It’s never too early to start looking forward to your next match and a chance to strengthen your fantasy football lineups. Here are some options to consider for Week 11, when the Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers have their byes.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling, WR, New Orleans Saints (1% selected)
It seems like MVS has been on every team in the league at this point (he’s actually only 30 years old, too), and his newest team is the New Orleans Saints after being released by the Bills.
The Saints have been hurting at wide receiver. They lost Rashid Shaheed for the season and recently put Chris Olave on IR. Bub Means is also on IR.
The team needed MVS to step up – and he did so in a Week 10 win over the Falcons.
Valdes-Scantling didn’t lead the team in targets (Alvin Kamara did, which was expected), but he collected all three for a whopping 109 yards and two touchdowns. In fact, his presence as a field stretcher brought back memories of the Saints offense from the first two weeks of the season: heavy doses of Kamara mixed with some deep shots.
This isn’t to say that MVS will suddenly be the Shaheed or the Olave of the offense. You can assume that the Kamara show will continue. But someone has to catch passes from the wide receiver position for this team. MVS is officially a flex option ahead of a plus game against the Cleveland Browns.
Ricky Pearsall, WR, San Francisco 49ers (37%)
The 49ers welcomed the return of Christian McCaffrey to the field in Week 10, taking an already dangerous offense to the next level. Rookie wideout Ricky Pearsall was one of the direct beneficiaries of having the multi-headed 49ers dragon fully operational (without Brandon Aiyuk, of course, who was lost for the season with a torn ACL and MCL in October).
Pearsall took one of his six targets to the house, a 46-yard catch-and-run that showcased his explosive ability and speed.
Yes, the 49ers offense is littered with options, but it is also one of the few units in the NFL that can support multiple fantasy-relevant players. Pearsall is the team’s first-round pick and will undoubtedly get more opportunities to grow and show what he can do on offense. He has an edge in the second half and should be added in more competitions.
Audric Estimé, RB, Denver Broncos (3%)
Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton hinted at Audric Estimé getting more work before this week as lead back Javonte Williams has not lived up to expectations. And Payton isn’t just spouting coach talk.
Not only did Estimé lead the team in rushing (53 yards on 14 carries) during a heartbreaking loss to the Chiefs, but Williams had just one carry for ONE YARD and caught two passes for six yards. That’s a terrible sign for Williams’ future prospects. On the other hand, the fact that Estimé is given so much responsibility in a huge division game is a good sign for the rest of the season: go get the rookie.
