chef is a Fantasy Free Lance Writer for SportsTalkLine.com.
@chef_sports
Latest posts by Joshua Cook (see all)
League Office: Fantasy Football Waiver Wire – Week 17 - December 25, 2018
Coach's Office: Who to Start and Who to Sit – Week 16 - December 21, 2018