Kudos to those still in the fight as we press onto the final two months of the fantasy season. While we hope many of you are comfortably planning for the playoffs, the reality is many of you need every win you can get. Let’s make that happen with our famous waiver wire pickups list and our fantasy football waiver wire columns by position — specially tailored for fantasy football leagues using a Free Agent Acquisition Budget (FAAB).
These prices do not indicate how much these free-agent players will go for, especially as some leagues have seen teams use all of their FAAB already, and percentages are based on your starting budget. Each league values players differently, so context is king. These values provide a baseline to understand how much you should be looking to spend on a particular player, with different categories to reflect team-need situations.
Monitor how much FAAB your rivals have left to compete with so you can accordingly adjust your aggression. Let’s jump into my median FAAB bid ranges and adds going into Week 11, which has the Buccaneers, Cardinals, Giants, and Panthers going on bye. Also, it’s important to consider that Week 12 will bring six teams on a bye (ATL, BUF, CIN, JAC, NO, and NYJ).
Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2024:
FAAB Waiver Wire Pickups – Quarterbacks
Russell Wilson (QB, PIT) – 22% rostered
FAAB Bid: 2-3%
Aggressive Bid: 3-4%
Wilson had his “worst” game as a Steeler on Sunday, only completing half of his 28 pass attempts for 195 yards and an interception. However, he salvaged the day with three passing scores, one of them being another deep strike to Mike Williams with nearly two minutes left.
He has six passing TDs and another on the ground through three games, all wins, and now draws a Baltimore secondary that surrendered 428 yards and four TDs to Joe Burrow. Giddy up!
Russell Wilson is currently just two touchdowns away from having the most touchdowns in a season for a #Steelers QB since Ben Roethlisberger retired.
He has played only three games.
— Josh Rowntree (@JRown32) November 10, 2024
Bo Nix (QB, DEN) – 33% rostered
FAAB Bid: 2-3%
Aggressive Bid: 3-4%
Nix gets kudos for walking into Arrowhead Stadium and throwing for 215 yards and two scores on 22-of-30 passing against a strong defense. His chemistry with Courtland Sutton is far improved compared to the first month of the season and he’s making do with a rag-tag depth chart beyond Sutton as well.
Unfortunately, Nix had a season-low negative five rush yards. But he’s still a top 12 QB on the week and a top five overall rushing QB with his 61-290-4 line. Don’t forget about the receiving touchdown either! He has a friendly couple of matchups on the horizon against Atlanta and Las Vegas before Week 13 vs. Cleveland and then their bye.
Jameis Winston (QB, CLE) – 8% rostered
FAAB Bid: 0-1%
Aggressive Bid: 1-2%
The Browns announced that they’re sticking with Winston, at least for Week 11, after the three-interception game against the Chargers crashed the high of beating Baltimore. This will be a revenge game against the Saints for Winston after spending four seasons as the backup there.
The Saints have been stingy on paper but are benefiting from two Bryce Young matchups through 10 games and just dealt star corner Marshon Lattimore at the deadline. If high-ceiling, low-floor gambles are your thing then fire up Jameis.
FAAB Waiver Wire Pickups – Running Backs
Audric Estime (RB, DEN) – 3% rostered
FAAB Bid: 20-30%
Aggressive Bid: 30-40%
Desperation Bid: 40-60%
Head coach Sean Payton told us that Estime would be getting more work, but few figured it would be such a dramatic shift. The rookie had 14 carries for 53 yards, with Javonte Williams seeing three touches for seven yards and Jaleel McLaughlin gaining 12 on a pair of carries. The RB wire has been thin so those scrambling for hope have a lifeline here.
While Fantasy Points Data Suite didn’t chart Estime (or any Bronco) with a missed tackle forced, he did gain 31 yards after contact against a tough Chiefs front. His getting this chance and maintaining trust after some fumble issues bodes well. Denver’s defense should be able to keep most games close, with dates against softer Atlanta and Las Vegas fronts providing ample reason for optimism.
Only two RBs put up 50+ rushing yards vs. the Chiefs’ defense this season.
Jordan Mason | 58 rush yards
Audric Estime | 53 rush yards— LaQuan Jones (@RealDealFantasy) November 11, 2024
Khalil Herbert (RB, CIN) – 22% rostered
FAAB Bid: 2-4%
Aggressive Bid: 4-6%
Desperation Bid: 6-10%
The good news remains that Herbert finds himself free of Chicago’s depth-chart dungeon and is now on a far more potent Cincy offense. The bad news is that fantasy owners may have to wait until after the Week 12 bye to truly analyze how Herbert fits in.
It was always going to be a tall ask of Herbert to learn much for a Thursday game at Baltimore, but all he did on two snaps was muff a handoff (he did recover it). Chase Brown looks amazing, but the Bengals don’t want him approaching 25 touches a game.
News arose on Monday that they were working out Leonard Fournette, and if signed he would muddy the waters for Herbert. For now, the upside is being the red zone back for Joe Burrow down the stretch. Bid accordingly, while keeping an eye on the Fournette mentions.
Cam Akers (RB, MIN) – 14% rostered
FAAB Bid: 2-4%
Aggressive Bid: 4-6%
Desperation Bid: 6-10%
Aaron Jones ran well, gaining over 100 total yards on 19 touches, but missed most of the fourth quarter with a chest injury after getting crunched between two hits. He was carted back to the locker room to be evaluated but did return late, with X-rays coming back negative.
Akers was the man while Jones was out, with 14 total touches to Ty Chandler’s four. Akers only gained 47 yards in all and wasn’t very impressive, but they clearly favor him over Chandler. Jones is undeniably banged up and has a long history of durability concerns. Their next game is against a gritty Tennessee defense, but opportunity is opportunity.
Trey Benson (RB, ARI) – 18% rostered
FAAB Bid: 1-3%
Aggressive Bid: 3-5%
Desperation Bid: 5-8%
Benson was the beneficiary of a second Cardinals blowout in as many weeks, with Arizona destroying the Jets 31-6. Benson turned 10 carries in 62 yards, with another 25 in the air on two catches. James Conner is still the clear starter and will play in close games, but Benson is now averaging 5.6 yards per carry in Weeks 4-10.
Some of that comes from playing battered defenses, but he’s earning premier handcuff status. Arizona is now on their bye, but the fantasy playoff weeks bring games against New England and Carolina, which could yield a sneaky opportunity for Benson even if Conner is available.
Kenneth Gainwell (RB, PHI) – 1% rostered
FAAB Bid: 0-1%
Aggressive Bid: 1-2%
Desperation Bid: 2-3%
When Saquon Barkley briefly left the game with a wrist issue, Gainwell got the entire drive to himself at the end of the first half. Some of this was due to the momentum of a two-minute drill, but Will Shipley didn’t get his first touch until Kenny Pickett and the second team entered with 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter. Those worried about Gainwell have a healthy piece of data to lean on here.
FAAB Waiver Wire Pickups – Wide Receivers
Ricky Pearsall (WR, SF) – 37% rostered
FAAB Bid: 10-13%
Aggressive Bid: 13-18%
Desperation Bid: 18-25%
Pearsall remained heavily involved despite Christian McCaffrey and Jauan Jennings returning to the lineup. The former is important due to his pass-catching role compared to other RBs. FPDS charted Pearsall with 29 routes on 41 drop backs, with four catches on six targets for 73 yards and a long TD.
Ricky Pearsall had a 19.1% chance of scoring on his 46-yard TD, gaining 31 yards after catch, +13 over expected.
Pearsall reached a top speed of 19.47 mph on his first career touchdown, the fastest speed through his first three games this season.#SFvsTB | #FTTB pic.twitter.com/e6w9aryW99
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) November 10, 2024
The 46-yard scamper to the pylon kicked off the scoring. Jacob Cowing only ran one route, with Pearsall a full-fledged starter who wasn’t being rotated. Now, Pearsall may not loom large in games San Fran controls better, but their schedule brings plenty of potential shootouts, such as SEA, GB, BUF, LAR, MIA, and DET.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling (WR, NO) – 1% rostered
FAAB Bid: 3-6%
Aggressive Bid: 6-10%
Desperation Bid: 10-15%
Valdes-Scantling maximized his three Week 10 targets, bringing in all of them for 109 yards and two touchdowns. New Orleans needed a hero to emerge from a decimated WR room and MVS stood up.
Chris Olave (concussion) is on IR and could be out for the year. Rashid Shaheed (knee) is already done for 2024, with Bub Means (ankle) also on IR and Cedrick Wilson Jr. (shoulder) missing Week 10. The lofty weekly total here may cause an overbid so mind your league mates’ available funds.
Even if Wilson returns and Mason Tipton gets involved, MVS is the only one who can fit the deep-threat role with a 67-yard strike. They’ll need him for a home game against the Browns next week as well, with a bye after that, just in case you can’t stomach another bye so soon.
Alec Pierce (WR, IND) – 15% rostered
Adonai Mitchell (WR, IND) – 6% rostered
FAAB Bid: 3-6%
Aggressive Bid: 6-10%
Desperation Bid: 10-15%
With Michael Pittman Jr. out, Pierce and Mitchell each stepped up as Indy struggled to keep pace with Buffalo. Those two and Josh Downs each topped 70 yards with at least six first read looks apiece, with Pierce snagging a garbage-time score in the final minute. He was the only receiver with an end-zone target (he had two). It’s his first TD or game above 50 yards since Week 5.
Meanwhile, this was Mitchell’s first game with double-digit PPR points. He was the most involved WR, running a route on 90% of Joe Flacco’s drop backs. The Colts announced Flacco will remain their starter for Week 11 at the Jets. After that, they’ll have to keep up with the Lions in Week 12. Perhaps Mitchell’s involvement can grow in the second half as the rookie earns trust, but Pittman’s availability looms large.
Mack Hollins (WR, BUF) – 1% rostered
FAAB Bid: 3-6%
Aggressive Bid: 6-10%
Desperation Bid: 10-15%
Hollins led Buffalo in yards (86), air yards (77), and routes run (34), per FPDS. The Bills were missing Amari Cooper and Keon Coleman to wrist injuries, with Coleman already ruled out for Week 11’s tilt against the Chiefs.
The re-aggravation risk alone makes Hollins a good stash even if early practice reports are encouraging. He has three TDs despite only 16 total catches this year. If Dalton Kincaid (knee) can’t go then it’ll only heighten the need for Hollins, especially by the end zone.
Mike Williams (WR, PIT) – 18% rostered
FAAB Bid: 2-5%
Aggressive Bid: 5-7%
Desperation Bid: 7-12%
Williams made noise in his Steelers debut, catching the game-winning TD on a 32-yard toss from Russell Wilson. It was his only target on eight routes as he worked into the system, with Van Jefferson running 23 routes without a catch (two targets). Williams should overtake Jefferson soon enough, with an emphasis on red-zone packages first.
Pittsburgh still has two games each against bottom-five fantasy secondaries in Baltimore and Cleveland, with likely high-scoring affairs versus Cincinnati, Philadelphia, and Kansas City as well. Williams will be needed.
John Metchie III (WR, HOU) – 1% rostered
FAAB Bid: 2-4%
Aggressive Bid: 4-6%
Desperation Bid: 6-10%
Metchie popped for 74 yards and a score on five catches (six targets) while Robert Woods and Xavier Hutchinson combined for seven yards. Hutchinson ran 30 routes to Metchie’s 24 with the same number of first-read targets (three) but has fewer yards on the season (70) than Metchie gained in this one game.
If Nico Collins returns, then perhaps Metchie can roll this momentum into consistent time in Stefon Diggs’ vacated role alongside Collins and Tank Dell. It might not be glamorous or reliable, but they have three more games before a Week 14 bye and could prove useful.
FAAB Waiver Wire Pickups – Tight Ends
Dawson Knox (TE, BUF) – 1% rostered
FAAB Bid: 1-3%
Aggressive Bid: 3-4%
Desperation Bid: 4-6%
Dalton Kincaid injured his left knee at the end of the first quarter and couldn’t make it work with a brace on. The Bills have a Week 12 bye and a chokehold on the AFC East, which may drive them to rest Kincaid this next week. Of course, they are facing the Chiefs at home so perhaps it will be “all hands-on deck.”
Regardless, Knox is a name to circle as he could be a starter in the potential shootout. This gains importance with how banged up Buffalo’s WR room is. Kincaid and Knox combined for four catches and 64 yards in Week 10 and Knox had 15 TDs in 30 games the two seasons before Kincaid’s arrival.
Per #Bills HC Sean McDermott
– Matt Milano’s practice window is now OPEN
– Dalton Kincaid (knee) will see how it goes this week
– Keon Coleman will not play against KC
– Amari Cooper & Reggie Gilliam are improving
– Spencer Brown (ankle) will see how week goes#BillsMafia— Dom Tibbetts (@DomTibbettsTV) November 11, 2024
Theo Johnson (TE, NYG) – 2% rostered
FAAB Bid: 0-1%
Aggressive Bid: 1-2%
Desperation Bid: 2-3%
Johnson saw six targets on 31 routes run (77.5% participation), catching four of them for 37 yards, per Fantasy Points Data Suite. They also charted him with five first-read targets on those six overall looks. The Giants figure to be trailing often, creating ample passing situations, even if the targets are low-caliber from Daniel Jones.
Ja’Tavion Sanders (TE, CAR) – 3% rostered
FAAB Bid: 0-1%
Aggressive Bid: 1-2%
Desperation Bid: 2-3%
Sanders quietly leads the Panthers in receiving yards over the last two weeks (95), sporting a 71.9% route participation rate over Ian Thomas’ 14%. Tommy Tremble has been out, and Diontae Johnson’s trade has helped him, while Adam Thielen’s assumed return after the Week 11 bye should improve the offense.
We’ll have to see how they use Sanders with Tremble back. For now, that 71.9% route rate is nearly top 12 TE usage over the last couple of weeks. Some of you are beggars who can’t be choosers! Couple that with presumed pass-happy games against Kansas City and Tampa Bay after the bye and you could find PPR magic here.
**I realize the Giants and Panthers are on bye. Zach Ertz (33% rostered), Jonnu Smith (26%), Juwan Johnson (4%), Will Dissly (2%), and especially Davis Allen (0%) are viable dart throws with seemingly healthy snap counts. Allen appears to have overtaken Colby Parkinson for the Rams.
FAAB Waiver Wire Pickups – Defense/Special Teams
Miami Dolphins Defense (vs. LV) – 29% rostered
FAAB Bid: 2-4%
Aggressive Bid: 4-5%
Desperation Bid: 5-6%
We’re assuming that the Detroit’s (62% rostered, vs. JAC) and Houston’s (44% rostered, at DAL) of the world are rostered already, but prioritize them if not. Otherwise, Miami will lean on its home-field advantage against the Raiders and Patriots in the coming two weeks.
They hadn’t been great at generating pressure (and thus, turnovers), but posted respectable games against bad teams. Fire them up with great matchups on deck. (Of course, after I wrote this, they posted a season-high four sacks with two turnovers against the Rams on MNF!)
Green Bay Packers Defense (at CHI) – 29% rostered
FAAB Bid: 2-3%
Aggressive Bid: 3-4%
Desperation Bid: 4-5%
The Bears look like a broken franchise at the moment. Their No. 1 overall pick, Caleb Williams, is seeing ghosts due to horrid and worsening protection. After allowing three sacks to Washington in Week 8, Arizona got home for six sacks before this weekend’s abysmal nine-sack day at New England.
The life shown in early October appeared to be far more about their opponents (such as Carolina and Jacksonville) than the growth of Chicago’s next generation. Matt Eberflus looks to have lost the team, the players appear frustrated with Williams and the play calling, and now a rested Packers team will look to beat its season-high mark of eight sacks from back in Week 3 at Tennessee.
Los Angeles Rams Defense (at NE) – 22% rostered
FAAB Bid: 1-2%
Aggressive Bid: 2-3%
Desperation Bid: 3-5%
Before Monday night’s game, the Rams have limited opponents to an average of 18 points per game with 12 sacks and seven turnovers in their three games past the Week 6 bye. (They would allow 23 points on MNF, but still notched two turnovers with three sacks.)
They’ll face a Patriots team that has fared better with Drake Maye under center, but that still navigates the NFL with a bad offensive line. New England has yielded five sacks and four turnovers in their last two games.
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