Fantasy Football Waiver Wire power rankings, Week 11: Audric Estime, Ricky Pearsall dazzle

Each week during the 2024 NFL season, FanSided fantasy football expert Lior Lampert creates a hierarchy of ideal waiver wire pickups. He'll base his ranks on performance, usage, coachspeak, injury news/analysis, stats, upcoming matchups, FAAB value and more. Every player mentioned is available in at least 50 percent of Yahoo fantasy leagues.

Fantasy Football Waiver Wire power rankings, Week 11

Week 10 of the 2024 NFL campaign gave us a strange yet intriguing slate of games. Yes, there were a few blowouts. Even so, several thrilling affairs came down to the wire, starting with the Thursday Night Football showdown between the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens.

On Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs maintained their undefeated status in mind-blowing fashion. Moreover, rookie phenom Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears offense continue to look dysfunctionally broken. To cap off an eventful day, the Detroit Lions pulled off arguably the most improbable win of the season in primetime. A lot transpired, with plenty of takeaways to discuss — particularly from a fantasy football standpoint.

Below, we'll highlight the waiver wire fallout of Week 10. With the playoffs approaching, fantasy managers should check to see if these players, who are rostered in less than half of Yahoo leagues, are available.

Dumpster diving, digging for scraps

Will Dissly's 32 targets since Week 6 are tied for the fifth-most among tight ends during that stretch. While that hasn't necessarily yielded consistent fantasy production, the volume is worth banking on, especially given the dire state of the position.

We can't advise anyone to scoop and start Marquez Valdes-Scantling in good faith. However, it's worth noting it only took him three targets to finish as Week 10's PPR WR2 in his New Orleans Saints debut. Fresh off the couch, the journeyman deep threat caught two passes for 109 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

The New England Patriots benched veteran wide receiver Kendrick Bourne in Week 10 to let the young guys get additional reps. DeMario "Pop" Douglas was among the biggest beneficiaries, running the second-most routes of any of the team's wideouts. Already boasting a meaningful role, opportunities should continue pouring in for the 23-year-old.

The stash-and-save

No matter how hard head coach Shane Steichen tries to cement 39-year-old Joe Flacco as the Indianapolis Colts' starting quarterback, Anthony Richardson is inevitable. As the squad slowly but surely falls out of playoff contention, reverting to the 2023 No. 4 overall feels unavoidable.

A rib issue forced Minnesota Vikings star running back Aaron Jones to miss most of the second half in Week 10. And when he went down, recent trade acquisition Cam Akers — not Ty Chandler — operated as the leader of the backfield. Given Jones' rather extensive injury history, rostering his backup feels like a worthwhile investment.

Speaking of insurance policies to oft-injured runners, Gus Edwards would assume a sizable role should anything ever happen to incumbent starter J.K. Dobbins. Regardless, the former handled 10 carries (which he converted into 50 yards) in his first game back from a six-week absence, presenting potential standalone value.

The educated guesses

Buffalo Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid suffered a knee injury in Week 10 that he tried returning and playing through. Alas, it was to no avail, exiting the contest permanently in the third quarter. Should he sit out the team's upcoming clash with the unbeaten Chiefs, Dawson Knox would slot into a near-every-down role. With rookie receiver Keon Coleman already ruled out and Amari Cooper's status in question, the latter might moonwalk into a massive target share.

Russell Wilson has quietly been the QB11 on a points-per-game basis (19.3) since taking the reins as the Pittsburgh Steelers' starting signal-caller. Suddenly, he gets a quartet of fantasy-friendly divisional matchups from Weeks 11-14, starting and ending with the Browns. Add him accordingly as a plug-and-play QB1 if you're a manager facing bye week or poor quarterback play problems.

The 'if you ain't first, you're last'

A week after Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan said he'd "love to" scale back Tony Pollard's, he acted on his words. Uncoincidentally, the reduced workload came upon Tyjae Spears' return to the lineup. The backfield split was relatively close to even, suggesting this might be a recurring trend.

Quentin Johnson continues to maximize his limited opportunities. After looking like an all-time draft bust in 2023, he's been one of football's most efficient receivers on a per-target basis, per Underdog's Hayden Winks.

Rookie running back Trey Benson has looked fantastic in a complementary role to bell cow James Conner. He's coming off an outing in which he tied his previous season-high in touches (12) and amassed his most single-game scrimmage yards yet (87). The latter's function as the primary runner isn't in danger, but it's becoming apparent there's room for both players to produce.

Gotta have 'em

Audric Estime, RB, Denver Broncos

Fifth-round rookie Audric Estime took over the Denver Broncos backfield in Week 10. He handled 14-of-17 running back carries, which went for 53 scoreless yards. Furthermore, the 21-year-old led the team's stable of rushers in snap rate (45 percent).

Broncos head coach Sean Payton has been desperately yearning for someone to seize control of incumbent starter Javonte Williams' workload. At long last, Estime might finally make that dream a reality.

Payton stated his desire to get Estime more involved ahead of their Week 10 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Considering the Denver sideline general spoke it into existence in the Broncos' ensuing game, we anticipate the latter having some staying power.

Following Estime's latest effort against the Chiefs, Payton declared the ex-Notre Dame standout will "continue to get more reps." It's hard to gauge whether this is an everlasting change, but taking a flier and asking questions later is the recommended approach.

Ricky Pearsall, WR, San Francisco 49ers

Ricky Pearsall scored his first touchdown as a pro in Week 10, and it was an electrifying score:

Pearsall's speed, athleticism, strength and yards-after-catch ability were on full display on this highlight 46-yard catch-and-run to the end zone. This has been a common theme since his return to the Niners from being a gunshot victim. He's looked the part of a first-round pick, making him a good bet on talent alone.

Part of a high-flying, well-designed 49ers offensive attack, Pearsall's entrenched in a fantasy-friendly environment. Meanwhile, he's also locked into an important role, demonstrated by his route participation in San Fran's win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Fellow pass-catcher Jauan Jennings and all-world running back Christian McCaffrey's returns complicate matters. But make no mistake, Pearsall has shown enough to remain a factor in the team's passing game.