News

Time flies when you’re having fun unless of course, you’re Ryan Fitzpatrick. The Buccaneers’ quarterback threw for over 400 yards and watched his team put up three points in their Week 10 loss to the Washington Redskins. Believe it or not, we’re already entering Week 11 of the NFL regular season and have passed most trade deadlines in fantasy leagues.

So, for those who hung onto or received Steelers running back James Conner before the deadline make out like bandits because it’s official, Le’Veon Bell is now ineligible for the remainder of the 2018 season. The consensus number two overall pick in this year’s fantasy draft has officially forfeited all of his $14.544 million franchise tender and will bet on himself in free agency next year. He can be safely dropped in redraft leagues.

More bad news for fantasy players. Los Angeles Rams’ sophomore wide receiver Cooper Kupp suffered a torn ACL Sunday afternoon against the Seattle Seahawks and will miss the remainder of the season. Kupp finishes the year with 566 yards and six touchdowns in eight games. A moment of silence for Coop.

In other news, former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant finally found a home, for about 48 hours. Bryant signed with the New Orleans Saints and looked to have an immediate fantasy impact before tearing his Achilles in his first practice back. There was a lot of excitement surrounding the return of Bryant and I must admit, he looked pretty good in the black and gold, but unfortunately, he’ll have a tough time getting back into the league again after this injury. The Saints went ahead and signed Brandon Marshall in his place. Marshall, a shadow of his old self, doesn’t look to be fantasy relevant heading into the stretch.

The NFL loves to make it easy for fantasy players as there are six teams on a bye this week. Lucky for us, four of those teams are Buffalo, Cleveland, Miami, and the New York Jets. Without wasting any more time let’s get right into it.

Waiver Wire

Overall the waiver wire is a bit sparing this week, but the Fantasy Frenzy is here to help you find the diamonds in the ruff. Heading into Week 11, the number one waiver wire pick-up of the week is Chicago Bears rookie wideout Anthony Miller. The University of Memphis product has been getting more attention as of late, drawing six or more targets in each of his last four games. Coming off his best game of the year, Miller caught all five of his targets for 122 yards and a touchdown in the Bears’ Week 10 victory over the Detroit Lions. Look for the 24-year-old to build off this breakout performance and become a key part of this offense moving forward. Owned in just 15 percent of Yahoo leagues, Miller is worth the add even if you don’t have any players on a bye.

With A.J. Green unavailable until at least December, there should be plenty of opportunity in the Cincinnati Bengals’ passing attack, keyword, should. The Bengals as a whole have been in an offensive funk as of late and Andy Dalton doesn’t look to be at the top of his game. Hopefully, the addition of Hue Jackson’s brilliant offensive mind can change things around (laughter from the audience). In all seriousness, if there is to be an emerging player, my money is on John Ross. Tyler Boyd has had a huge breakout season for the black and orange but without fellow wideout A.J. Green there to take away coverage, his production will almost certainly decrease. Insert speedster John Ross. Ross seemingly healthy now, found the end zone last week in a blowout loss to the New Orleans Saints. With a tough match-up against the Baltimore Ravens this week, Ross is a desperation bye week play. The young wideout has flashed at times this year but hasn’t produced or even seen the field on a consistent basis. With Green out for an extended amount of time and Ross only owned in 16 percent of leagues, he’s a decent play in Week 11 and an even better stash.

Running backs

The waiver wire for running backs is largely filled with hazardous waste so be sure not to stare at it too long, and whatever you do, don’t breathe through your nose. Depending on the health of Seattle Seahawk’s running back Chris Carson however, there may just be one player that could be exciting.

Rashad Penny, the Seattle Seahawks first round pick from last year finally broke out. It took long enough. The first rounder was firmly supplanted behind Carson and Mike Davis in the depth chart, but the rookie finally exploded with 108 yards and a touchdown on 12 carries. If Carson can’t be cleared to play again this week, Penny will undoubtedly see a similar if not increased workload against the Green Bay Packers. Penny was drafted in most fantasy leagues this year but never saw the workload people anticipated for him. He was deemed irrelevant and dropped in most leagues but maybe he’s just late to the party. In the words of The Grinch, “one man’s toxic sludge man’s potpourri.” No, it’s not too early for those. Owned in only 18 percent of leagues, he deserved to be added until things shake out.

Notes

As we inch closer to the fantasy playoffs, managers should begin to monitor the waiver wire for matchups on the defensive side of the ball for the playoff weeks. If you’re in a position to stash a second defense, keep an eye out for a positive home match-up. It could be the difference in the playoffs. Cover all your bases. Remember to keep an eye on the waiver wire for players that other managers drop and most of all, have fun. Until next week and may the fantasy gods be ever in your favor.