Waiver Wire Watch: Week 11

Nov 10, 2014

Editor’s Note: We’re happy to announce that 4for4 Contributor Pat Fitzmaurice (formerly of Pro Football Weekly) is back on the Waiver Wire Watch this year. He will continue to work in conjunction with Senior Editor John Paulsen to compile this list of the top pickups each week.

Here is a look at the top waiver wire pickups for Week 11. To be eligible for discussion, the player must be owned in 50% or fewer Yahoo leagues, though we’ll stretch the rules a bit for the RB position, which is usually very thin. We’ll also include suggested bid prices (with a $100 budget) for those leagues that use Free Agent Acquisition Budgets. Of course, player value depends on league characteristics and team needs. Players are listed by position in order of importance. For extremely shallow or extremely deep leagues, be sure to review our Rest-of-Season Rankings (updated every Tuesday) to get an idea of how to value players not on this list.

* Players with an asterisk next to their name were mentioned in last week’s Waiver Wire Watch.

Washington QB Robert Griffin III* ($15)

Interest in RG3 as a waiver-wire option seemed tepid as he prepared to return from a dislocated ankle to face the Vikings in Week 9. He turned in a credible if unspectacular performance in his return, completing 18-of-28 passes for 251 yards, with one TD and one INT, and rushing seven times for 24 yards. A six-team bye week and a juicy matchup against the Buccaneers figure to drive up RG3’s FAAB price this week. And aside from next week’s matchup against the 49ers, Griffin has an easy slate the rest of the way that includes favorable matchups against the Colts, the Rams and, in critically important Week 16, the Eagles. RG3 is worth a forceful bid from any owner in need of late-season QB help.

Next up: Buccaneers, 49ers, Colts

Eagles QB Mark Sanchez* ($14, price dependent on MNF performance)

Still available in 58% of Yahoo leagues entering Monday night’s game against the Panthers, Sanchez will be snapped up quickly in those leagues if he flourishes in his first start with the Eagles. Taking over for the injured Nick Foles, who’s expected to miss the rest of the regular season with a broken collarbone, Sanchez is positioned to succeed in Chip Kelly’s QB-friendly system. The cynical among us – not to mention the Jets fans among us – wonder whether even a QB-friendly system can keep Sanchez on the right track. But there aren’t many other QBs listed on this week’s Waiver Wire Watch who play in strong offenses, so the attraction here is understandable.

Next up: Packers, Titans, Cowboys

Bills QB Kyle Orton* ($5)

Orton’s matchup against the Dolphins this week isn’t a good one on paper, but Orton has averaged 277.4 passing yards and 2.0 TDs over his five starts, and he completed 29-of-48 passes for 259 yards and a TD last week against a pretty respectable Chiefs pass defense. If you have a quarterback with a Week 12 bye, consider acting a week early and purchasing Orton in advance of a favorable matchup that week against the Jets.

Next up: Dolphins, Jets, Browns

Cardinals QB Drew Stanton ($5)

With Carson Palmer out for the rest of the year due to a torn ACL, Stanton takes over as the trigger man for Bruce Arians’ vertical passing game. Stanton made three starts earlier this season while Palmer dealt with a nerve issue in this throwing arm, and the results weren’t impressive: a 48.9% completion rate on 88 passing attempts, 529 yards, two TDs, zero interceptions. (Stanton exited the last of those starts prematurely with a concussion.) Those three starts came against teams with solid pass defenses – the Giants, 49ers and Broncos – and Stanton will have to contend with some tough defenses this time around, too, starting with matchups against the Lions and Seahawks the next two weeks. (Arizona will face Seattle again in Week 16.) Arians’ high-wire offense and a good set of receivers make Stanton an intriguing option, but don’t expect Palmer-type numbers.

Next up: Lions, Seahawks, Falcons