Fantasy football waiver wire Week 11 adds: 5 players you need to consider picking up now

Week 10 of the NFL season is almost over. Four weeks remain in the fantasy football season. It's time to think waiver-wire adds.

Whether your team is competing for a playoff spot, championship, or just looking to avoid your last-place punishment, the Week 11 waiver wire is filled with talent that can take your team to the next level, or at least give you more leeway in trade talks moving forward.

Here are our favorite Week 11 waiver wire additions.

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Fantasy football waiver-wire pickups for Week 11:

Houston Texans WR Noah Brown (24% rostered in Yahoo leagues)

Yes, yes, yes. I hear you. I know Nico Collins was unavailable for this game, meaning more targets were available, but hear me out...Noah Brown has over 300 combined yards through the air over the last two weeks. And one of those games, Collins was healthy.

It doesn't matter how crowded that Texans' WR room is, Brown is worth a pickup off his production during the last two weeks alone.

The Collins injury does not seem serious, and thus, picking up Brown should come with some skepticism that he can repeat his breakout performances. That said, in two very close games, Brown has been a go-to option for Rookie of the Year frontrunner C.J. Stroud.

In the fantasy playoffs, the Texans play a tough Tennessee defense twice and the Cleveland Browns. The Texans will likely be competing for a playoff spot during those games. They'll be desperate for wins, and they'll go to the man that has been a huge factor for their two most recent victories.

Baltimore Ravens RB Keaton Mitchell (47% rostered in Yahoo leagues)

Gus Edwards is the lead back in Baltimore. That's indisputable after Edwards led the backfield against Cleveland 11 carries to Mitchell's three. Mitchell is the most talented back in Baltimore though and it's only a matter of time before John Harbaugh realizes that Mitchell gives his team the best chance to win whenever he gets the bulk of the carries.

Edwards is still a phenomenal goal-line back and should get most of the important touches, but Mitchell's explosiveness is hard to deny. Mitchell had two plays today that went for more yards than Edwards had all day. Edwards has become touchdown-dependent. Mitchell is not, and that's immensely valuable.

Jacksonville Jaguars WR Zay Jones (17% rostered in Yahoo leagues)

It's easy to forget just how good Zay Jones was for Jacksonville over the last two years before he went down with injury. In 2022, Jones averaged five receptions and 51 yards a game. That's already ten points in PPR leagues. He also added five scores.

In 2023, even with the addition of Calvin Ridley, Jones has been awesome when healthy. Sure, he did nothing in Week 2 even when playing 66 percent of the offensive snaps, but he was clearly dealing with a nagging knee injury that he couldn't shake.

When Jones returned in Week 5, even though he reaggravated his injury, Jones still earned five targets and got into the endzone while playing less than half the offensive snaps. Jones is one of quarterback Trevor Lawrence's favorite targets. As long as Jones is not rushed back to play before he's healthy, he'll be a remarkable addition for any team looking to make a playoff push.

Arizona Cardinals TE Trey McBride (58% rostered in Yahoo leagues)

We've been trying to tell you.

Good thing he's still only rostered in 58 percent of Yahoo leagues. When Kyler Murray plays, his tight ends put up start-worthy numbers. McBride is supposed to be the heir apparent to the starting tight end position whenever Zach Ertz retires. Right now, we're getting a sneak peek. So long as Ertz is on the sideline, McBride is a top-10 option at tight end.

He may not have weeks like this every time out. I'd assume Marquise Brown will be more involved in the offense moving forward, but McBride will still eat a decent chunk of Murray's targets.

The biggest issue is that the Cardinals will face the San Francisco 49ers during the first week of the fantasy football playoffs. The 49ers have not allowed double-digit non-PPR points to opposing tight ends all season. After that though, in Weeks 16 and 17, the Cardinals face the Bears and Eagles, who allow an average of 8.4 and 7.3 non-PPR points respectively to opposing tight ends. If you are in a PPR league, even better.

Of course, Ertz could return for the last leg of the season, which will eat into McBride's target share. That said, McBride has proven himself worthy of being a featured part of this Cardinals offense, and I wouldn't be surprised if the snaps between McBride and Ertz lean in the former's favor during the fantasy playoffs.

New England Patriots WR Demario Douglas (38% rostered in Yahoo leagues)

The New England Patriots offense is bad. Really bad. But that only makes what Douglas has been able to do the last few weeks even more impressive. With Kendrick Bourne on IR, Douglas is the sure-fire top option in the Patriots offense. It doesn't matter how bad an offense is. As long as it is not quarterbacked by Tommy DeVito, the top passing option is always a viable starting consideration.

Douglas has earned six or more receptions in four straight contests, and even in a game where the Patriots scored just six points, Douglas still earned 14 PPR fantasy points. Bourne will be out for at least another two games, and while the Patriots will be on bye in Week 11, that just means that his value should dip, and you should be able to stash him much easier than it would be if he was playing next weekend.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Waiver wire Week 11: 5 Fantasy football players to pick up now